National Center for Home Food Preservation

http://nchfp.uga.edu/
This link is to the National Center for Home Food Preservation.  They are a website created to help educate people on the safest ways to preserve foods at home.  It is a great resource for the home preservationist. I highly recommend looking at what they have to say given the scientific data and research involved in their findings. 
Here is their project summary and a list of some of the topics they cover:

"Home food preservation remains an important and popular cultural activity. It is critical that those who practice preserving and processing foods at home have access to the most reliable information available concerning food safety and food quality. The Cooperative Extension System (CES) and USDA have long been recognized as credible sources for science-based recommendations. However, developmental work on new or continued recommendations has been sporadic since the 1950s due to availability of resources and probably interested persons. Two national surveys conducted by the Center in 2000 and 2005 both revealed a high percentage of home food processors are using practices that put them at high risk for foodborne illness and/or economic losses due to food spoilage.
The National Center for Home Food Processing and Preservation was established with funding from the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES-USDA) in 2000 as a multi-institutional effort with The University of Georgia and Alabama A&M University as the primary institutions. Expert scientists in home food preservation from industry and eight other U.S. universities comprised an advisory committee for the Center.  Home food preservation recommendations were updated through laboratory development and testing of products and critical literature reviews; recommendations from USDA and the Cooperative Extension System have been made available through this website; a new video series; on online self-study course; revision of the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (December 2009); updating of Extension professionals in various states; and, various other publications on the website."

Seasonal Tips

Seasonal Topics

Winter

Be Safe Eating Your Homemade Gifts
Canning Chocolate Sauces Unsafe
Canning in Winter Can Be a Blast
Freezing Casseroles, Soups and Stews
Mailing Food Gifts to U.S. Military
Mail Order Food Safety
New Cranberry Recipes Add Spice to your Holiday Table
Resources for Home Food Preservation Gifts
Spring Gardening: Getting Ready
Food Safety for those Glorious Holiday Goodies

Spring

Keep a Garden Record Book - Thomas Jefferson Did
Plan Ahead for Home Canning This Summer

Summer

Can Your Vegetables Safely
Freezing Summer's Bounty
Low Sugar Alternatives for Jams and Jellies
Pickling: Not Just For Cucumbers Anymore
Preparing for Power Outages
Preserving a Harvest of Tomatillos
Preserving Food at Home Can be Rewarding, Costly
Resources for Home Preserving Tomatoes
Resources for Home Food Freezing
Sorting Out Tomato Canning Directions
What to do if the Freezer Stops  HTML  Spanish

Fall

Apple Alternatives
Apples are Peaking; Choose the Best Preservation Method
Holiday Gifts For The Home Food Preserver
Preparing Safer Jerky
Resources for Home Preserving Pumpkins
Resources for Home Preserving Venison
When It’s Time to Store Canning Supplies…

Guide to Pesticides on Fruits and Veggies

http://www.ewg.org/foodnews/faq.php

I just found this great website that breaks down the pesticide exposure and risks associated with fruits and vegetables.  I highly recommend checking it out.  It also has a guide for the produce that tests highest for pesticide contaminants and how to avoid pesticides in our diets.
Pesticide exposure has been linked to many health problems and the contributing factors for children especially in the womb are considered high.  Buying organic whenever possible helps to keep your family healthy but also helps send the message to corporations that consumers are demanding higher quality produce.
Their shopper's guide has 51 entries in it.  They are ranked from highest pesticide content to lowest.  I have listed the top 10 foods that are highest in pesticides.  I try to purchase these from the organic section of my grocery store or from local farmers that sell organic produce in bulk.  Organic foods can be pricey but I find the prices going down as consumers demand better quality produce.  Buying produce in season also nets a greater savings because those items are in abundance in their season.  Purchasing in bulk at the right time of year and preserving those fruits and vegetables for future use is a good way to save money and have healthier foods.  Details on home food production  can be found at this link.

1

Apples

2

Strawberries

3

Grapes

4

Celery

5

Peaches

6

Spinach

7

Sweet bell peppers

8

Nectarines - imported

9

Cucumbers

10

Potatoes

 

Pizza Sauce and Pizza Spice Blend

Don't buy pizza sauce or the spice blend ever again!  They are expensive and can be full of additives.  Instead make up your own.  It is so simple and uses just a few spices from your pantry.  Simply measure out the spices listed below and store in a jar until you want to use it.  You can double or triple the batch to have a larger quantity on hand for your next family pizza night.

