Unique canning and homemade recipes

[Micah68]

These are some old family recipes that I thought might help someone out if things go bad in the economy.

Kudzu jelly (can also be honeysuckle but only with RED berries)

2 c. firmly packed blossoms
4 1/2 c water
4 c sugar
1 box pectin

Rinse the blossoms and then boil them in water. Simmer about 20 minutes or until the water is purple and the blossoms have faded. Strain. Use 4 c. liquid with the sugar and pectin according to pectin directions. Process like jelly. Makes 6 cups.

Homemade cheese Whiz

5 oz. evaporated milk
1 T vinegar
1/2 t salt
1 lv. velveeta or generic equivalent
1/2 t dry mustard

Melt the milk and velveeta in a double boiler. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Fill pint jars 3/4 full and water bath for 10 minutes

Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 1/3 c instant powdered milk
4 T butter
pinch of salt
2/3 c boiling water
1/2 c honey
a few drops of vanilla extract if desired

Melt the butter in the boiling water. Put in blender and add the milk powder. Add honey, salt and blend again. This makes about the equivalent of a 14 ounce can and can be used in any recipe calling for sweetened condensed milk. It will keep for several weeks in the fridge.

Cheese Sauce (great macaroni and cheese!)

6 lb velveeta
3 1/2 c cream
1/4 pound butter
1 qt milk

Melt, put in hot jars and water bath 20 minutes. Makes 20 jelly jars, which is about perfect for a batch of mac and cheese or to pour on broccoli

Canned milk (I use instead of evaporated milk)

I skim the milk first
Fill sterilized quart jars to within half an inch of the top. Wipe rims, apply lids, and rings, and pressure can 10 minutes at 15 pounds. the milk thickens and turns a bit brown - like evaporated milk. My children will not drink it, but do take it in cereal or over peaches.

Bacon Grease (for all us southerners-at-heart)

Save grease in the fridge until you have enough for a canner load. In a large pot, melt the grease until hot but not scorched. Pour in jars and pressure can at 10 pounds for 75 minutes (I usually use it to finish filling the pressure canner with anything that takes over 60 minutes)

Lard (several local butchers save their hard pork fat for me)

I like to save it in the freezer and do this on the wood stove in the winter. Place some fat in the bottom of a heavy pot over low heat (you may need to add a bit of water - but not too much. As that begins to melt add more fat, and continue doing so until you are about 3 inches from the top. As the lard renders, the cracklings will float to the top and you can eat them but leave a few because you know it is done when the cracklings sink back to the bottom. Pour into clean jars, put lids on, and it will seal itself and last for years.

Lemon juice

If using fresh lemons, squeeze out the juice and strain the pulp out if desired. Heat the juice in a non-aluminum pan and then pour in jars leaving half inch headspace. Water bath fresh lemon juice for 20 minutes, or store bought lemon juice (I buy it in gallons and recan it) for 15 minutes.

Butter

Whether store bought or homemade, or margarine sticks (not whipped) this works fine.

Method 1: melt, simmer 5 minutes, pour in sterilized jars, wipe rims, etc. Will seal themselves. will keep at least 3 years.

Method 2: put about 3 sticks plus 2-3 T of butter/margarine in each pint jar, or melt and pour in jars 3/4 full. Put on lids and rings and set in a pan in the oven. Set the oven to 225 for 25 minutes or so. If the jars are not bubbling a little, leave them longer. Turn the oven off, but keep the door closed and leave the jars in there overnight. Will keep at least a year.

Canning Cheese

Get a pan that is large around. Place pint jars (wide mouth if possible) in the pan, surrounded by water. Cube cheese and place in jars. As the cheese melts, add more until you have only 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe rims, add lids and rings, and process 35 minutes in a water bath.

Mozzarella turns a bit yellow and does not make good string cheese - but is great on pizza, lasagna, etc. If you do cheddar, use mild unless you like it really strong - the older it gets the sharper it gets. we canned some extra sharp cheddar and 4 years later opened it and had to mix it with other cheese it was so sharp.

[Micah68]

This one deserves its own post:

Mouse Pie




5 fat field mice

1 cup macaroni

1/2 thinly sliced medium onion


1 medium can tomatoes

1 cup cracker crumbs

salt and pepper Boil macaroni 10 minutes. While it is cooking, fry the field mice long enough to fry out some of the excess fat. Grease a casserole with some of this fat and put a layer of macaroni on it. Add onions, then tomatoes, salt and pepper well. Add field mice and cover with remaining macaroni. Sprinkle the top with cracker crumbs. Bake at 375 degrees about 20 minutes or until mice are well done. (Don't have any field mice? You could use 10 little sausages)

[Micah68]

I have a ton of recipes for drink mixes (like general foods international coffees), medicines, and cleaners but i don't want to post them all unless there is an interest. Here are a few we use alot:

Tang Tea (great on a hot day and easy to make from most storage pantries)

2 c tang mix
2 c sugar
1 pkg lemonade mix (without sugar)
1/2 c instant lipton tea mix
1 t cinnamon
1 t cloves

dough enhancer

4 c dry milk powder
3/4 c lecithin powder (I prefer granules)
3 T vitamin C powder (citric acid works, too)
2 T ginger
3 T cornstarch (this is just to prevent clumping)

Use 1 Heaping Tablespoon for two loaves of bread, add with your dry ingredients.

