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Show '' From the Middle of July Canning Is ':V Lakeside Review South, Wednesday, Sept. 7, 1983 Fruits Summer the Freezing Job Gives Winter Months a Lift e Full-Tim- CHERYL ARCHIBALD Review Correspondent Pale blue cupboards gave the kitchen with its white trim a cottage look. The tidy counters were uncluttered except for the necessary-- a metal steamer, jars full of peaches and other jars empty, paring knives, and several bowls of freshly picked peaches. The laughter and teasing CHERYL ARCHIBALD Review Correspondent Fresh fruits and vegetables are not only cherished as summer fare, but they have been ex- pounded faster, she said. From the middle of July on. Im canning all the time, she said. Since she works at as office manager during the day, she does her canning three nights a week and on Saturdays. Ive averaged around 21 quarts of cherries a night, while taking care of a is she said. That her son, Joshua, who is just tall enough to see over the counter Men-lov- es to watch. season begins The canning with cherries and apricots, followed with green beans, wax beans, and beets. Mrs. Hepford puts up red and black raspberies next and in between canning sessions, she makes jam with fruit that is too soft to can. Cherry-apric- conserves are ot one of her favorites, she said, explaining that conserves are made from two or more kinds of fruit to a premixed with serve. Its good on toast or as a topping for ice cream, she said. conserve is anApricot-orang- e other. I never appreciated what my mother used to do until I started nuts-simil- ar canning. Mrs. Hepford confessed, as she poured hot syrup into a jar. Back on the family farm in Pennsylvania, my mother used to can in high humidity with big double pots and no air conditioner. Now Mrs. Hepford uses the steam canner for acid fruits and tomatoes and a pressure canner for vegetables and meats. And she has an air conditioner. This year Mrs. Lanphear want-- ; ed a juicer, and Mrs. Hepford by contemporary health experts to be the best dietary sources of nutrients and fiber. If produce were available fresh year round at in season prices, dieters and vitamin seekers would probably have less of Joy Hepford and Ireta Lanphear set the mood. As the two ladies peeled, pitted, and stuffed peaches into jars, they bantered and joked. They had canned many times before and now the motions were automatic. Mrs. Hepford gave credit to Mrs. Lanphear, who was busy removing a stubborn peach seed, for teaching her. everything about canning. Five years ago Mrs. Hepford moved into the house with the cottage kitchen and discovered that there were eight fruit trees growing in the back yard. I cant stand to see anything go to waste, and Ireta said she would help me can and we would split whatever we Mrs. Hepford excanned, Mrs. Lanphear had 40 plained. years of canning experience to draw from. Theyve been getting together every season since. Mrs. Hepford cans just as many things by herself now, but when they help each other on the big projects, one peels, one packs jars, one seals and puts the jars in the canner. It goes a lot sults are good, and Ms. Starkey recommends mixing fresh fruits with a fruit freshnerpreservative sold in most grocery stores. By mixing the fruit with the preservative, taste and color are maintained for a longer period of time. You can also use a vinegar and salt solution to do the same thing, she said. "Soak the prepared fruit in a gallon of water trouble sticking to their regiwith two tablespoons of salt and mens. two tablespoons of vinegar instead of letting the fruit stand in fresh fruits these of Freezing and vegetables may be the next the open air where it will turn brown. Dont allow it to sit in best thing to picking and eatis one the of It simplest the mixture for more than 20 ing." and least ways minutes, and be sure to rinse the of preserving foods at home. fruit well before placing it in Frozen fruits and vegetables are containers for freezing. ready to serve on short notice Adding sugar is optional, Ms. because most of the preparation for the table is done before freezStarkey explained, adding, for ing, says a brochure produced those who do want sugar, the amount varies with the type of by the Department of Agriculfruit. For example, berries take ture Extension Service. one part sugar for four parts berAlmost all vegetables and ries, whereas peaches take two fruits can be frozen. Fruits need thirds of a cup of sugar for a only to be washed and placed in quart of fruit. containers. They can then be Any type of good freezing conkept frozen for 10 to 12 months. tainer is suitable, but Ms. Star-ke- y warns that the narrow Judy Starkey, extension home economist for Davis County, mouthed canning jar might not said that pears and apples are an allow good expansion of the fruit exception. They do not freeze and it may break. Also, before weil, and probably should be removing the fruit it would have cooked in boiling syrup first. to be thawed all the way, a pracThey tend to turn dark and they tice that is not recommended. taste awful. canning jars, With most other fruits, the re plastic freezer containers or plas time-consumi- told of their experience when Mrs. Lanphears husband finally got one for her birthday. At the Hepford home, they experimented with the juicer by making apricot nectar. We were up until midnight waiting for juice and at one point the hose came loose without our knowing it. Juice ran down the stove and all over the floor. Mrs. Hepford said that they have learned a lot of short cuts so they can use their time more wisely. For example, if they do zucchinni and tomatoes, theyll grind the onions and peppers both the night before. Bottles and lids are washed the night before so that when they get home from work, they can begin cooking right away. Peaches and tomatoes are next in season after raspberries. Last year, the two put up 100 quarts of peaches, each taking half of them. Because