Sausages in Jars

We've become huge fans of the "meat in jars" concept.  We started this last year when Dave got into making sausages, and we tried a pretty basic venison sausage recipe.  It's great opening a jar of meat and adding it to whatever you've got on the go - much quicker than having to think about taking something out of the freezer to thaw first.

This year, we played around a little with that basic sausage recipe, and came up with three new ones, two of which are in jars, and the last we made into freezer patties.  I'll give you the ingredients here for the mix, but please follow the directions from Hunter Angler Gardiner Cook's venison sausage recipe for the "how to".  Also, if your canning, please follow the pressure canning instructions for ground meat on the USDA's National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Dried Tomato & Fresh Basil Venison Sausage

4 lbs venison
1 lb pork fat
> 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil, chopped
1 head (small, about 8 cloves) garlic, peeled & chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup dehydrated tomatoes, chopped (we used 1/2 cup each of our dehydrated Black Plum and Principe Borghese tomatoes)
1/2 cup dehydrated bell pepper, chopped (we used our Red Ruffle peppers)
1/2 tsp dehydrated jalapeño pepper, chopped (more if you want it spicier)
1 tsp ground smoked sweet paprika
< 1 tbsp sea salt
1/2 cup cold grape juice

After making this into sausage, we canned it.

Curry Ginger Apple Venison Sausage

4 lbs venison
1 lb pork fat
1 tbsp smoked sea salt
1 1/2 tsp curry powder (my own mix)
1 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup dried tomatoes (Black Plum), chopped
1/2 cup dried bell pepper (Red Ruffle), chopped
1/2 cup dried apple (Gravenstein), chopped
2" fresh ginger root, grated
1 head (medium, about 12 cloves) garlic, peeled & chopped fine
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup cold grape juice

After making this into sausage, we canned it.

Fruit & Maple Breakfast Venison Sausage


4 lbs venison
1 lb pork fat
1 tbsp smoked sea salt
1/2 cup each, chopped: dried cranberries, dried blueberries & dried apples

2 tbsp dehydrated bell pepper, chopped (Red Ruffle)
1/2 tsp dehydrated jalapeño pepper, chopped (more if you want it spicier)
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 tsp ground white peppercorns
1/2 cup cold maple syrup

After making this into sausage, we froze it into patties on wax paper-lined baking sheets, then cut the wax paper around the patties and vacuum sealed them into freezer bags.

Happy Tomatoes

Things are progressing very well in the greenhouse.

Earlier this week, we replaced the wooden stakes that the tomatoes were supported by with lines strung between eyehooks in the rafters and the raised bed sills. Dave ran across this idea from The Cottage Smallholder last May, and we both thought it would be a good thing to try. Last year, though, with the half wine barrels, it wasn't quite practical. This year, with the raised beds, everything lined up really well for this project. We use the Velcro ties from Lee Valley to support the tomatoes from the lines, and they're fantastic - reusable, super easy to implement, and very soft & delicate against the tomato stalks.

As you can see, everyone is really thriving - here are some images to compare to early May when we'd just transplanted all of these guys:

Plus the middle bed now has plants in it: watermelons and cucumbers, and basil in between.

We have our first tomato flowers, many even on the bigger tomatoes (not just the cherries):

Our eggplants and peppers are doing really well; both varieties of each have really caught up. The initial transplants had the Dusky eggplants and Red Ruffle peppers ahead of the Listada de Gandia eggplants and jalapeño peppers, respectively. Everyone is looking fantastic now, and all our pepper plants are putting on little tiny flowers, which should be ready within the next few weeks for pollinating.

The eggplants all look alike, but the growth pattern of the peppers are interestingly quite different; the Red Ruffle is the one on the left, the jalapeño on the right.

So, fingers crossed that our "bumbling" hand pollinating will work again this year as well as they did last year.

Greenhouse Planted

We started our Solanaceae plants a little later this year (I think around mid-March), hoping to catch just the right size for transplanting into the greenhouse. Seems like it worked really well; the timing, together with under-heat trays and grow lights with timers (thanks to the legacy of our friend Bob), the germination rate and success was magnificent this year, the best we've ever had. The peppers, when transplanted, this year have been the absolute best yet.

Heirloom Tomatoes


We purchased most of the seeds originally from Two Wings Farms in Victoria, I think the Black Cherry plants originally came from Dinter Nursery in Duncan. The text and images regarding these tomatoes are from Two Wings Farms website, except for the Black Cherry, which is from Trade Winds Fruit.

