What a title, eh? I'll make this post as simplified as possible without lessening the information given at the class. It was a fantastic night!! And a special thank you to Bev Hansen for her spot-on note-taking!!!
Herbs – Kate Penhallagon
Kate's Favorite books: Eyewitness Book “Herbs”, copyright 1994 (out of print); “Medicinal Herbal” by PenelopeOdy; “Herbs for the Home” by McVicar; “Herbs of the Pacific Northwest” by Ross Penhallagon (available through OSU Extension $8).
Kate's General Advice/Knowledge:
Kate's Favorite books: Eyewitness Book “Herbs”, copyright 1994 (out of print); “Medicinal Herbal” by PenelopeOdy; “Herbs for the Home” by McVicar; “Herbs of the Pacific Northwest” by Ross Penhallagon (available through OSU Extension $8).
Kate's General Advice/Knowledge:
-Most herbs need a soil temp of at least 65 degrees to grow. Cold, wet spring will delay perennial herbs emergence.
-Epazote’ – Herb used in Mexican cooking. It’s what we taste in refried beans served in restaurants and what’s missing when we try fixing refried beans at home. Place some in water with beans when soaking. Drain water and cook, adding more epazote’. Can use leaves or seeds.
-Don’t plant herbs together that you would not combine in cooking/baking.
-When cooking with fresh herbs, don’t add until the last 15 minutes or so.
-Her favorite variety of peppermint is Mentha
-Horseradish – a little goes a long ways. Just break off a small piece of root and toss in the ground. You will have lots of horseradish. Wasabi is very similar. Likes a cool, shady spot.
-The best bay for culinary purposes is not a myrtle, it is lauris nobelus. Grown from a corm.
-Make your own bouquet garnis – blend of oregano, thyme, lavender, rosemary?
-Most woody stemmed herbs have a lifespan of about 5 years but can be attractive longer if you diligently harvest and/or prune on them. If you don’t, they become leggy and woody.
-Dried herbs have about a 3 year shelf life; will last a little longer in the freezer.
-Horseradish – a little goes a long ways. Just break off a small piece of root and toss in the ground. You will have lots of horseradish. Wasabi is very similar. Likes a cool, shady spot.
-The best bay for culinary purposes is not a myrtle, it is lauris nobelus. Grown from a corm.
-Make your own bouquet garnis – blend of oregano, thyme, lavender, rosemary?
-Most woody stemmed herbs have a lifespan of about 5 years but can be attractive longer if you diligently harvest and/or prune on them. If you don’t, they become leggy and woody.
-Dried herbs have about a 3 year shelf life; will last a little longer in the freezer.
Last Notes: Kate does not have a Medicinal Herbology License, which means she's not going to give advice on using herbs medicinally. What she can say, however, is that if you are interested in using herbs medicinally, find a book/website and use them at your own risk.
Take a look at the following websites (though remember we are in no way responsible for your using these herbs medicinally) -
Dehydrating Frozen Fruits/Vegetables – Laura Cherry
For information regarding dehydrating frozen vegetables, see this previous post.
For information regarding dehydrating frozen vegetables, see this previous post.
Canning Meats – Laura Cherry
Click here to view a previous post about canning chicken.
PRESSURE CANNING MEAT
Pressure canning is the ONLY SAFE METHOD for canning meat.
All meat should be handled carefully to avoid contamination from the time of slaughtering until the products are canned. Animals should be correctly slaughtered, canned promptly or kept under refrigeration until processed. If you slaughter your own meat, contact your local county agricultural agent for complete information on slaughtering, chilling, and aging the meat.
Keep meat as cool as possible during preparation for canning, handle rapidly, and process meat as soon as it is packed. Most meats need only be wiped with a damp cloth. Use lean meat for canning; remove most of the fat. Cut off gristle and remove large bones. Cut into pieces convenient for canning.
Add boiling beef or chicken broth to jars packed with meat or poultry.
