You can easily adjust the amount up or down depending on how many mouths you have to feed and how many bowls you each will eat. It’s a great cold soup to eat on a warm summer’s day, and it’s a great way to use up produce if you have just a few of this and that in the garden.

Gazpacho

1-1/2 pounds tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 red bell peppers (or use whatever peppers you have), stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 small cucumbers (or 1 large one), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/2 small sweet onion, or 2 large shallots, minced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

1/3 cup good balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

5 cups tomato juice (I used homemade)

8 ice cubes

1 teaspoon hot sauce (optional)

Extra-virgin olive oil (for serving)

Combine tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, onion, and garlic in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of salt. Season with black pepper to taste. Let stand for about 5 minutes or until veggies release their juice. Add the vinegar, tomato juice, ice cubes, and hot sauce if using. Stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate to blend flavors, at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

Discard any unmelted ice cubes, and season soup with salt and pepper to taste. Serve cold, drizzling individual portions with olive oil. Garnish with extra veggies, croutons, chopped pitted olives, or finely diced avocados if you like.

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I dehydrated only my paste tomatoes this time, but you can definitely dehydrate whatever type of tomato you have. I had slicers in the garden, but they were slated to be used in a different recipe.

Dehydrating tomatoes (and everything else) is really easy. You wash the tomatoes, removing any stems, and thinly slice them. Place them on the dehydrator sheets, and turn on the machine. I have an inexpensive Presto dehydrator, which doesn’t have a thermostat control, but if you have a dehydrator that does have one, set the temperature to 135 degrees Fahrenheit.

I filled the 4 trays that came with the dehydrator. Try not to have the slice touch each other – air needs to be able to flow around them. Let tomatoes sit in the dehydrator until crispy. You can periodically turn the slices over to help them along. The time it takes will depend on the style of tomatoes you use and how juicy they are. My tomatoes processed for about 9 hours before they were done.

This is what I ended up with after 9 hours – all 4 trays of Roma slices fit into 1 quart jar! You can store them just like this and use in your favorite recipe that calls for sun-dried tomatoes.  You can store them in olive oil (then keep in the refrigerator). You can snack on them straight from the jar, or you can grind them up in a blender/food processor until it’s a fine powder. You can use the powder in soups, casseroles—anything you want to add a little tomato flavor to. You can also reconstitute the tomato powder with a little water to make quick tomato sauce to use in your favorite recipe.

I plan to keep dehydrating my Roma tomatoes as long as they keep producing this summer. It’s fun to have different items in my pantry, and it’s especially great to know that I don’t have to go buy that expensive little bottle of sun-dried tomatoes at the grocery store when I only need just a few in a recipe.

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The Ball recipe gives spice blends for Italian, Mexican, and Cajun. I just did Italian and Mexican, but I’ve listed all three here so you can use whichever one(s) you prefer. The recipe says that you will have enough spice blend for 6 pints of tomatoes, but I doubled and even tripled the amounts just to make sure I had enough made up since I was working with way more tomatoes than 6 pints. If you would prefer to use an already made Italian spice blend, use 4 tablespoons in place of the basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, and sage in the recipe. If you have any spice blend left over after you’ve finished, just put the extra in a Ziploc baggie and use in your favorite recipe.

Seasoned Crushed Tomatoes

12 cups tomatoes, peeled and cored

Spice Blend (see below)

Bottled lemon juice

Salt (optional)

Italian Spice Blend

4 teaspoons basil

2 teaspoons thyme leaf

2-1/2 teaspoons oregano

1-1/2 teaspoons rosemary

1-1/2 teaspoons sage

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes (optional)

Mexican Spice Blend

6 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons oregano

2 teaspoons garlic powder

2 teaspoons ground coriander

1-1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt (optional)

Cajun Spice Blend

3 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons paprika

1-1/2 teaspoons onion flakes

1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1-1/2 teaspoons ground allspice

1-1/2 teaspoons thyme leaf

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Peel and core the tomatoes. Working in small batches, heat a few prepared tomatoes in the bottom of a large stockpot, crushing with a potato masher to get the tomatoes to release their juices. As they release the juice, keep adding tomatoes and crush with the potato masher until you have all the tomatoes in the stockpot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring gently. Reduce heat and boil gently for 5 minutes.