Variety	Image	Description
Canada Long		"I have grown Canada Long for many years, but never listed it until this year. It always produces well and they were so amazing this year I thought why not list them. A 4to5 inch long "pepper" shaped tomato that could be called a paste type, but it tastes wonderful fresh too. As with all elongated varieties, watch out for blossom end rot."
Black from Tula		"Large purple colour, Beautiful globe shape, mid/late season. Delicious, flavour. productive Indeterminate. Rare. Top 10."
Aurega		"A deep apricot orange sweet tomato, with a rosy interior. About 2" in size. Ripens fairly early. Very productive and reliable. Said to originate in Switzerland, I've seen it spelled "Auriga" too. I love this one. Indeterminate, Endangered. Top 10"
Apple of Novi Sad		"Another great Tomato from Serbia. These plants were started late, but still produced a wonderful large crop of beautiful Red Tomatoes. After growing in a different part of the field, they are quite a larger plant than I previously thought! and Once again, a very nice crop in a poor season!"
Green Grape Cherry		"Productive, very sweet, green/yellow cherry. Absolutely delicious, fruity tomato flavour. You'll be a fan after your first bite! Small sprawling plant works well in containers too. Determinate. Heirloom."
Black Cherry		"Round, true cherry tomato, one of the only having black skin. Color is a deep red, with blackish hues. Flavor is sweet, much like other cherry tomatoes, and very full-flavored. This variety is fairly rare."

Eggplants

Last year we tried a cultivar that is suited for our wet coast climate: Dusky. It grew really well in the greenhouse, and we ended up with plenty of lovely 3-5" long eggplants that had a very mild, wonderful flavour. So this year, I thought I'd try them from seed. Another variety that I got "just 'cause" was Listada de Gandia, as they're open pollinated and I could save the seeds for next year (if we like them). I found this variety through the Seeds of Diversity site. Descriptions and images as indicated.

Variety	Image	Description
Dusky		"Big, deep-purple, 20cm (8-9") oval fruits mature early on 60cm (24-30") disease-resistant bushes. Dusky will yield even in a poor summer and heavily in a hot summer." - West Coast Seeds
Listada de Gandia		"An old Italian heirloom that is decorative as well as tasty. The bushy plants produce beautiful 6-8” purple eggplants with many white stripes. Mild white flesh without bitterness. This variety is beautiful on the patio as well as the garden. Start early indoors. (85-90 days maturity)" - Heritage Harvest Seeds

Peppers

Back to Two Wings Farms again for our seeds (and the descriptions & photos). We've enjoyed growing jalapeño peppers, although not hot according to our Mexican friends, certainly hot enough for us. This year we thought we'd try a sweet one, too.

Variety	Image	Description
Jalapeño		"Traditional flavourful hot chiles for fresh use. I still love to add this one to fresh salsa for that great clean crisp spicy flavour. Lots of folks like to pickle these too, or dry and smoke them to make Chipotle a real treat."
Red Ruffle		"Red Ruffle also was a heroic producer out in the field with no protection. We were amazed by how strong and productive it was. Beautiful dark red pleated heirloom. Wonderful, complex, sweet flavour. A sweet paprika type with thick walls. My very favourite pepper. Absolutely delicious!"

Physalis

If you've never had a tomatillo or a ground cherry/cape gooseberry, you're definitely missing out. Tomatillos are spectacular producers in our climate, and do not need to be put under any cover. They are a magnificent staple for salsas (fresh and canned), and I use them in any recipe that calls for green tomatoes (check out some of these recipes for ideas). Tomatillos can be eaten green or fully ripe, and have very different flavours depending on the ripeness. This year, along with our staple greens, we figured we'd try a new purple variety, because it intrigued me.


The ground cherries, while they don't have to go under cover, definitely produce better in the warmer climate of the greenhouse. They're a sweet fruit with a tang, and are beautiful to eat just as is; however, I do know people use them in preserves, or as pie filling. I couldn't hold off eating them long enough to turn them into anything other than fresh-into-the-mouth-poppers! Both of these fruit have a great shelf life, especially if their papery husks are intact and not dirty.

I originally got our cape gooseberry seeds from Stellar Seeds, but have since been saving our own for a few years. I don't remember now where the original green tomatillos came from, but they've been starting themselves in our garden and I've been saving seeds from year to year. Descriptions and images as indicated.

Variety	Image	Description
Toma Verde Tomatillo		"An earlier maturing green tomatillo that is indispensable for Mexican cooking. The large green fruit have good quality flesh and excellent keeping qualities. Highly recommended. Start indoors 4-5 weeks before transplanting out. (65 days from transplant)" - Heritage Harvest Seeds
Purple Tomatillo		"A rare tomatillo that turns purple when ripe. The purple types are sweeter than green tomatillos. The small tomato like fruit are enclosed in a papery husk that is easy to remove prior to cooking. The purple fruit store very well after harvest. Used in traditional Mexican salsas. Delicious. Start indoors 4-5 weeks before transplanting out. (70 days from transplant) EXTREMELY RARE." - Heritage Harvest Seeds
Ground Cherry		"These upright, branching plants grow 80cm tall and 50cm around. Hanging from the branches are small husked fruits with an incredibly sweet yet tangy flavour that is much sought after in food circles. Fruits grow 2-3cm in diameter and are ready when husks have dried down and fruits turn bright orange in colour. (~3000 seeds). Certified Organic." - Stellar Seeds

Now we just have to look after everyone 'til harvest time, and "bumble" the flowers (hand pollinate) so we actually get something!!