Meat should not be browned with flour nor should flour be used in the broth to make gravy for pouring over the packed meat. Pack hot meat loosely, leaving 1-inch headspace in Mason jars.
Meats may be processed with or without salt. If salt is desired, use only pure canning salt. Table salt contains a filler which may cause cloudiness in bottom of jar. Use 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pint, 1 teaspoon to each quart. More or less salt may be added to suit individual taste.
Follow step-by-step directions for your pressure canner. Process meats according to the following recipes.
When canning food in regions less than 2,000 feet altitude (dial gauge canner) or 1,000 feet altitude (weighted gauge canner), process according to specific recipe. When canning food in regions above 2,000 feet altitude (dial gauge canner) or 1,000 feet altitude (weighted gauge canner), process according to the following chart.
ALTITUDE CHART FOR CANNING MEAT AND POULTRY
ALTITUDE | DIAL GAUGE CANNER Pints and Quarts | WEIGHTED GAUGE CANNER Pints and Quarts |
1,001 – 2,000 ft. | 11 lbs. | 15 lbs. |
2,001 – 4,000 ft. | 12 lbs. | 15 lbs. |
4,001 – 6,000 ft. | 13 lbs. | 15 lbs. |
6,001 – 8,000 ft. | 14 lbs. | 15 lbs. |
Processing time is the same at all altitudes.
Remove excess fat. Soak strong-flavored wild meats for 1 hour in brine water containing 1 tablespoon of salt per quart of water. Rinse. Remove large bones and cut into desired pieces.
Raw Pack—Fill jars with raw meat pieces, leaving 1-inch headspace. DO NOT ADD LIQUID. Adjust jar lids.
Hot Pack—Precook meat until rare by broiling, boiling, or frying. Pack hot meat loosely in clean, hot Mason jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Cover meat with boiling broth, water, or tomato juice (especially with wild game) leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids.
Dial Gauge Canner—Process at 11 pounds pressure - Pints 75 minutes and Quarts 90 minutes. For processing above 2,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.
Weighted Gauge Canner—Process at 10 pounds pressure - Pints 75 minutes and Quarts 90 minutes. For processing above 1,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.
With venison, add one part high quality pork fat to three or four parts venison before grinding. Use freshly made sausage, seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper (sage may cause a bitter off-flavor). Add 1 teaspoon salt to each pound of ground meat, if desired. Mix well. Shape meat into patties or balls, or cut cased sausage into 3- to 4-inch links. Cook until lightly browned. Ground meat may be sauteed without shaping. Remove excess fat. Fill jars with pieces, leaving 1-inch headspace. Cover meat with boiling broth or water, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids.
Dial Gauge Canner—Process at 11 pounds pressure - Pints 75 minutes and Quarts 90 minutes. For processing above 2,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.
Weighted Gauge Canner—Process at 10 pounds pressure - Pints 75 minutes and Quarts 90 minutes. For processing above 1,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.
PRESSURE CANNING POULTRY
Pressure canning is the ONLY SAFE METHOD for canning poultry.Cut poultry into convenient pieces for packing and precook until medium done or until pieces, when cut, show almost no pink color at the bone.
Precook by boiling in water or in a concentrated broth for more flavor. Make broth from bones and bony pieces, neck, back, and wing tips. Pack hot meat in clean, hot Mason jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Do not pack food tightly.
Poultry may be processed with or without salt. If salt is desired, use only pure canning salt. Table salt contains a filler which may cause cloudiness in bottom of jar. Use 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pint, 1 teaspoon to each quart.
Follow step-by-step directions for your pressure canner. Process poultry according to the following recipes.
Cut poultry into serving size pieces. If desired, remove bone. Boil, steam, or bake poultry slowly to medium done. Poultry is medium done when pink color in center is almost gone. Pack hot poultry loosely in clean, hot Mason jars, leaving 1 1/4-inch headspace. Cover poultry with boiling broth or water, leaving 1 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids.
Dial Gauge Canner—Process at 11 pounds pressure.
With Bone – Pints 65 minutes and Quarts 75 minutes.
