Red Pepper Relish

As promised:

2 dozen red peppers
7 Medium onions
3 cups vinegar
3 cups sugar
2 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. mustard seed.

Put peppers and onions through a processor using a course blade.
Bring to a boil.Simmer uncovered for 30 mins. Process for 10 mins. Makes 11 pints.
If you like White Spot Triple O sauce add mayo to this relish.

Buy Local

The interest in buying locally produced fruits and vegetables is exploding! All over North America, people who are concerned about additives, hormones and chemicals in their food are looking for alternatives to mass produced, imported foods. And Frankenfoods are quite honestly, scary for the person trying to look after a family. Searching out local markets can be rewarding in that you support local growers, farmers and merchants. Be sure there is one near you and if there is not, why not investigate the possibilities of starting one?

Good eating begins with confidence in your food and it's source. Buying products from another continent can be downright worrisome when we consider our agricultural and health regulations opposed to the standards in some other countries. Buying local does not mean the cheapest price, but I for one would rather serve food of quality from within fifty miles of my dinner table than preservative laden produce from wherever in the world.

Jump on this bandwagon with the pride of supporting a growing groundswell of goodness. Googling the phrase 'buy local' will result in many weblinks. Here's one to get you started - - - http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/eatlocal/

Canning Season

Just letting you know that the canning season will soon be here. This time of year my larder is starting to look a little bare. I always start the season off with strawberry jam, then raspberry next. I always get my jars out, to make sure that they pass the rim check no chips etc.. Then when the local produce starts to come out voila, I am one happy soul. Cooking to me is like therapy as I enjoy just looking at the finished product and sharing with my friends. I will start giving out a few of my recipes this year.
If anyone has any questions just feel free to ask. I also have a new web site, http://askauntiejane.com

Red Rocket Salsa ! HOT !

Auntie Jane's salsa mix is arguably her most popular home preserve, imbued with flavour that'll make you smile.

Did you know?

Do NOT tighten the rings on preserve jars before opening, it could break the lid seal made by the processing and cause an air entry into the product. Tighten only after you have opened the jar.
Do not lay jars on their sides for storage. Stand upright.
Unopened preserves should be stored in a cool dark place without to much temperature variation.
All products require refrigeration after opening the first time.
Enjoy!

Noteable Quotes

If organic farming is the natural way, shouldn't organic produce just be called "produce" and make the pesticide-laden stuff take the burden of an adjective? ~Ymber Delecto

New strawberries

NOW, is the time for putting up BC strawberries. The season is so short, only about three weeks.
CAUTION: be SURE you get Fraser Valley berries, they are known for their distinctly delicious flavour. Once the season is over you'll only be offered those woody berries from elsewhere.

It takes so little time and the reward is large. And it isn't complicated at all. To get started all you'll need is your large canner, which is only about 16 to 24 dollars, your jars and lids, about 8 bucks, sugar and Certo. Could it be less easy? And your flat of fresh Fraser Valley strawberries! Enough there to have jam all winter and plenty left over for eating!

Fraser Valley berry farms
http://www.bcstrawberries.com/
http://www.bcstrawberries.com/FarmList.php

If you have a computer printer, you can even add custom labels to your jars. They're creative and fun. Avery has many varieties of labels suitable for preserves, and within the label package you get the software on CD! What's better than a homemade jar of jam for a Christmas gift?
Start now!

http://www.avery.com/home.html

Colour in the larder

You really do want to preserve, don't you? Mmmmmmmmmm.

Auntie Jane's Good Stuff is dedicated to sharing the rewards of home canning, it is a totally pleasureable, wonderful experience that results in tasty year-round good eating for your family and friends. Nothing is more appreciated as a gift than a jar of home preserves, and the sense of accomplishment and reward at looking at your larder is second to none. It doesn't take all that much time after you start. And the thrill of seeing your own efforts on the counter is terrific!
In this day of additions, genetic manipulation, and artificial ingredients and names of chemicals you can't pronounce, it is one of the 'old ways' that remains better than the modern ways.
Try it, you'll like it.

