Utilizing dihydrogen monoxide to create portable semipermanent condiments

[The Grand Duchess]

I'd like to preserve things like stew rather than plain meat.  Part of the reason is that I hate the freezer burn taste that soups get.  Part of the reason is- why not?

There is a very silly-looking, but effective technique that may be annoyingly-modern at times, but works quite well. (Thank you, again, Mr. Brown) I have used it successfully with a number of stocks and tomato sauces, without expensive devices.

Instead of the usual solid container, use a heavy "zip closure" freezer bag. 'almost" fill it and "almost" close it. Use a soda-straw to suck out the air. (you will probably get a taste of the product, but that is usually not a hardship). Quickly remove the straw and zip closed and freeze. This technique is not perfect, then again, it doesn't cost $100 to use.

LOL!

Actually. I'm a big fan of the freezer bag. My freezer is filled with frozen food right now.  But because I live in an apartment and have only a small freezer, there are certain things I'd like to store in other places- like the back of the closet.

Canning doesn't cost very much, actually- the investment is in the jars, which might cost $12 for a dozen, depending on size.   And once you have them, you just use them over and over again, which is something that can be hard to do with freezer bags.

I'd rather save the freezer for things like actual frozen peas than for pea soup, if possible.  What I also like about jars is that they make great gifts and aren't as messy to send to people as a freezer-bag full of food that has to be kept cold. My friends usually give me the jars back when they are done, so that they can be used again.

How much equipment do I use?

a silicone spatula
2 large pots
a cutting board
 a colander
a sieve
a measuring cup
a ladle.

Other than jars, that's it. Ingredients? Sugar and fruit.  I may add some liqueurs.

Again, part of it is about the experience. Just the same way as some people make rayguns that don't and can't work for the fun of it, I make preserves that I could buy for the fun of it. Except I can eat what I make, or give it away at holiday time (and it costs a lot less to make jam in the summer to give away in December than to go hunting for gifts in crowded stores and spend more than one can afford).

[HAC]

My dear lady Duchess.. I'm from Quebec originally, as is my long time wife (35 years and counting), and she has an authentic split pea soup that was handed on down. Uses ham hocks and other good stuff.. (and her tortiere, to die for!)Should you be interested, let me know..
 While I don;t cook well myself, I have a fine collection of "Old West" chuckwagon recipes..

Cheers
Harold  (Perhaps being an old f*rt has its uses?)

I would be honored to use your recipe, especially since I love ham hocks (I always keep a few in the freezer). Ditto the other recipes.

I'm not surprised that preserving was big in Alberta by the late 1800s.  By that time the travel routes were established and people could get many of the items they wanted that made life more homely.  I know that in the US, one of the hallmarks of an established settlement was having a church, a school, and a general store/post office.  We do know that luxury goods such as champagne were sold to mining towns, so it makes sense that eventually canning equipment made its way West, once people had storm cellars and weren't moving as much.

  I'll get the recipe to you asap.  One of the reasons Alberta "civilized" so fast was the influence of the CPR. They sold land cheap, offered immigration packages from Europe, even had farm agents to help get you satrted with advice, seed, etc. They also ran experimental farms to try and see what would work best out here (answer - wheat and root vegetables).  I got interested in Alberta history ehen we transferred out here with the CPR, and while the history doesn;'t go back as far as it does on the East Coast, it's still quite interesting. Love talking to the older locals in small towns, you can learn a lot that way..
Cheers
Harold

[HAC]

Jeannie's Split Pea Soup:

"I grew up in Quebec, where pea soup is a traditional favourite. It was usually made with pig's feet, raw, not smoked, as "peasant" or "habitant" food utilized every bit of meat. Today, we seldom find raw pig's feet, so I make this soup with smoked ham hocks, or a leftover ham bone from a baked ham. You can also use smoked turkey legs/thighs, though I still prefer the ham hocks. If you try this out, let us know how you liked it!

2 cups of split yellow (or green) peas
1 large diced onion
10 cups water
2 smoked pork hocks, a pair of pig's feet, or leftover ham bone (with a bit of meat left on it)
1 tbls. salt, 1/3 tsp. pepper
1 large potato, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1/3 - 1/2 tsp. thyme, savoury, oregano, sage
2 tbls. chopped parsley - add near the end of cooking to preserve colour

Simmer meat in water in covered pot for 2 hours. Remove meat and strain broth (this removes chunks of floating fat and any bits of bone or gristle). Add onion, carrot, celery and potato as well as seasonings, and split peas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer til everything is tender. If soup is too thick - to your liking, add a little more water. Pick apart meat, add back to soup near end, as well as the parsley. This soup tastes even better reheated, and freezes well."


