• Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

MsMarmiteLover

  • Food
    • Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Vegan
  • Travel
    • France
    • Italy
    • Spain
    • UK
  • Wine
  • Gardens
  • Supperclubs
  • About
    • Press
    • Books
  • Shop
    • Cart

The Jar Meal: using the American canner and pickling lime powder

March 6, 2011 12 Comments Filed Under: Food, Recipes, Uncategorized

 We used tea towels as napkins, it went with the utility chic.
Inspired by Simon Hopkinson’s ‘The Vegetarian Option’ I made this simply canned bouillon.
The hissing American canner terrified me. But I overcame my fear and pressure canned!
  • You must make sure the jars are clean with intact seals and no nicks. 
  • Then fill your jars half with solids and half with liquid.
  • There are two methods: raw packing and hot packing. Delicate fruits and vegetable can be raw packed into sterilised jars. Other foods especially those that discolour should be hot packed.
  • Hot packing, fill the jars with the very hot food then top up with hot cooking liquid.
  • Salt. We found you need far more salt than you think. I added one teaspoon of salt to each half litre jar and after canning it still wasn’t enough. Obviously the process of canning in some way reduces the salt level. 
  • Make sure you have one inch clearance at the top of each jar as the contents will expand.
  • Run a plastic spatula around the inside of the jar to allow bubbles to escape.
  • Hand tighten the jar lids.
  • Fill canner with boiling water to the lowest level. Put in the jars, the water should just cover the jars.(If not using a pressure canner with a special jar rest then put newspaper or a teatowel on the bottom).
  • Put a few tablespoons of white vinegar into the canner otherwise the jars get stained.
  • Close the canner and place on the high heat until pressure starts to build up. 
  • There is a dial on top. You need to look up the amount of processing time and at what pressure each item that you are canning should be at. This also depends on the altitude. Get the dial tested regularly. Place the little steam hat thingy on top of the vent.
  • When the pressure got to 10 I moved the canner to a lower heat and maintained it at that pressure for 20 minutes.
  • Then remove the canner from the heat and wait for the pressure to go down naturally and gradually before removing the jars.
  • I should have bought a special jar remover as it’s very hot and delicate work (the jars are glass!). We used tongs and lots of ‘ouch’ ing.
  • Leave jars to cool for 24 hours. You will hear the lids popping. If the lid does not pop, then do not use that jar.
  • You cannot put oil or dairy into home canned products. You could get botulism which is invisible and tasteless.
  • Home canning improves the flavour of vegetables and fruit. It is an ecological option requiring no refrigeration plus it means that you don’t waste any excess from your garden or allotment. Once the tomato season finishes I will be canning tomatoes for my pasta sauces which will last me the year.
  • I’m building up a proper pantry.

 Salmon rillettes, potted.
 Matt Day, who helped cook the meal said he quite fancied Mrs Elswood.
I ordered baby cucumbers and made my own dill pickles using pickling lime powder that I imported from the United States. The lime adds crispness to the pickles. This is the recipe:
1 k of baby cucumbers, halfed and quartered.
I cup of pickling lime 
1 litre Sarson’s pickling vinegar
1/2 k sugar
2 tablespoons of salt
1 tablespoon of mustard seeds
1 Tbsp of coriander seeds
1 tbsp of black peppercorns
5 tbspns of dill weed
Soak the cucumbers in the lime with 2 litres of cold water. Leave overnight.
Drain and soak in cold water for 3 hours. Rinse a couple more times.
Make a pickling solution by combining the pickling vinegar, sugar, salt together and bringing to the boil.
Then add the spices and the cucumbers.
Leave to soak overnight.
Bring to the boil for half an hour.
You may then can them.
My dill pickles with the melba toast. Pic: Paul Winch Furness
The macaroni cheese in a jar with freshly grated truffle from @Mistertruffle. This man seeks to bring truffles to the people, he will sell them literally by the gram. He sold one gram to a guy that wanted to make an impressive meal for his girlfriend. Pic: Paul Winch Furness
 I associate Prunes in Armagnac with the 1970s, when my parents owned a house in the Armagnac region, in Condom, and we had them for dessert every day.