While the tomatoes are heating, to each pint jar add 1 tablespoon of bottled lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of canning salt (if using), and 2-1/2 teaspoons of the prepared spice blend you are using.

Ladle hot tomatoes into jars, add lids, and tighten rings just until finger tight. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, reduce heat, remove the canner lid, and let the jars sit in the canner for 5 minutes. Remove jars and let set on the counter for 12 hours. Check to ensure jars have sealed. If you have some that did not seal (lid will pop back up when you test – you can usually see it before you even test), put those jars in the refrigerator and eat them within a few days. Remove rings, wash jars, and store sealed jars in a cool, dry, dark place.

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Her original recipe calls for peeled, cored, and diced tomatoes, and that’s how I’ve done it for years, but this year I decided I wanted to try a smoother tomato sauce base and then continue on with the recipe as written. I’ve decided I like the smoother sauce best, but it’s delicious however you want to prepare it.

For a smoother sauce, wash your tomatoes thoroughly, and place them in a large stockpot. (I had so many tomatoes that I had to use my water bath canner to cook them all.)

If you are using strictly paste-style tomatoes (Roma, San Marzano, etc.), add about a 1/4 cup of water to the stockpot to prevent the tomatoes from sticking when you start to heat them. Turn up the heat and stir occasionally to prevent sticking/scorching. The tomatoes begin to soften and release their juice. Let this cook over medium heat for about an hour or so—time will depend on the kind of tomatoes you are using (paste-type tomatoes usually take longer). Once soft, turn off the heat, and let everything cool slightly before you start to work with them.

After everything has cooled (so that you don’t burn yourself), run all the tomatoes through a food mill to remove the skins, seeds, and cores. I picked up a reasonably priced one on Amazon for less than $30, but there are fancier ones if you prefer. Place all the pressed sauce into a second large stockpot, and continue with the recipe as below.

Spaghetti Sauce for Canning

30 cups of tomatoes, peeled, cored, and diced (can use tomato puree —see instructions above)

6-1/2 to 7 cups diced onions (I usually use 3 large yellow onions)

10 garlic cloves, finely minced (about 1 head of garlic)

2/3 cup olive oil

30 ounces tomato paste

3 tablespoons leaf basil, crumbled

6 whole bay leaves

2 tablespoons salt

6 tablespoons oregano

5 tablespoons leaf thyme

2/3 cup sugar

**Note: If you use fresh herbs instead of dried, double the amount listed above.

Place diced tomatoes (or tomato puree if you use a food mill) in a large stockpot. In another pot, heat the olive oil, and saute diced onions for 5 minutes. Add minced garlic to the onions, and saute for an additional 5 minutes. You want the onions to be soft and translucent, not brown. Stir frequently to prevent scorching – and garlic burns easily, so keep your eye on it. When soft, add the onion mixture to the stockpot with the tomatoes.

Add remaining ingredients to the tomatoes, and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently. You don’t want it to boil but cook at a nice simmer. Cook until it reaches your desired consistently. This may take several hours depending on the type of tomatoes you use and how thick you like your sauce (I usually cook for about 2-3 hours). If it isn’t thick enough for you, you can add more tomato paste as well. Taste as you cook, and adjust spices and salt as needed.

When finished cooking, remove bay leaves (and other stems if using fresh herbs). Ladle hot sauce into prepared jars. Add lids and adjust rings until just finger tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 45 minutes (quarts) or 35 minutes (pints). Remove from canner to the counter, and let jars sit for at least 12 hours before removing rings. Wash jars and store in a cool, dark place.

Yield will depend on how many tomatoes you do and how thick you make your sauce. I can usually get about 14 pints from this recipe when I use tomato puree. You may get more than that if you use diced tomatoes.

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If you don’t have 2 weeks to devote to making pickles, you can speed up this recipe. Once you get to Day 9 where you first prepare the syrup, you can heat up the syrup twice in one day to cut down your time. I’ve done this many times, and the pickles don’t taste any different than if you did it each day. The point is to get the syrup hot, pour over the cucumbers, and then let it cool completely before you heat them up again.

