On a Multitude of things

[Aint2nuts]

First, I am about to be the proud owner of 32 pounds of peaches. Does anyone have a sugar free recipe for peach jam that is tried and true? I want to make a least a few pints, and need a good recipes (I was diagnosed diabetic a year ago).

 

Second, I went to the food bank. What can I do with about 5 pounds of plums? I don't want prunes, thank you very much, so drying them is out.

 

Also I have about 10 pounds of carrots. I know they can be frozen, do I need to blanche or parboil them first? Can I dehydrate them?

 

I also have four heads of cabbage, same question as the carrots, can I freeze it or can I dehydrate it?

 

Then I have two 10 lb bags of potatos, other than having potatos every night for the next 30, and still having extra potatos left over, what can I do with them? Freezer is out, there isn't much room left in any of them.

[JCK88]

Angela, here is a recipe for plum barbecue sauce....but it's not sugar free. You might be able to adapt it somehow. It does have wine in it, so if you are alcohol free, this one won't work for you!

 

Plum Barbecue Sauce

 

4 lbs red plums

4 cups red wine

2 cups chopped onion

4 garlic cloves, minched

1 medium lemon

2 cups tomato sauce

1 cup molasses

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbs mustard

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

2 tsp salt

1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

 

Wash and pit plums. In 6 quart pot, combine plums, wine onions, and garlic. Scrub lemon under running water. Slice crosswise. Add to plum mixture. Stirring frequently, cook over medium-high heat until mixture is syrupy. Remove and discard lemon slices. Puree plum mixture in a blender or food processor. Return puree to pot. Add remianing ingredients. Bring back to a boil. Stirring frequently, simmer over low heat until thickened, about an hour. Have six 1/2 pint jars ready and keep hot unitl needed. Prepare lids as directed. Test donneness with plate test.

 

(Chill small plate in fridge. place spoonful of hot mixture on chilled plate and place in freezer for one minute. After one minute there should be no watery ring around mound. It should retain its shape and flow into the trough made by running your finger through it)

 

Ladle into one hot jar at a time, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Release trapped air, wipe rims. Attach lid. Place in canner and fill and close remaining jars. Process in boiling-water bath for 20 minutes. (this is for Half Pints)

[Cat]

Diabetic Jams & Preserves:

 

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes.php?cate...rves%2Cdiabetic

 

(I'm hurrying.. if you don't like this site, I'll look up more tomorrow.)

 

Plums can be made into jams, too.

 

 

Carrots, cabbage, and potatoes can be dehydrated. Frozen potatoes are just *nasty*, unless they're already-prepared mashed potatoes.

 

info:

 

~~~~

 

All vegetables except onions and peppers,and mushrooms should be washed, sliced, and blanched. Dry vegetables in single layers on trays. Depending of drying conditions, drying times make take longer. Dry vegetables at 130-degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Carrots: Peel, slice or shred. Dry 6-12 hours until almost brittle.

 

Potatoes: Slice 1/8-inch thick. Dry 6-12 hours until crisp.

 

http://farmgal.tripod.com/Dehydrate.html

 

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DRYING CABBAGE

 

Remove the outer leaves then quarter and core the head.

Cut the cabbage into 1/8 inch thick strips. Blanch in

either steam until wilted (2 1/2 to 3 minutes) or in water

for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Dry 2 to 4 hours in a dehydrator or

4 to 6 hours in an oven.

 

http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/mod01/01600082.html

 

~~~~~~~~~

 

 

Hope this helps!

 

[HSmom]

Carrots and potatoes should last a long time. 20 lbs isn't a lot of potatoes for a family of...what? Three? do you have room in your fridge for them?

[Aint2nuts]

Nope no room in the fridge.

 

We aren't much on potatos, maybe 1-2 times a week. I am diabetic so I am not really supposed to have much anyway, though I love potatoes.

 

 

[HSmom]

They can be pressure canned. I don't recall if you got a pressure canner with your lump sum of money?

[Aint2nuts]

Nope, I am hoping I can get one from Freecycle.

 

:-(

[furbabymom]

I don't know about most of your questions, but I freeze carrots all the time without blanching or parboiling them. I just slice them and freeze them. That way they're ready to go for soups, stews, and side dishes whenever I want them.

[goatherder]

Potatoes can be frozen successfully if they are parboiled. In other words, partially cooked.

 

The point of blanching before freezing (or drying) is halt enzyme activity and kill bacteria. You wind up with a better product that way. If you are working with items that tend to discolor such as peaches, use Fruit Fresh or lemon juice before freezing or drying.

[HSmom]

Dehydration!!! I do recall that you already dehydrate. Slice the potatoes, as if for scalloped potatoes, and dry to hard/brittle (you might want to treat them with a lemon solution to prevent browning). To use, well, it's like using a box mix of scalloped potatoes.