Without Bone – Pints 75 minutes and Quarts 90 minutes.
For processing above 2,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.
Weighted Gauge Canner—Process at 10 pounds pressure.
With Bone – Pints 65 minutes and Quarts for 75 minutes.
Without Bone – Pints 75 minutes and Quarts for 90 minutes.
For processing above 1,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.
Soak dressed rabbits 1 hour in water containing 1 tablespoon of salt per quart. Rinse and remove excess fat. Cut into serving size pieces. Boil, steam, or bake to medium done. Rabbit is medium done when pink color in center is almost gone. Pack hot rabbit loosely in clean, hot Mason jars, leaving 1 1/4-inch headspace. Cover rabbit with boiling broth or water leaving 1 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids.
Dial Gauge Canner—Process at 11 pounds pressure.
With Bone – Pints 65 minutes and Quarts for 75 minutes.
Without Bone – Pints 75 minutes and Quarts for 90 minutes.
For processing above 2,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.
Weighted Gauge Canner—Process at 10 pounds pressure.
With Bone – Pints 65 minutes and Quarts for 75 minutes.
Without Bone – Pints 75 minutes and Quarts for 90 minutes.
For processing above 1,000 feet altitude, see chart for recommended pounds of pressure.
**This handout attributed to Presto Pressure Canners: http://www.gopresto.com
Cheese –Susan Oakley
Preserving Cheese
Waxing Considerations:- Part of the cheese wax controversy comes with the problem of using the wrong kind of wax. When it comes to the science of waxing your cheese, I can’t say it strongly enough. The only wax you should use is cheese wax. Please do not use paraffin wax. While the cheese wax actually melts at lower temperatures than paraffin, it can ultimately (and safely) reach a higher temperature than paraffin. You want this in order to prevent any bacteria from growing on the outside. So be sure your wax is hot enough. Germs are killed at 180 degrees, so heat up your wax to 200 degrees so that when the temperature is dropped when you put it on the cheese, you still are applying wax that is 180 degrees or more. (Don’t heat the wax hotter than 210 degrees F. After heating my wax sufficiently, I turn off the heat source completely.)
- Cheese wax is also more pliable than paraffin. Whatever position you put your cheese in when you store it, gravity will come into play and readjust it a bit. Thus you want a wax that will move with it. Paraffin wax will not do that. Cheese wax also dries faster than paraffin, making your task less time consuming and giving less opportunity for moisture to develop during the waxing process.
- In view of the gravity issue I’ve already mentioned, it’s also smart to wax smaller sections of cheese instead of heavy ones in which the weight will cause a greater shift in the position of the cheese. (Since most of my recipes call for 1 to 2 cups of shredded cheese, I like to wax nothing bigger than 16 ounces of cheese.)
- Use food handling gloves on your hands when you wax the cheese. The oils from your hands will affect how the wax adheres to the cheese. With your bare hands it’s also easy to add germs to your cheese.
Next, the color of wax doesn’t matter. (Some crazy visually impaired person must have started that particular cheese wax controversy ) The color of the wax is really only symbolic to the commercial cheese industry in terms of how long a cheese has aged. However, I prefer to always use the red or the black wax since it will allow less light into the cheese.
- Prior to putting your cheese in the wax, or brushing it, be sure to pat the cheese completely dry. You don’t want to see any moisture on it at all. This is part of the reason why I’m adamantly against folks freezing their cheese before or after waxing it. If you freeze it and then put hot wax on it, you are forcing an expansion and condensation process. The same happens if you freeze it after waxing it. You don’t want any expansion going on. Let it sit out to get to room temperature prior to waxing it.
- If you have trouble getting your wax to adhere to the cheese, then consider wrapping the cheese first in real cheesecloth material. I apply just a little bit of wax with the brush in order to keep the cheesecloth in place prior to dipping it. (For applying wax on your cheese, I don’t recommend using cheap cheesecloth from the grocery store. It barely qualifies as cheesecloth. What you want is a bit thicker, more muslin type. I recommend getting the cheesecloth from a dairy farmer, or a cheesemaking supply retailer on the internet.)
