Mango Chutney on my Food Storage Shelf

This is my mango chutney I made TODAY! I don't normally can anything during the winter or spring, but it was kind of fun to pull out my canning stuff and process a little "special sauce."

So - here's the story. I went to this amazing restaurant in Orem, Utah called La Jolla Groves. It was a very nice restaurant. (Think linen napkins.) I ordered the Beef Tenderloins. They came with this sauce called a mango chutney - in a little metal condiment dish. I'd heard the word chutney before, but didn't really know what it was or if I would like it. So, I timidly tried it. Obviously, (because I came home and attempted to replicate it) I loved it and I even asked for more sauce to finish my tenderloins!

For those of you wondering, I looked up a definition of chutney:  "a spicy condiment made of chopped fruits or vegetables cooked in vinegar and sugar with ginger and spices." As defined by wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

So, I decided to make this recipe:
http://www.pickyourown.org/mango_chutney.htm

My only real variation was that I used frozen chunked mangoes. That made life really easy and fairly quick in making up the sauce.

And then, to make sure I liked it, I made steak - especially so I could try my sauce. It was very good- very comparable to the original one I tried, and now I have eight jars to put on the shelf for later usage! I am so excited with myself today!

Next adventure:  mango salsa... I'll let you know how that goes.

p.s. I don't even like mangoes, normally. If you gave me a plain mango - I would have a hard time eating it. But I really like the mix of flavors in the chutney sauce and usually in the mango salsa.  Until next time...

p.s. Important note on Canning butter

Once upon a time on this blog, a friend posted about canning butter. Well, I have since learned the following and think you should be aware of it:

IMPORTANT NOTE: The canning of butter is extremely dangerous and should NEVER be done for home consumption. The National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia-Atlanta says that it is not an acceptable way to preserve butter. You aren't "processing" the butter to kills the bacteria...you are only heating the jars to form a seal. This still allows botulism to grow and flourish in the butter....and because botulism is odorless, tasteless and colorless, it can be toxic to your family!

Check out their website www.uga.edu/nchfp for more information. (The link will take you to a specific question about canning of butter.)

Until next time...
-Jamie

Potatoes - fresh and canning

Need some good, fresh, Idaho potatoes for your Thanksgiving dinner? (or any other meal, for that matter?)

Well, we are making them available in 50 lb boxes or bags. Prices range from $5.00 for very large spuds, $10.00 for a variety of sizes to $15.00 for consistently sized potatoes. Those are the prices for now, anyway... (fall of 2009)

Let me know if you are interested in getting any. We have a cellar full.

They are Russet potatoes - aren't they pretty (as far as potatoes go)?



Last week, I got ambitious and even made bottled soup base with some of my potatoes. I'll get the recipe to you soon. I am way excited to use this bottle to quickly make soup someday.

Oh - and for those serious canners out there... I talked to the ag extension office about making soup base and they said it is usually okay (safe) - as long as you don't put any thickeners in - like rice or barley!

This jar has a few seasonings and is mostly filled with veggies... more on that coming soon.

Until then...

Steam Canner - Not Entirely Safe

So, after I created and went live with my canning page and products, I started hearing rumors that these steam canners are not recognized as safe in most states.

Utah used to recognize them as safe and I think they were the only ones, but now I understand they have restated their position.

These steam canners are supposed to replace water bath canners for processing acid foods.

Some of the benefits of steam canners are promoted to be:
less time to pre-heat
less water used
cannot boil over
saves energy
less time to return to a boil after jars are placed on the rack


I've been discussing the issue with the University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System. Here is their position:

"There are some major problems with the use of steam canners for canning acid foods:

* Cold Spots: may occur due to pockets of air trapped between jars or under the dome. The temperature in these cold spots can be below 212 degrees F.

* Release of steam may occur if heat is maintained under the canner at too high a temperature. The increased pressure may build to a level high enough to life the lid off, allowing much of the steam to escape and cool air to enter reducing the termperature.

* Increased jar breakage may occur since jars are not separated bya rack in the canner.

* Underprocessing may occur because home canners may not be able to differentiate between steam and an air-steam mixture. Water begins to give off a vapro, which can be mistaken for steam, at tempreratures as low as 170 degrees F.

* Uneven heating may occur since jars are not separated by a rack in teh canner. Jars may be jammed next to each other so the steam cannot equally penetrate the jars from each side.

* Steam burns may occur since it is difficult to remove the dome cover safely.

The USDA Center for Excellence in Food Preservation has conducted research on steam canners. They found the maximum temperature of the product being canned was significantly lower in products canned in steam canners than in the same food canned in a boiling water bath. The lower termperature resulted in less killing power of bacteria, underprocessing and considerable risk of ecomonic spoilage. The USDA and University of Idaho do not recommend the use of steam canners for hom canning of acid food."

(And low acid foods should be pressure cooked/canned.)

So, even though it is a great concept, it seem to have some flaws. If you are thinking of purchasing a steam canner, you might reconsider for the safety of your food and most importantly, your family.

I am pulling the steam canner page from my site. I'll start looking for someone who can wholesale me a quality water bath canner.

Until next time...
Jamie

Information is power.