Equipment:
Measuring spoons
Small bowl
1/2 pint mason canning jar and lid

Ingredients:
2 T dried oregano
1 T dried basil
1 T Italian spice blend-I have McCormick but any will do.
1 t onion powder
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t red pepper flakes


To make pizza sauce simply add 2 T of your spice blend to 1 15oz can of tomato sauce.  I like the Costco "Kirkland" brand of organic tomato sauce.  Let it simmer on the stove for about 20 minutes to allow the flavors to come together.  For a pumped up version, add spices to pot first and let them "bloom" for about 20 seconds before adding the sauce.  This allows the oils in the spices to activate and helps really flavor the sauce.  Make sure you stir constantly and pour the sauce in as soon as you can smell the spices heating.  The garlic powder will burn quickly if you aren't paying attention.
Taste the sauce to see if it needs salt.  If you are using canned tomato sauce then you probably won't need to add salt as they usually have plenty in them.  
Enjoy!

Additives to Avoid If You Can

Buying food as close to its original state of being is important to me.  I think it is important to know what you are eating, where does it come from, what ingredients are in it, can I pronounce them?  There are many concerns about the foods that we can purchase at the store these days.  Here is a list of ingredients you should try to avoid if you can.  These products contribute to cancer, obesity, auto-immune disorders, migraines, and other serious illness.   Take time to do some research and find out what they are.  I highly recommend buying organic, non-gmo products whenever you can.  They are a little more expensive but it is cheaper to eat well and stay healthy than to eat poorly and have medical bills.
I will give you a brief overview.

Soy and Soy Lecithin-This is in almost everything.  Soy is not a healthy thing to consume on a regular basis because our bodies can't handle the extra hormone boost that comes from soy.  Soy in large amounts can contribute to auto-immune disorders and cause serious headaches in those that are sensitive to soy.  Most people don't know they have a sensitivity, they just live with whatever nagging ailments they have without making the connection.  Soy is also largely genetically modified.  What this means is that if you are consuming foods high in soy you are introducing small amounts of pesticides into your system regularly.  GMO or genetically modified foods have been engineered to resist pests.  They do this by adding the equivalent of "Round-up" at the cellular level so that the plants will survive a pest infestation.  This means that simply washing the soybeans does not get rid of the exposure to pesticides.  Steering clear of soy altogether is a good thing and if you do eat soy, make sure it is fermented so that your body can digest it properly.

MSG-This one has many different names.  Natural flavoring, spices, glutamate, etc.  Google it and you will find a huge list of alternative names.  MSG or mono-sodium glutamate is put in foods to make otherwise bland, cheap foods taste better and last longer on the shelf.  MSG immediately interacts with your brain and can cause lesions on your brain in high levels.  You develop an immediate desire to finish whatever  you are eating with it in it and then can feel bloated and heavy later.  It also induces migraines in more sensitive people.  This is one to avoid.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)-Like soy, corn is mostly genetically modified (GMO) now.  It is difficult to find popcorn or corn for your table that isn't GMO corn.  HFCS literally makes you fatter faster.  It contributes greatly to belly fat which has been linked to an increase chance of heart disease.  This is one to avoid at all costs.  However, like soy, it is in everything.  A good place to start is soda pop.  It is 90% corn syrup.  As a rule, if you purchase organic foods, they aren't suppose to have any GMO foods in them. 

All artificial dyes-Artificial dye contributes to ADD/ADHD, cancer, and can even mutate healthy DNA.  This includes Blue #1&2, Yellow #5&6, Red #40.  There are others too but these are the worst.  They are not against the law to add to foods in the US but can cause real problems.  Many companies are using natural dyes in foods and baking products.  Look for them on the ingredient list.

Bromiated Vegetable Oil-This is in some soda pop and adds bromine to your body.  Yet another reason to avoid sodas that aren't made with healthy ingredients.http://whatisthatingredient.com/ingredient.php?id=65

Azodicarbonamide-This chemical is used in bleaching flour.  Don't ever buy bleached flour.  I don't even know why they make it.  Unbleached and organic, non-gmo if you can find it is the best way to go.  Walmart sells "Montana" flour in my area and it is non-gmo and unbleached.  

rBGH and rBST-Bovine growth hormone that can be found in milk.  Most milk doesn't have it in it anymore.  If you have a source for raw milk I highly recommend drinking it instead of pasteurized milk.  It is so much better for you and hasn't had all the good bacteria stripped out of it so it is easier to digest.