Crystal Pickles

Pickling cucumbers, washed (leave whole with stems on)

Water

Canning salt

Alum or Pickle Crisp

9 cups sugar

2-1/2 cups white vinegar

Box of cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon whole cloves

Cheesecloth

Wash pickles with stems on. Place in a stone crock, and soak with a mixture of 1 cups of canning salt per 1 gallon of water. Use enough to cover cucumbers completely. Weight down cucumbers so they are beneath the water mixture, and cover crock with a towel to prevent anything from getting in the crock.

Let cucumbers set for 1 week, but check daily to make sure none of the cucumbers are above the water level. Spoon off any scum, if any, from top of the water.

On Day 7, drain and wash the cucumbers. They will be lighter in color. Rinse out the crock.

Place the cucumbers back in the crock. Cover them with boiling water. Again weight down the cucumbers, cover crock with a towel, and let them set 24 hours.

On Day 8, drain cucumbers, and cut into 1-inch chunks.

Place chunks back in the crock, and cover cucumber chunks with boiling water that has 1 tablespoon of either alum or Pickle Crisp per gallon of water. Weight down cucumber chunks; cover crock with a towel, and let set 24 hours.

On Day 9, drain cucumber chunks. In a large stockpot, make a syrup of the white vinegar and sugar. Heat over low to medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Use the cheesecloth to make a spice bag, and add the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves to the spice bag. Add spice bag to the syrup mixture, and heat through. Remove spice bag and reserve. Pour hot syrup over cucumber chunks in crock. Weight down cucumbers so everything is beneath the syrup. Cover with a towel, and let set 24 hours.

On Day 10, drain the cucumber chunks over a large stockpot, reserving the syrup. Place cucumber chunks back in the crock. Add spice bag to the syrup, and heat until hot. Remove spice bag and reserve. Pour hot syrup over cucumber chunks in crock. Weight down, again making sure chunks are below the syrup. Cover with a towel, and let set 24 hours.

Days 11 and 12: Repeat same process from Day 10.

On Day 13, again drain syrup from the crock into a large stockpot. Add spice bag, and heat until hot. Tightly pack cucumber chunks into prepared pint jars. Add hot syrup to each jar, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe rims, and add lids and rings, adjusting until just finger tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (not a rolling boil – that will shrivel the pickles – just barely boiling). After 10 minutes, turn off the heat and remove the canner lid. Let stand 5 minutes before removing jars to a towel on the counter. Let jars sit for 12 hours before testing for seal. Remove rings, wipe down jars, and store in a cool dark place.

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I don’t recall where I found this recipe or I’d post a link to the original website. I save so many pins on Pinterest, and this is where I found this one. I will say that in the ingredients below I doubled the amount of sauce ingredients than what I saw on the original recipe. There just wasn’t enough for the 5 quarts I had, which is what the original recipe said the yield would be. The amount of pineapple called for is correct, and you get approximately 3 cups of liquid from the 3 cans, but next time I will have a can of unsweetened pineapple juice on hand so that I can double the amount called for in the original recipe. When processing, the chicken does add to the liquid amount, but I like to have enough “sauce” to completely cover the ingredients in each jar before I place them in the canner. So, be aware that the sauce ingredients are doubled if you happen to stumble across the original recipe, and it should yield enough sauce for 5 quarts of product.

Sweet and Sour Chicken for Canning

4-1/2 pounds cooked chicken (I cubed mine but you can shred it if you like)

2 green bell peppers, large dice

2 medium onions, large dice

1 red bell pepper, large dice

3 15-ounce cans of pineapple chunks, drained, reserving liquid

Additional pineapple juice to equal 3 cups

1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar

2-1/2 cups white vinegar

12 tablespoons soy sauce

8 tablespoons ketchup

2 teaspoons finely diced fresh ginger

In quart jars, layer chicken, onions, peppers, and pineapple chunks. Tamp down each layer to make sure everything is tightly packed to just below the 1-inch headspace level.

In a large saucepan, bring brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, and 6 cups total of pineapple juice to a boil over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar.

Pour hot sauce over layered ingredients in jars, remove air bubbles, and adjust liquid as necessary. Wipe jar rims, tighten lids and rings to fingertip tightness.

Pressure can at 10 pounds of pressure for 90 minutes.

Makes 5 quarts.

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Since I had a little time on my hands today, I decided to try two meals-in-jars recipes that I’ve been wanting to try for some time. The first one is Pot Roast in Jars. I found the post on canningandcookingathome.com, and this recipe is from the All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving. It’s super easy to prep, and best of all, I now have 7 quarts of ready-to-eat beef on my shelves. What’s not to like?

