- Author: Tami Reese, UC Master Food Preserver
- Editor: Shannon A Klisch
This article first appeared in the San Luis Obispo Tribune.
Last November I had an abundance of fresh cranberries. After water bath canning a few jars, I decided to dry the rest with my dehydrator. I finally found the perfect way to use the dried cranberries and share with my friends. I am making “Window-To-My-Heart” Cookie mix. It is a dry mix stored in mason jars that you give to friends as gifts. They add the “wet” ingredients and can make beautiful heart shaped Valentine's Day cookies. As an added bonus, you can also gift the heart shaped cookie cutters needed for this recipe. I have also included how to dry your own cranberries for this recipe.
Dehydrating cranberries:
Wash and dry cranberries thoroughly. Cut berries in half and place skin side down on mesh drying tray in a dehydrator. (This exposes more surface area of the interior of the berry and speeds up the drying process.) Dry at 130 F degrees for 10 to 14 hours. Berries should be slightly shriveled, firm, and no longer juicy inside. Store in mason jars in pantry.
Mason jar “Window-To-My-Heart” cookie mix:
Makes 1 (1 quart) jar
2 ¼ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 cup dried cranberries, chopped
½ cup powdered sugar
15 to 20 cherry or cinnamon flavored hard candies
- Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in medium bowl.
- Layer flour mixture, brown sugar, chopped cranberries and powdered sugar in 1-quart food storage jar. Pack ingredients down slightly before adding each layer.
- Place candies in a small plastic food storage bag; seal and place on top.
- Close jar; cover lid with fabric. Attach gift tag with baking instructions and fabric to jar with ribbon.
Baking instructions:
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) plus 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 jar “Window-To-My-Heart” cookie mix
- Beat butter and vanilla in large bowl.
- Remove candies from jar; set aside.
- Gradually beat in remaining contents of jar.
- Wrap dough in cellophane; refrigerate 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.
- Place candies in heavy duty plastic food storage bag and crush into fine crumbs with a rolling pin or mallet; set aside.
- Roll dough out on floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut into heart shaped cookies; with smaller cookie cutter make heart shaped cut out in center of each cookie.
- Transfer cookies to cookie sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle thin layer of crushed candy into empty centers. Bake 20 minutes or until cookie are lightly browned around edges and candy is melted. Cool on cookie sheet until candy centers are firm.
Bennett, Bev. “Window-To-My-Heart Cookie Mix”. Recipe. Gifts from a Jar Year-Round Treats. Lincolnwood. Publications International, Ltd. 2005. 15. Print.
Enjoy and Happy Valentine's Day
Master Food Preservers are here to help you with all of your food safety and home food preservation questions:
Visit our website at http://cesanluisobispo.ucanr.edu/, email us at slomfp@ucanr.edu, or call our helpline at 805-781-1429. We also check pressure canner gauges at no cost. Contact us for more info!
- Author: Jennifer Codron, Master Food Preserver
- Editor: Shannon A Klisch
We are blessed here on the Central Coast with an extended apple season that begins in August and can continue well into November. Although applesauce and apple pie are favorites this time of year, dehydrating apple slices can be a yummy snack and even better gift this holiday season.
The following recipe was shared many years ago by one of our own Master Food Preservers, Tami Reece, and is a keeper.
Grandpa's Cinnamon Apple Rings
Recipe by: Tami Reece
Wash your apples under cool, running water.
Lay out your clean and food safe dehydrator trays.
Core, peel and slice apples into uniform pieces. I like using a hand crank apple peeler-slicer for this recipe. It's fun and easy. However, you can get the job done with a peeler, knife, and cutting board as well.
Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon on a plate and dip slices into mixture on either one or both sides depending on how sweet you like your apples.
Lay slices on trays leaving space between each one.
Dehydrate at 150 degrees F for 2-3 hours. Then turn down to 130 degrees F until slices are dry and can bend without sticking together but not break (approximately 3-9 hours).
Grandpa's Cinnamon Apple Rings by Tami Reece
8-10 firm apples, washed
½ cup white sugar
1 Tablespoon powdered cinnamon
Directions:
Peel, core, and slice apples.
Lay slices on a food safe dehydrating rack.
Place in dehydrator at 150 degrees F for 2-3 hours. Turn down to 130 degrees F until still flexible but no moisture can be squeezed out of them.
Enjoy! Did you try it? Let us know in the comments.
We invite you to “preserve today, relish tomorrow,” and to support our mission to keep Californians safe and well as they use culturally appropriate, research-based practices to safely preserve food in the home. For more information, visit our website at: http://cesanluisobispo.ucanr.edu/, or email us your home food preservation questions at slomfp@ucanr.edu, or call our helpline at: 805-781-1429. We also check pressure canner gauges at no cost.
- Author: Shannon A Klisch
- Author: Debbie George, Master Food Preserver Volunteer
- Author: Dayna Ravalin
- Contributor: Tami Reese
- Editor: Shannon A Klisch
This Thanksgiving could be our biggest family and friend get together in a long time, with some projecting a 13% increase in holiday travel compared to 2020. To protect yourself and your family from COVID-19, see CDC's Safer Ways to Celebrate Holidays.
