Muscat Grape Jelly

Today I was shopping in the Whole Foods and found something new to me. Muscat grapes. I had never even tried them before. I don't like tasting grapes in the store, so I had no idea what I was buying, but the little sign said, "Available for only 4 weeks a year!" I'm such a sucker for that kind of advertising. If it's unusual, I'll buy it. Especially if it's a food. (Grocers, take note!) I bought 6 pounds.

Eating a muscat grape is like having a little ball of perfume in your mouth - but not in an overpowering way. They are sweet and fragrant. And they have a pinkish glow that is very pretty. Compared to the green grapes they were next to, they looked richer. Healthier. Like grapes should look. My older child tried some and referred to them as "Honey Grapes." Aren't they lovely?

So I used 3 pounds to make grape jelly. I extracted the juice by crushing and boiling the grapes with 1/2 c. of water and then straining with cheesecloth and a strainer. I just barely got the requisite 4 c. of juice (didn't want to add water and dilute the flavor) and then followed the directions on the package of Certo. (7 c. of sugar, 1 package of Certo.) I ended up with 8 1/2 c. of jelly. The whole family ate another 2 pounds before dinnertime and I'm currently snacking on some more while I write. I may have to go back and buy some more before that 4 week window is up!

Ham Sandwich

One wouldn't normally think that a ham sandwich is something extraordinary. However, I have paired it with a jam that really worked with it. Rhubarb-Pineapple jam! When I was cooking the ham I glazed it with the same jam, and really liked the taste, so the leftovers are being treated with the same combination in sandwiches (plus a little mustard). In addition, the pickles are dill pickles I made on my birthday last year. Even the pickled garlic is delicious!

Uh Oh

So, I don't really know why it happened, but one of the quarts broke in the canner. What a mess! The first inclination of a problem was that the kitchen still smelled strongly of chili while the canner was going. The second inclination was, well, an inclination. The jar was tilted.

This is really bad. I am not looking forward to cleaning this up.

Chili

Tonight I made a double batch of chili with the intention to can the leftovers. I never make chili the same way twice, so this is tonight's recipe:

4+ lbs. ground beef (93% lean)
2 onions, chopped
4 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
2 large cans kitchen ready tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste
2 cans red kidney beans
2 cans dark red kidney beans
5 oz. Wahoo! Chili powder
salt to taste

Brown the meat, onions, and peppers, add the spices and tomatoes, let it simmer for about 2 hours. For dinner, I made cornbread and we put the chili on the cornbread and topped it with shredded cheese. It was not nearly as spicy as one would expect for putting an entire jar of chili powder in it (basically 1 CUP of powder). But it was tasty! After dinner I filled up 4 quart jars and 2 pints and the pressure canner is going. 90 minutes at 10 lbs. of pressure, based upon the cookbook's recommendation.

Why are there only 3 quarts, you ask?

Lots of Jams and Fruits

Today was full of yummy foods - we started with waffles with strawberries and mulberries in syrup, topped with whipped cream. Mmmm! Then we gave a jar of strawberry jam to friends. We used blueberry jam for our sandwiches. Maybe there will be more for dessert?

Bravery Required

It's been in the back of my mind for a while. What does one DO with the Zesty Watermelon Jelly? It has a vinegar flavor, so it doesn't really lend itself to sweet things. Hmm.

Today, I got brave enough to open a jar. The vinegar taste is pretty strong when the jelly eaten just off a spoon. BUT, it seems to go well with cheddar cheese. Aha!

Goodbye, Turducken

We finished off the last 3 pints of the "turducken" soup last night and today. It was duck soup made with turkey and chicken broth, leeks, wild rice, and a blend of gourmet mushrooms (thanks to Whole Foods for making that easy). It was really good soup.

I am not very good at soups. The main problem seems to be a lack of salt, which I have remedied for the soups I have canned. However, variety is also an issue. So I picked up a cookbook entitled 1001 Delicious Soups & Stews and hopefully I can expand my repertoire.