I’ve listed the ingredients below per quart jar. Feel free to divide into pints if you like, and you can double/triple the amounts to can the number of meals you want. I ended up with 7 quarts, which will definitely come in handy those nights when I don’t feel like cooking and don’t want take-out.

Pot Roast in a Jar

1 pound boneless beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 2-inch chunks

1/2 cup potatoes, peeled and diced

1/2 cup onions, diced

1/2 cup celery, diced

1/2 cup carrots, sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 garlic clove, sliced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 cup dry red wine (if you prefer, replace using room-temperature beef broth)

About 2 cups hot beef broth (liquid to top off jars)

Layer all ingredients except for the hot beef broth into jar. Pack meat, veggies, and spices tightly.

Add the red wine. Pour enough hot beef broth into jars to reach 1-inch headspace. Remove any bubbles. Add lids and rings, adjusting until finger tight.

Process in a pressure canner at 10 pounds of pressure for 1 hour 30 minutes for quarts (1 hour 15 minutes for pints).

You can see from the picture I have plenty of room in my jars for the liquids. This will probably end up more like a soup/stew, but if that’s the case, it’s fine with me. Beef stew is one of my favorite comfort foods.

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I looked at a lot of recipes on Pinterest, but I decided on the one I found at sbcanning.com. I’ve tried several recipes from this site, so I knew this would be a good one too. The recipe makes 1 quart jar (enough for 1 pie), so you can double/triple it depending on how much fruit you have.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Filling

2-1/2 cups rhubarb, diced

2-1/2 cups strawberries, sliced

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup Clear Jel

1 cup water

4 tablespoons bottled lemon juice

Fill a stainless steel or Dutch oven with water, and blanch the diced rhubarb in boiling water for 1 minute. Drain but keep the heated fruit in a covered bowl or pot.

Combine the sugar, Clear Jel, and water in a pot, stirring on medium heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Add lemon juice, and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Fold in drained rhubarb and strawberries, and fill 1 quart jar with mixture, leaving 1-1/2-inch headspace.

Remove air bubbles, and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe rims of jars. Adjust hot lids/rings, and process in a boiling water bath canner for 30 minutes at a full rolling boil.

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My goal is to eventually convert my favorite family recipes into gluten-free and Paleo-friendly versions, but while I was looking at recipes on Pinterest, I came across a gluten-free recipe that I couldn’t wait to try. It’s from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring, and the recipe is super simple. If you omit the glaze in the recipe, which has whipping cream, it’s even Paleo, but I wanted to try the recipe as it was written – then the next time I make it I’ll put my own spin on it. I will say that I’ll probably increase the amount of cinnamon next time, just because I really couldn’t taste it. It was there, just not enough for my taste. The recipe also gives you an option for the liquid you use: brewed coffee, dry red wine, or water. I went with the coffee because I still had some in the coffee pot, and besides, I love the flavors of coffee and chocolate together, but I bet the wine would be killer too.

This cake has no eggs and no butter (in the cake anyway), and it was absolutely moist as could be. Sometimes I notice an off-texture in the store-bought gluten-free cake mixes, and I didn’t notice that with this cake. The boys said I had to make this again – and soon!

Decadent Chocolate Cake – Gluten-Free

3 cups all-purpose gluten-free flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill)

1-1/2 teaspoons xanthan gum (omit if your flour already has it)

1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (I’m going to increase this to 1 teaspoon the next time I make this)

12 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 teaspoons good vanilla extract

2 cups of either brewed coffee, dry red wine, or lukewarm water

For the Glaze:

6 ounces dark chocolate, chopped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons brewed coffee, dry red wine, or lukewarm water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a standard 12-cup Bundt pan, dust it lightly with cocoa powder, and set aside.

In a large bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon, and whisk to combine well.

In a separate medium-sized bowl, place the melted coconut oil, vinegar, vanilla, and coffee (or wine/water). Whisk to combine well.

Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients, pour in the wet ingredients, and whisk until just combined. The batter will be soft. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, and smooth into an even layer. Place the pan in the center of the preheated oven, and bake until an inserted toothpick comes out clean (about 45 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cake is cooling, make the glaze. Place the chopped chocolate and the butter in a small heat-safe bowl, and microwave in 30-second bursts (or melt over a double boiler), stirring until melted and smooth. Add the whipping cream and your choice of the coffee, wine, or water, mixing well to combine. Allow the glaze to sit until no longer hot to the touch. Pour the glaze over the top of the cooled Bundt cake.