- Use several thin coats of wax instead of a couple of thick ones. I have adapted to dipping my cheese in the wax 3 separate times and then I brush on the last coat, for a total of 4 coats. It’s key to use the boar’s hair brush, because that will give you the most even and smooth coat of wax. You can brush all of your coats of wax on if you’d like, but it takes longer and it requires more wax. (The good news is though that you can reuse your cheese wax. Just peel it, clean it with soap and water, and then you can re-melt it and use it again. I even save my “Bonne Bell” cheese wax and use it.)
- When you dip the cheese in the wax, hold the piece above the wax for a full 90 seconds to dry after you’ve dipped it; before dipping in another portion of the cheese. If you lay it down to cool/dry, then you run the risk of a crack or crevice to be created while the wax is cooling. So yes, my arms get tired sometimes, but I’d rather be sure that I’ve done the waxing process right. Also, don’t allow the cheese to sit in the wax when you dip it for longer than 5 seconds. You will run the risk of melting the cheese if you expose it to that heat for that long. (Yes, this is a bit of a tricky dance sometimes.)
The whole point of waxing your cheese is so you don’t have to take up valuable refrigeration space, and so you can still have REAL cheese in the event of a prolonged power outage scenario. It’s no secret that cheese has been around a LONG time—a lot longer than refrigeration. I assure you cheese was not discovered during the Ice Age. In the Roman Empire, cheese had become a major import/export business by 400 B.C. It doesn’t take a paleontologist to confirm that there wasn’t any refrigeration available back then. The Dutch actually created waxing and brining (salting) in order to extend the shelf-life of hard cheeses. http://www.publichealthmdc.com/environmental/food/documents/cheese.pdf
Nothing much has changed since then when it comes to storing cheese safely. The key lies in the light permeation and the temperature of your cheese. A non-clear wax used on your cheese can take care of the light issue. Storing your cheese out of direct sunlight, away from heat, and in a cool area takes care of the temperature issue. In fact, when cheese is aged by professional cheesemakers, it’s kept in temperatures ranging between 55-70 degrees F. In the Balkans, for instance, where the climate is warmer, the cheese is stored regularly at 70 degrees F. The storing of cheese at these temperatures occurs for several weeks or months during the aging process, depending on the type of cheese being made. If you don’t have a home which permits you to store your cheese regularly at this temperature range, then I don’t recommend that you try this route of cheese preservation. You can use a second refrigerator that is set to 55 degrees.
New England Cheesemaking Supply Company
54B Whately Rd, South Deerfield, MA 01373
E-mail info@cheesemaking.com
54B Whately Rd, South Deerfield, MA 01373
E-mail info@cheesemaking.com
Vacuum sealing cheese:
Start by thoroughly cleaning the surface on which you'll be working. Cut cheese-about the amount that you'd use up in two to three days-into reasonably sized chunks. Count how many chunks you have. Now count how many inches of cheesecloth you have. Divide the latter by the former. That's how much cheesecloth you get for each chunk, so cut up your cheesecloth accordingly. Don't worry if you run out of cheesecloth; your onboard medical kit should be full of sterile gauze bandages, and these work marvelously as a substitute. Spritz each chunk of cheese lightly with white vinegar. This inhibits mold growth and won't affect the flavor. Wrap the cheese in cheesecloth and vacuum-seal it. Voilà! You now have a full supply of cheese that can be kept unrefrigerated-even in the tropics-for up to a year
Canning cheese:
Cheese is a pretty cool thing to can, because you can see when it molds. Because cheese is made from bacteria, green mold forms on the bad part (usually the section exposed to air) and can be scooped off (in the case of cream cheese) or cut off in the case of harder cheese. Truthfully, I haven't read any FDA approved methods of canning cheese or butter, however, because it is being canned commercially successfully there is an FDA approved method.
Awesome! Thank you :)
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