Potassuim Bromate-This is used in the manufacturing of bread and bread products.  Baking  your own bread at home is best.  If you have a bakery you like and know what they are using to bake their breads then that works too.  http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/QAA401144/A-Carcinogen-in-Your-Bread.html

Olestra-This goes by the name "Olean" and is a fat substitute.  This stuff is nasty.  It depletes fat soluble vitamins from your body and carotenoid.  It is used in potato chips and its most noticeable side effect is diarrhea. 

BHA & BHT- Carcinogen found in cold cereals and snack mixes.  Cold cereal and snack mixes have no food value other than the milk you pour on them.  We have recently sworn off most cereal if it isn't organic and non-GMO.  We don't eat much cereal anyway and oatmeal is so much better for you in the morning.  I have also made my own granola that subs as a great cereal.  It was hard to go off cold cereal but it has been worth the health benefits to be done with it.  We have a real breakfast at our house each morning.  Eggs, pancakes, waffles, skillet potatoes, oatmeal, muffins, fruit smoothies, ect.  It makes for a much better day.

Happy researching.  I hope this post will give you some things to think about and that you will try to eliminate those products from your shelves that contain these chemicals.  I appreciate any correction if I have made an error at all.

Canning: Heaven or Hell?

It has been a while since I have posted.  Life has become complicated in unusual ways and has taken my time away from my pursuit of all things food.  In my last post I reported on the scuffle with my chickens.  My little white cutey has recovered but sadly we were unable to put her back into the coop with the other chickens.  They hate her and want her dead.  We decided to take the other leghorn out and put them in their own little apartment next to the coop. They are happier together and yet sad at being rejected by the popular girls.   It made for a fun project for the kids and I and now have two separate coops.  The great news is when it is time to rotate the flock, we will have a little home for our chicks.  The large, angry, New Hampshire Red that caused all the carnage has continued her life of crime and has murdered two little sparrows who made the mistake of getting in the coop with the chickens for their food and water.  She is a mean bitty and I am not sure I want to eat a homicidal chicken; karma or something.
My usual cooking adventures have subsided because canning has taken over my life.  My cousin made a funny comment about how we can and can for a month or two and our families live on cold cereal so that we can all eat well for the rest of the year.
Canning is in my blood.  My grandmother taught me how and I haven't looked back.  I find it such an organic experience.  I come from strong, independent, pioneer stock and feel so connected to those women in my family who preceded me when I am cooking from scratch.  Canning is the culmination of months of planning and preparing.  Planning the garden, deciding where to go to get the things I don't grow, deciding on the timing, etc. 
I planted my garden in early March and impatiently waited to see the first signs of life.  I sprouted my seeds inside because it was still too cold here in the Rocky Mountains to plant outside and couldn't wait to put their little roots into the freshly tilled earth.  The soil was perfect, and the weather cooperated, and they all died within the week.
The irony of gardening for me is that nothing I plant grows.  However, all the seeds left from canning the season before sprout up and I get a garden I wasn't expecting.  Divine providence plays a role in my success because I always seem to grow those things I end up needing most.
It is like garden Christmas at my house around June when we figure out what all the plants are that are coming up.  This year I was surprised with more tomato plants then I knew what to do with.  It has been wonderful playing with all things tomato.  Tomato sauce, tomato juice, whole tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, and more.  I have a couple of random squash plants too that I am waiting on to show their substance.  My son planted our sprouted potatoes from the winter and it will be interesting to dig them up in another month when the tomatoes are done.  The tomatoes have consumed my garden now and I can't see the potato plants anymore.
Canning is the hardest but most satisfying work I do outside of teaching my children.  There is just something about taking that peach and working with it to preserve it for the days when peaches won't be available.  Currently I have peaches, tomatoes, blended fruit pulp-for fruit roll ups, and tomatillos awaiting my magic hands to make them into something delicious.  So far this year I have been able to roast and bottle Anaheim Chilies, bottle peaches and peach preserves, steam juice plums and bottle juice, make fruit roll ups with the left over pulp from the juicing, bottle tomatoes, and freeze a ton of stuff. 
My friends and neighbors call, "I have too much (fill in the food) do you want it?"  I just can't say no.  I am a glutin for punishment because I just can't turn away food.  There is something about the bounty of food this time of year that fills my soul.  More than money in the bank, having food on my shelves and knowing my hands created it makes me fill like the best homemaker that ever lived.  I realize in our "woman power" world being a homemaker is not high on the list of achievements girls are encouraged to pursue, but I have never felt more like a woman than when I am ensuring the survival of my family with food.  Buying it at the store isn't the same as using your intellect, strength, and ability to endure to put food on the shelves of your home.  I am not ashamed to admit that I like to go down to the storage room from time to time and just wonder at the full bottles on the shelves.  They look beautiful.  It also turns me into a bit of a food Nazi because my kids want to eat it all the first week it is there! There is an innate connection women  have to nurturing others and we do it so beautifully with food.  I love when my husband returns at the end of the day from work and I excitedly pull him into the kitchen to show him what I created that day.  It is more rewarding then showing your friends your new outfit or even buying new furniture.  Creation with our hands is the highest form of accomplishment.  Who doesn't love standing back from a project and saying, "I did that."?
Canning is hard.  It requires hours at the sink washing and peeling.  Sterilizing jars and cooking over the hot stove.   I go to sleep at night sore from the work of the day and wake to the magnificence of colorful food all packed into jars that have cooled and sealed overnight.  There are days I look around my kitchen and wonder if I will have the energy to continue.  That is when I dig a little deeper and dive in.  I understand more fully now the benefit of living with other neighbors and family on farms.  The women would all come together at harvest time to preserve the food for the coming year.  What an amazing experience to spend your days learning and laughing with those you love the most and providing sustenance for your families.   We have lost that connectedness in our modern society.  We aren't as connected to each other or the land anymore.  It is something I crave in my soul.
Canning is pure heaven to me.  Nothing worthwhile come easily and this is so worthwhile.   

