Zucchini is ready

[Dee]

A friend stopped a couple days ago with zucchini.  He'd grown more than he needed.  Isn't that a surprise?  I don't even plant zucchini anymore and just let people swamp me with it. 

 

Anyway, Jason said, "Here's some zucchini.  I'd like to share if you'll make me a loaf of bread.  I could have easily told him I can get plenty from others, without having to make him bread, but, of course, I didn't.  LOL

 

Anyway, my zucchini life has begun for this season.  I made 2 loaves of bread and gave him both.  Good grief, he brought me more zucchini. LOL

 

I also made zucchini brownies.

 

Today, I will really get busy and get tons of zucchini things made, bread, muffins, zucchini cake and last night a friend sent me a recipe for zucchini cookies.  

 

Yes, most of all my baking today will go to the freezer for eating this winter.  A perfect way to have a couple slices of bread, etc. on a cold winter eveing.

 

AND, what are you up to today?

 

[snapshotmiki]

That looks great, Dee!

A friend gave me several bags of dates she received in food boxes.  Today or soon, I will make some date muffins!

 

[Dee]

Oh Miki, date muffins sound delicious.  I love dates!

[Littlesister]

That looks really good Dee.  

I did can the pork roast I had in freezer yesterday and was watching some U-Tube channels on canning hot dogs. Might try that tomorrow. I have 10 or 12 packs I got on a great sell on 2 different sells. will keep a couple in freezer and can the rest. Looked really easy to do. The person on one of the u-tube instructions said he doesn't add water and they taste like they were grilled. Another one, a lady said she has done them without water but that they are juicier if you add about a quarter of the way up the jar with hot water as that makes them more tender and juicy. Might try them half and half. Then I can see which way I like them best. She did say they are not in ball blue book though so it is not an approved method. But then I do a lot of things that are no longer approved with no issues. figure I and family are still living so it's all good. 

[Dee]

I've never heard of canning hot dogs.  You might check with your extension office to make sure it's ok.  I looked in 2 or 3 of my canning bible books  and couldn't find hot dogs anywhere.

 

If you do it, let us know what you think of them.

[Midnightmom]

I think the "issue" with canning hot dogs is the texture you wind up with.....MUSH! 

 

I watched several of the vids where people were PC hot dogs.   None of them are the same.

 

Some of them used cut up hot dog "coins," others used whole hot dogs. Some of them were stuffed whole into the jars filling them all the way up to the top of the neck. No two methods were the same as far as how much water/broth to use and some didn't use any! None of them paid any attention to the head space needed/required for the jars - liquid added or not. Some used all beef hot dogs, some didn't. Some recommended "uncured" hot dogs, others didn't. 

 

About the only thing that was consistent in all of the videos was the amount of processing time to the size of the jar. 

 

And the texture you wind up with might just be MUSH! Hot dogs aren't a very expensive meat product. Is it worth the risk?  

 

---------------------------

ETA: I think you could possibly make hot dogs & beans. This is the instructions/recipe for making "baked beans." The ingredient list includes small pieces of ham, pork, or bacon. You could maybe sub in cut up hot dogs???

https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_04/beans_baked.html

 

 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by Midnightmom

[Littlesister]

I did notice they didn't pay attention to head space in all the videos I watched. I was looking for a recipe for beanie weenies with no luck. 

Think you Midnightmom for that recipe. I might try some that way and just leave the rest frozen. On one of the videos they did say it was not a recommended item to can from the canning extension office it was not recommended. This one guy that was doing it with no water said they came out tasting like they were grilled. I do question that one. 

[Jeepers]

I've never canned hot dogs but I have seen them done on Youtube. It is a texture issue.

 

Having said that   I have canned the little smokey link sausages. Let me explain. I cut them into half or thirds and canned a few of them with potatoes and green beans and some onion. I cut up about 6 of them to a pint. I don't remember how many right now. They are so good that way because the little sausage links make just enough grease to flavor the veggies in the jar.

 

But the meat does change texture. They come out grainy. I still eat them because I'm not going to throw them away, but they aren't the same as regular cooked smokey links. I wouldn't do them alone. I do it mostly for the flavoring.  

 

I'm talking about the little sausage links about the size of your little finger. 

 

 

 

I forgot to mention that they do sell canned hot dogs in the U.K. I don't know what they taste like but I've seen them in British peoples prepper hauls. 

