Preserving Time’s Upon Us Wkenny

Wilma Kenny | Sep 02, 2020

This year’s garden challenges have included a hot, dry midsummer, squash beetles, lotsa rabbits with a ‘What’re you yelling at me for?” attitude, and a bumper crop of tomatoes garlic and peppers.

So: some favourite recipes:

Tomatoes

Most agree that it’s been a good year for tomatoes: this recipe of Debbie Webster’s is written on the tiles behind my stove. It was the winner, many years ago, at the annual Verona Craig Road Tomato Queen Festival. I have made it almost every year since.

(Those were the days! We crowned a Tomato Queen and a Zucchini King, shared a garden-themed potluck, and one year even performed a musical event using vegetables for instruments. It involved some one-note zucchini-stem flutes and a lot of percussion, including Peter Platinius’ stomped tomato. I think John McDougall tried to conduct, but we were all laughing too hard to be coordinated. )

Ketchup Rouge Aux Pommes

• 18 (ie, a lot of) ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 4 cups apples diced
• 6 onions, diced
• 3 T. coarse salt
• 4 cups sugar
• 4 cups vinegar
• 2 T pickling spice, in bag

Combine, bring to rolling boil, stirring, then simmer for 2 or more hours, stirring occasionally until thick enough. Remove spice bag, and bottle in sterilized jars. Especially good with potato latkes and sour cream.

Rhubarb

Recent rains have refreshed the rhubarb patch, so it’s not too late for Elinor Rush Downey’s two favourite (spring) recipes. (I meant to ask your blessing on sharing these, Elinor, but didn’t think you’d appreciate a 1 am phone call…)

Rhubarb Relish

• 4 cups rhubarb chopped
• 4 cups chopped onions
• 2 cups cider vinegar
• 1 T salt
• 4 cups brown sugar
• 1 tsp. each cloves, allspice, cinnamon, cayenne

Combine all and cook until thick. Pour into sterile jars and seal. Great with cheese and eggs.

Hot and Spicy Rhubarb Chutney

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1 ½ cups cider vinegar
• 6 cups rhubarb chopped
• 3 jalapeño peppers minced
• 1 cup onions chopped
• 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries chopped (can substitute cranberry sauce )
• 1T ground ginger, 2 T chopped garlic
• 1 tsp. each salt, allspice, cinnamon
• ½ tsp. each cloves, black pepper, cayenne

Combine all and simmer till thick. Pour in sterile jars and seal

And if you’re a true back-to-the-lander, Joy of Cooking has some pretty decent rabbit recipes…