I Love Canning

Canning is an art in the south.  It’s something I grew up with.  But most people today don’t do it because it’s a lot of work.  I can just about everything... from different kinds of pepper jellies and salsa to pickled okra and asparagus.  

When it turns cold outside later in the year (hard to believe right now because we’ve had 100 degree heat waves!), I love to open a jar of my jelly and smell the freshness of ripe, summer fruit.  Summer comes rushing back and warms me all over! 

So you’re probably reading this thinking, Lauri Jo, what is canning exactly?   What ingredients do I need to can?  How long does it take?  Can I do this in my kitchen? 

 

Steps for Canning Fresh Salsa

1. Pick or Purchase fresh tomatoes (I prefer picking my own.)

2. Wash them off real good.

3. Place them in boiling water for about 15 minutes to loosen the skin.

4. After they are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and put peeled tomatoes in a separate container.

5. Gather other ingredients such as garlic, salt, onion, jalapeños, tomato paste, and any other    ingredients you choose to put in yours. (Now I mash my tomatoes by hand as I am peeling them, but all of my other ingredients I chop in a food processor.)

6. Place all ingredients into a large boiler.

7. Let the salsa cook for 30 to 40 minutes on a good rolling boil. After about 15 to 20 minutes of cooking. (Take a quick taste to see if you need to add any salt, pepper or garlic.)

8. Fill jars while still hot, screw lid on and turn upside down for sealing.

9. Let cool completely and then ENJOY!!!

Salsa and chips: the best summer snack

Fresh tomatoes off the vine still warm from the ripening sunshine….onions so sweet you could bite into them while standing in the garden, and the cilantro and peppers – oh I wish you were here to smell this.  It perks up your senses immediately and kind of tickles your nose.  

To me, fresh salsa is the taste of summer.  We enjoy it like everyone else, as a dip with chips.  But I also use it in about a gazillion recipes that might surprise you.   I use my salsa in burgers and it’s delicious.  The tomatoes, onions and peppers cook into the hamburger making it moist and flavorful.  In the summertime, my family loves grilled burgers with my salsa at least once a week.    I also add my salsa to chili, meatball sauce, baked beans and even hamburgers.    Be sure to see some of the recipes on my website, www.laurijos.com.  And for heaven’s sake, tell me how you like to enjoy salsa.  Those of us who love food, also like to hear of new recipes and ideas!

Lauri Jo’s Southern Style Hamburgers

Mix Lauri Jo’s Salsa in ground beef, shape into patties and grill until well-done.

I like to top with fresh blue-cheese crumbles or a fresh slice of Vidalia onion and tomato.

You choose your favorite toppings and have a mouthwatering burger with friends.

Ways to Use Salsa

• Everyone loves meatballs!  Melt our salsa and pepper jelly together for a savory, sweet glaze that will keep everyone coming back for more!

• Add our salsa to your chili for an extra kick.

• Make amazing hamburgers by mixing in some of our salsa!

As always, preserving the south, one jar at a time.

Lauri Jo

Southernisms

Have you ever been out of town traveling or visiting family when at some point you realize you feel like a foreigner speaking another language?   I’m telling you, it even happens when I go to Atlanta now for the Gift Mart.  So many folks from the north have moved to Atlanta that you don’t really even hear the thick, elegant, marbles-in-the-mouth, slow speak like we used to.  Honey, they don’t even understand me at the Mart.  In fact, people come by my booth and tell me to just talk so they can hear my Southern accent.  I should charge for it really, but I don’t.  I love people but it is kind of crazy that they want me to just T-A-L-K!

Anyway, I was with my kids, husband, mom and sister on vacation a few weeks ago (diving for scallops, but that’s another story) and we started laughing about the things we Southerners say that no one else would understand.   We even tried to remember what these sayings really mean and we have no clue.  So, just for fun, I thought I’d share some of these with you. 

For cryin’ out loud (We use that one when we are surprised but a little agitated.)

Well, I’ll be.  (Says:  I’m not sure really what to think of that, but I’m buying time if I say this drawn out over several seconds so I can collect my thoughts)

All kit and caboodle.  (Everything)

Lord willing and the creek don’t rise (A final word on pending travel, event, health or making it through  extreme weather. Usually said softly with the head turned down as in prayer.)

I’m fixin’ to.  (I’m about to. . .)

Bless your heart.  (This can be delivered in two ways: as a sweet supportive comment, or just plain pity... usually pity)

Gimme some sugar.  (A kiss.)

