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The
Big Book of Preserving the Harvest
By Carol W.
Costenbader
BUY THIS
BOOK
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Encyclopedia of Preserving
Apple-Beet
Puree
Pickled
Cauliflower
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to preserve the seasonal harvest without fussing
with pickling and canning? Follow Carol W.
Costenbader’s advice. "Freezing food is
superior to other methods," she writes in The Big Book of Preserving
Harvest. "More nutrients are
preserved by freezing, and the texture, color,
and flavor of frozen foodstuffs are better than
in food preserved by other methods." The 348-page book is encyclopedic in its
coverage of food preservation and is filled with
illustrations, charts and diagrams, as well as
recipes. Here are two of them.
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Apple-Beet
Puree
5 medium beets, scrubbed,
with tops removed
2 tbs plus ½ tsp salt
2 onions, minced
1 stick (8 tbs) butter
4 tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 tbs sugar
¼ cup red wine vinegar
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1. In a
saucepan, add the beets and 2 tbs salt, and cover
with water. Cover with lid and simmer 30-40
minutes, or until they are fork-tender.
2. Drain and cool the beets, then remove their
skins and roots. Set aside.
3. Saute the onions in butter over low heat in a
covered saucepan about 20 minutes, or until they
are soft.
4. Add apples to the pan and toss them in the
butter mixture. Add the sugar, ½ tsp salt, and
vinegar.
5. Uncover and continue to cook on medium heat
for 15 minutes, until the onions and apples are
very tender.
6. Let cool slightly and transfer the apple
mixture and beets to the bowl of a food
processor. Process until smooth.
7. Cool, chill, and freeze the puree in a 1-quart
freezer container.
To serve, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Serve chilled.
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Pickled
Cauliflower
3 heads
cauliflower, cut into small florets and
washed (about 10 pounds)
8 cups white distilled vinegar
8 cups water
¼ cup salt
¼ cup yellow mustard seeds
12 cloves garlic
12 small chile peppers
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1. Steam cauliflowerets
over boiling water 1 minute.
2. Simmer vinegar, water, salt, and mustard seeds
in a 5-quart saucepan 5 minutes.
3. Pack each sterile jar with 2 cloves garlic, 2
dill heads, and 2 chile peppers. Pack warm
cauliflower in each jar. leaving ¼ inch
headspace.
4. Cover with vinegar solution, leaving ¼ inch
headspace. Cap and seal.
5. Process 15 minutes in a boiling water-bath
canner.
Store jars 3 weeks to allow flavors to develop.
Recipes reprinted with permission from
"The Big Book of Preserving Harvest," Copyright 1997 by
Carol W. Costenbader, Storey Publishing, http://www.Storey.com.
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