Since I bought our glass-top stove a couple of years ago I have been frustrated when I have canned. I knew my oversized enamel canner did not have a flat bottom and was not recommended for use on my cooktop.
I was delighted to discover that the Bernardin canning company had come up with a solution, the Cook’s Helper rack system. The racks allow you to use pots you may already have. The racks are used to lift and hold mason jars for easy insertion and removal from a boiling water bath. The racks also elevate the jars off the bottom of the pot to prevent breakage. Unlike most canner inserts, these racks have multiple wires to hold all jar sizes. They are made of stainless steel, which means no more rusty old racks in your canner.
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To heat process high acid foods in a boiling water bath, the selected pot must be two to four inches (five-10 cm) taller than the mason jars used to hold the food. The racks can be used for blanching, steaming and boiling (corn, eggs, lobster) as well as for cooling baked goods.
Aphids on dill
Dear TEAM: Through the years I have had a problem with aphids on dill. Usually the first batch of pickles are fine, but later in the season the aphids get worse. I have found that if you pick the dill early in the year and dry it, there is less of a problem. It is not as easy to use as fresh dill, but it will work. – B.C., Wainwright, Alta.
Dear B.C.: An alternative to drying your dill would be to pick it, wash and freeze it. Then it is easy to put into your pickle jars.
Recipe sought
Dear TEAM: Sometime ago you had a recipe for horse-
radish jelly in your paper. – S.S. Springside, Sask.
Dear S.S.: Yes this recipe was originally printed in the paper in 1996. The reader, J.A., Red Deer County, Alta., who provided the recipe stated that it is an excellent companion to meat and chicken and that her son-in-law loves it on his toast.
Horseradish jelly
1 cup chopped, peeled 250 mL
fresh horseradish
1 cup white vinegar 250 mL
31/2 cups white sugar 875 mL
1/8 teaspoon turmeric 0.5 mL
1/2 teaspoon salt 2 mL
3 ounce pouch liquid 85 g
pectin
Grind horseradish fine with vinegar using a food processor. Stir together with sugar, turmeric and salt. Let stand 15 minutes.
Bring to boil over low heat. Increase heat and cook to full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Add pectin, stir and boil for one minute.
Remove from heat and skim. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Makes about four half-pint (250 mL) jars. Takes about 24 hours to set.
Bumbleberry pie filling
Bumbleberry is really a mixture of berries and fruit. I like to use rhubarb, strawberries and saskatoons, or a combination of plums and peaches.
31/2 cups of mixed fruit 875 mL
1/3 cup water 75 mL
3/4 cup sugar 175 mL
3 tablespoons cornstarch 45 mL
2 teaspoons lemon juice 10 mL
1/8 teaspoon almond 0.5 mL
extract
1 tablespoon butter 15 mL
Cook berries and fruit in water until boiling. Reduce the water if using frozen berries. Add mixed sugar and cornstarch and boil until clear, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients. Pour into crust and cover with pastry. Bake in 400 F (200 C) oven 15 minutes, then reduce to 350 F (180 C) oven for 30 minutes.
The filling can be used in pies, tarts, tortes or cheesecakes. It can be frozen. Reheat after thawing to bring back to original consistency. Pies can be frozen unbaked. To bake, place frozen pie in oven at 425 F (220 C) for 30 minutes, then reduce to 350 F (180 C) oven for 35 minutes.
Betty Ann Deobald is a home economist from Rosetown, Sask., and one of four columnists comprising Team Resources. Send correspondence in care of this newspaper, Box 2500, Saskatoon, Sask., S7K 2C4 or contact them at team@producer.com.
