Sauces, Condiments, and Preservation

Of all the vegetables I can each year, tomatoes have to be my favorite. My instructions are easy to follow, and the photos will help you, too. You're going to love having jars of tomatoes you canned yourself.

Homemade mango chutney is better than any shop-bought chutney and a great go-to for any Indian curry or ingredient to other recipes. Here's a simple recipe!

Recipe and photo instructions for my mom’s delicious fig preserves.

When your chickens produce too many eggs to use fresh, or you find a good sale on eggs, preserve some for later consumption using an old-fashioned method. Store eggs in your basement or closet.

Hot green pepper jelly! This is great old recipe for this famous and fantastic tasting jelly that everyone loves. It is a simple recipe and easy to make.

Worcestershire sauce is a delicious fermented product used to flavour meat, fish, Welsh rarebit, and cocktails. It’s made from a secret recipe by Lea and Perrins.

Green beans are essential in a well-balanced diet. Fresh from the garden, they have higher levels of nutrients than ones bought at the store. Here's how to harvest, and freeze green beans.

Gravy should be sublime, not like something out of the Twilight Zone.

A step-by-step illustrated guide showing you how to prepare and can wild plums in a sweet-spicy syrup—a wonderful treat.

Here's how to decrystallize honey fast in small and medium batches- no pan or microwave needed. This method is great if you have crystallized honey, but don't want to decrystallize an entire jar, or are dealing with honey in a plastic container.

A fantastic recipe for freezing tomatoes. Use this recipe to save any excess tomatoes you may have. Use the frozen ones later to make fantastic sauces that are full of flavor.

This recipe will help you with pressure canning sweet corn off the cob. Summertime is wonderful, if not just because corn is in season, and the best of it goes on sale at my local organic food store. We love everything about corn, like cream corn, corn broth, tamales, and especially corn on the cob.

Step-by-step instructions on making a delicious and pretty syrup. These instructions can be used for just about any edible flower.

Pickles from zucchini? Yes, crisp and full of flavor! You'll be amazed at how delicious these pickles are.

You can use those end-of-season, unripe tomatoes you picked from your garden or greenhouse to make an excellent chutney. I also include recipe tips for using the chutney in a ploughman’s lunch.

Homemade apple jelly is easy to make out of simple apple juice, pectin and sugar. By following this easy recipe, you can have a great apple jelly to enjoy in less than an hour's time.

How do you turn 400 pounds of tomatoes into wonderful smoky sauce in one day? With an outdoor evaporator and the help of several friends, of course.

Green sauces—a simple idea with world-wide appeal. Each culture uses the herbs of their garden to craft a condiment to accompany the foods they love. Let’s explore the origins of ten of these sauces, how to make them, and how to use them in dishes for your friends and family.

Peruvian ají sauce transforms chicken and French fries into something special! Learn how to make this spicy, addictive sauce.

A gooey, dark brown, and salty spread has been marketed under the slogan “Love Me or Hate Me, I’m Yours.”

Red wine vinegar, shallots and garlic reduce quickly for a fabulous steak sauce. This sauce will change the way you enjoy steak. It's so savory and flavorful, plus it's easy to make!

Bee colonies have been collapsing for a decade, but the demand for honey is rising.

A quick and easy tahini recipe. Only need 2 ingredients. Homemade tahini paste made in just 15 minutes. Ideal for making hummus, tahini salad dressing, tahini dip, tahini sauce or even tahini cookies!

Duke’s Mayonnaise is a staple in the American Southeast. Duke’s just makes sandwiches and salads taste better! Here are some of my favorite recipes that highlight the great taste of this mayonnaise.

Wild plum jam is easy to make, sweet-tart, and pretty. If you don't grow your own wild plums, perhaps you can forage some.

Here are step-by-step instructions on how to can stewed tomatoes.

What does “French cooking” mean to you? Fancy, fussy, complicated? Mother sauces, the foundation of French cuisine are easy to prepare. I'll tell you how, and you'll never buy packaged sauce again.

Hummus—it's not just a dip for pita chips. Learn its origins, how to make the BEST in your own kitchen, and use it in many imaginative ways.

I am so happy to still have my grandmother's old food mill. Making homemade applesauce and choke cherry jelly is easy, fun, tasty, and satisfying. See videos in this post, then get busy!

White sauces—a simple idea with worldwide appeal. Each culture uses the produce of their garden to craft a condiment to accompany the foods they love. Let’s explore these sauces and how to make them.

What are the advantages of preserving food by canning, pickling, drying, and smoking? What are the disadvantages?

Ten awesome recipes for barbecue sauce, including ideas for BBQ sauce ingredients. Lots of photos!

