Canning - Zucchini "Pineapple"

Gardening season is fast approaching! Hurray!

There was a terrible drought in Missouri last summer so my garden was... should we say "pitiful" to say the least. Of course, I'm always overly eager so I have added a few ideas to help my garden along. I'm going to try burying 5-gallon buckets or 2/3 liter soda bottles with my veges for deep root watering. I'm also going to try adding a few vegetables and fruits in with my landscaping. I have a few natural weed and bug killers to try since pinning on Pinterest has been my favorite weeknight lounging activity.

Along with making a garden plan this spring, I also like to make at least a mental list of the things I want to can from my garden. I normally can pickles (like this delicious sweet pickle relish:

a special salsa recipe (which I will post soon); a favorite raspberry-beet jelly that is completely delicious filled in homemade donuts or topping Homemade Biscuits; green beans; tomato sauce for Homemade Spaghetti Sauce and Homemade Pizza; the now infamous "Just Like Clausen No-Can Pickles" (lots of pins on Pinterest):

and the recipe I am posting today for Zucchini "Pineapple".

Most people have hoards of zucchini in their gardens. I'm not one of those people. I normally have to beg, plead, and barter zucchini and yellow squash since my garden suffers from an army of squash bugs and worse, the squash vine borer. Not to be discouraged, I will be planting them again. We love squash at our house in just about every form, summer squash or winter squash. I'm not ready to give up... YET!

I made this batch of zucchini "pineapple" last summer. It tastes amazingly like crushed pineapple and I use it in baked recipes like pineapple upsidedown cake, adding it to yellow cake mix for a crushed pineapple cake, quick breads, muffins, and of course, baked oatmeal. Zucchini "pineapple" is just peeled and grated zucchini canned with sugar, pineapple juice, lemon juice, and a little yellow food coloring (if needed). It's a fun way to preserve any overabundance of this typical Missouri garden vegetable.

Here's how I made Zucchini "Pineapple" AT HOME MY WAY:

Zucchini "Pineapple"

4 quarts peeled and shredded zucchini
46 oz canned unsweetened pineapple juice
1 1/2 cups bottled lemon juice
3 cups sugar
Yellow food color, if desired.

Instructions:

Sterilize jars/lids/rings (I use my dishwasher for this). (If you aren't familiar with canning instructions, HERE is a good link.)

Wash and peel zuchini,shred or grate. Mix shredded/grated zucchini with the other ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes, add a few drops of yellow food color if desired. Fill hot jars with hot mixture and the cooking liquid, leaving 1/2 inch headspace in the jars. Adjust lids and process in hot water bath 15 minutes.

Remove jars carefully and let cool, listening for the pop - seal.

Easy Peasy Parmesan Chicken in the Crockpot (Only 5 ingredients!)

Do you need a super easy, "dump and go" crockpot meal that is super delicious and tastes like you are eating out? I have a good one for you today! RECIPES AT THE TOP - CHIT CHAT AT THE BOTTOM Here's how I now make Crockpot Parmesan Chicken AT HOME MY WAY. Dump & Go Crockpot Parmesan Chicken *only FIVE ingredients plus the pasta* (Print the Recipe HERE) 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts/tenders (frozen or thawed) 1 1/2 cups (app.) of seasoned canned bread crumbs 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese (I use the green can.) 1 or 2 jars (24 oz each) of prepared spaghetti sauce (Prego, Ragu, etc.) (Classico is my favorite lately.) Mozzarella (shredded) (Serve with cooked pasta. We use penne.) Instructions : Place chicken pieces in the crockpot (as much as your family needs). (I use frozen because my crockpot cooks super fast.) Sprinkle the chicken heavily with bread crumbs and then with the parmesan cheese, like this: Dump on the jarred spaghetti...

CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW I DO IT

Best Dill Pickles EVER! (Just like Claussen) (Easy - no canning!)

Do you want to make the best, easiest homemade dill pickles in the world? I found a recipe for dill pickles that tastes JUST LIKE Claussen refrigerator pickles. Those are the best anyway, right? That crunch, the dill and the garlic... and oh yea , the crunch! This recipe is super easy because you don't have to process these pickles which means there is no canning needed. You just fill a gallon jar (we use an old pickle jar) with fresh cucumbers and dill heads, and then pour over the cooled liquids/seasonings. Let it sit on the counter for three days, and then refrigerate. After that, the pickle eating begins. They are supposed to keep for one year like that in the fridge, without canning. (We let them sit for the 3 days, then refrigerated them overnight before opening the jar for the much anticipated first taste. Did they taste like Claussen? YOU BET YOUR PRETTY PICKLE THEY DID! We were all SO ex...

CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW I DO IT

Buttermilk Biscuits - Just like Cracker Barrel!

RECIPES AT THE TOP - CHIT CHAT AT THE BOTTOM! Here's how we make Buttermilk Biscuits AT HOME MY WAY: Buttermilk Biscuits (just like Cracker Barrel) (Makes about 8 biscuits.) PRINTABLE RECIPE HERE Ingredients: 2 cups SELF RISING flour (self rising flour gives the perfect taste to homemade biscuits) 1/3 cup shortening (cold real butter also works here) 1 1/4 cup buttermilk* *NOTE: (If using regular milk combined with lemon juice vinegar referenced below, you only need 1 cup of milk because thinner regular milk uses less by volume than the thick real buttermilk.) Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. (Make sure your flour is "fluffed" not straight from the bag; Dump it in a larger container and stir using up and down motion to fluff it up a little bit-THEN measure out 2 cups). Measure 2 cups SELF RISING flour into a mixing bowl. Add shortening and cut it until small and crumbly. A fork works fine for this purpose ...

CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW I DO IT

At Home My Way

Search This Blog