Preserving In the Finger Lakes

Fall is here in the Finger Lakes and it's abundant. Tomatoes, basil, peppers, carrots, onions, garlic, the list goes on. But with Fall comes the knowledge that winter is just around the corner, even if it's supposed to be 90 degrees (F) tomorrow. So I spent the weekend canning and freezing a small part of the summer's bounty.

I had trouble with the six quart jars of pureed tomatoes, only 3 sealed properly. It looks like too much head space in the jars, which wasn't there when I filled them. Air pockets maybe???   All of the pint jars of salsa sealed fine.

Small baggies filled with roasted red peppers ready for the freezer.

5 Frozen ice cube trays filled with pesto, ready to be dumped into a large plastic baggie.

The easiest, best soup in a crockpot - Chicken Tortilla

 Recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup

Large crockpot
2 cans Rotelle tomatoes (they have chiles in them)
1 large can puréed tomatoes (1 qt of home canned tomatoes)
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 can creamed corn
1 quart of chicken stock (I use homemade, but a box of good chicken stock with work just fine)
3 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste

Small crockpot
1 can Rotelle tomatoes (they have chiles in them)
1 can puréed tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can corn or creamed corn
3/4 box of chicken stock
2 boneless/skinless chicken breast halves
Salt and pepper to taste

Dump everything into the crockpot. Cook on low 8-9 hrs or high for 5-7. Remove chicken and shred using 2 forks. Put back in soup. Good by itself or serve with crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese and/or sour cream.

Freezes beautifully


Color Me Canning!

Pat