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I originally ordered 2 SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) from Amazon. This is what turns sweet tea into fermented kombucha and adds all the wonderful health benefits. When my family first saw a SCOBY , they weren’t too thrilled about the idea of something that looked like a blob of gelatin floating in their tea, but they’ve come around and really do like kombucha now.

There are literally hundreds of places to buy a SCOBY  (if you don’t have a brewing friend who can give you one to start). If you buy one, make sure the SCOBY  comes with enough starter kombucha fluid (about 1-1/2 cups). On my first purchase of 2 SCOBY , there wasn’t enough starter, so that batch didn’t ferment like it should. I found a different vendor on Amazon, however, and they sent me one huge SCOBY  and more than enough starter tea. The first batch turned out great, and it made a new baby SCOBY  (it grows on top of the original SCOBY ), just like it was supposed to.

You can do an Internet search and find multiple different recipes on how to make kombucha, and everyone has their own tricks of the trade. I read a lot before I decided to make my own. What I did may be different from someone else who brews, but here’s what I did, and it turned out very tasty.

You can see the SCOBY to the right side – the dark shadow is a new baby SCOBY that has yeast tendrils hanging from the bottom side. This is normal.

Floating SCOBY.

The first picture was taken right after I added the fruit.

This picture is after the kombucha sat for a day. The colors really deepened.

How to Make Kombucha

5 to 6 tea bags (I used black tea)

1 cup sugar

1 gallon water less 1 cup

SCOBY  and 1-1/2 to 2 cups starter tea

Gallon jar

Cover for jar (I used a coffee filter and a rubber band)

Boil 2 quarts of water in a stockpot. Turn the heat off and add 5-6 teabags. Let steep for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, remove the tea bags, and add the sugar. Stir to completely resolve. Let tea cool to room temperature.

When the sweet tea is at room temperature, pour the tea into a clean gallon jar. Add the additional 2 quarts of water (room temperature), making sure you leave room in the jar for the SCOBY and starter tea. With clean hands, add the SCOBY and starter tea to the gallon jar. Cover the top of the jar with something that is breathable (kombucha needs oxygen to ferment), and let sit out of the sun for 7 to 10 days.

Fermentation time will depend how warm your room is. I brewed mine in mid-March with an average room temperature of 72 degrees, and my batch took 10 days. Obviously, cooler rooms will take longer, and it won’t take as long when it’s hot outside. You should smell a sweet, vinegar-like smell.

You have to taste your brew to see when it’s ready. Some people like it sweeter, and some don’t. After about a week, remove the lid. Carefully slide a straw underneath the SCOBY, and taste. When it tastes good to you, carefully remove the SCOBY and place it in a small dish. Remove about 1-1/2 cups of your fermented tea, and place it in the same dish as the SCOBY – this will be your starter tea for your next batch.

Now it’s time for the fun part – flavoring your kombucha

The flavor possibilities are endless. If you do an Internet search (and Pinterest is a great starting place), you’ll find both sweet and savory ways to flavor your “booch.” I’m more of a fruit tea person, so I experimented with peaches, red raspberries, and blueberries on my first brew. Now, you don’t need special equipment to do the second fermentation where you’re flavoring your kombucha. You can use Mason jars or whatever you have on hand – just make sure if you want it to be fizzy that you can cap the container to let the carbonation build up. I purchased Grolsch bottles on Amazon, which are pretty inexpensive and work perfectly for this.

When I was ready to flavor my kombucha, I chopped up peaches, blueberries, and red raspberries and added about 2 tablespoons of fruit into each bottle. Pour the kombucha into the bottles, and cap the lids. Let the bottles sit on the counter for a day or two (out of the sun), but keep an eye on the fermentation. The tea will interact with the sugars in the fruit, and it won’t take long for carbonation to take place. You may need to “burp the lids” to release some of the pressure – you don’t want your bottles or containers exploding (it can happen).

After a day, taste your brew. If the taste is pleasing, place the bottles in the refrigerator. Fermentation will still keep occurring, but it does slow down once in the cool.

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