Food Preparation

Commercial juice is an easy and convenient option, but...Yes, you can certainly make jelly from commercially prepared juice (either bottled or frozen). It’s faster and easier than extracting your own juice from fresh fruit.  There are a couple of things to keep in mind, however. The juice should be…

Dry canning vegetables doesn't ensure even heating. Another “homemade” canning method (in other words, someone made it up themselves) has been making the internet rounds recently, which involves pressure canning vegetables without any added liquids. The food, either cooked or raw, is simply put in a jar…

Make eggnog only from pasteurized eggs.Eggnog is a seasonal/holiday tradition in many households, and while it can be purchased commercially, some people prefer to make their own at home. Can you do so safely?  For sure, but use only pasteurized eggs when making eggnog. Raw eggs can be contaminated with…

Four valuable lessons that will take the stress out of canning pickled asparagus.My first time making pickled asparagus at home, by myself, with a borrowed steam canner, was a lot of fun, a fair amount of work, and produced what I would call mixed results, but I have no regrets.   The recipe I…

Hard cheese freezes best, others less so. Cheese is best stored in the refrigerator, but there are some cheeses that freeze fairly well, especially hard or semi-hard cheeses. Good choices for freezing include Cheddar, Edam, Muenster, Parmesan, Provolone, Romano, and Swiss.  Some softer cheeses such…

Tricks for preserving the highest quality of fresh cranberries. Cranberries are a wonderful fall fruit that are easy to preserve for use throughout the year. The very easiest preservation method is to simply store them in the fridge (refrigeration is preserving!), where they will keep for about 4 weeks…

Freezing eggs is a great way to ensure you always have eggs on hand. If you’re tempted by the better pricing of a 24-pack of eggs but are worried that you can’t consume them before they go bad, or if you raise …

Canning Basics: How to know that a gel will form when making soft spreads. How do you know when your jams, jellies, and other soft spreads are ready to remove from the heat? There are several tests that can determine that the gel point (aka gel stage) has been reached, including the sheet test and the…

Use a food-safe recipe to make this inexpensive, fun, creative play dough. Playing with play dough is a fun and creative activity for kids to engage in and making your own play dough at home has plenty of benefits: It can be cheaper, it can be softer and smoother, and you can even get the kids involved…

Understand the difference between hot pack vs raw pack for canning meat and poultry.Hot pack and raw pack refers to the method of packing food into jars prior to canning. There are advantages and disadvantages to each method; when both options are given, the one you choose comes down to personal preference…