Salsa!

This summer provided us with a bumper crop of tomatillos, with a successful experiment growing some jalapeño and baby bell peppers. As a result, we cooked up a ridiculous amount of salsa, which is good thing, because we use it a lot in cooking. I found an invaluable resource for canning recipes at the National Center for Home Preservation, as well as the Bernardin canning website.

Here are some salsas from the summer. All were processed using the boiling water bath method. If you're not familiar with canning techniques, you definitely need to read up on it before proceeding. Check out the "How Do I ... Can" section of the National Center for Home Preservation's site.

Some general instructions first:

Caution: Wear plastic or rubber gloves and do not touch your face while handling or cutting hot peppers. If you do not wear gloves, wash hands thoroughly with soap and water before touching your face or eyes.

Preparing Tomatillos: Remove the dry outer husks from tomatillos; wash thoroughly. They do not need to be peeled or seeded.

Preparing Peppers: The skin of long green chiles may be tough and can be removed by heating the peppers. Usually when peppers are finely chopped, they do not need to be skinned. If you choose to peel chiles, slit each pepper along the side to allow steam to escape. Peel using one of these two methods:

• Oven or broiler method to blister skins - Place chiles in a hot oven (400°F) or broiler for 6 to 8 minutes until skins blister.
• Range-top method to blister skins - Cover hot burner (either gas or electric) with heavy wire mesh. Place peppers on burner for several minutes until skins blister.
• To peel, after blistering skins, place peppers in a pan and cover with a damp cloth. (This will make peeling the peppers easier.) Cool several minutes; slip off skins. Discard seeds and chop.

The jalapeño peppers do not need to be peeled, but seeds are often removed.

IMPORTANT: The only other change you can safely make in these salsa recipes is to change the amount of spices and herbs. Do not alter the proportions of vegetables to acid and tomatoes because it might make the salsa unsafe. Do not substitute vinegar for the lemon juice.

Tomatillo Green Salsa (original recipe here)

5 cups chopped tomatillos
1 1/2 cups seeded, chopped red bell peppers
1/2 cup seeded, finely chopped jalapeño peppers
4 cups chopped onions
1 cup bottled lemon or lime juice
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp green coriander berries (unripe seeds of cilantro plants)
1 tablespoon pickling salt
1 tsp ground black pepper

Yield - about 5 pints

Hot Pack: Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 2O minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot into clean, hot pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a boiling water canner according to the recommendations in Table 1.

Note: You may use green tomatoes in this recipe instead of tomatillos.

Tomato Salsa (original recipe here)

6 cups peeled, cored & chopped tomatoes (we used yellow plum, black zebra, novi sad & calabash)
6 cups seeded & chopped bell peppers
1 1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup seeded, finely chopped jalapeño peppers
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
1 1/4 tsp ground cumin
4 tsp dried oregano leaves
3 tsp pickling salt

Yield: about 6 pints

Hot Pack: Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil, then reduce heat and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot into clean, hot pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a boiling water canner according to the recommendations in Table 1.

Orchard Fruit Chili Sauce (not exactly a "salsa" but we use it the same way; original recipe here)

4 cups chopped tomatillos
1 cup chopped green tomatoes (or only use 5 cups total tomatillos instead)
4 1/2 cups pitted, chopped purple plums (we used Italian prune plums)
3 cups cored, chopped pears and/or apples
3 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup seeded, chopped bell peppers
1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cup cider vinegar
2 tsp pickling salt
2 tbsp pickling spice
2 tsp celery seeds

Yield: about 6 pints

Combine pickling spice* & celery seeds in spice bag (folded square of cheesecloth) or stainless steel herb diffuser.

Hot Pack: Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes until thickened, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot into clean, hot pint jars, leaving ½-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel; apply two-piece metal canning lids. Process in a boiling water canner according to the recommendations in Table 1.

Table 1. Recommended process time for Salsa in a boiling-water canner.
		Process Time at Altitudes of
Style of Pack	Jar Size	0 - 1,000 ft	1,001 - 6,000 ft	Above 6,000 ft
Hot	Pints	15 min	20	25

*Pickling Spice

4 cinnamon sticks (3" long), crumbled
1 dried ginger root (1" long), crushed/crumbled (with mortar & pestle)
2 tsp yellow mustard seed
2 tsp whole allspice
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
2 tsp whole cloves
2 tsp dill seed
2 tsp coriander seed
2 tsp whole mace
8 bay leaves, crumbled fine

Mix all together and store in a clean, dry sealable jar. Yield about 2/3 cup total.