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Wonderful world of apples

We had a wonderful crop off our apple trees this year. They were planted in 1989 and this is our first year of real production. The Heyers #12 apple has produced a couple of ice cream pails the last two years but the Trailman crab and Kerr apple crab have only produced an apple or two until now.

This spring all three trees were in full bloom and were so beautiful. Fortunately, the winds and frost did not harm the blossoms. The Trailmans were tart and fell from the tree before they had sweetened up. I combined them with the Heyers to make applesauce, apple butter and juice. The Kerr I used to make jelly and applesauce. We like the Heyers in pies, apple danish, applesauce, apple butter and juice.

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Marvelous muffins

Muffins make great additions to the lunch pail, harvest lunch or for a breakfast starter. They are easy to grab and eat anytime.

I tried this applesauce muffin recipe from the Saskatchewan 4-H Club’s Thea Anniversary Cookbook, contributed by Marcie Schellenberg of Nipawin Light Horse Club. The muffins are really tasty and moisten up on the second day.

Applesauce

oatmeal muffins

1Ú2 cup margarine 125 mL

or butter

3Ú4 cup brown 175 mL

sugar, lightly packed

1 egg 1

1 cup flour 250 mL

1Ú2 teaspoon 2 mL

cinnamon

1Ú4 teaspoon baking 1 mL

soda

3Ú4 cup 175 mL

applesauce

1 teaspoon baking 5 mL

powder

1Ú4 teaspoon salt 1 mL

1 cup rolled 250 mL

oats

1Ú2 cup raisins, 125 mL

if desired

1Ú2 cup chopped 125 mL

nuts, if desired

Cream margarine and sugar. Beat in egg. Add sifted dry ingredients alternately with applesauce. Stir in raisins, oats and nuts. Fill greased muffin tins three-quarters full. Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 25-30 minutes. Yields 12 muffins.

In the same cookbook I discovered this zucchini oatmeal muffin recipe contributed by Mary Skoiney, of the Wishart Let’s Learn 4-H Club. Everyone is always looking for a new way to use zucchini at this time of year. These muffins are spicy.

Zucchini oatmeal muffins

1 cup rolled 250 mL

oats

3Ú4 cup 175 mL

buttermilk

1Ú4 cup vegetable 50 mL

oil

1Ú2 cup honey 125 mL

1 egg 1

11Ú4 cups whole 300 mL

wheat flour

1Ú2 teaspoon salt 2 mL

1Ú2 teaspoon baking 2 mL

soda

11Ú2 teaspoons 7 mL

baking powder

1Ú2 teaspoon ground 2 mL

nutmeg

1Ú2 teaspoon ground 2 mL

cloves

1 teaspoon 5 mL

cinnamon

3Ú4 cup grated 175 mL

zucchini

1Ú2 cup raisins, 125 mL

if desired

Grease 12 muffin cups. In bowl, place buttermilk and oats. Let soak 30 minutes, then add oil and honey. Stir to combine. Add egg and stir again.

In another bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Stir this into the other mixture. Add grated zucchini and blend well. Spoon into muffin tins. Bake at 350 F (180 C) for 30 minutes.

Cornmeal muffins

These are family favorites at our house. I added some leftover kernel corn cut off the cob to a batch recently. They were quite tasty.

Preheat oven to 400 F (200 C). Grease 12 muffin cups.

Mix together and set aside for five minutes.

3Ú4 cup cornmeal 175 mL

11Ú4 cups milk 300 mL

Sift together:

1 cup flour 250 mL

1 tablespoon 15 mL

baking powder

1 teaspoon salt 5 mL

1Ú2 cup sugar 125 mL

Stir into cornmeal mixture:

1 egg, slightly 1

beaten

1Ú4 cup melted 50 mL

margarine or butter

1 cup kernel 250 mL

corn (optional)

Add liquid to dry ingredients and stir only until combined. Batter will be lumpy. Fill prepared muffin cups two-thirds full. Bake in preheated 400 F (200 C) oven for 20-25 minutes.

Keeping corn

Dear TEAM I would like information on how to can or freeze corn. I would especially like a recipe that will make the corn taste like tinned corn. – A.F., Wolseley, Sask.

Dear A.F.: The following is a recipe for oven-baked corn for freezing, that my friend Alice Martinson shared with me.

10 cups corn, 2.5 L

raw and cut off the

cob

To make more

creamy, scrape the

cob to

get the “milk”

1Ú4 cup sugar 50 mL

1 tablespoon 15 mL

salt

2 cups water 500 mL

Put into a large casserole or roaster. Stir to mix well. Cover and cook: 10 cups (2.5 L) three-quarters of an hour at 350 F (180 C); 30 cups (7.5 L) one hour at 350 F (180 C). Cool and freeze in containers.

To can cream-style corn

Corn is a low acid food and so must be processed at a temperature of at least 240 F (116 C) to eliminate the risk of botulism. The only way to achieve this temperature is in a pressure canner. The following recipe is from the 1996 edition of the Bernardin Guide to Home Preserving:

Wash pint mason jars in hot soapy water and rinse well. Discard any cracked or chipped jars.
Place rack in pressure canner. Add two to three inches (five to eight cm) water. Place jars hot in canner; heat water to a gentle boil. Keep jars in canner until ready to fill.
Place snap lids in boiling water. Boil for five minutes to soften sealing compound.
Select eating quality ears of corn with slightly immature kernels. Husk corn, remove silk and wash ears. Blanch four minutes in boiling water. Cut corn from cob at centre of kernel. Scrape remaining corn from cob with table knife. Measure corn into saucepan. For each two cups (500 mL) corn, add one cup (250 mL) boiling water. Bring to boil; reduce heat, boil gently three minutes.

Pack hot corn loosely into a hot jar, leave 11Ú4 inches (three cm) room at the top of the jar.
Add boiling cooking liquid to the jar leaving one inch (2.5 cm) headspace. Remove air bubbles by sliding a rubber spatula between glass and food. Readjust headspace by adding additional liquid if necessary.
Wipe jar rim removing any stickiness. Centre snap lid on jar; apply screw band just until fingertip tight.
Return jar to canner. Allow space for steam to flow around jars. Repeat for remaining food and liquid.
Lock canner lid in place, leaving vent open. Place canner over high heat. Allow steam to escape steadily for 10 minutes (venting canner.)
Close the vent, using the weight or method described for your canner. Regulate the heat to achieve and maintain the recommended pressure. Process at 10 pounds (68 kPa) pressure in a weighted gauge canner or 11 pounds (75 kPa) pressure in a dial gauge canner for 85 minutes for pints only.
When processing time is up, remove canner from heat. Let canner stand undisturbed until pressure drops to zero.
When dial gauge registers zero or when no steam escapes when weighted gauge canner’s weight is nudged, wait two minutes – then remove jars from canner. Cool 24 hours. Check jar seals. Sealed lids curve downward. Remove screw bands; store separately. Wipe jars, label and store in a cool, dark place.