Cheers
Harold

[teawithsteph]

Teawithsteph- I'm planning on using more apples this year for that reason.  The alpine strawberries were worth it because the quality outstripped what I would have otherwisie gotten, and some of the combos I came up with weren't being sold as jams.  But I do also buy local jams for the same reason.  On occasion I made things just for the practice; this year it will be about expanding my scope.  I may also make root beer this year (I have the syrup) but probably not, as the apartment gets too hot.  It will only work i I can store the bottles at my amour's place- he has a basement. I do want to see how pea soup will turn out- I like peas, and I'd like to have something made up so that in the winter I don't have to cook as much.

True about the unusual combos for preserves. I guess I am just rather cost based on many things. I had written up a larger post about how I value my time in figuring the cost of a project but ended up deleting it as not very relevant.

When I was a girl my mother made home made root beer. I still love root beer especially the smaller more unusual brands.

I had not thought of making up some soups or stews and steam-canning them. I require a low-salt diet due to iodine sensitivity so tend to make my own soups and other things so I can control the content. I like the idea of making up a huge batch and then processing them in jars. I honestly at times feel like I lack the room or place to seriously store the jars, I have given many away. My mother just moved out of her old farmhouse that had a lovely deep basement with all of the shelving for the preserves and jars. That is what I would prefer I just need a place to put it.

[CapnHarlock]

My apologies for not being clear - The "expensive machinery"  was a vacuum-pump and heat-sealer, not the basic canning equipment

[MrFats]

Sir HAC, I would love to see all of the recipes you are willing to disclose!

Perhaps, someone also has an orange marmalade recipe? I would really, really like to make my own

[The Grand Duchess]

Jeannie's Split Pea Soup:

"I grew up in Quebec, where pea soup is a traditional favourite. It was usually made with pig's feet, raw, not smoked, as "peasant" or "habitant" food utilized every bit of meat. Today, we seldom find raw pig's feet, so I make this soup with smoked ham hocks, or a leftover ham bone from a baked ham. You can also use smoked turkey legs/thighs, though I still prefer the ham hocks. If you try this out, let us know how you liked it!

2 cups of split yellow (or green) peas
1 large diced onion
10 cups water
2 smoked pork hocks, a pair of pig's feet, or leftover ham bone (with a bit of meat left on it)
1 tbls. salt, 1/3 tsp. pepper
1 large potato, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1/3 - 1/2 tsp. thyme, savoury, oregano, sage
2 tbls. chopped parsley - add near the end of cooking to preserve colour

Simmer meat in water in covered pot for 2 hours. Remove meat and strain broth (this removes chunks of floating fat and any bits of bone or gristle). Add onion, carrot, celery and potato as well as seasonings, and split peas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer til everything is tender. If soup is too thick - to your liking, add a little more water. Pick apart meat, add back to soup near end, as well as the parsley. This soup tastes even better reheated, and freezes well."


Cheers
Harold

I've found that ham hocks work better than smoked turkey also.  Now, I assume I can use fresh peas but just cook my hamhock for about an hour before adding in the peas?

[The Grand Duchess]

Teawithsteph- I'm planning on using more apples this year for that reason.  The alpine strawberries were worth it because the quality outstripped what I would have otherwisie gotten, and some of the combos I came up with weren't being sold as jams.  But I do also buy local jams for the same reason.  On occasion I made things just for the practice; this year it will be about expanding my scope.  I may also make root beer this year (I have the syrup) but probably not, as the apartment gets too hot.  It will only work i I can store the bottles at my amour's place- he has a basement. I do want to see how pea soup will turn out- I like peas, and I'd like to have something made up so that in the winter I don't have to cook as much.

True about the unusual combos for preserves. I guess I am just rather cost based on many things. I had written up a larger post about how I value my time in figuring the cost of a project but ended up deleting it as not very relevant.

So am I, up to a point.  but jam is one of the things on which I'm willing to splurge.  I'm just not willing to splurge for $8-$12 for a tiny jar of jam, when I can spend maybe $20 and get 6-8 jars of jam that are each larger than the one I would have bought.  Factoring in my time, it still seems like a good deal for something special- and it becomes a form of entertainment.  In NYC right now, a movie costs $11. 4 hours of canning time is worth more than $22 to me.

When I was a girl my mother made home made root beer. I still love root beer especially the smaller more unusual brands.

