Sugar Free Beet Pickles like Granny used to make

I really love pickled beets, I can eat a whole jar in one setting if I don't watch myself. If you have never tried pickled beets you are missing out. This recipe is so simple you must give it a try even if you have never canned anything before.  Back when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1976, there was little to no sugar free anything.  So my Granny West took it on herself to make me my favorites and boy were they good. When foodbuzz asked for help promoting Sweet N Low I knew I had to submit this great recipe. This winter you will not believe how good home canned food tastes! I love to open a jar of something I have canned from my garden in the winter, brings a little Spring back to Beaty's Creek. This is What's Cookinon Beaty's Creek today.





50 beets 
2 cups beet boiling water
2 cups white vinegar
1/8 cup Sweet N Low Sweetener
2 t cinnamon

Remove beet greens and save to use later. Wash beets very well and place in pot covered with water. Bring beets to a boil and boil for 20 minutes or until fork tender. My beets were not real large, (I like small beets for pickles) so they cooked for about 15 minutes, size matters on how long your beets will cook. Once boiled let beets cool and then remove beets skin.Remember to wear gloves or you will have purple hands. Now get your jars ready to go, I use pint jars for pickled beets, I like the smaller jars for pickles but you can use quart jars if you wish. Prepare your jars as you would for canning anything. Once ready pack with your beets. Now bring beet water, vinegar, Sweet N Low, and cinnamon to a boil and pour over beets in jars and seal with a flat and ring. You will process beets in a hot water bath for 12 minutes. Let pickled beets sit for a couple of weeks before you eat them.

Canned Pineapple

Ever since Raven vacationed in Hawaii a few years ago, she has loved fresh pineapple. I have finally learned how to pick a fresh, and ripe, pineapple at the store. Our family of five can sure put away the pineapple. I hate to think when winter hits there will be no fresh pineapple. I know it is spring but I always think of the future hee hee...anyway, Sean bought me 10 pineapples so I decided to can pineapple this year. I had to fight off the kiddos while I cleaned them but I did manage to have quite a bit left after their fly by raids. Each pineapple makes 1 quart, not bad if you ask me. Like I said, I am sure one was eaten in the canning process. This is What’s Cookin on Beaty’s Creek this extra hot day!

Needed:

10 pineapples
4 cups sugar
12 cups water
10-quart jars, flats and rings

Clean your pineapples and cut into chunks. Bring to a boil the water and sugar. Pack pineapple into clean jars. When water and sugar aka syrup are boiling ladle into packed jars. This is now the time to boil your flats. I never boil mine but just heat them until bubbles form on them in the water. Now place flats on clean jar tops and screw rings on tightly. Place into hot water bath canner and cover jars with 2 inches of water. When water begins to boil start timer. Boil for 20 minutes. Cool jars and place in cabinet.

Blackberry Jam

I know I am going a little berry crazy lately but you will forgive me won't you? I am big fan of blackberries and their seeds. We have loads of wild blackberries around Beaty's Creek and the usual chiggers that go with blackberries and the heat of Summer. I don't care, I will itch for days just to have this jam, (there is that word again) when ole' Jack Frost is knocking at the door. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

6 cups of blackberries-mashed
5 cups of sugar
2 packages of liquid pectin-(I love liquid pectin much more than powder.)
4 pint jars with flats and rings

Mash blackberries with sugar. Now in a thick bottomed pan pour in your blackberry mixture. Add in your liquid pectin and heat over medium heat until boiling. Boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into jars. Seal jars and process in a hot water bath for 12 minutes. Let sit in a dark cabinet for a least one week before opening. I could not do this and nothing bad happened. Enjoy!

