Canning Iced Tea Concentrate

   Two things that I absolutely love in this world are iced tea on a hot day and a pot filled with something that I have just bottled up to can. It's about time that I put one and one together to come up with my latest project. Canned iced tea concentrate that is ready whenever I am!

Iced tea made from Home Canned Concentrate!

     You may ask way I even bother doing this, but if you've ever made tea to go along with your dinner at the last minute, or someone just wants a refreshing drink to cool off in a hurry, then you know that iced tea starts off hot and has to work its way down to cool off. Not Convenient! So I searched the internet for answers and came up with a couple of resources that were encouraging, but not exactly what I was hoping for. Then it hit me! (Yes, I got excited.) The whole process works the way you specifically make your own favorite tea. In other words, I needed a recipe that would produce the tea I love to drink. So here's how I break it down:

Busy with the Blueberries

     It's been a while since I've posted a decent piece on this blog. There is no excuse for it, just sheer laziness on my part. Well actually, it wasn't exactly laziness. I have been busier than a three-headed duck in a patch of June Bugs! No kidding! Building a homestead is hard work and we've had our share of it. we've also had a death in the family, my husband's father, and a wedding in the family, our daughter Kristy. Just about the time we finish up the wedding and things go back to normal, well... our blueberries are turning blue! See...

Here are a few that are just right for picking.

Can You Can Left-Overs? Yes You Can!

     We have all had that moment when we pack up the dinner left-overs, open the fridge door and realize that the refrigerator will not hold another thing. Grrrrr! It happened to me last night. At 5AM I began filling up jars for canning. Yes, you can can your left-overs. You have my permission. :)
     I filled up three pints with left -over chili from Saturday night, a quart full of pasta sauce with meat from my son-in-law to be, a quart of sliced chicken breast meat, and a bowl/pint of purchased chunky soup that my son opened but wouldn't eat because it had mushrooms in it. It was such an easy project that I decided to do this every week! I am so stoked! My inner tightwad is totally thrilled! Here's how I did it:

1. Always use clean, sterilized canning jars:
   
I wash my jars in hot, sudsy water, rinsed, then placed them in a large kettle filled with hot water. I allowed the kettle to come to a rolling boil. I t usually requires about 10-15 minutes to thoroughly sterilize the jars once the water is boiling. It is also good practice to have a smaller pot of water for the lids and bands. The water in this pot does not require boiling. We only need the rubber to soften up for a good seal. I usually allow it to heat up until there are bubbles forming around the lids.

It's Turnip Time Again!

      Our turnip patch really surprised us last year. After the long months of drought earlier in the growing season, we had almost decided to turn everything under and retire for the year. Our little turnip patch almost wasn't. But then the rain began again and our enthusiasm was off and running... just like our turnip greens. The patch sprang to life, and soon we had more greens than I could manage. One small patch was enough to supply our household, my mom's house, my husband's parents and his three brothers, as well as my aunt and my cousin and his family with turnips and turnip greens. On the verge of Winter, the patch was still spitting out turnips at such a rate that everyone was about tired of messing with them. In fact, my brother actually said that he would be glad when the patch dried up and died. What a horrible thing to wish upon such a hard working little vegetable patch. :)

Turnip Green patch growing out by the chicken pen. (OMG! We need a new chicken pen!

     

Canning Up the Cranberry Sauce

     Another Thanksgiving is behind us, and while most are wondering what to do with all the leftovers, I am looking at all the beautiful jars in my pantry. I filled quite a few jars with all the good things that Autumn has to offer: cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, turnips, turkey stock, and turkey soup.
My cranberry sauce is so easy to make and easy to can up to enjoy all year. I began making my own when I was just setting up housekeeping 32 years ago. Since then, my family has come to expect homemade sauce. I can't remember the last time we opened a can from the store. Here is my recipe. It come to you straight off the bag.

Cranberry Sauce

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 (12oz.) bag cranberries

Combine water and sugar in a sauce pot. Heat to boiling; dissolve sugar completely. Pour in the cranberries, fresh or frozen, and allow to return to a boil. When the mixture has come to the point of a boil which can not be stirred down, stir to loosen the juice from the berries and be careful not to let the concoction boil over. This should be watched and boiled for about 10 minutes. You will notice that the liquid will begin to thicken slightly. This is the stage we have been waiting for.


Just before they begin to boil. How pretty is that?!