Some of my boozy jams…
The bouquet of carrots: vegetables are as beautiful as flowers.
Chris Pople who writes the brilliant blog ‘Cheese and Biscuits’ with witty restaurant reviews decided to get some experience behind the scenes. He was a very good waiter and made me laugh so much. A real tonic after a week of illness where my nose is blocked so badly I can’t smell anything. Impossible to cook well if you can’t smell. Pic: Paul Winch Furness
 The beauty of jars
 At the end we had a singalong to Elvis Costello’s My Aim is True. Pic: Paul Winch Furness
Matt looking at the Aga and thinking ‘Er what oven is this?’. Matt Day is exploring canning for a wine bar/ restaurant project. He’s a teacher of wine and runs very reasonably priced cooking courses in Tuscany, Italy. Pic: Paul Winch Furness

Other people are using jars for art projects.

Recent posts

latua pasta meal kit pic:Kerstin Rodgers/msmarmitelover

How hospitality has pivoted to survive the Covid lockdown: meal kits, zoom tastings and a delivery supper club

March 5, 2021

Japanese sweet potatoes

February 28, 2021

kosho pic: Kerstin rodgers/msmarmitelover.com

New citrus recipes: using bergamot, blood orange, yuzu and pomelo

February 6, 2021

Previous Post: « The brush off
Next Post: Trishna: posh Indian »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. shayma

    March 6, 2011 at 2:13 pm

    what a fascinating meal. i love the menu. x shayma

    Reply
  2. EyeOnDubai

    March 6, 2011 at 4:15 pm

    Fascinating and intriguing. I'm going to have a glut of tomatoes very shortly, and was looking for an interesting way to preserve them. Thank you for an always illuminating blog!

    Reply
  3. deva

    March 7, 2011 at 1:16 am

    american canner? why is it american? is it an fda thing?

    Reply
  4. theundergroundrestaurant

    March 7, 2011 at 9:13 am

    Deva: I didn't explain properly, Matt ordered the canner from America. I don't know if we do them over here.

    Reply
  5. Lynn

    March 7, 2011 at 9:31 am

    What a very different and interesting meal. Love the idea of the Bouquet of carrots.

    Reply
  6. Monique Vanni

    March 7, 2011 at 10:27 am

    Looks gooorgeous. Inspired me to go and put together a "confiture de vieux garcon" again this summer…

    Reply
  7. The Curious Cat

    March 7, 2011 at 12:00 pm

    This sounds like a great meal – must have taken you ages though and a lot of patience! So an American Canner…let me get this right? It helps seal stuff in jars so it keeps? But can't you just do that anyway with sterilised jars and hot contents? Am I being stupid? Confused… sorry…xxx

    Reply
  8. laundryetc

    March 7, 2011 at 3:07 pm

    Sounds like it was a great event and the table looked very stylish indeed.

    Reply
  9. Devadeva Mirel

    March 9, 2011 at 4:06 am

    okay. now i get it 😉

    Reply
  10. Anonymous

    March 10, 2011 at 4:29 pm

    Modern pizza originated in Italy as the Neapolitan pie with tomato.
    Cheese, the crowning ingredient, was not added until 1889, when the Royal Palace commissioned the Neapolitan pizzaiolo Raffaele Esposito to create a pizza in honor of the visiting Queen Margherita.

    Reply
  11. Eva

    March 10, 2011 at 5:05 pm

    Really intriguing ideas, I'd overheard someone talking anout this when I went oout for a meal at an Ask London and almost fell off my chair trying to lean in a little closer in the hope of understanding what they were talking about. Thankfully I finally found a write up, yours, to qwell my curiosity. I've been searching the strangest things in the hopes of stumbling onto something…

    Reply
  12. Kavey

    February 9, 2013 at 5:53 pm

    Hi K!
    Now that's a novel theme for a dinner! Clever idea!
    My understanding is that you absolutely can oil safely, but that you need to apply 120 C for a minimum time and that will kill the botulinum spores. Have to keep the temperature consistent though!
    As I've only canned in regular water bath at moment, not pressure cooker, I've stuck with products that are higher in acid or sugar, and can cope with canning at lower temperatures.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

MsMarmiteLover aka Kerstin Rodgers.

