Parrish Family Salsa

We have been using the same salsa recipe for years, canning it every fall. Last summer we made some changes to the recipe and love it all the same. It is a highly requested recipe among friends that taste it fresh or from our canned jars.

Parrish Family Salsa 2010

8 quarts Tomatoes, peeled, chopped, and cored

5 cups onions, chopped for chunky or grind if desired

2-3 cups Green Bell Peppers

2-3 cups Mixed Peppers Chopped

(7 Anaheim peppers, 1-2 yellow, red, and/or orange bell peppers to equal the three cups)

3 Tablespoons Jalapeno pepper, finely chopped or grind

1/4 cup Salt (pickling salt or table salt can be used)

1/3 cup white sugar

1 Tablespoon Cayenne pepper

1 Tablespoon Oregano

1 Tablespoon Cumin

1/2 cup Cider Vinegar

Blanch tomatoes in boiling water, peel, core, and chop to desired size and place in a large stockpot. Chop onions, all peppers add to the tomatoes. Add all sugar, spices, and vinegar. Stir well and bring contents to a boil. Turn down to a simmer to desired consistency, roughly 1 1/2-2 hours. May take longer depending on desired consistency. As it thickens remember it must be stirred more often. Put in hot jars with a lid and ring. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

** Water Bath Processing notes: Hot jars must go in hot water. Cold jars need to go in cold water bath and warm as it heats up. If you put a hot jar in cold water the jar can break (destroying your hard work and efforts).

Sherri's Frozen Peaches

My sister Sherri is an amazing cook and homemaker. In 2007 when I thought I would never be done canning all the peaches I called her asking for advise on anything else I could do with my peaches. She shared this great recipe with me. I have shared it with friends in Billings and here in Wyoming and it has become a favorite for there families as well. I have created a dessert soup out of it which I will post. I am so glad to have great resources like my sisters, my mom, and friends to glean from their great recipes. Thank you Sherri for a great recipe!

12 oz orange juice, diluted as directed on the container

6 oz lemon aid-DO NOT DILUTE! (Oops this year I used lime-aid--still tasted good)

1- 20 oz can crushed pineapple

3 cups sugar

Mix ingredients well and pour over 30 peaches, sliced.

Scoop into quart freezer bags and freeze until ready to use.

Sherri said that they love theirs over ice cream, making peach milkshakes, or they add a few ice cubes and some 7-up and make a smoothie.

I have made great homemade ice cream with it, as well as, the Peach Soup.

Homemade Peach Raspberry Jam

This is a family favorite that my mom has made for as long as I can remember. It does a fast disappearing act when she makes homemade bread or rolls.

6 cups mashed peaches

1 cup water

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 box pectin

6 cups sugar

1 teaspoon butter (must be butter not margarine)

1 pkg. raspberry punch powder (optional--it helps give it a nice color.)

1 cup Raspberries (fresh or frozen works)

Put all ingredients , but the sugar in a large pot bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute or until a rolling boil starts. Add the 6 cups sugar and boil for 5 minutes . Remove from heat add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour into hot jars and top with a hot lid and ring. No water bath needed. (This is called kettle canning)

Notes: my mother adds a few drops of red food coloring to make it have a nice color too.

* This recipe produces 7 pints and one half-pint or 6 pints and 3 1/3 half-pints.

** Raspberry Kool-Aid is hard to find now days. I tried this year(2009) to use the Raspberry Peach Crystal Light To-Go packet in place of it. I thought it was a perfect match seeing that both the jam and the punch powder are Raspberry-Peach.

Homemade Peaches, Pears, and Fruit Cocktail

Well as summer draws to and end and the crispness in the air returns it brings with it many memories for me. One of these memories is helping my mother can homemade peaches and pears. Others are the smells of mom making her salsa and chili sauces. After school when you entered the front door the house was filled with the aroma's of mom's labors. There is nothing like homemade and canned products. I have continued to follow in my mothers footsteps (thanks to her training and constant teaching-still!) I can homemade salsa, spaghetti sauce, stewed tomatoes, peaches, pears, fruit cocktail, and jams. I even did pints of green beans this year which was a new experience for me. I put up 106 quarts of peaches, pears, and fruit cocktail in a 24 hour period spread over 4 days. I tried to do it when the kids were napping or in bed. I quiet enjoyed the quite hours at night to think while my hands were busy. I am so grateful to my dear mother who has passed her knowledge on to me so that I can bless my little family with what I think are the best products we can be eating!

How to can you own peaches according to Joyce Parrish (my mom):

Peel and jar peaches. Pour medium syrup over them in jars to the neck of the bottle. You need to leave a good 1/2" head space for the processing to work. Before processing you can add 3/4 teaspoon of vanilla to each jar (optional, but sure gives them a great flavor). Process in a water bath for 10-12 minutes, no longer-it over cooks the fruit.

* My mom uses her syrup hot. I used my at room temperature this year do to kitchen space (or the lack thereof!) so I processed mine for 15 minutes.

FOR PEARS AND FRUIT COCKTAIL (combo of pears, peaches and a few pieces of canned pineapple chunks):

Use the Medium syrup covering fruit leaving the 1/2" head space and process in a water bath.