Chicken Carnage

We have had chickens for a couple of years now and were always told to watch for the pecking order to get out of control.  We raised our little brood from chicks and thought for sure our little ladies were the sweetest things ever.  They are little egg laying machines and my kids have named them all.  I told them not to name their food but they felt compelled since we no longer have a dog.  They play with the chickens and hold them.  "Look mom, they are so sweet!" 
A week ago, I went to check on the little dears to see how they were doing in our arctic weather and found them to be happily pecking below the roost.  Except, I noticed one of the leghorns was not down getting her morning drink of water.  "She must be laying," I naively thought.  When I opened the top of the coup I am sure the neighbors could hear me gasp.  Blood bombs looked like they had exploded all over the coup.  It was on the ceiling, the door, the wall, and a very large frozen puddle was sitting in the nesting box in the straw.  The leghorn was sitting, barely alive and covered in blood.  The white of her feathers and the white of the snow only increased the horrific scene.  The best part was that it was so cold all of the blood immediately froze where it landed.  She was covered in frozen blood and staring at me with a desperate look to save her. 
I called for my son to come and help me and as I was registering the damage two of the dear chickens came up to check out what I was doing.  They started for me as if to say, "she's ours, we are here to finish her off".  I had to shoo them off and work quickly.
 I have never been so thankful for Google and the internet.  We gently lifted our patient out of the coop and tried to asses the damage.  She had so much blood frozen all over her we couldn't find the wounds.  The cold probably saved her life because it slowed the blood loss down but we had to get her inside. 
As I held her little body I struggled with what I might have to do to "help" our little friend.  I am a wiz at cutting up a chicken that has already been processed but starting at the beginning was something I wasn't ready to embrace.  I checked online to see what to do.  Do you know you can Google, "how to clean up an injured chicken"?  Armed with some information, I decided to call my husband and seek his advice.  He is the kind of man that would come home from work to kill a bug for me if I needed it so I knew he would save me from the inevitable if it came to it.  He told me she would probable live if she made it through the night.  "Make her comfortable, and see what happens", he said.
Me and the kids worked calmly and I was so impressed with how unaffected they were by the carnage.  We set up a little pen for her in the guest shower and decided if she was going to live, she needed rest. 
The transition from saving the chicken to dealing with the aftermath became a nightmare version of "Dirty Jobs".  I learned online that chickens are attracted to blood.  Who knew?  I had to try to clean up the coop.  If you haven't ever had to clean frozen blood up in freezing temperatures, then you simply haven't lived.  The solution was screaming hot water in a spray bottle and Clorox wipes.  It loosened the mess, but Tilex was the real winner.  I bleached what I could get cleaned off and tried to mask the blood smell.  The only problem, trying not to kill the rest of the chickens with bleach fumes. 
We cleaned the coop as best we could.  It was at this point I decided chickens were horrible. 
I have since come back around to liking them again but I am jaded and am having a hard time seeing them as very cuddly anymore. 
Our little patient stayed in the guest shower for almost a week.  Chickens are not inside pets!  We had to slowly introduce her back into the brood and they wouldn't take her.  This presented another problem.  Where does she live?  The house smelled of chicken crap and I wasn't letting her back in.  We built a small extension to the coop that allowed the others to see her but not kill her.  Hopefully, we will be able to have her join the others as soon as her injuries are healed up.  For now, she has to look longingly through the chicken wire at the others.  She wants to be with them and doesn't seem to care they tried to kill her.  We didn't have a tip on the little pen at first.  She figured out how to jump out and hopped her way through the snow and ice all the way to the back door.  She knew she had it good inside.  The pen now has a roof.
The final task; I got to clean out the inch deep chicken poo from the shower.  There are some jobs that are so distasteful, cleaning hardly seems enough.  I feel like I need to replace the shower.  After bleaching and scrubbing over several days, honestly, the shower has never been this clean.  However, all of the kids have proclaimed they will never use the shower again.  Good thing we have other bathrooms in the house. 