Chef, photographer, author, journalist, blogger. Pioneer of the supperclub movement.

This is my food and travel blog, with recipes, reviews and travel stories. I also stray into politics, feminism, gardening.

Subscribe to my mailing list

msmarmitelover

Kerstin Rodgers/MsMarmiteLover
I had one leek, one potato, but that’s enough to I had one leek, one potato, but that’s enough to make a leek & potato soup. I added garlic, rosé & Parmesan. I made a storecupboard salad from a cucumber & a tin of sweet corn. (Always have sweet corn in your pantry- it makes a tomato/sweet corn salad, or a tuna sweet corn salad or Thai style corn fritters) which I dressed with lemon juice & avocado oil. I also made garlic bread: a tiger loaf sliced almost to the bottom- room temp butter mixed with salt & minced garlic- wrap in foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. A simple leftovers lunch.  #leftovers #lockdownlunch #london #pantryessentials #soup #sweetcorn #garlicbread #supperclub #covidcooking #bubblelunch
Couscous and bulghur wheat are so brilliant when i Couscous and bulghur wheat are so brilliant when it comes to quick lunches. Especially if you bung them in the rice steamer. They take literally minutes to cook and are fluffy and perfectly done. I mixed in a tin of tuna and some preserved lemon, a few spring onions and a little tahini dressing. Served with a carrot and mandarin salad. I’m trying to use up the bottom drawer of my fridge and dried goods in my pantry before I do more shopping. Preserved lemons are one of my pantry essentials.  #pescetarian #couscous #ricesteamer #lockdownlarder #supperclub #lunchformybubble #londonlockdown
Baked cauliflower ‘wings’ for lunch. Easy. Bre Baked cauliflower ‘wings’ for lunch. Easy. Break into florets. Dip into batter of flour and fizzy water with sweet smoked paprika and salt. Lay on oven tray ( covered with parchment or silpat) and bake for 30 mins in hot oven. Then brush with butter and bake for another 5 mins or so. I served with a dipping sauce of yoghurt and lime marinade from @granluchito and more salt. #vegan #vegetarian #cauliflower #supperclubchef #recipe #5aday #lockdownlunch #baked #cauliflowerwings
Today I made tofish and chips for my bubble. My da Today I made tofish and chips for my bubble. My daughter and her boyfriend are working here everyday while their new flat upstairs is having the builders in. I like it because I have someone to cook for and I get a bit of company. Although in reality it’s 3 people sitting silently at their laptops all day. Today I did hear the high court session where a woman has sued Labour to find out the names of people who leaked a report. Anyway tofish is marinated firm tofu with one side covered with nori kelp and deep fried in batter. It really does taste fishy, and the nori looks like fish skin. Will do again. #supperclubchef #londonlunch #vegan #tofishandchips #tofurecipes #deepfried #handcutchips #homecooked #recipeoftheday
Another #lockdownlife activity, learning to darn. Another #lockdownlife activity, learning to darn. This red wool cardigan was shredded by moths. I’m trying both visible and invisible mending. The sleeve I darned in the traditional way. The holes I edged with embroidery cotton, making a feature of ‘moth lace’. All v Prince Charles don’t you think? He’s into patching and saving old clothes.  #visiblemending #darning #moths #longlonelynights #covid #lockdown #recycling #upcycling #ecofashion #redcardigan
Did that internet recipe doing the rounds- baked f Did that internet recipe doing the rounds- baked feta with tomatoes. I added red peppers, olive oil, garlic. Bake for 20 minutes then mix together - the feta forks a creamy sauce. Stir in freshly cooked pasta. Basta! #easyovenrecipes #bakedfetaandtomatoes #bakedfetapasta #supperclub #londonlockdown #coronacooking #vegetarian #justaddpasta #bakedfetacheese