Blueberry Jam

Jam...Hmmm...I have to tell you the story of my hate of the word jam. I don't really know why, maybe I consider it a Yankee word for preserves. Then why am I calling my recipe jam? Because apparently everyone but me calls blueberry preserves, blueberry jam. Whatever you call this recipe you will be glad that you made it. Nothing will taste better than homemade "jam" on fresh baked bread or in Greek yogurt! This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

4 cups crushed blueberries
4 3/4 cups sugar
1 package pectin
4 pint jars with flats and rings


Raven crushed my blueberries and I was glad that she did since Raine, our 3 year old, was assisting in the jam making. Okay, now I am calling my preserves jam, so jam it is. Pour your crushed berries into a heavy bottom pot and add your pectin. I will usually stir the heck out of the berries so the pectin dissolves completely. Now bring it to a rolling boil, the kind of boil that does not stop when stirred. Add in your sugar and boil for 3 minutes. Pour into 4 pint jars and seal. I process my jars in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Pickled Jalapenos

Our jalapeno plants went absolutely crazy this year. This is good when you want to make fresh salsa but when you want to preserve them, you must pickle them. We love pickled jalapenos with a pot of beans and they are great with fried chicken also. Try these if you have not, you'll be pleasantly surprised. This is What’s Cookin on Beaty’s today.


Needed:

4 pounds of jalapeno peppers
4 cups white vinegar


Pack jalapenos tightly into your jars. I used quart jars because we eat a lot of pickled jalapenos. Boil vinegar and pour over jalapenos in jars. Seal and process in a hot water bath for 12 minutes.

Jalapeno Jelly

This jelly is so good poured over some cream cheese on your favorite cracker...Yummy! Be careful when you make this, the fumes from the vinegar and peppers will take your breath away. I left my kitchen exhaust fan on high. This is What’s Cookin on Beaty’s Creek today.

Needed:

2 pounds of jalapeno peppers
1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
6 cups of sugar
1 box pf pectin

Cut tops off of peppers and place jalapenos in your food processor and process until fine. Now add your vinegar and process a little more. Now place this mixture in a heavy bottom pot and add pectin, mix very well. Now you will add your sugar and boil for 2 minutes. Watch your jelly very carefully because it can boil over quickly and oh what a mess that is. Ask me how I know this….. I strained my jelly but you don't have to. I like jelly opposed to jam in this case. Pour into sterilized jars and seal. Process in a hot water bath for 12 minutes.

Canned Tomatoes

When tomatoes are coming out of your ears what do you do??? You can them. I can a ton of tomatoes each year and by winter's end, I'm out. Tomatoes are one of the easiest things to can and are the very first garden item that I ever canned. I use my canned tomatoes for chili, salsa, baked tomatoes, tomato dumplings and many other things. They are so good sprinkled with sugar and eaten right out of the jar too. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

20 pounds of tomatoes
10 t lemon juice
10 quart jars-sterilized


Place tomatoes in a large stock pot and cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes and then remove tomatoes from pot. I place mine in a large bowl to cool. Once cooled core and peel tomatoes, the skin will just slip off. Place 1 t of lemon juice in each jar and pack with tomatoes. When I say pack I mean PACK your tomatoes in. Now place your flats in a pan and pour water over them and bring to a low boil for 1 minute. Seal jars with flat and ring. Place in a water bath after canned and process for 12 minutes.

Crock Dill Pickles

This recipe comes from a friend that I went to middle school with. Hi Tammy! I changed a few things around to suit our tastes. It is so refreshing when you find out people share the same interests as you do. Tammy and I both are home canning moms and we also homeschool our children. This recipe is so much like those store bought refrigerator pickles that you will feel silly for not making them all along. I know I did. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.


10 lbs cucumbers(I quartered some of mine because of their size.)
4 T dill seed
4 T pepper flakes
1 1/2 c pickling or canning salt
2 c white vinegar
16 c water
12 garlic cloves

In a large clean crock or glass or food-grade plastic container place cucumbers, garlic, and spices. Now heat to a boil the vinegar, salt, and water. Once boiling remove from heat and let cool completely. Pour over cucumbers. I placed a plate on top of mine to weigh them down. Cover with plastic wrap to keep any air out. Let sit in brine for 2- 3 weeks at 70'-75'. Mine were done in 2 weeks but my friend Tammy, the one who gave me the original recipe for these pickles, is still waiting on hers after 3 weeks. Temperature really does make a difference on curing.

