Corn Relish

 A week or so ago, I used some of my own corn - which grew amazingly well! - to make corn relish.  It was so pleasing to use all my own garden's vegetables in the recipe.  

The recipe I chose comes from my ultimate favorite vegetable cook book, "The Practical Produce Cookbook: How to Plant, Pick, Prepare, and Preserve Produce."

I've written about this book before and it's really my "go-to" book for cooking and preserving vegetables.  It's just loaded with information about just about every vegetable you could think of (even celeriac and salsify!) and it gives planting instructions; recipes for soups, salads and sandwiches, side and main dishes, and baked goods; and canning and freezing instructions.  I like that the recipes are uncomplicated and easy to follow.   

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Corn Relish

~from The Practical Produce Cookbook  

16 to 20 ears fresh corn

2 c. chopped onions

1 c. chopped sweet green peppers

3/4 c. chopped sweet red peppers

1-1/2 c. sugar

1 qt. vinegar

2 T. dry mustard

1 T. mustard seed

2 T. canning salt

Cut corn from ears but do not scrape.  Measure 2 to 2-1/2 qt. cut corn.  Combine corn with onions and remaining ingredients in a kettle.  Bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.  Pack into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace.  Cover and put lids on.  Process in boiling water canner for 20 minutes.  Yields 6 to 7 pints.  

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The corn is husked and cut and the cobs go to the pigs who (with their incredibly sharp teeth and strong jaws) grind up the whole thing like a soft marshmallow!  The husks go into the compost pile.  

The finished product!

Corn relish goes great with seafood and chicken!

Mmmm...Fresh.

I looked at my ingredients and thought, "What can I make?"



SALSA of course!


John helped me to chop up the vegetables (the Pampered Chef chopper makes short work of them!)




The ingredients are in the jars ready to be put into a hot water bath.



GUESS what we had for dinner!?!


SALSA WITH JALAPENO PEPPERS
from "The Practical Produce Cookbook"

8 c. peeled, seeded and chopped tomatoes
3 c. chopped jalapeno peppers - I didn't have enough jalapenos, so substituted hungarian hot peppers too
2 c. chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. minced cilatro (optional) - I don't like it and don't add it
2 tsp. oregano
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1-1/2 c. vinegar or lemon juice

When seeding or cutting hot peppers, wear rubber gloves to prevent hands from being burned (or you can coat your hands with olive oil). Combine all ingredients in a large kettle. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Carefully ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Adjust lids. Process in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

It turned out kind of watery - I figure we'll dump it into a strainer and draw off the excess liquid before we serve it. I'd appreciate tips and/or recipes anyone may have!
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Gardeners are starting to see more powdery mildew and other fungal diseases in their gardens with the cooler, wetter weather. I looked up natural alternatives to chemical sprays and here are two I'm going to try. I'll let you know how they work.

Hydrogen Peroxide Treatment

To prevent bacterial and fungal problems on outdoor plants use hydrogen peroxide! Hydrogen peroxide will prevent the disease spores from adhering to the plant tissue. It causes no harm to plants or soil, however don't use on young transplants or direct seeded crops until they have become established.

Warning: Always test on a small portion of plant tissue first to check for any negative reactions. Do not proceed if there is any damage to plant tissue. Do not substitute food grade H2O2 for the common H2O2. Spray plants with undiluted 3 percent hydrogen peroxide that you can buy most anywhere. Be sure to cover tops and bottoms of leaves. Do this once a week during dry weather and twice a week in wet weather. This works as a preventative. If you already have problems use this as a direct treatment.

Milk for Mildew

Milk with its' natural enzymes and simple sugar structures can be used to combat various mildews on cucumber, asters, tomato, squash and zinnia foliage. This works by changing the pH on the surface of the leaves, so they are less susceptible to mildew. Use a 50/50 mixture of milk and water. Thoroughly spray plants every 3 to 4 days at first sign of mildews or use weekly as a preventative measure.

Milk can also be mixed at a rate of 2 ounces milk to 18 ounces of water and used as a spray every 7 to 10 days to treat mosaic disease on cucumber, tomato and lettuce.



6 eggs

Leftover Produce

So now I've closed up the Farmer's Market for this past Saturday and brought home my unsold produce. What do I do with it? Processing time! Freeze, can, dry, pickle, mix into baked goods and feed to the pigs.

Most of my recipes and processing information come from THE very best produce cookbook I have ever found. "The Practical Produce Cookbook" by Ray and Elsie Hoover. I purchased it while I was on a trip to Amish country with my dear friends, Rosie and Jim. I have never found a book with as much information and so well laid out.

I used this book to make a few jars of Dilly Beans and Dill Pickles from my leftover produce. I also blanched and froze a bunch of summer squash and yellow beans.



















"The Practical Produce Cookbook" starts with asparagus and ends with winter squash. In between it contains just about any vegetable you can think of - spinach and salsify, rhubarb and pumpkins, brussels sprouts and carrots - just to name a few.

Then, under each heading - Beans - for example, it contains information about how to grow the plant, when to harvest it, yields, and often nutritional information. The recipes follow with first soups, then salads, side and main dishes, and with some vegetables - like rhubarb - dessert recipes, and finally canning and freezing directions and recipes.





If you are into cooking, canning, baking, or just into eating well, this is the book to have!

5 eggs