Making thin crepes with lemon and sugar and banana Making thin crepes with lemon and sugar and banana and maple syrup. Using a cast iron crêpière I bought in a french supermarket years ago. For lunch we had savoury crepes with cheese and garlic. Apparently savoury crepes are ‘ middle class’! Who knew? #pancakes #pancakeday #shrovetuesday #crepes #bananapancakes🍌 #supperclub #londonlockdown #eatingwithmybubble
I’m cooking a lot of Asian food right now. It’ I’m cooking a lot of Asian food right now. It’s quick, hearty, tasty and healthy at the same time. Here I cubed leftover firm tofu, the whites of spring onions, mushroom stems, red pepper fried in groundnut oil, a little garlic, run out of ginger, some chilli bean sauce leftover from a jar, some soy sauce, a little teriyaki sauce from @misotasty . Then I boiled black soba noodles for 5 minutes, rinsed them in cold water, slung them back in the stir fry pan al dente. Another 5 minutes on the stovetop, I served them with the green parts of the spring onion, and a squirt of Yuzu paste from @misotasty. Served as a quick office lunch to my ‘son-in-law’ @jamescalmus who is here working while builders make an unholy noise in the flat above. My daughter and he will be moving in above when the work is done at the end of March. It’s scary buying a place for the first time- and dealing with builders- and blowing the last of your money. I remember when I bought my second flat, I was so broke I couldn’t afford a bed, and slept on the carpet for 3 months. #moving #firsthome #london #supperclub #mybubble #asianfusion #sobanoodles #tofurecipes #homecooked #lockdownlife
Heart shaped pasta parcels stuffed with cheese fro Heart shaped pasta parcels stuffed with cheese from @latuapasta one of the meal kits I’ve been trying recently. It comes with a jar of tomato sauce. The perfect dish for a nervous cook trying to impress a love. Myself I’m a corona loner as per usual. It’s ok, I’m used to it. Post- menopause I don’t have the longing I used to experience which made me needy and desperate with regards to ‘having a relationship’. Yes it does get lonely but actually I also feel a kind of relief. Happy Valentine’s Day to those who have romantic love and an even happier v day to those who don’t...
#valentines #valentinesday #vday #mealkits #foodoflove #freshpasta #valentinesdinnerathome #london #supperclub
Another Facebook marketplace find- this gorgeous g Another Facebook marketplace find- this gorgeous green velvet armchair which is also very comfortable-£50. The fire is lit 🔥 my broken ankle is propped up and I’ve a lovely cup of tea. #facebookmarketplace #recycling #upcycle #interiors #edwardianflat #londoninteriors #cosyhome #supperclub #greenvelvet #velvetarmchair #interiorsonthecheap
Pomelo candied peel is so fragrant. Instructions: Pomelo candied peel is so fragrant. Instructions: pare off the zest in longish strips, making sure there is no white pith. Then cover the peel with cold water, bring to the boil, then drain. Repeat this step twice more. This gets rid of the bitterness.  Then add 200g caster sugar and 400ml water to the peel. Simmer until the peel has absorbed all of the syrup. Then pour granulated sugar into a bowl; prepare a rack with parchment paper underneath to catch drips. Carefully extract each strand of peel and dip it into the sugar, then lay on the rack to dry out. Leave the peel 24 hours. Keep any sugar left over from the pan, and bowl, which will be lemon/pomelo scented, to use in baking. #supperclub #citrus #pomelo #candiedpeel #recipe #baking #lockdownlife #covidcooking #slowcooking #londonlife
My lady cave, my she shed, my recycled summerhouse My lady cave, my she shed, my recycled summerhouse. I’m going in for #shedoftheyear !
Everything made from stuff found in skips. #london #shed #shedlife #lockdown2021 #woodburner #bedinshed #throughtheroundwindow #supperclub #recycled #dumpsterdiver #ecobuilding