I had not thought of making up some soups or stews and steam-canning them. I require a low-salt diet due to iodine sensitivity so tend to make my own soups and other things so I can control the content. I like the idea of making up a huge batch and then processing them in jars. I honestly at times feel like I lack the room or place to seriously store the jars, I have given many away. My mother just moved out of her old farmhouse that had a lovely deep basement with all of the shelving for the preserves and jars. That is what I would prefer I just need a place to put it.

I've had to cut down on my salt also.  Like I said, the freezer is good.  But I'd rather free up some of that room for things that actually need to be frozen.  One soup in jars would free up some room; we'll see what happens in the fall, when I'm in the mood for venison stew!

[HAC]

I asked Jeannie about fresh peas, here is her reply:

"Hello aspiring soup friend!

As to whether you can use fresh green peas for the soup - yes, as there are some British recipes which call for garden peas. Remember that the texture may be different - I've never used fresh peas this way myself. A traditional pea soup used dried as these were easily stored over the long winter months. I'd try the recipe both ways - peas in season are delicious. You will have the skins, giving a different texture as well. There is a type of pea - non-split, dry, often used in pea soup, takes longer to soften and cook, leaves you will skin as well. I prefer the split as the texture is smoother, also yellow, as the colour is more what I am accustomed to. Give it a go and let me know how it works. The best part of cooking your own soup is that you can tinker with the recipe til you get the taste, texture, colour you enjoy best. Best advice on any soup - strain the broth before adding all the rest of the ingredients, and don't overdo the water - you can always add more, can't easily remove (well, you could reduce by boiling down, but then you've overcooked all the veggies!). Bon appetit!

One other thing - dried peas, as with beans, always rinse and pick over, discarding any imperfects.
Also... one more thing, if you use fresh peas, you will need to reduce your simmer time. Heres a British fresh pea soup recipe:

Ingredients
110g/4oz peas
½ pint vegetable stock
large splash of double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
handful of basil leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
double cream, to serve
cracked black pepper, to serve



Method
1. Place the peas in a saucepan and pour over the hot stock. Add the cream, seasoning, basil leaves and garlic to the pan and bring to the boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10-12 minutes.
3. Transfer the soup to a liquidiser and blend together until smooth.
4. Return to the heat to warm through.
5. Ladle the soup into a serving bowl and swirl the cream. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper to serve.

Enjoy your soup..

Jeannie"

As for orange marmelade, Jeannie has made it, and will look for the recipe.

Cheers
Harold

[The Grand Duchess]

I asked Jeannie about fresh peas, here is her reply:

"Hello aspiring soup friend!

As to whether you can use fresh green peas for the soup - yes, as there are some British recipes which call for garden peas. Remember that the texture may be different - I've never used fresh peas this way myself. A traditional pea soup used dried as these were easily stored over the long winter months. I'd try the recipe both ways - peas in season are delicious. You will have the skins, giving a different texture as well. There is a type of pea - non-split, dry, often used in pea soup, takes longer to soften and cook, leaves you will skin as well. I prefer the split as the texture is smoother, also yellow, as the colour is more what I am accustomed to. Give it a go and let me know how it works. The best part of cooking your own soup is that you can tinker with the recipe til you get the taste, texture, colour you enjoy best. Best advice on any soup - strain the broth before adding all the rest of the ingredients, and don't overdo the water - you can always add more, can't easily remove (well, you could reduce by boiling down, but then you've overcooked all the veggies!). Bon appetit!

One other thing - dried peas, as with beans, always rinse and pick over, discarding any imperfects.
Also... one more thing, if you use fresh peas, you will need to reduce your simmer time. Heres a British fresh pea soup recipe:

Ingredients
110g/4oz peas
½ pint vegetable stock
large splash of double cream
salt and freshly ground black pepper
handful of basil leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
double cream, to serve
cracked black pepper, to serve



Method
1. Place the peas in a saucepan and pour over the hot stock. Add the cream, seasoning, basil leaves and garlic to the pan and bring to the boil.
2. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 10-12 minutes.
3. Transfer the soup to a liquidiser and blend together until smooth.
4. Return to the heat to warm through.
5. Ladle the soup into a serving bowl and swirl the cream. Sprinkle with cracked black pepper to serve.

Enjoy your soup..

Jeannie"

As for orange marmelade, Jeannie has made it, and will look for the recipe.

Cheers
Harold

Yum.  I'll be making this over the weekend I think- I'll let you know how it turns out!