Kitchen Quick Tips - Preserving Rosemary

Rosemary should be air dried by hanging upside down in bunches.  Once dry the rosemary leaves can be easily removed.  They can be used whole, ground course or ground to a power then stored in an airtight container.

Make Your Own Bisquick Mix

Homemade mixes are something I have stressed on this blog because they save both time and money as well as being eco-friendly with no packaging.  These mixes are easy to make, cost a fraction of store bought and perform just as well if not better than store bought.   I came across this video on YouTube demonstrating just how easy it is to make your own Bisquick baking mix.  My comments follow the video.

First, here is the recipe used in the video:

Homemade Bisquick
source:  Homestead Series

8 c flour
1½ c powdered milk
¼ c baking powder
1 tsp salt
1½ c lard (or shortening or butter*}

Place ingredients in mixing bowl.  Mix with pastry blender until well mixed.  Store at room temperature.  Use as you would Bisquick.
*if using butter, store in the refrigerator

This is a very quick, easy to make and low cost baking mix but is it cost effective?  I did the math and yes, you do save money by making your own Bisquick plus you eliminate that pesky packaging.  Bisquick ranges in price from 8¢ per ounce to 13¢ per ounce depending on where you buy it.  The current price here at our No Frills location in southwestern Ontario is 8¢ per ounce.  The homemade version varies in price per ounce depending on whether you use lard, shortening or butter as well as whether it is brand name or store brand..  Butter is most expensive and shortening is the cheapest if using store brand.  The same applies to the powdered milk but it is even cheaper if bought at the bulk food store.  The price works out to 3.4¢ per ounce to 5¢ per ounce for the homemade Bisquick.  Even using higher priced ingredients you will be saving 3¢ per ounce.  Consider if you make biscuits using 2 cups of the homemade mix you end up saving 48¢ and if you make those same biscuits once a week the savings amounts to $24.96 over the course of a year.

The nice thing with homemade mixes is not only are you saving money, you know what ingredients are in the product.  It's a way of being able to have all the convenience of store bought mixes without the added cost and packaging.  All around, homemade mixes are a win/win that will save you both time and money.

Frugal Kitchens 101 - Bread

Years ago when I was knee high to a grasshopper my Mom make homemade bread by hand, bought from the local bakery and very occasionally bought a loaf of bread at the grocery store.  Prior to that, bread was homemade made, baked a couple of times a week.  Bread baking is a very frugal thing to do especially if making specialty breads but even plain white homemade bread is less expensive than store bought.  Back in the 1980's I bought a bread machine to save a bit of wear and tear on my wrists.  It ended up being a glorified bread dough mixer and proofer with the actual baking done in the oven but I still made a fresh loaf of bread almost daily.  A few years ago I bought a KitchenAid® stand mixer and now use it for making fresh, homemade bread two or three times a week.

Homemade bread really takes very little time to prepare.  Seriously, mixing and kneading the dough takes only about 7 minutes using a stand mixer.  Once the dough is ready, the real time eaters are proofing and baking but nothing beats homemade bread in terms of flavour and price. Or, you can shorten the prep time by making a batter/quick bread that takes only a few minutes to mix and no proof time. Here's a few tips on how to save a bit extra when making homemade bread.  Don't forget homemade breads can be either quick beads or yeast breads and both are very good!

• buy in bulk - Yeast is sold in 2 lb packages at some grocery and warehouse stores for considerably less than the price of those little packets or jars  so if you make a lot of bread buy yeast in bulk.  Watch for flour to go on sale then buy in the largest package possible with the lowest unit price.  The bulk food stores are ideal for buying other ingredients like lecithin granules as well as some sugars and flours.    
• keep it simple - You can use the same recipe yet make it into loaves or rolls.  The shape doesn't matter all that much so keep it simple.
• fancy it up - Ok, this is quite contrary to the last point but you can easily make a homemade bread taste like a gourmet artisan bread by simply tossing in an extra ingredient or two into your regular white loaf of bread dough.  If your recipe calls for water substitute juice, stock or milk  Brush the top with a little butter which softens the crust then sprinkle sesame seeds or oat flakes over it.  Toss in a quarter cup of fruit or vegetables for a wonderful flavour burst. Toss in a couple of cherry tomatoes and tsp of Italian seasoning for a delightfully pinkish yet savory loaf of bread.  Combining a bit of shredded cheese and onion pieces results in a delightful loaf of bread.  The possibilities are endless and need not be expensive either.
• soft insides - Certain ingredients make the bread softer.  These include lecithin, milk or powdered milk, potato flakes, yogurt, sour cream and egg.  Add a tbsp of powdered milk to the water in the recipe or substitute the same amount of fresh milk.
• crusty crust - The trick to a crusty, chewy crust is adding steam when the loaf of bread is cooking.  The easiest way to do this is to place an oven proof baking dish with about 2 - inches of water in the oven on the rack below where the bread will be baking.  
• salt - Salt is balances the flavour in breads but it inhibits the growth of yeast.  Do not use iodized salt as the iodine will kill off the yeast.  Do not increase or decrease the amount of salt in a bread recipe.
• sweeteners - Sugar supports the growth of yeast.  Honey will add to the moisture of the bread.  Maple syrup and molasses can be used in bread making as well.  Artificial sweeteners should not be used as the yeast will not react properly with them.
• liquids - Any liquid used in bread making should be luke warm before adding to the dry ingredients.  You can be creative with the liquid substituting milk, stock, potato water or juice for the water.  If using juice, use unsweetened.  Water alone gives a crispier crust while milk gives a smoother texture and softer crust.  Juices add flavour.  For example, apple bread made with water is very good but apple bread made with apple juice is divine!  If using stock, use de-fatted stock that will give flavour without extra calories.
• flours - A wide range of flours can be used to make breads and you can grind you own if desired.  I prefer using unbleached flour for white breads.  Whole wheat flour is lower in gluten content so is usually mixed with white flour but if you want to make a 100% whole wheat bread add gluten flour or lecithin to the dry ingredients to increase the rise.
• the rise - Bread recipes give a timing for the dough to double but that is not carved in stone.  Let the dough rise until double even if it takes an extra half hour or so.  In particular, sour dough bread doughs benefit from a longer rise than most recipes state.  The longer rise helps to develop the sour dough flavour.