Capers are a salty, briny condiment that can provide amazing pops of flavor to your savory dishes.

Pickled cucumber is a popular condiment in dishes such as burgers. Let me show a quick recipe for making pickled cucumbers at home.

Text and photos teach you step-by-step how to preserve winter squashes or pumpkins by pressure canning.

Learning how to make a quick pan sauce will give you superpowers in the kitchen. Three to four ingredients and five minutes will elevate a plain chicken breast or pork chop to a whole new level.

Many mason jar canning lids contain BPA which acts like estrogen in the body, disrupting normal hormone regulation. BPA-free claims may not be enough. Find out how to find healthy canning jars.

Would you like to prepare a simple and affordable sauce for your favorite fried food? Try my easy-to-make aioli recipe that calls for just five ingredients!

I freeze greens from my garden every year -- they taste as delicious as fresh-from-the-garden. It's an easy process to learn. Read on for all the details.

Frank's Red Hot Wings Sauce is the secret ingredient in this fantastic homemade wing sauce.

Salsa verde is a green salsa made in Mexico. It is made with tomatillos, cilantro, onion, garlic, chile serrano, and lime. It can be boiled or broiled. Includes variations and serving suggestions.

Learn how to make a delicious sardine spread to enjoy with your favorite crackers or breads.

Marmite is a strong, savory, slightly salty-tasting spread. Learn all you need to know about Marmite, which seems to bring out strong reactions. Most people either love it or hate it, nothing in between.

If you've never tasted a gooseberry, June is the perfect time. Make a tasty jam from these green berries, and surprise your friends with the fresh, sweet, tart flavor, as well as the unusual color.

If you're lactose intolerant or have a dairy allergy, you're may be wondering which foods contain dairy products. Let's find out if one of our favorite condiments, mayo, has dairy in it.

A guide to making your own homemade jam with step by step instructions, photos and video.

Nothing beats the fresh taste of homemade beef jerky. Say goodbye to the massively preserved, store-bought bags and find true comfort with homemade beef jerky recipes.

Homemade salsa that can be used all year round. Step-by-step instructions that include tips on how to handle jalapeno peppers to keep them from burning your hands.

Photos and text teach you step-by-step how to pressure can milk by sealing it in jars for long-term storage.

A tasty, spicy jam to warm autumn and winter meals.

Try this tasty pineapple twist on a traditional Mexican condiment.

Rowan jelly is a strong-tasting condiment once very popular in the UK and traditionally served with wild game or beef. This simple recipe shows how to make rowan-and-apple jelly from scratch.

Learn how to dehydrate foods and save money. Dehydrating foods takes none of the nutrients out and helps you use food at their prime.

10 ways to use up your leftover cranberry sauce. You might even be inspired to make some cranberry sauce just to try some of these ideas.

This is part one of a two part article on the advantages and disadvantages of home food preservation. In this article we explore food that is fresh, root cellared, and frozen.

Celebrate the grand garden season finale. Here are some faster, space-saving methods to harvest and store garden produce at its best.

Standard tartar sauce is great in a hurry and an even simply version takes about 60 seonds to prepare. At the same time, some of my favorites are also fast and easy.

Make your own cooking spray saves money, reduces the chemical additives you're putting into your body, takes 5 minutes to make, and is better for the environment and better for your health.

Why go to an expensive Japanese restaurant? Now you can prepare a classic Japanese sauce at home without worrying about your budget. Follow my easy recipe for galicky sweet soy glaze.

Made with fresh ingredients, a fruit coulis is the perfect fruit sauce. Along with step by step photo instructions, you'll find recipes for a raspberry, a mixed berry and a strawberry version.

Walnut oil is one of those oils you don't hear much about, but it is fantastic. Learn how to use it in your everyday cooking.

People seem to have a love/hate thing for French food - which I can understand. It's somewhat intimidating, involves approximately 476 steps for something as simple as a scrambled egg, and no one understands what the names of dishes are. They are in...

Mexican salsa is a tasty and versatile condiment that can be added to all kinds of dishes. Corn salsa is a delicious variation to the traditional tomato-based recipe.

Bacon jam is almost impossible to describe—until you taste it. Sweet, spicy, smoky, salty, it's an amazing combination of delectable goodness. Check out how easy it is to make it for yourself!

Two authentic Southern chow chow relish recipes (cooked and no-cook versions). Bonus recipes: peach relish and jalapeño jelly.

A good, flavorful jalapeno hot sauce recipe that goes a bit beyond the basics.

Olive & Vine is a Houston boutique that sells top-quality extra virgin olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars. Taste before you buy, and learn about health benefits for both.