of the late winter, both agreed there would not be as many to can this year. Tomatoes arc made into tomato sauce, which Mrs. Hepford described as a spicy spaghetti-typ- e sauce which when cooking, brings some neighbors to her house to ask what she is making. You have to dice garlic into the sauce and I blow the aroma out of the house with a fan, she We watch the sales and flea markets for jars and equipment. I bought a canner at a garage that was brand new for a sale fraction of the retail price. Now that Mrs. Hepford has been canning for several years, people she knows have taken to giving her fruits and vegetables to can. One guy at work keeps me supplied with zucchini. I make that into zucchini-peppe- r relish for hot dogs, she said. Mrs. Hepford gives much of what she cans to others as gifts or to people in need. For my father, I make apple, peach and apricot pies and freeze them. His favorite is apple, and last year I made six apple and six peach and saved them for the holi- . Wide-mouth- ed tic freezer bags can be used. Plastic sandwich bags, however, are not heavy enough and Ms. Starkey emphasized using made for freezing bags. Containers must be air tight and moisture and vapor proof, or food will have a freezer taste and will dehydrate. "We dont have a safety problem with freezing, because temperatures are so low that the harmful Last year some of her canning went to the Rescue Mission in Salt Lake. A guy last year gave us 600 pounds of carrots, so we took them to the rescue mission in my dads truck, said Joy. And we later did the same with some turnips and onions. Trout is not allowed to go to waste either. She said that it can be cooked in a pressure canner by cutting the fish in half and cooking its bones and all. The bones become soft enough to like those in canned sardines or salmon. It can be mixed with mayonnaise for said, so all my neighbors know whenever I make it. The sauce sandwiches or spread on crackis and can be used ers like tuna, she said. for spaghetti or lasagna. All the Mrs. Hepford has a collection ingredients are fresh from the of recipes that she has gathered g diced carrots. from such sources as the PennThe conserves and jams and sylvania Dutch Cook Book, chili sauce make good gifts for books, magazines, and Christmas, she explained. You the Davis County Fair recipes that were printed in ther paper. can make little baskets containing three different kinds of jam, Following are some of her favorites. for example. Corn is canned after tomatoes. Apples are next in season and Peach Butter Mrs. Hepford said she and Mrs. Scald, peel, and pit peaches. Lanphear talked of doing applein a blender until Pulverize sauce this year. Apples that drop each To cup of pulp add pulpy. to the ground are not wasted. Cook until much as half sugar. How much money does canthick and clear. Spices may be ning save? Mrs. Hepford figured Vi 'h added, teaspoon nutmeg, a $500 to $600 savings for a three to cinnamon teaspoon family of four. If you have your Pour into sterilized own trees and buy 75 pounds of cups pulp. to within Vi inch of Kerr jars sugar for the season, and if you Put on cap, screw band reuse jars and equipment then top. tight. Process in boiling firmly the cost is minimal, she said. water bath or steam canner 10 minutes. eat-mu- Vegetables with high water content, such as lettuce and tomatoes, dont freeze well. But to- matoes and celery can be frozen and then used for cooking later in sauces or casseroles. Following area few of the vegetables listed on a table prepared by Flora Bardwell and Georgia Lauritzen, food and nutrition experts. More information can be obtained from the' USU Extension Service, which provided the table. Note: In blanching, adjust one minute extra boiling time where altitude is 5,000 feet or more above sea level. se garden-includin- Ken-cannin- -- weight loss centers ELNA HUILLET OF ROY, UTAH 4 pounds apricots (3 quarts, quartered) 6 medium oranges 6 cups sugar tablespoon lemon juice 1 cup nut meats (chopped) Wash and cut apricots into quarters. Grate orange peels to measure 4 teaspoons. Squeeze juice from three of the aranges. Cut up the three other oranges without peels. Combine all ingredients except nut meats and boil rapidly until mixture thickens. Add nuts five minutes before cooking is complete. Pour into sterilized Kerr jars filling Vi from the top. Place on caps and rings and tightly close. Process in a boiling water bath or steam canner for 10 minutes. Makes 10 eight oz. jars. I 1 2512 LBS. LOST am truly grateful to the ladles who work for I NutrlSystem for their patience, beneficial ad- vice, and good behavior program! I fill 00 moth kottor and I know I took kottor too. Chili Sauce 4 quarts chopped tomatoes 3 cups chopped onions 1 cup chopped green peppers 1 cup chopped red peppers 2 cups sugar 2 tablespoons salt 3 cups vinegar Cook over medium heat hours or until desired thickness, with spice bag in sauce. 1 V2 No Diet Pills No Injections No Starvations No Food Decisions No Constant Calorie Counting Wide Choice of Delicious Heals Medically Supervised CALL TODAY FOB A FREE WEIGHT ANALYSIS! Spice Bag ii teaspoon whole cloves cinnammon sticks tablespoon mustard seed Make bag of tied cheese cloth of a tea ball. Pour into canning jars and screw caps and rings on tightly. Process for 20 minutes. 1 Photos by Robert Regan in SUMMERS worth of growing is now represented small quart jars which Joy Hepford (background) has in July and put up. Mrs. Hepford starts canning until let up doesnt 950 25th Street, 3 1 2H-SS- ) AC M cannot Freezing vegetables is completely different than freezing fruit. Vegetables need to be "blanched or heated in boiling water. Blanching preserves the color and the nutrients. Blanching time depends on the type of vegetable, and after boiling, the vegetables should be rapidly cooled in ice water for the same amount of time. ch Conserves mid-Autu- organisms says Ms. Starkey. grow, days. Apricot-Orang- e A 5B C-- 3 r f .v |