Canning Differences Between Canada and Great Britian

Home canning is the process of putting up a variety of foods in jars for a shelf stable product to be used as needed.  It is an old way of food storage to ensure a good food supply during the months that fresh fruits, vegetables and meats are not available.  This practice in North America saw a decline during the war years when women began working outside the home.  During the 1950's home freezing and commercially frozen and canned foods further aided the decline of home canning.  However, across North America homemakers, farm wives and some religious sects continued home canning.  When I was growing up, I didn't know any homemaker in our very small town who did not home can.  In recent years, as a result of the y2K scare, those advocating preparedness, and those disillusioned by food industry from their added preservatives and artificial ingredients to outbreaks of food born illness via the food industry, home canning is quickly becoming the in vogue home activity.

[rant] In North America, the leading authority on home canning is the USDA.  The problem with the USDA is they tell you not to can something based on either safety or quality of the final product BUT they do not tell you which.  In some cases they don't recommend canning a particular food simply because they have not tested it.  The second problem is, some in North America mainly of course in the USA regard the USDA as the bible, meaning you should not do anything the USDA doesn't recommend.  Well, this really just wrong!  The USDA has been known to be wrong and in order to get approval of something as simple as alternative lids or even a recipe, you have to pay big bucks.  That means the USDA's recommendations are biased.  In addition, the USDA is beyond anal about botulism in home canned foods to the point they use fear mongering.  Although all home canners should take precautions to prevent the botulinum toxin in their home canned foods, the risk is so minimal the chances of botulism from home canned foods is rare.  You have a better chance of getting botulism from commercially canned foods than you do from home canned foods.  If you wash all produce properly and process low acid foods properly, the spores are destroyed as well as the toxin.  The reality is while the USDA is the leading expert for home canning they are not the only source![/rant]

Home canning exists in most countries.  It tends to be fairly popular in rural areas and those locations where having a well stocked pantry is very much desired.  In some areas of Canada it is quite possible to be snowed in for a month or more so a well stocked pantry becomes a matter of survival.  We have a shorter growing season so tend to preserve whatever we can't use.  Hunting and fishing are still popular ways to put food on the table so home canning is a way to put up the large influx of food from those activities especially if you don't have a freezer.  Here is a video I found on home canning in Great Britain courtesy of River Cottage Bites.  My commentary follows the video.  Enjoy!

There is a difference in terminology with Canadian calling it canning and the British calling it bottling.  Some countries call it jarring which really describes the process better because you are packing the food in jars.  The first jar she shows is a Kilner jar that was invented by the Kilner family of Yorkshire, England and produced by the John Kilner & Co. in the 1840's and are still in production by Kilner.  It is very similar to the mason jars we use in Canada, the only jars approved for home canning by the USDA.  These jars use a two piece metal snap lid the same as mason jars.  Now the Kilner jars would not be approved by the USDA even though they are the same as mason jars, they are Kilner not mason.  Clearly the British know a thing or two about home canning!

Pam also uses apothecary jars (clip jars) jars.  In Canada, these jars are called ball & bail jars and they can still be found in thrift stores and at yard sales as well as new in some stores.  While the USDA does not approve of these jars, they are still widely available throughout the world.  Those in North America wishing to used these types of jars can buy through Weck Jars but be warned they are considerably more expensive than mason jars.  Contrary to the USDA's recommendation, these jars do work perfectly well for home canning just the same as the Tattler lids and glass inserts work perfectly well for home canning.  The reason they are not approved by the USDA is there isn't a readily visible indication the jar is sealed for the new canner followed by the number one reason is the manufacturer has not paid the USDA to do the testing to get their jars approved for home canning.

Pam did one thing I'm not familiar with and that is to leave no headspace.  The headspace is the distance from the top of the food to the top of the jar.  The USDA recommends a ½ - inch headspace but she left no headspace.  I personally would leave the headspace because over filled jars can cause failed seals, lid buckling and jar breakage from the expanding foods when heated.  I am familiar with the method of application of the ring using the ¼ - inch turn back as that is used for glass inserts and Tattler lids but not for metal lids.  The biggest difference to processing I noticed is she processed at 88°C/190°F rather than the recommended 100°C/212°F but she did a slow warm to temperature over 20 minutes rather than the recommended 15 minutes boil time recommended by the USDA.  The USDA recommended temperatures to destroy pathogens when processing high acid food is 180°F to 212° so Pam is right within the necessary range and processing at a slightly lower temperature may give a better result.

The bottom line is while the USDA is the leading home canning resource, they aren't the only one.  Other countries have their own guidelines and surprisingly, contrary to what the USDA would have you believe,  those guidelines are quite safe because those countries also have very knowledgeable food scientists.  I tend to follow Bernardin (Canadian canning expert), Health Canada, the USDA and I test the pH of all of my products to ensure they are processed correctly.  The reality is the USDA recommendations are biased as far as jars, closures and recipes go and since they no longer have funding, I doubt they are going to do much in the way of home canning testing any time soon.  Without current research the USDA recommendations are no longer valid although some of the university extension services continue to do a bit of testing.  It is limited at best.  They are the best but little testing has been done since 1994 making much of their data old and out dated by scientific measures.