Now it's time to get down to business: five tips for preserving
Created: 07/25/2022, 16:19
By: Maria Wendel
Cinnamon plums are a smart way to preserve plums in the summer.
© Shutterstock_Chatham172
Boiling and pickling are great ways to extend the shelf life of fruit and vegetables.
Here you will find tips for success and two delicious recipes.
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Everything is becoming more expensive at the moment, especially when shopping for the week, some consumers have to take a close look at which products are going into the shopping cart and where they can still save money.
One way to save and save for later is to boil and cannish.
In this way you can preserve food and enjoy the vegetables and fruit from the summer months even in autumn or winter.
Now is the best time to start canning, as many varieties are in peak season and at their most fragrant.
Preserving food: What can you can and pickle?
The question is rather, what can't be boiled down, because this list would be much shorter.
Starting with herbs, from which you can make herbal mixtures and salts, but also preserve them in oil and vinegar.
You can also easily make spicy pastes and pesto yourself.
We continue with vegetables that you can pickle, there are different variants available to you: in salt, pickled, in oil, in vinegar, further processed into ketchup, chutney or sauces, etc. Do you already know our recipe for olive oil flavored with lemon zest, for example? ?
Fruit is also great for preserving and pickling in summer.
Who doesn't know Grandma's delicious homemade jams and preserves?
Just try it yourself and enjoy the summery aroma of strawberries in the cold winter months,
Gooseberries and Co. Below you will find two example recipes that you haven't seen a hundred times before: one for cinnamon plums, one for pumpkin ketchup.
This is how variety comes to the table!
Preserving food: 5 tips for preserving it
Good preparation is important: lids and glasses must be rust-free and must not show any signs of damage.
Which jars you can use: The classic jars with a rubber ring work well.
But you can also use screw-top jars.
Important: As soon as the lid of the screw-top jar shows the slightest damage, please sort it out and use a new jar instead.
Before use, carefully clean all parts with hot water and place them upside down (not dried) on a clean tea towel.
Make sure the ingredients are fresh and free of any blemishes.
Store preserves in a dark, cool and dry place.
Check the glasses regularly.
Although the contents can be kept for several years, they sometimes lose their aroma and colour.
The products taste best when everything is used up before the next harvest.
Preserving food: recipe for cinnamon plums
Cinnamon plums taste best in compotes, pancakes, waffles, custard and ice cream.
That's how it works:
Plum season: | July to September (depending on variety) |
Servings: | 3 glasses of 500 ml each |
Ingredients for the cinnamon plums:
1½ kg of plums
600ml of water
200 grams of sugar
2 star anise
3 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp vanilla powder
Preparation of the cinnamon plums:
Place the opened preserving jars with the corresponding lids in the oven and sterilize for 60 minutes at 100 °C.
First wash, halve and stone the plums.
Put the water, sugar, spices and vanilla powder in a saucepan.
Cook everything, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved.
Then distribute the plums among the sterile jars.
Finally, pour in the spice syrup.
Close jars tightly.
Now pasteurize the jars in the steam cooker or in the oven for 45 minutes at 90 °C in a water bath.
Danger!
You should make sure that the rims are clean before sealing the jars.
Leave to cool in the steamer or oven.
After opening, store in the refrigerator and consume quickly.
Have you ever made ketchup out of pumpkins?
This recipe makes it very easy.
© shutterstock_Joanna Grabowska-Kowalska
Preserving food: recipe for pumpkin ketchup
Pumpkin ketchup is versatile and tastes good with pasta, hearty egg dishes, potato pancakes, baked potatoes or cheese.
It also pairs well with grilled cheese and veggie patties.
Pumpkin Season: | August to November |
Servings: | 3 bottles of 500 ml |
Ingredients for Pumpkin Ketchup:
500 grams of pumpkin
500 g vine tomatoes
2 onions
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground allspice
Chili flakes and ginger to taste
pepper from the grinder
6−8 tablespoons sherry vinegar
¼ liter of water
Preparation Pumpkin Ketchup:
Place the opened bottles with their lids in the oven and sterilize at 100 °C for 60 minutes.
Halve the squash first, then peel.
Next, cut the pumpkin flesh into small cubes.
Now blanch, peel and halve the tomatoes.
Then remove the stem ends.
Put the tomatoes and pumpkin cubes together in a tall saucepan.
Then peel and finely chop the onions.
Put the sugar and salt in the saucepan.
Then stir in the spices, vinegar and water.
Cover and simmer gently for 1 hour.
Next, puree the vegetables with the blender, pass through a sieve and season to taste.
Then let the mixture boil again.
Using a funnel, fill the pumpkin ketchup into the sterile bottles.
Before closing, tap the bottles on the worktop a few times to close any cavities.
Now pasteurize the bottles in a steam cooker or in the oven for 45 minutes at 90 °C in a water bath.
Danger!
Be sure to beat the beating because trapped air bubbles in the mass can accelerate spoilage.
You should also make sure that the edges of the bottles are clean before you seal them.
Leave to cool in the steamer or oven.
After opening, store in the refrigerator and consume quickly.
Both recipes come from Katy Buchholz’s “Easy Canning: Homemade Delicacies from the Pantry” (advertising link).
Easy to preserve: Homemade delicacies from the pantry.
© riva Verlag
"Easy to preserve: Homemade delicacies from the pantry" by Katy Buchholz
How can food be preserved quickly and easily?
Traditional preserving or waking helps here.
The old method is currently being rediscovered, as sustainability is in vogue.
This cookbook shows inspiring classic and modern recipes for pickling and preserving: whether jam, hearty pesto, pickled vegetables and fruit, herbs in oil or vinegar, sauces and much more.
The 80 varied and delicious recipes for screw-top jars or mason jars are perfect for stocking up for singles, families or for gifts from the kitchen.
Whether you are a beginner or an expert, this recipe book has the right thing for every taste and every level.
The ideal companion for a sustainable lifestyle and for enjoying fresh vegetables, fruit and herbs all year round.