Black pepper firm tofu from @misotasty who are now Black pepper firm tofu from @misotasty who are now doing craft tofu. You fry the tofu cubes in cornflour then make a rich sauce with red pepper and black pepper, garnish with spring onions. Yet another fab thing to do with tofu! #tofurevangelist #tofurecipes #supperclub #blackpeppertofu #chinesenewyear #yearoftheox #chinesefood #covidcooking #lockdownlarder #vegetarian
Hot and sour soup with soft tofu from @misotasty j Hot and sour soup with soft tofu from @misotasty just the thing for a snowy day. Ate this on Sunday with my bubble. Persuading people that tofu is good to eat one meal at a time!  #tofu #tofurecipes #hotandsoursoup #soup #winterfood #supperclub #londonchef #homemade #recipes #vegan #vegetarian link to recipe: http://secret-garden-club.blogspot.com/2013/02/herbs-jackie-magazine-and-hot-and-sour.html?m=1
Japanese sweet potatoes from Miyazaki. They are th Japanese sweet potatoes from Miyazaki. They are the best I’ve ever had- small, dense, fluffy silky and sweet. I baked them in the oven and served with smoked trout and creme fraiche from @natoora “ Sweet potato is highly nutritious. It is high in fiber and will activate your intestinal system, and a white sticky substance “jalapin” that can be found when sliced, will help with digestion and help regulate your intestinal environment. Since its antioxidative vitamin C and antioxidative carotenoid are not lost by heating the sweet potato, experts say it is good for health and beauty. “ #sundaylunch #supperclub #sweetpotatoes #smokedtrout #pescetarian #japaneseingredients #oyatsuimo #miyazaki #yaki-Imo
Pomelo, cucumber and gadogado peanut dressing. So Pomelo, cucumber and gadogado peanut dressing. So refreshing! Pomelo is, along with mandarins and Citron, one of the original citrus fruit from which many others were bred. It’s rather like a grapefruit ( which bred with bitter orange, is a descendant) but sweeter, firmer, drier and more meaty in texture. It’s quite a pfaff to prepare as you have to take all the membrane and pith off- that’s the bitter bit. The pith can be turned into a poor mans cutlet, a Cuban steak, when times are tough. The peel can be candied. this citrus lasts a long time in the fruit bowl. #citrus #citrusrecipes #pomelo #wintersalads #gadogado #peanutdressing #supperclub #lockdownrecipes  #saturdaylunch #februaryfood #vegetarian #vegetarianrecipes
Flammkuche is a kind of German or alsacien pizza- Flammkuche is a kind of German or alsacien pizza- very thin. I got this flammkuche with a topping of nutmeggy bechamel, mushrooms, mozzarella & pesto as a #mealkit from @amelie_restaurants. Even the keenest cooks get sick of their own food! It’s really delicious and quick to prepare. #flammkuchen #pizza #vegetarian #lockdown2021 #lockdownfood #foodsolutions #covid_19 #newnormal #dinnerin10minutes #londonlife
Blood orange, fennel and dill salad with mustard d Blood orange, fennel and dill salad with mustard dressing. Easy peasy winter citrus salad. Best to use a mandolin to shave the fennel. #supperclub #covidmenu #citrus #bloodorange #wintersalad #lockdownlarder #valentinesday❤️ 💛💚🧡
Tarte au bergamote 💛done with puff pastry rathe Tarte au bergamote 💛done with puff pastry rather than shortcrust because that’s what I had ready made and hurty ankle meant I didn’t have wherewithal to make own pastry. I used zest and juice of a bergamot and zest and juice of 2 lemons 🍋. This bergamot I actually grew! #bergamot #citrus #tarte #tarteaucitron #supperclub #winterdesserts #sour #sharp #sweet #lockdownfood #covidcookery 💛💛💛
Made kosho with my incredibly expensive @natoora Y Made kosho with my incredibly expensive @natoora Yuzu (£12.80!) using the zest, 1 deseeded green chilli and some @maldonsalt in the pestle and mortar. It’s good to sprinkle on rice, noodles, soup. #condiments #citrus #yuzu #japanesefood #londonchef #supperclub #yellowfood #winterfood #seasonal #chilli #msmarmitelover
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Archives

Copyright © 2021 msmarmitelover