Tomato "Junk" or Last Chance Sauce

I found this recipe online and kind of made it my own.  My skewed sense of humor loved the name and I really was happy to find something that I could use all my lovely fresh-picked bounty in. It takes a bit of time but whoo boy does it smell and taste delicious! It's a great way to use up left-over veggies - either the last bits from the garden or your crisper - and come up with something that will make a perfect soup, stew or sauce base and give your meals a bit of "oomph." She calls this a "last chance" recipe and I love that too, because it's a great way to recycle stuff you may otherwise toss. I find the farmer in me comes out this time of year, especially after a visit to our local "pick-your own" orchard/market garden. Thank you Gilcrease Orchard for the produce at a very reasonable price. Next stop after this, puree'ing pumpkin for use in pies, bars, etc!

Tomato "Junk" (last chance sauce)

Ingredients

• Olive oil
• Garlic (a fair bit) 
• Onion
• Tomatoes (I used the green tomatoes and had to add some water to give it enough juice but red tomatoes would look awesome)
• Any other veggies - I used winter squash (fresh-picked baby zucchini and other squash), 4 baby eggplant (if desired), a few small peeled and chopped beets for color (if desired), carrots, celery, kale, green beans. *I added the few little beets for color and the eggplant because I had them and like the color they add, since most of the rest of the veggies are green.
• Seasoned salt, pepper, parsley, oregano, a pinch of Italian seasoning, a pinch of paprika

Preparation

1. Place oil in a large saucepan. Chop onion, tomatoes, garlic and celery, about 1/4 c water and saute in the pan (with lid on) until the onions are translucent and tomatoes have let go their juice. This gives them a delicious flavor. Stir a few times while simmering.
2. Chop up the other veggies while this is going on. When the first ingredients seem done, add these and herbs and salt/pepper and let simmer for an additional 10 minutes to let them soften. You may have to add a wee bit more water (another 1/4 c or so) if you use green tomatoes. When you see liquid forming that means the veggies have "let go" their juices and you can add enough additional water to almost cover the vegetables.
3. Cover and let simmer on medium heat until everything looks nice and soft and the volume of the pot has diminished by at least a third. The colors should still be quite bright (see below).
4. If you are going to can, make sure you previously sterilized the jar and lid and that you have it sitting in the sink filled with boiling water until you use it. You will be keeping the canned "junk" in the fridge. I used a large (48 oz) sealer left from some dill pickles we had a while back. If you are going to freeze the mixture, let it cool and then place in a Ziploc bag, remove additional air, seal tightly and store flat in a cold part of your freezer until you need it.
5. This can be added to soup to give you a quick starter, to make a stew or even as an addition to a great tomato sauce - just add additional canned tomatoes, browned ground beef/turkey/pork and some brown sugar to give it some sweetness.

By the way, since I got all "homesy" with this recipe, I am making the Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup I posted previously, only this time using the brown rice I have in the pantry. What a day!

Homemade Canned Apple Pie Filling

Canned Apple Pie Filling

Canned Apple Pie Filling and Extra Syrup

I never really understood the mystique behind canning and why folks thought it so difficult! In our family, canning was a natural process of fall and the harvest, and I have been doing this for the past 30 years or more with various levels of success. My latest foray into canning included making apple pie filling for the first time. Any time I make something for the very first time is a joyous mix of experimenting and trepidation as I love to 'tweak' recipes. Fortunately, judging by the quality of the apple pie we made using the canned filling, the operation was a success :) Just sweet enough, thick with apples and full of taste. 

PREPARATION

When you can, a lot of success comes with preparation. I tend to reuse throughly washed and sterilized jars, which, since I keep my canning in the fridge, is fine and dandy. They still seal solidly and provide a cost-effective means of canning. First thing is to sterlize the jars and lids/rings. You can do this in the dishwasher, if your heated dry setting is working (ours wasn't) or you can use the boil 'boil the jars and lids' method, which I was forced to do. Make sure they are submerged and boil for at least a minute, to make sure they are clean. When done, use a lifter or tongs to pick them out of the water and set them, upside down, on a clean towel on a counter. I usually heat them again by pouring in boiling water just before filling, to ensure the filling doesn't crack the jar.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 lbs apples (I used the equivalent of 18 apples since they were fresh picked)
• 1 c brown sugar and 3 c white sugar (I prefer a mix)
• 1 c cornstarch (call me a traditionalist and yes, jars are refrigerated, so...)
• 2 tsp to 1 tbsp cinnamon (we like cinnamon)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves (it adds that certain 'something')
• approx. 9 1/2 c cold water (some like a mixture of apple juice and water)
• 3 tbsp plus 3 tbsp Realemon (for 2 different steps)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Peel, core and slice apples. Yes this can be tedious if you are old-fashioned like me and don't have a corer or apple peeler, but it's worth it, just wait and see. Drop apples as cut into a big bowl filled with cold water and 3 tbsp lemon juice.
2. In a large non-aluminium pot, mix sugars, cinnamon, cloves and cornstarch. Add salt and water and mix well. Bring to boil until thick and bubbly (be patient and keep stirring. Like I said, it's worth it). Remove from heat and add 3 tbsp lemon juice. This makes the "syrup."
3. Get ready to start packing the jars: Making sure they are hot, stuff with some drained apples (just gently squeeze them over the sink) and pack down. Add some syrup, and repeat until jars are filled to within 1 inch of top. Run a knife around the edges and gently tap jars on countertops to remove air bubbles that would cause the apples to rise. Wipe off jars and put on the lids. Continue til all jars are full and ready to process. 
4. Can the left-over syrup for addings when making pies, to use with pancakes or waffles or to make apple crisp/brown betty, if desired.
5. Place jars in a bath of boiling water, letting them boil for about 20 minutes. I like to start the water and put in the jars to make sure the water doesn't spill over. They can sit in there while the water comes to a boil. 
6. Voila, beautiful canned apples!

The boiling water bath filled with jars of pie filliing and syrup

TRUE CONFESSIONS: I added the lemon juice before boiling the apple pie syrup and it didn't hurt anything! I also didn't blanch the apples like some recipes suggest and they tasted just fine-- a bit crispy like we prefer them. When packing the jars, I got excited and firmly packed them all, then had to run a fork and knife around and stab middle of the apples to add the syrup. The good thing was that the apples didn't rise and the jars weren't filled with just syrup and no apples! That meant I will add some additional syrup on top of the pies before putting on the top crusts, like I did when I made the one the other evening. The recipe made 4 LARGE jars of apple pie filling, enough for 6 pies. *Sigh* I never said I was perfect and let that be a lesson to all of you who think things have to be "perfect" in the kitchen!