To protect yourself and your family from foodborne illness, avoid some common mistakes. According to the USDA, "Unsafe handling and under-cooking of food can lead to serious foodborne illness.” Avoid making loved ones sick by following these USDA Food Safety and Information Services tips.
Tip #1: Don't Wash Your Turkey.
This may go against old family recipes or cooking traditions, however washing raw meat and poultry can cause bacteria to spread up to three feet. How do you remove bacteria if you don't wash it? Cooking poultry to a safe temperature kills any dangerous bacteria that may be present. Washing poultry is not necessary and may spread bacteria to other surfaces where you are preparing raw foods like vegetables and salads.
Tip #2: Plan Ahead to Thaw Your Bird Safely.
Use the refrigerator, the cold-water method, or the microwave to safely defrost a frozen turkey. Thawing in the refrigerator is preferred because the turkey will defrost at a consistent, safe temperature. Allow 24 hours for every 5 lbs. of turkey to thaw in the refrigerator (a 15 lb. turkey needs 3 days). To thaw in cold water, submerge the bird in its original wrapper, changing the water every 30 minutes. Cold water and microwave thawing can be used if your bird did not entirely defrost in the refrigerator. Follow your manufacturer's guide for thawing poultry in the microwave. Poultry defrosted in cold water or the microwave must be cooked immediately. Have more questions? See this guide to safely preparing a turkey.
Tip #3: Too dry? Undercooked? Just right? Use a thermometer.
To determine if a turkey is cooked to a safe temperature, check its internal temperature with an instant read food thermometer. Check a whole bird in three locations: the thickest parts of the thigh, the wing, and the breast. Your thermometer should register 165°F in all three places. Using a food thermometer is the best way to ensure your turkey is cooked to a safe temperature, but not overdone. Don't have an instant read thermometer? Find one at your local cooking supply store starting at about $15. They are reusable and can keep your family safe for years to come.
Tip #4: Don't let the leftovers linger.
We all like to linger at the table after eating, however, don't let the leftovers stay out at room temperature for more than 2 hours. After serving, cut the leftover turkey into small pieces and refrigerate. Keep hot food items like gravy or stuffing hot or pack them up and put in the refrigerator. Leftovers will keep for four days in the refrigerator set below 41°F. For longer storage, pack them into freezer safe bags or containers and freeze for up to 4 months. Always wondering how long you can keep food in the refrigerator? Consider using the FoodKeeper App from USDA.
Enjoy the holidays and Happy Thanksgiving!
Looking for SLO and SB Master Food Preserver classes? We are still here!!!
This summer our Master Food Preserver Coordinator retired after many years of serving the County of San Luis Obispo. In addition, academic oversight of the program transitioned. It has been a time of change for the MFP program but we are still here.
We are starting to plan some in-person workshops for 2022 and are hoping to host a new volunteer training starting in February. More information to come, but in the meantime you can visit our website at: http://cesanluisobispo.ucanr.edu/, our blog at https://ucanr.edu/blogs/foodpreservation, email us at slomfp@ucanr.edu, or call our helpline at: 805-781-1429. We also check pressure canner gauges at no cost. Contact us for more information!
- Author: Lynn Pastusak, MFP Volunteer
- Editor: Shannon Klisch
If you have a garden or compost bin, you probably have plant volunteers. What is a plant volunteer? Any type of plant that grows somewhere you did not intentionally plant it. That's what happened to Master Food Preserver, Lynn Pastusak. Below, Lynn walks us through how she preserved her unexpected harvest so it wouldn't go to waste.
Dehydrating is one of the oldest forms of food preservation and is very easy to do.
Dehydration (drying) pulls out enough water from food to prevent spoilage.
While it is possible to sun dry some foods or even use your oven as a dehydrator, the simplest and most fool-proof method is to use an electric dehydrator. If you don't already have one, I recommend getting one. They are relatively inexpensive, starting around $40 for a simple but reliable model, and they can save you time and money if you plan to start dehydrating on a regular basis. Look for one that has a temperature control setting between 130° and 150° (mine is from 105° to 165°), a fan to circulate warm air evenly, and trays that are easy to load and clean.
The steps for dehydrating cherry tomatoes are easy.
- Wash your hands and clean all your utensils and trays.
- Preheat the dehydrator to 140°F.
- Rinse the tomatoes and remove the stems.
- Cut tomatoes in half.
- Place tomatoes skin side down on a dehydrator tray. If you would like, you can sprinkle a little salt on them.
- Dry for 5-9 hours. Times may vary depending on the humidity and heat in your area.
- After about 4 hours, start checking them regularly. They are done when they are leathery or brittle. If you want to grind them to make a powder, you'll want them crispy.
Tips from Lynn:
Proper storage is critical to keep tomatoes from re-hydrating and molding. A few options I have used: 1) Vacuum seal them and store them in the freezer, 2) seal them in freezer bags, put the bags in tightly sealed jars, and keep them in the refrigerator or freezer. As long as they are in an air-tight container, they can also be stored at cool to room temperature in a dark location - like a closet. For best quality, use them within 1 year.
What to do with your dried tomatoes:
They are tasty to eat alone as a snack. They can also be added to soups, salads, pastas, sauces, and casseroles. If dried crisp, they can be ground in a food processor or blender and used in recipes like you would use tomato paste. Yum!