Peanut Butter Bars

This recipe is a minor adaptation of the recipe I make for the Bountiful LDS temple.  It is divine.  There is nothing low fat about it and it is so worth it!

Equipment:
1 cookie sheet
stand mixer with paddle and whisk attachments-it really helps to have one for this recipe.  You can use a hand mixer too but it is a little more diffcult.
bowl scraper (spatula)
*if you have it:  difficult measure measuring tubes, here is the link to check them out.  I highly recommend getting one for the more difficult items to measure, i.e. mayo, peanut butter, coconut oil, etc.
Peanut Butter Measuring Cup
1 large mixing bow
dry measuring cups
measuring spoons
liquid measuring cups
frosting spreader

Ingredients:
Cookie
1/2 C butter
1 C white sugar
3/4 C brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 C creamy or chunky peanut butter
1 C all-purpose flour
1 C whole oats
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
 Peanut Butter Spread
1 C creamy peanut butter
1/2 C powdered sugar
1/4 C corn starch
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1/3 C butter
4 C powdered Sugar
1/3 C cocoa powder
1/3 C milk

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and lightly grease the cookie sheet and set aside.
In the large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients for the cookie and set aside.
In the stand mixer bowl with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and both sugars.
Add the egg and vanilla and combine.
Add the peanut butter and mix until completely combined.
Add the dry ingredients as quickly as they will combine without exploding out of the mixer. 
Spread the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet filling the entire sheet. 
Bake for 10-15 mins depending on how your oven heats.  The cookie should look lightly browned and it should have risen while baking.  Take care not to over bake the cookie.  You are aiming for a tender, chewy base to your bars. 

While the cookie is baking, measure out your ingredients for the two frostings. 
Clean the mixer bowl and replace the paddle with the whisk attachment. 
For the peanut butter spread, add the peanut butter to the bowl and whip.
Add the powdered sugar and add only enough corn starch to help absorb some of the oil in the peanut butter; whip till combined.  Don't exceed the 1/4 cup. 
Once the cookie has been removed from the oven,  let it cool and when it is still slightly warm, spread the peanut butter mixture over the entire cookie.  It is easier to spread the peanut butter when the cookie is still slightly warm. 
Then, let it cool completely.

For the chocolate frosting, clean the bowl out once more and use the whisk attachment again.
Add the butter to the bowl and whip.
Add the cocoa powder and then a splash of milk to wet.
Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time and alternate with the milk till the entire amount of both have been added.
If the frosting is too thick, add 1 T more of milk at a time until a fluffy consistency is reached. 
Spread the frosting over the cooled cookie and try not to eat them all right away!