Homemade Marshmallow Fluff

3/4 c light corn syrup
1/4 c water
1/2 c white sugar

Cook to soft thread stage. Pour over two stiffly beaten egg whites and beat until stiff. Store in the refrigerator if you don't use it that day. Can be used in any recipe calling for marshmallow fluff or cream

Homemade chocolate Syrup

1/2 c baking cocoa
1 1/2 c white sugar
1/8 t salt
1 c water
1/2 t vanilla

In medium saucepan, combine all ingredients except the vanilla. bring to a boil, stirring occassionally. Lower heat and simmer 5 minutes. add the vanilla. Store in a covered jar in the refrigerator and use like any other chocolate syrup.

[Micah68]

Adult Cough Syrup

16 oz whiskey
32 ounces honey
8 ounces lemon juice
16 ounces hard peppermint candies (like the kind restaurants give you)

Melt the candy in 2-3 T water. Mix all the ingredients into the melted candy and bring to a simmer. Let cool. 1-2 T every 3-4 Hours.

Childrens Cough Syrup

Peel and slice 3 large onions into a saucepan. Add equal parts honey and lemon juice (I start with 1/2 c each). Cook until the onions are translucent. Strain. Put the liquid back in the pot and taste it. It should taste about like a honey lemon cough drop - just a hint of onion. It actually tastes good. 1 Tablespoon whenever they cough. This really works....I had chronic bronchitis when I was a child and nothing the doctor prescribed worked, but this did. I would have to a take a spoonful about every hour, but it worked.

Mild Congestion

Go to the doctor if you need to!

1 c tomato juice
1 t lemon juice
1 t. minced fresh garlic
1/2 t hot sauce

Heat together and sip until feeling better. You can freeze this in an ice cube tray, or stick it in the fridge and it will last a few days

All Purpose cleaner (like 409)

1 t borax
1/2 t washing soda
2 T lemon juice
1 c hot water

Shake or stir

Stain Remover (not as good as SHOUT, but cheaper and works in a pinch)

1/2 c ammonia
1/2 c white sugar
1/4 c baking soda
2 T dawn or other strong dish soap
2 quarts water

[Micah68]

I use this when colds are going around through all our neighbors, it works alot like Vitamin C

Old Fashioned Garlic And Onion Soup

4 large white or yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 whole heads of garlic
2 tsp thyme
4 Tbsp olive oil
6 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp honey
4 Tbsp each fresh basil and parsely
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
sea salt, fresh ground pepper to taste

Saute the oinons, garlic and thyme in olive oil until golden brown.
This step sweetens and mellows the intensity of the garlic and
onions. To peel the garlic cloves, smash the
individual cloves with the flat side of a che's knife, then slip out
of skins. Add the garlic and onions to a soup kettle (or slow
cooker) to cook with the vegetable broth, white wine and bay leaf.
Slowly cook for 2 or 3 hours (or overnight if using a slow cooker).
Strain liquid, and then add honey, fresh basil and parsely, sea
salt, fresh ground pepper and cayenne. Sip on this hot soup
throughout the day, or have for launch or dinner as a firstcourse.



Old Fashioned Mustard Plaster

Helps relieve chest congestion due to colds.
1 tbsp dry mustard
1/4 cup flour
Lukewarm water

Sift together mustard and flour in a bowl. Slowly add just enough water to make a paste. Spread the plaster on a piece of muslin big enough to cover chest. Cover with another piece of muslin.

Make sure the skin is dry. Place the mustard plaster cloth pack on the chest. Check frequently and discontinue if there is any kind of allergic reaction. DO NOT PUT THE MUSTARD PLASTER DIRECTLY ON SKIN!!!! Remove when skin begins to turn red, usually after 10-20 minutes, and don't leave on any longer than 30 minutes at a time. Then rub the chest w/ petroleum jelly to keep the heat in. Treat twice daily until congestion clears up.
NOTE: For children, reduce amount of flour to 6 tbsp.


Lemon Cayenne Throat Soother

Mix 1 tsp honey with
1 tsp lemon juice and
dash of cayenne pepper.

Take like cough syrup. This does not prevent cough,
but does relieve throat pain in two ways.
First, the honey and lemon coat the throat. Second, the
cayenne pepper brings blood cells needed to fight off infection to the throat area.


Homemade "Vapor Rub"

¼ teaspoon eucalyptus essential oil
1/8 teaspoon each peppermint
1/8 teaspoon thyme essential oils
¼ cup olive oil

Combine ingredients in a glass bottle. Shake well. Gently massage onto chest and throat.
(My pharmacy sells the essential oils)

[hunybee]

these are all just awesome micah!

[SheWoff]

Great recipes Micah (except the mouse pie ). Am writing down a bunch of them, especially the chocolate syrup which dh uses like there's no tomorrow lol. Thanks!

She

[jazzy]

micah,

thanks so much for sharing these, there are some great ones and im gonna copy them all (umm, 'cept the mouse pie).

so im really interested in canning the dairy ones---you give me courage to can up some of my homemade jazzys irish cream. heck, maybe after enough of that ill end up making a lil' ol' mouse pie..(with sausages tho) lol!

thanks again!

[Housekeeper]

Squirrels should work...they're just mice with fluffy tails, right?

Thanks Micah!! What great recipes

[teadrinker]

What a great help the med. recipes are. I was raised on homemade cough/cold recipes. and they work. Never had a recipe for them though.
Thank you so much for posting them.

I have a question about one ingredient. What is washing soda? What name does it go buy and were can someone find it?

Thank you.