What's Growing in the Garden

[trc65]

Today was a first for me. I like vaked beans but the store bought just ain't hitting on much. Bushs grilling beans are the only ones we like and they aren't as good as they used to be. So I decided to make my own. Turned out pretty good. Will try them later and get the wife's input. If she doesn't like them, they're out but I believe she will. Made a small batch. If I get approval, I'll make a big batch then. I didn't can as much this year because the cannery was down until July when they got the new boiler in. The wife is going with me next week to make something she found. Guess my last thing for the year will be deer meat.

View attachment 294346

When you get the chance, please post your recipe/process. I've often thought of trying to make some, but not searched a process yet.

Seeing many here grow dry beans of one sort or another, I've decided to try a few varieties next year.

 

[Eric Rorabaugh]

Homestyle Baked Beans Canning Recipe

Make my homestyle baked beans from scratch and pressure can for long-term pantry storage. The best baked beans recipe you’ll ever preserve.

canningdiva.com

So here is what I sort of looked at and got my idea from. But I tweaked it for the wife's and my taste.

After they've sat for a lil bit and we try them, I'll write up a recipe with what I used/did and post. The sauce was really good before I put my beans and bacon in then canned so they should be good after they've set for several days.

The wife is finally going to the cannery with me next week. She found two recipes that she's adding some from each and we're making cowboy beans. Pretty much baked beans with burger. But hey, she's going with me

 

[sprucegum]

New England baked beans are almost always state of Maine soldier beans or Jacob's cattle, Some people also use yellow eye beans. We use our heirloom beans which are similar to Jacob's cattle but larger. Maple syrup replaces some of the molasses, most people don't use onions but salt pork is not optional. Knowing your beans is important old beans will come out hard as a rock if not soaked and parboiled long enough, new crop beans will be bean mush if over done. My mother used a crock pot as does my wife, my grandma use to cook 5 pounds at a time in her pressure cooker for church suppers. Because salt pork is not always available in the supermarket I make my own from pork belly, nothing fancy just salt and pork dry cured in a vacuum seal bag for a couple of weeks. After it's cured I cut it up into chunks around a third of a pound vacuum seal and freeze them.

 

[sprucegum]

A interesting observation about baked beans. I'm board line diabetic and carbohydrate rich baked beans in moderation do not spike my blood sugar. Beans are high fiber, that combined with the fat from the pork slows down the digestion enough to prevent problems. A modest serving paired with a good steak and a little cottage cheese or coleslaw and you have a well balanced healthy meal.

 

[Eric Rorabaugh]

Because salt pork is not always available in the supermarket I make my own from pork belly

Can you give directions for this? Always looking for new things to try

 

[sprucegum]

Can you give directions for this? Always looking for new things to try

I use morton tender quick which contains sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite as well as some sugar. It gives you a little extra protection against spoilage as well as giving the lean meat a nice pink color. The directions call for a tbsp/pound and about a 7 day cure I go just a little lighter on the cure and give it a few extra days. It's plenty salt when cured. Weigh the meat and rub the correct amount of cure into all sides, put it in the bag seal it and refrigerate. Turn it every day to ensure a even cure. When the time is up cut a strip from the center of the thickest part and do a test fry just to be sure it's cured. Rince it well in cold water, pat it dry with paper towels package and freeze. If it will be used within a month or so you can just refrigerate it. If it's too salty soak it in cold water for a bit to freshen it some. I used to raise a couple of freezer pigs every year and make salt pork from the back fat in a crock with nothing but salt brine, I kept it in the crock in our cool basement all fall and winter. Some people get fancy and add brown sugar and herbs, I don't bother for using in beans and greens. If you really want to go old school you can fry some up and make salt pork gravy, just like SOS with pork instead of dried beef.

 

[sprucegum]

Our heirloom dry beans are looking good, almost done blossoming and lots of little beans started. I planted some Gilfeather turnips last weekend for a fall harvest. I have a double row under the row cover to prevent the root maggot flys from laying eggs. When they come up I will have to remove the cover to weed and thin them. Then I will probably put down preen herbicide and put the cover back on.View attachment 291163

My turnips have done quite well. We have been eating them for a few weeks and with the recent freezing nights they have have gotten noticeably sweeter. I left the row cover on for the entire time and it done a great job of keeping them pest free. I expect that I will have close to 100 pounds. We don't need that many but it will allow me to try some different preservation methods. We will cube blanche and freeze some, I will try to keep some in a bucket of damp sand, I'm going to put a few into a ground clamp to dig up in the spring and lastly I will lacto ferment a gallon to try saueruebin. This is the last of the garden except for the parsnips that I will dig in the spring.

 

[trc65]

I picked what will probably be the last of the lima beans as expecting a frost Saturday morning. Also picked what little bit of Calabrian peppers didn't die in the flood. These will be made into paste and used for a bunch of pepper paste soppressata (pressed, cured and dried salami).



Only thing left growing in the garden is the red beets. They are ready to harvest and pickle, but haven't had time. They will withstand up to a moderate frost, so no worries.