Make sure you slice off and discard the blossom end of the cucumber. You can tell the blossom end from the stem end by using your sense of touch. The stem end will feel smooth with an indented or concaved dot. The blossom end, which you will want to remove, will feel like a rough, curved outward dot Vegetables become soft as their pectin structure changes due to microbial activity, excess heat or improper handling. (Pectin is a natural substance in the vegetable that holds the cells together.) Once a vegetable becomes soft it cannot be made firm again. To make pumpkin slices: you can make larger slices and the process will be exactly the same (since the long cook time will easily cook larger pieces). gallon boiling water and 1/2 cup kosher salt make a brine. Allow for a 20-minute cooling period before adding the peppers to the brine. If you want to make a soft pumpkin jam, you won’t need the above and can skip the “soaking” step. Optional Add-ins and Variations

Add the pumpkin and allow it to soak for about six hours (though up to 12-24 works too to help the pumpkin retain its shape). For chewier candied pumpkin pieces (without syrup): you can make candied pumpkin similar to crystallized fruits To do so, after the long-simmering, transfer the pumpkin pieces to a large wax-paper lined tray and allow them to dry out for 10-12 hours, then optionally roll in sugar.

The jar should be tightly-closed to prevent moisture from coming in. If humid air does get into the jar, the calcium chloride might become “caked”. It can still be used if it does, you’ll just have to break up the clumps. Equivalents I always use filtered water, because of all the chlorine in the water here (booooo), but that’s a great note for others! I haven’t added garlic, is that just for taste or is it supposed to do something else as well? If you want to preserve the pumpkin: don’t reduce the sugar amount in the recipes, as it acts as a preserver. If you reduce the sugar, the shelf life will be reduced too (and I can’t guarantee how much). Hi y'all! I’m Kathleen. I share Southern shortcut recipes! I’m a food stylist, cookbook author, and former test kitchen director in Alabama. I take traditional Southern recipes you know and love (and a few new ones) and make them with shortcuts so you can enjoy them faster. I thought it was widely understood that women who spent most of their time around each other would end up with their cycles aligned. There’s really a lot going on that we do not see.

Garlic: Use the garlic to taste. I love garlic and use 10 cloves; however, you can absolutely use less. Second, are you aware of why the added recommendation to pre-soak cucumbers in the calcium chloride solution was removed?Prepare 8 quart-sized mason jars, lids, and canner for processing.Start your water bath now so it is ready when it is time to process the jars. This roasted tomato sauce is so good! We use it on anything pasta, pizza, meatloaf and even as a bread dip. We even add it… I am a graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a BS in Home Economics Education and Extension and from Colorado State University with a MS in Textiles and Clothing. I enjoy spending time with family and friends, gardening, quilting, cooking, sewing, and sharing knowledge and experience with others. Renee! So happy you liked it. Fresh dill is the best; it will keep reseeding, and you’ll have it forever. Hope you enjoy the recipe year after year too. Reply

It was a treasure trove! The book recipes are super exciting, but the handwritten notes on beautiful cards were the highlight. The small clippings cut out of old newspapers delicately pinned inside the book were so incredibly charming, I just about lost my mind. I made them anyway, tossing his concern to the wind. I bottled ten beautiful jars that summer and they were elegant green gems in pristine glass bottles that I obsessively admired. There are a few ways to make peppers crisp. One way is to slice the peppers thin and roast them in the oven at a high temperature. Another way is to fry the peppers in a pan with oil over high heat. How To Keep Your Bell Peppers Crisp

Canning Crunchy Pickles: Your Questions Answered

Now here is the secret. As soon as the jars cool down below red hot PUT THEM INTO THE REFRIGERATOR. That’s all. This is such a great recipe!! My husband will be so surprised and happy!!! Thank you so much!!! Reply

Trimming Cucumbers: Make sure you slice off and discard the blossom end of the cucumber. You can tell the blossom end from the stem end by using your sense of touch. The stem end will feel smooth with an indented or concaved dot. The blossom end, which you will want to remove, will feel like a rough, curved outward dot

Lemon juice:to help balance the super-sweet flavor of the candied pumpkin/pumpkin jam. A combination of orange and lemon juice would add interesting flavor. When you say the “flower” end of the cuke, do you mean the end attached to the stem/vine or the other end? Whatever you want 30,000 ppm for, and presumably there’s a reason, it will be due to some sort of effect. This then begs the question, are other contaminants going to also contribute to or hinder that effect. In the case of all but distilled water and hermetically sealed anhydrous calcium chloride, you might not know what that is.