Very Credible and Edible Salsa Recipe

Home canning salsa is not an easy task.  Out of 50 or so home canning salsa recipes that I have tried, only 3 or 4 actually tasted good enough for me to prefer it over either a fresh salsa, or a (God forbid) store bought salsa. 

It's because of the need for acidity in the home canned salsa that they so often lack quality.  Lemon juice or vinegar needs to be added in order to avoid botulism death, and that can seriously affect the flavor.

D-Wayne's wife Lori passed this recipe along and it is probably my favorite to date.  It's simple and easy - but best of all it tastes effing awesome. 

LORI'S SALSA

You need:
Approximately 50 normal sized tomatoes (obviously less if they're large, more if they're small).
3 Large Red Peppers
3 Large Green Peppers
2 Banana Peppers (or any sort of hot/sweet pepper)
3 Small Onions
4 Jalapenos (I add these, the original recipe does not call for them)

6 Cloves of Garlic (honestly...it's effing garlic - add as much as you want)
1/2 bunch of Cilantro

Blanch and de-seed your tomatoes first.  Trust me, it may take a few extra minutes but it is well worth it.

Dice the tomatoes until you have approximately 2 quarts (save any leftover tomatoes, you'll need them later).

 

Chop all of the other veggies and place them in a large stock pot.  Mix well.

Add 3 Tablespoons of Kosher or Canning salt to the top of the mixture - sprinkle it over the top but do not mix.  Cover the pot with plastic wrap and a lid, and let it sit for at least 8 hours.

  

I leave mine sit on the counter, at room temperature for an entire day. 

After allowing the mixture to rest, drain as much of the liquid off as possible, without removing the mixture from the pot.  I simply poke a few holes in the plastic wrap and drain it into the sink.

Move the pot to a stove burner, and add:

3 Tablespoons Sugar

1/2 Cup White Vinegar

1/2 Cup Lemon Juice

1 Cup Water

and 1 Large Can Tomato Puree...WHAT??!!  NO, NO, NO. 

Why in the world would you spend the time to grow/purchase all of these fresh ingredients, chopping them by hand, with thoughts of popping a fresh jar in the middle of winter, only to use store bought effin tomato puree??!!

Make your own! 

I use 1 quart jar of whole tomatoes that I canned earlier in the season, but any fresh tomatoes will do (see: left over from your chopping above).  If you're using canned tomatoes you do not need to cook them, simply puree and add to your mixture.  If you're using fresh tomatoes you're going to want to bring them to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least 20 minutes before adding to your salsa. 

Once you have everything combined and mixed, bring the mixture to a rapid boil, then reduce heat to a slow boil and boil for at least 45 minutes - STIRRING VERY OFTEN.  Allow mixture to boil until it reaches your desired consistency. 

Adjust two piece caps, add to a hot water bath for 15 minutes, and effin enjoy. 

 

Spicy Dilly Beans Yo

Here is a kick-ass recipe for what to do with an over abundance of beans.  Yellow beans work the best.

Spicy Dilly Beans

 Brine: 2 parts water to 1 part vinegar.
1 tsp red pepper flakes, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tsp salt, some fresh dill or dill seed per each jar.
pack beans, pour hot brine over them.  let cool.  Effiin enjoy. 

Chestnuts Roasting and my Hands are on Fire

On the opposite end of the fall nut spectrum from the Black Walnut, we find the Chestnut.  Black walnuts are very hard and yield a small amount of meat for the work you put into it.  Chestnuts on the other hand are very soft and moist, and much easier to handle.

Chestnuts do not preserve very well.  If you only have a few and plan on eating them within a week, roast them in an oven or over an open fire.  They are such a treat that for a roasted chestnut to last a week in my house is as rare as a good IPA lasting in my refrigerator for that same amount of time - it just doesn't happen.

If you do end up with an overabundance crop and do not want to waste your God given goodness, you do have some options.  If you plan on keeping your chestnuts over the winter months, do not roast them.  Blanch the chestnuts in a boiling water bath for no longer than 1 minute.  Let them cool, and let them dry.

If you plan on keeping them in your fridge, place them in a zip top bag and poke some holes in the bag to allow air to flow through.  You will get about a month keeping your chestnuts in the fridge.

Chestnuts are also able to be frozen.  Follow the same directions as above, and then freeze each chestnut individually before putting them in an airtight container.  I lay them out on a cookie sheet and put them in the deep freeze.  Once they are frozen I simply store them in a freezer bag and they will last up to a year if you're lucky.

When you are ready to use the chestnuts, allow them to thaw in your fridge for a day, and then roast them using the directions listed above.  Sing some holiday tunes, down some eggnog, and have a merry effing day.

Hardly Harvesting Black Walnuts

Effing awesome tree.  Used for high quality wood working, nut meat, and, whether you want it to or not, walnut stain.


To harvest the Black Walnut is a labor of love.  When you pick the nuts at peak ripeness, the outer green shell should be just soft enough to make an indent with your bare hand.  Older methods of removing the nut from the shell included the use of a corn husker or pounding them through a hole in a board.  Other methods involve running over them with a car or smashing them with your feet.  I personally wait until the nuts fall from the tree so they are a little softer, then I just use a knife and work it in a circular motion around the nut, and then drop both the shell and the nut into a large container (I use a keg bucket).


Once your bucket is full of the shells and the nuts, use a hose and fill the bucket with water until everything inside is floating.  The bad nuts and the shells with float, the good nuts actually sink to the bottom.  Skim all of the shells and bad nuts off of the top, drain the water, and lay the good nuts out to dry.


I leave the nuts outside in the sun if it's still nice (the temperature has not been above 62 degrees the last few weeks in Western PA so my nuts are now sitting on the dining room table).  Once they are completely dry they store very well in a mesh bag, in a well ventilated and humid room.  If you're lucky enough to have a fruit cellar that works very well.  If not, your basement or backroom should work just fine.

The humidity level of the room is critical for prolonged preservation because if the nuts become too dry, the outer protective shell can crack and allow the nut meat to rot. 

Sadly, the most difficult part is cracking that protective shell to retrieve the nut meat.  After all of the hard work all you want to do is enjoy the walnut goodness.  Any sort of cement surface and a hammer works best, but be creative.  Once inside you will want to pick the nut meat from the walnut chambers, and then do whatever the eff you want with it.  Eat it raw, bake with it, candy it. 

The nut meat is similar in taste and texture to a "normal" walnut.  I'm not a huge fan of normal walnuts, but I do enjoy the Black Walnuts - but, like I said - it's a labor of love.