To can:

Strain brine. You will pack your cucumbers into sterilized jars and cover with strained brine. You need to heat your strained brine to a roiling boil and then pour over cucumbers and seal with your lids. I processed mine in a water bath for 15minutes.

Bread and Butter Pickles

Bread and butter pickles are Raven's favorite pickles and I love them too. A girlfriend and I had a bread and butter war a few years ago and yours truly won. How you may ask???? I know the secret to a crisp bread and butter pickle. Want to know my secret??? Ice and salt, that's it. You MUST ICE YOUR SLICED CUCUMBERS AND ONIONS DOWN WITH KOSHER SALT. If you do this I promise you will have crisp bread and butter pickles. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.


Needed:

25 Kirby Cucumbers-sliced 1/4 inch thick
5 white onions-peeled and cut into 1/8 inch thick rings
1 cup kosher salt
5 cups sugar
5 cups apple cider vinegar
4 T mustard seed
2 T turmeric
Lots of ice!!
Jars


Wash and slice cucumbers and onions. Let stand 3 hours in the ice and kosher salt. Now mix vinegar, sugar, spices and heat until hot, drain cucumbers and onions and then pack into hot jars. Pour enough syrup in to cover cucumbers and seal. Process in a hot water bath for 12 minutes. Let pickles set for about 2 weeks before eating.

Homemade Sauerkraut

Nothing taste as good as homemade sauerkraut. Of course that is if you like sauerkraut, I am a lover of kraut and so is my family. I raised loads of cabbage this year and was so happy that our garden bunny ate only one head. By the way, he is enjoying my tomatoes way before I have and I may be doing an Elmer Fudd on him before long. Kraut is simple to make but you must have patience. Kraut takes 3 weeks to make at a room temperature of 75'. Any warmer is not good, kraut will spoil and any cooler it will just take longer to make. This is What’s Cookin on Beaty’s Creek today. Note: The best way to keep homemade sauerkraut is to not heat process it, of course this means keeping it in the fridge. But due to space in the fridge I always have to process some of mine. When you process kraut you loose a lot of the good benefits of homemade kraut. Meaning the stuff that is good for you.

Needed:
15 pound green cabbage-hand shredded
8 T kosher salt
Huge crock and time.



When all of the cabbage is done begin layering cabbage, salt, cabbage until all of the salt is gone. You will mix the cabbage with your hands or a huge WOODEN SPOON. Do not use anything but wood or your hands. Metal will ruin your kraut. As you mix the cabbage it will get very watery, this is good. You want watery kraut. If your kraut is not in a good amount of liquid add brine. Brine is 1 t kosher salt to 1 cup of water. I added about 4 cups of brine to mine. You will want to weigh your kraut down with a plate. This is how I do mine. I fill a large Ziplock bag with brine and seal it. I then place it on top of the kraut, this seals off any air. I then place my plate on top of the Ziplock bag. Keep your crock on a cool dark place. Taste in 3 weeks and then fill into quart jars and process in a hot water bath for 12 minutes.

Canned Garden Green Beans

I was weeding my garden and was so surprised when I found my green beans ready to be picked!! I grow Kentucky Wonder bush beans and boy do they produce a bunch of beans. I canned 6 quarts and will have about 10 more before the green beans give out. As I have said in past posts, how much I love opening my jars in the Winter and eating something really yummy from my garden. Warms me up on a cold winter's day. Well we are far from that on this hot Summer's day. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:
1/2 bushel green beans
6 quart jars with rings and flats
Boiling water
Salt

Clean and snap your greens beans. I snap mine at about 1-2 inches but snap as you like your beans. Prepare your jars by pouring boiling water into them and pouring it out, Now pack your jars tightly with green beans and add 1 t salt to each quart of green beans. Now is the time to fill the jars with boiling water. When you can like this it is called "cold pack" canning, meaning your beans are not cooked first. Now place your flats and rings in a pan and simmer for about 5 minutes, now place on top of your jars and close. Now place jars in your pressure cooker and process for 20 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure. Be sure to date your jars so you will know when you canned them.