 

Edited July 18, 2023 by Jeepers
Added Info

[Midnightmom]

1 hour ago, Jeepers said:

Having said that   I have canned the little smokey link sausages. Let me explain. I cut them into half or thirds and canned a few of them with potatoes and green beans and some onion. I cut up about 6 of them to a pint. I don't remember how many right now. They are so good that way because the little sausage links make just enough grease to flavor the veggies in the jar.

 

 

The USDA "allows" small pieces of ham or pork or bacon into soup recipes - even though they are cured meats. (I think that corned beef would also fit this scenario.) The ratio for soup is 50% solids to 50% broth. The solids include the meat and the veggies. From what I've read, you can pretty much make up your own soup recipe as long as you use ingredients that have their own instructions for canning by themselves. But still - NO thickeners or pastas allowed.

 

I also read on one of the aforementioned sites that you don't have to cut up sausage that is in a casing. That is wrong. You need to either slice them down the middle or cut them into chunks, or possibly remove it from the casing and pre-cook the contents the same as you would for any other "ground" meat as they have not "tested" meat in casings for heat penetration.

[Midnightmom]

2 hours ago, Littlesister said:

On one of the videos they did say it was not a recommended item to can from the canning extension office it was not recommended. This one guy that was doing it with no water said they came out tasting like they were grilled. I do question that one. 

 

Since the hot dogs are already cooked, and pretty much devoid of any juices, I don't see how putting them into an empty jar - ie: no liquid - would allow for heat transfer to the center of the hot dogs; and if the centers don't reach the proper temp they would not be safe to eat no matter how "good" they taste.

[Littlesister]

I didn't can the hotdogs. They are still in freezer. Might do the hotdogs and beans. 

Midnightmom, that recipe you posted sounds promising. Thinking about trying that after GD gets her stuff out of the house and I can clean up a bit. Might be September before I get to can anything again. August is going to be a month for the kids to be coming in and out every week in all through August. Too bad I don't have a pool for entertaining them. At least for GS. Though I could send him to my neighbor's house next door. He used to get in that one after he finished cutting their grass. August is going to be exhausting. Moving things out of house for one grandchild and then in a couple of weeks the second grandchild moving out. And a baby shower in the mix. Though that will be fun. Working on getting GS to go also since is going to be both men and women at this party. Hoping it won't be an all-day event as the party is starting at 12 pm. Going to be a long day if DD carry's it to 4 pm. I don't want to drive home in the dark as I don't know where her house is yet and not sure of the area I am going to.

[Midnightmom]

 @Littlesister  It's unusual to have a baby shower in the mid-afternoon. Most of the ones I've ever been to have been either on a weekday evening or a weekend. Mid afternoon in Aug with a whole lotta' people is gonna' make the AC work overime! 

[Littlesister]

Midnightmom, it is on a Sat. but granddaughter and her Dh will have just moved into the house on the first of Aug. and then on the 25th of Aug. we are moving GS into his apartment. People coming in from out of town and the party will be at granddaughter's house. Her DH will be going into work at Coast Guard later that evening. So having it at noon works out for everyone as we will still be helping GS with his apartment also after the party is over. I am hoping it won't last more than a couple of hours. But with granddaughter and then her friend and my daughter are giving the party it could last a lot longer. But I think my SIL will curtail it as we all will still be helping GS to move. So it was a decision made on how everything is happening at once. You are right about the A/C it more than likely will be working overtime plus we will be in full swing for hurricane season. Just hope that doesn't happen but the Atlantic Ocean is very active this year. 

[Jeepers]

I don't remember if the sausages have a casing or not. At first I don't think they do but then again some of them have a little twist on an end, that I cut off, so maybe they do. They are good for seasoning veggies in the jar though. Especially green beans. The sausages are edible but not great. They didn't turn mushy at all. More like grainy. Not a good explanation but that's the best way I can describe them. I will definitely do them again though! Not bad...just not great. With canning I've learned to lower my expectations a tad.  

[Littlesister]

Jeepers, sausage has sage in it. So the canned sausage won't come out tasting as well. If you are making your own sausage don't put the sage in it till you are ready to use it. Never thought of using sausage in green beans for canning. 

[Jeepers]

I'm not sure if there is sage in the little smokey links. I know it is supposed to make regular sausage taste bitter. This wasn't bitter at all. It tasted fine it was just a texture issue. 

[Littlesister]

I wonder if that would be how the hotdogs would turn out. I decided not to can them like I saw on the U-Tube sites but to make hotdogs and beans to can.