Madder than a wet hen!  (Really angry.  Hens don’t like to get wet.)

What in Tarnation!?  (As a little girl, I always wondered if ‘tarnation’ was a place.  I have nothing to explain this one, but it’s used with huge surprise and near disgust.  As kids, our parents used it when they found something we’d done, like fillin' the sugar bowl with salt (as a silly prank).

Come to think of it, I think part of the reason we never really heard curse words growing up and the south is perceived as being more gentile and mannerly is because we had our southern sayings to use in place of bad words.   It takes a whole lot longer to say, ‘for cryin’ out loud’, than ‘crap.’    “What in hells bells" is much nicer than "what the hell” or worse, and "I’m madder than a wet hen!” is much nicer to hear than, “I’m pissed off.”  

Besides, it’s kind of fun to have our own way of expressing our emotions and thoughts.  What am I thinking now?     Well, for cryin’ out loud, I can’t tell you that.  If I did you’d probably have a conniption and fall cattywampus right out the door – all kit and caboodle.

Sending you some sugar.  Lord willing and the creek don’t rise,

Lauri Jo.  

P.S. Feel free to comment with some of your own Southern sayings... I love 'em!

Southern Memories

A sweet honeysuckle bush near my house!

If you’re like me, summertime in the south can bring back so many good memories.  To this very day, when I walk by and smell the sweet fragrance of honeysuckle vines, a wonderful memory rushes back to me.  I was around four or five years old when I used to wander between my house and my grandparent’s house (they lived next door.)  The sweetness of the honeysuckle vines filled the air like perfume.   I loved picking one honeysuckle after another and getting a pin-drop of honey to taste out of each one.  Now that I think about it, it was a lot picking for a tiny taste of honey!   But it was just the fun of trying each one, never knowing if the next one was going to give more honey than the last.  Ahhhhh, summertime.  If you have a favorite memory, please share!  It makes me happy to hear the stories. 

Speaking of honey, I want to share an old recipe of mine...  

Touch of Honey Biscuit Recipe

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup cold butter
1/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon honey

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar; cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in milk and honey just until moistened. Turn onto a floured surface; knead gently 8-10 times.

2.Roll out to 3/4 in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place 1 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.

...And I love to add a touch of honey to my tea... Yum!

Welcome!

My family in Panama City Beach last week
Left to Right: Hal, Me, Mike, Mikelyn

Hi, I’m Lauri Jo. It’s nice to meet you who are reading this. My company is called Lauri Jo’s Southern Style Canning (www.laurijos.com) and lately, some people have been calling me the ‘pepper jelly queen.’ That’s alright. It’s kind of stickin’ to me.

Here’s my story. It all began as a much loved hobby of mine at my high school canning plant. Canning is an art in the south, you know. It’s something I grew up with. But most people today don’t do it because it’s a lot of work – and hot and nasty. After marrying my husband, Mike, I found myself fixin’ holiday gift baskets full of canned goods each year for the customers at his trucking company. Everyone told me the produce and jellies I canned were so good, that I ought to start a canning business!

My interest in canning followed me through my years as a reading and special education schoolteacher and eventually blossomed into a full-blown business.  With a few of my great-grandmother’s recipes, mixed with some of my husband’s and my own, we offer products that have a true Southern taste and are now selling 32 different products to 41 states and counting!  This year at the 2012 Flavor of Georgia food product contest, my Blueberry Pepper Jelly won the People's Choice Award and my Muscadine Jelly won first place at the in the jam, jelly and sauce category.

I’m a southern woman through and through.   I love to do things for my family, help people in the community, cook a down-home style meal, work in the garden, be on just about every committee I can join ‘cause I love people, and I like to make things pretty and enjoyable for everyone.  You just can’t beat Southern tradition and hospitality. It makes us special.  I hope every southern woman out there is passing that down to their daughters and sons.  

Well, that’s a little about me.  Oh!  I almost forgot to tell you about my new blog.   I’m going to give you some great southern menu ideas and recipes (ya’ll are going to love this), ideas for entertaining and backyard family fun, canning tips, and share lots of pictures from our farm – we have produce coming out of our ears!  Summer’s bounty is a true blessing so we can’t waste it.  I’ll give ya’ll ideas on how to preserve produce now to taste and enjoy later when it’s cold outside.    

Signing off, because every day, we strive to “Preserve the South One Jar at a Time” by making fresh, all-natural, farm-picked products with our hands, our hearts, and hard work to share with our families, friends, and fans.   Oh, and feel free to comment anytime – I love hearing from ya’ll!