Pickled Beets

I really love pickled beets, I can eat a whole jar in one setting if I don't watch myself. If you have never tried pickled beets you are missing out. This recipe is so simple you must give it a try even if you have never canned anything before. This winter you will not believe how good home canned food tastes! I love to open a jar of something I have canned from my garden in the winter, brings a little Spring back to Beaty's Creek. This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.





50 beets
2 cups beet boiling water
2 cups white vinegar
2 cups sugar
2 t cinnamon

Remove beet greens and save to use later. Wash beets very well and place in pot covered with water. Bring beets to a boil and boil for 20 minutes or until fork tender. My beets were not real large, (I like small beets for pickles) so they cooked for about 15 minutes, size matters on how long your beets will cook. Once boiled let beets cool and then remove beets skin. Remember to wear gloves or you will have purple hands. Now get your jars ready to go, I use pint jars for pickled beets, I like the smaller jars for pickles but you can use quart jars if you wish. Prepare your jars as you would for canning anything. Once ready pack with your beets. Now bring beet water, vinegar, sugar, and cinnamon to a boil and pour over beets in jars and seal with a flat and ring. You will process beets in a hot water bath for 12 minutes. Let pickled beets sit for a couple of weeks before you eat them.

Stilwell Strawberry Preserves

Yes, you betcha it is time for Stilwell, Oklahoma strawberries!!! Can you tell I am excited?? Stilwell strawberries are the best I have ever eaten. When I buy them I eat way more than one person should. They are so sweet right out of the box and even better as preserves. This is my tried and true recipe. If you've never made your own preserves, try this recipe and you will never eat store bought again! This is What's Cookin on Beaty's Creek today.

Needed:

8 pints of Stilwell strawberries(you can use other strawberries, at least I think you can)-cleaned
21 cups sugar
2 boxes pectin

I clean and cut my strawberries in half and place them in a huge heavy bottom soup pot. Now add your sugar and smash berries as they heat up and stir, stir, stir. Bring to a rolling boil and boil for 5 minutes,stirring constantly, now stir in pectin. Stir and skim off foam for 5 more minutes, now ladle into sterilized pint jars and seal with flat and ring. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from hot water bath and let cool completely. If jar does not seal place in fridge and use within a couple of weeks.

Apple Butter

Oh how I love apple butter. I love it on toast or some good homemade biscuits. I love it in a spoon too. I have made apple butter for many of my 38 years. My grandmother started me on the path. She always made it for me when I was little. I can still smell the cinnamon in the air. Oh, wait...there is cinnamon in the air because I am making apple butter in my crock pot!! You will be shocked at just how easy it really is. Some people put vinegar in their apple butter. How gross is that?? Sorry but the truth hurts sometimes. I can always taste the vinegar. I think people do it so the the acid level will be high enough so that the butter will not ruin. I have never had that problem in my life. You just need to make sure that you watch the time when canning in a hot water bath. You can even store this in the fridge for 2 weeks with no problem. This year I am making the apple butter with organic jonagold apples from Iowa. They are so good. I have used all kinds of apples so just use what you have on hand and adjust the sugar to the particular apple you are using.

Apple Butter
25 apples peeled, quartered, and cored
1/4 cup of water
Sugar to taste
2 T cinnamon (I use more but we really like cinnamon)
Time...

Place apples into crockpot with water. Cook on high all day. That is at least 8 hours. Add sugar and cinnamon. Continue to cook overnight. Stir in the morning and see if it is thickness of warm pudding. If not continue to cook on high until this is reached. This is usually done when butter cooks overnight.
Ladle into hot canning jars. Seal with canning lids. Place jars into a deep enough pan that you can place water 1 inch over jars. Process for 12 minutes. remove from pan and cool. Jars will be sealed when cooled. If not place into fridge and use within 2 weeks.