Here are several websites to get you started;

Bernardin -
http://www.homecanning.ca
Certo pectin -
http://www.kraftcanada.com/controller?cmd=ARTICLE_VIEW&lang=EN&sid=41003&aid=22002&ctx=5000
USA National Center for Home Preserving -
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html

Secret discoveries ...

The WildFire Grill in Osoyoos. The woman who owns it cooks for you and the fare is excellent! As good as any Vancouver restaurant.
It's at 8526 Main St.
Osoyoos, B.C.
V0H 1V0
250.495.2215


Osoyoos beach

The season is upon us!

The delicious Fraser Valley strawberries and raspberries are in! They come and go very quickly so don't miss the opportunity to preserve your own! You can go to the farms and pick yourself, or buy them there, or even purchase them retail but do make yourself some jam, it isn't that hard and all you need to do is follow the directions of a recipe. You do, of course, need to have some equipment, like the large pots for boiling and sterilizing your jars.

Raspberry fresh

IGA Marketplace was a great surprise! Not only do they carry canning supplies year round, but have most items in stock right now and even ADVERTISE specials in their flyers! The products we bought from them were also cheaper than the other retailers. And the girl I asked about them led me right to their full section!


mmmmm Strawberry!

We believe that once you start canning, you won't accept the commercial products filled with preservatives and things you cannot even pronounce, there is NOTHING like the fresh taste of your own efforts and the feeling of accomplishment while looking at your larder being filled!
So go for it, start today, the summer is short but British Columbia produce is without doubt, the most flavourful of all.
Why not get back to Grandma's old ways? Why not enjoy it all year?

Fresh scones - easy

Fresh scones are easy and fill them with your jam preserves for breakfast! Mmmmm.

BC Fresh fruit season arriving

Don't be fooled by those genetically engineered, red coloured strawberries from California and elsewhere, they're like lumps of wood to eat with no flavour! Why do they produce them? Who buys them and thinks they are good? Not us.
BC Berries will be around soon, mmmmm, those luscious raspberries and strawberries full of flavour and goodness. Our Fraser Valley farmers grow the best berries in the world. They are not all perfectly shaped clones, they are natural berries with all the content nature intended.
Wait for them, it'll be worth it.

Genghis Khan Relish

Did you know Genghis Khan invented the hamburger? The Golden Horde of Mongols travelled across two continents wreaking havoc and fun and the riders had little time to dismount to dine. So they packed meat patties under their saddles before riding into battle! Talk about fast food and building up an appetite! The patties were tenderized between the saddle and the horse's backs and eaten raw. Well, what else could we call our best burger relish than after the 'Emperor of Emperors!' Eat slow please.

Noteable Quotes

If they like it, it serves four; otherwise six.
Elsie Zussman

Zesty Corn Relish

Zesty Corn Relish can be a hamburger relish for that Southern taste, or served on the side with ham or chicken. What the hay, serve it on both sides!

Pecan Praline Sauce

Dieters need not apply. Welcome hedonists. Our Pecan Praline Sauce is decadent over French Vanilla ice cream ... no licking the spoon!

NEW! Red Wine Jelly

NEW! Made with our special choice of lusty Italian red wine. This Auntie Jane's jelly is all about amore cibo delizioso e più amore! (Love, delicious food and more love!) The flavour is fabulous, the mood is Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, the ambiance is Roma after dark. Ciao, bella. See you on the via veneto!

Red Rocket Salsa

Red Rocket. Was it good for you too?

Noteable quotes ...

As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists.
Joan Gussow - Assistan Professor of Nutrition, Columbia University.

the Snow Moon

The Harvest Moon has set, the Hunter’s Moon is near, and Winter threatens with a scowl and a chill wind. But the bounty of summer lies secure within Auntie Jane’s jars. Preserving fresh fruit and vegetables at their peak of freshness and ripeness means more vitamins per serving. Crops that go directly from field to processor retain vitamins better than those that are shipped across country and sit for days in produce bins or at home in refrigerators. Because Auntie Jane’s food preserves are packed at the peak of harvest, as the produce is picked, it is also at its nutrient peak and healthful best. Fruits and vegetables especially have the highest nutrient content when they are ripest and what could be better than watching the arrival in February of the Snow Moon while enjoying the warm taste of the delicious flavours of last summer?