What started out as a brine for pickled okra ended up as an experiment for pickling some jalapeño peppers from my garden. The outcome was quite successful.

Making sesame flax-butter is a good way to include healthful foods in your daily diet. This is a quick guide to add a new, delicious seed butter into your diet.

Did you know that extra virgin olive oil, when used for high temperature cooking, transforms into a poisonous pool of free radicals that ravage the human body? Learn how choosing the right cooking oil can protect your health.

Extra virgin olive oil is much better than regular olive oil for your health due to the cold process during extraction. This article reviews the health benefits and includes several recipes.

Sample five smoky BBQ sauce recipes from the main barbecue regions of the United States. Also included, the origin of barbecue sauce and BBQ cooking methods.

How or why would you substitute one ingredient for another in a recipe? Perhaps you want a sauce for your meatballs, but you cannot eat tomatoes. Let me show you how!

Making a real Cajun-style roux is no mystery—it simply takes a little patience! With a couple of tools and three ingredients, you can have true, rich Cajun flavor for gumbo or étouffée for yourself!

This 5 star restaurant-style salsa, reviewed over 2,000 times, is easy to make and bursting with garden-fresh flavor. We guarantee you'll be back for more! Also included: tips for making mild, low sodium or smoky salsa.

An easy storage method for your garden (or Farmer's Market) root vegetables. Suitable for carrots, beets, and many others. Potatoes and similar tubers, too.

Knowing how to make a white sauce can be invaluable cooking skill. You can use a white sauce in so many dishes either as a topping or a creamy filling.

Making cherry and black grape jam in the crockpot is going to be so easy, you'll be surprised that you didn't think to do this for yourself before now. Juicy cherries and crispy grapes made into a sweet, smooth, yummy concoction that you can enjoy with toast or biscuits.

"Curry" is a blanket term used to describe a vast range of Indian spicy stewed dishes. There are many different styles of curries. Not all are hot. Get tips and recipes for curries here.

Are you wondering what to do with your bounty of beautiful chilies? Why not freeze them so that they are be available to use whenever you want to add a bit of spice to your life.

Preserved vegetables are the "magic" ingredient in home-style Chinese cooking. The preserved sweet salty radish called "choi poh" in Cantonese is a universal favourite. It's very easy to make. Enjoy!

This delightful vinegar recipe is easy to make at home and is perfect for the beginner.

Quick and Easy Avocado Recipes. Salads, salsa, guacamole and more. Enjoy avocado a variety of ways with these tempting and healthy avocado recipes. Includes, guacamole a la mexicana!

There are a lot of brands out there. How do you know which one's the best? I've tried a lot of ACV and want to share my experience with you.

Rhubarb is a large leafed plant with edible stalks that grows like a bad weed any where that it gets the opportunity to be planted. It is a very hardy perennial yet rather than being harvested with...

This article is about the the easiest way to make sweet, crunchy pickles, featuring a secret shortcut. Includes recipe, complete instructions, and lots of photos. You will love these pickles.

January 24th is national peanut butter day. Get ready by preparing your own delicious, homemade peanut butter. Make it to your exact flavor specifications by following this easy recipe.

I've tested dozens of bbq sauce recipes and these are the very best to make at home.

Grape jelly is a definite American favorite. Though it is delicious, it can get boring! Rev up the grape jelly in your pantry with this recipe that has a surprisingly delicious twist.

Fish can be preserved by drying, salting, and freezing. These methods are effective ways to store bumper catches for times of scarcity.

Learn the secret to making a thick and rich tomato soup from garden fresh or canned tomatoes!

Endlessly versatile, ranch dressing is used on salads, as a dip, a sauce for chicken, a drizzle on pizza, and countless other foods. Here's the story of how it was created and how you can make your own.

Learn to make delicious and unique BBQ sauce from scratch! Easy directions and photos are included.

Learn how to make your own fruit preserves and then use them to make a simple fruit cobbler.

Chili oil is a popular condiment commonly used in Asian countries. Some places add a twist on this condiment by adding garlic on it. Learn my version on how to make homemade chili garlic oil.

Mole, or Mexican BBQ sauce, has gained popularity due to the efforts of culinary genius Rick Bayless. This simplified recipe for red mole yields a silky, sweet, smoky sauce. A Scoville chart of dried chiles is included.

This recipe is focused on pressure canning black beans. By preserving your own food, not only can you control the ingredients in the food you make, providing your family with more nutritious food, but you also get the satisfaction of making food for your family.

Awesome diabetic recipes! Low carb recipes for sauces, with photos.

How a nostalgic New England experience became a new tradition in Indiana.