Dilled Squash Relish

Chris was very disappointed when he realized that the Squash Chow Chow was sweet.  So, I made him Dilled Squash Relish.  It does not take as long as the Chow Chow to prepare but is very close to same ingredients.  Some recipes for dilled relish call for chopping the dill, but my mom always stuck a sprig of dill in the jar when she was ladling in the vegetables.  That allows the cook to adjust the dill to taste.   These jars of relish need to rest about 3 months before opening, to allow the flavors to meld.

Blender Banana Bread

This is the time of year to buy Bananas, especially if family members are outside in the heat, for any length of time.  If you are like me, you probably buy a few too many.  Once the bananas start to go south, you can make a variety of delicious dishes.  Today I made Blender Banana Bread. You are going to be surprised how easy this recipe is. Use a blender to combine the wet ingredients.  Then sift the dry ingredients and mix together.

Squash Chow Chow

This is Chow Chow made from more of the Aultman's produce.  I had so much fun making this.  Canning saves Summer for later in the year and there is something wonderful about the process that I can not describe. It makes me happy!

Plum Jam and Plum Butter

Stephanie's Father-in-Law gave Kay Morrison about a bushel of wild yellow plums.  She, in turn, gave them to me to make jam.  I have been pitting plums for several days.  Today, I pressed them through a colander and then separated the juice and the flesh.  The juice was made into jam and the rest was made into plum butter.  The jars were sterilized in boiling water. I used a water bath to pull the vacuum and set the lids.

My Mom's Dewberry Jam

Dewberry Jam sealed with lids and wax

All right, I will admit it,  I am a jar collector.  I get that from my mom. She was the founder of  the practice "reuse, repurpose, recycle".  We saved any jar that could be reused.  Remember, though, that any jar that has a chip or a crack is not reusable, so it needs to be recycled. 
When school was out for summer, my sister and I spent most of it gardening, working in a cotton field, and canning.  At the time, I detested those chores.  One of the reasons was that the house was hot the entire time we were canning and the smells were overwhelming.  Now, I miss those chores, except hoeing a cotton field. I do not think I will ever miss that!

Plum Relish

The rest of those green plums were just sitting there, not getting any sweeter so I had to either cook with them or throw them away.  This is what I ended up with and it is so delicious that I am serving it at Thanksgiving in place of Cranberry Sauce.
When I was a kid, we canned alot of fruits and vegetables.  It was always a big commitment of resources but the food lasted through the winter.  This  uses limited amounts of ingredients and less time and money is invested.  The end result is just as delicious. You can refrigerate this up to a month,(so far).  Mine is still good.

Enough peeled, pitted, and chopped plums and pears to make 4 Cups
1 Cup of Vinegar
1 Cup of Sugar
1 small Onion, chopped
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves
1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder
2 teaspoons Salt
Sprinkle of Crushed Red Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a very large stock pot and cook over very low heat.  Stirring regularly. Continue cooking until the liquid is reduced to a consistancy of jelly.  Remove from pot and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Deloris