Canning Savory Jelly & Mustard
We'd never made savory jelly before. Eaten it and enjoyed it, sure, particularly from Becky's Berries, but we'd never tried our own hand at making it. But, now Matt has the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving--a belated birthday gift from my mom--and there are so many new recipes to try!
Frankly, I don't know how I lived this long without experiencing the mouthwatering wonder that is garlic jelly. I mean, really, I love garlic everything! How did I not know about this for so long?! We got to use our own homegrown garlic in the recipes, too, which makes my heart happy.
And we made something else new to us--mustard.
So far we've only made one variety, but I can see more if it in our future, too. That was an interesting process and very easy. I, personally, cannot stand regular yellow mustard, but I do like to use more flavorful, brown mustard in cooking, in things like my mustard stir-fry sauce. Ginger-garlic mustard will be perfect for that.
We made:
8 – ¼ pints Red Pepper-Garlic Jelly
2 – ½ pints Thai
Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce
5 – ¼ pints Thai Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce
3 – ½ pints Roasted Garlic Jelly
3 – ¼ pints Roasted Garlic Jelly
6 – ¼ pints Ginger-Garlic Mustard
6 – ¼ pints Ginger-Garlic Mustard
Wow!! Yum, yum, yum. I have been thinking I need a good basic canning recipe book. I have read through a bunch and haven't decided on one yet. There's another blog I follow who has been making her own mustard (Daphne's Dandelions). Interesting, I had never even thought of such a thing. I just throw it in the buggy at the store.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about little things I buy that I could easily grow at home. The most recent one is peppermint tea. Why haven't I been growing my own mint? It's supposed to be super easy. Anyway, I can fix it for next year. And more basil for the year's worth of cooking. Little things, really, but they help me move toward a simpler, less consumeristic shopping style.
It's a matter of baby steps, I guess. I do things automatically, and then start thinking about them, and wondering, could I do this myself?
I'd never thought of making mustard until we got this latest Ball canning book. It was like a lightbulb lit up when I saw that.
DeleteHow interesting that you're talking of DIY peppermint tea! This year we saved some and froze it (in ice cube trays) for tea. Mint is Matt's favorite tea and it so easy to grow! We've also started drying sage, oregano, and thyme in the last couple years--all with great success.
You're right in that the little things sure add up, but because they're so little as to almost be invisible it can be hard to realize one COULD start making your own.
I wonder what will be the next thing you'll wonder about doing for yourself! I think I need to make a second batch of chapstick--I am giving most of my first batch away as Christmas gifts. That was my most recent DIY discovery.