Forum Replies Created
-
I checked the seals on my blueberry pie filling today. There were no issues with the four 1-pint jars. The quart jars did seal, but they also leaked slightly under the rings.
Those two jars had my last two blue rings and blue canning tops from Ball. I washed and dried the rings and wiped down around the screw part of the jar. As the seals are intact, I think that they are ok. I looked online for information on this issue, but did not find any from a source in which I have confidence.
I left 1-inch headspace, as directed. Possibly I should leave 1 1/4 next time. The issue was only with the two 1-quart jars that had those colored lids.
This afternoon I made and canned blueberry pie filling. I used the recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation from the University of Georgia website that Randy D. from the Baking Circle called to our attention. I used ingredients for 5 quarts, but I increased the blueberries from 17.5 cups to 19.5, since blueberries tend to cook down. I also added the grated zest of three limes and the juice of three limes, which I stirred in after the blueberries.
I ended up with two 1-quart jars and four 1-pint jars. I will check the seals tomorrow, but they looked ok when I took them out of the canner. I had about 1 3/4 Cups of filling left over--not enough to fill another jar. I froze one cup in a small plastic container, and I plan to use the remaining filling in some kind of sweet roll.
I tasted the filling and am pleased with the flavor--not overly sweet and not overly tart. The real test will be when I use the canned filling, but that will not be until late fall or winter when we need to be reminded of the glorious fruit of summer. I usually use 6 cups of filling per pie, and I stir in 1/4 tsp. allspice.
After taking our dog for a long walk early Thursday morning, I baked the Whole Wheat Sourdough Cheese Crackers from the dough that I made up on Sunday. I have a routine for the rolling, docking, brushing with oil, cutting into 3x3-cm squares and lightly salting, then baking, so that I can do it in a little more than two hours. It would be even faster, if I had a docker rather than a four prong fork.
Navlys--Every time I look at a Conga Bar recipe, I think to myself: too over the top sweet. I'd have to have a lot of people around to eat them.
Friday dinner was Panko-Parmesan Coated boneless chicken breasts. I omitted the garlic and just used onion powder, chives, and pepper in the coating. We had it with cut-up roasted potatoes, rubbed in olive oil, then sprinkled with poultry seasoning and a bit of sweet curry. The potatoes are roasted for 30 minutes at 400F before the chicken breasts are added and the temperature dropped to 375F. I used russet potatoes because I needed to use them up. They were fine, but I prefer the thin-skinned potatoes for this recipe.
We had steamed green beans from the garden.
Our weather was cooler today and not as humid, so I baked two loaves of Bernard Clayton's Dark Grains Bread. I'm still experimenting with adapting it. This time I cut the yeast from 4 tsp. to 3 1/2 tsp. and the salt from 1 Tbs. to 2 1/4 tsp. I had hoped to slow down how fast it rises, but it still had a very quick rise, and the final loaves still had some sinking along the top. The dough seemed wetter than usual, so it might have needed a bit more flour. I look forward to sampling it tomorrow and will add a note to this post when I do on taste and texture.
Promised Note: The bread still has great taste. It has an open crumb rather than the somewhat tighter texture at which I was aiming. They also look like my beginner bread loaves, with a bit of slopping over the side.