Noteable quotes ...

My doctor told me to stop having intimate dinners for four. Unless there are three other people.
Orson Welles (1915 - 1985)

Green Hornet Dills

Warning: Green Hornet dills could cause you to lose friends.

(see below)

The Lie

So Jack knocks on my door. What'dya want? I says. Just wanna grab a little milk, you got some? he says. I go = Nope, fresh out, no got. Zilch, fridge empty. Cows on strike. Jack thinks a bit, he ain't too bright, he goes = You always got milk, why you standin' front a the fridge like that? Jack has this look, he narra's his eyes. I'm spread over the fridge door grippin' tight. He sees the white knuckles and sweat on my brow. What you doin'? he asks. The jig's up. Jack ain't that dumb. He gets an edge in his voice, sorta accusin' like = You got some left, don't you? I go = No way, I tol' you, all gone. Jack grabs my arm, tryin' ta pry it offa th' door. You got some! He shouts. His left eye got it's own wobble now. I shouts back = No! He yellin' louder = You got some a Auntie Jane's Green Hornet dills in there! You tol' me they was all gone! You lied! I says = No Green Hornet dills in there, really. We struggle. Jack fell down. Really.
I only got enough Green Hornet Dills left ta last till March.
Jack's stayin' at his Mom's till his jaw heals. Auntie Jane broke up our friendship.

Noteable quotes ...

No man is lonely while eating spaghetti.
Robert Morley

Mustard Pickles

Let the Grey Poupon people go off somewhere in their stiff collars and Rolls Royces, you can't eat this in a car anyway!

Auntie Jane's Apple Sauce

Exactly the right mixture of apple, and Auntie Jane uses four varieties in hers! You should have some in your pantry for unexpected guests. (Well even expected) Just whip up some whipping cream, mix with our apple sauce and voila! Apple Cream, a tasty dessert and no one even knows how you did it!

Noteable quotes ...

'I was 32 when I started cooking; up until then, I just ate. '
Julia Child

Green Relish & Bruscetta

We've lost count of the ways one can use these two. How about a French baguette, sliced straight through, with bruschetta piled on? Do the same thing with a little heated Brie cheese and a dab of Auntie Jane's Cranberry Sauce, open a bottle of Montepulciano D'Abruzzo and sit on the floor with your love!

Noteable quotes ...

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.
Harriet Van Horne, Vogue

Pickled Onions

Eat these in front of children, they love watching you screw up your face. Mmmm.

Dill Pickles

The dill pickles are sooooo good. We even know one guy who after eating them all, tried to put other pickles in our juice, hoping to retain the flavour that Auntie Jane perfects, alas, it is to no avail and he waits eagerly for the next batch.

Berry sauces

Our Blueberry and Strawberry sauces are made with ONLY British Columbia blueberries and fresh Fraser Valley strawberries which, everyone knows, are the most flavourful anywhere. (not like those imported strawberries that are all white and woody inside) Of course we have limited production as our strawberry farmers only get one crop. And we don't do that many blueberries because we want the bears to get some too.

Noteable quotes ...

What is the definition of a good wine? It should start and end with a smile.
William Sokolin, vintner

Pickled Veggie Medley

A veritable medley of enticing flavours to add to any dinner plate or serve as hors d'oeuvres.
Cet anglais seul personnes pensent ça a quelque chose faire avec cheval!

Auntie Jane's Salsa

Arguably Auntie Jane's most famous mix! But who's arguing? Made with only local fresh vegetables by Auntie Jane in her own kitchen. The salsa has red peppers, green peppers, hot peppers, onions, vine ripened tomatoes, and secret herbs and spices. Or if you're an adventurous hottie, try our Red Rocket Salsa, it is HOT!

Pickled beets and onions

Excellent as a side compliment to meats or poultry

Red Pepper Relish

Mmmmm the Red Pepper Relish is goo-o-od! And if you like the White Spot hamburger relish, try adding a little mayonaise to our mix!

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