Sauces, Condiments, and Preservation

Here is a delicious recipe for homemade Thousand Island dressing, made with sweet pickle relish, pepper and paprika.

Pressure canning chicken is easy, and it gives you access to meat for quick meals, as well as cellar stock for emergencies and a DIY lifestyle.

Here's an easy storage method for fresh root vegetables. It's suitable for carrots, beets, and many others—Irish potatoes and similar tubers, too.

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

Making 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.

Learn how to make homemade kiwi fruit jam with this easy recipe.

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

An essential condiment in every British household is a bottle of HP Sauce, just as it’s nearly impossible to find an American home without ketchup.

Molé has gained in popularity recently thanks to the efforts of culinary genius Rick Bayless. This simplified recipe for red molé yields a silky, sweet, smoky sauce. A Scoville chart of dried chiles is included.

Sample five smoky BBQ sauce recipes from the main barbecue regions of the United States. We will also discuss 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!

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!

Candy Apple Jelly is a simple apple jelly recipe that uses only four ingredients. The jelly tastes like baked apples, and makes a wonderful Christmas or Thanksgiving gift!

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.

This article includes text and photos to teach you step-by-step how to preserve winter squashes or pumpkins by pressure canning.

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 article explains how to make a quick and easy tahini paste. It only calls for two ingredients and can be made in just 15 minutes. This paste is ideal for making hummus, tahini salad dressing, tahini dip, tahini sauce or even tahini cookies!

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.

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!

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.

Green peppers provide several nutrients and benefits to your body and health. They also taste great, whether they are in your spaghetti sauce or fresh on a salad. These are great fruit!

This recipe for Seville orange marmalade includes step-by-step instructions, photos and videos. Once you have tasted homemade marmalade, you will never want to buy the commercially made variety again.

This is a good, flavorful jalapeño hot sauce recipe that goes a bit beyond the basics.

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

This is a great recipe for hot green pepper jelly that anyone can make and share. It makes a famous and fantastic tasting jelly that everyone loves, especially during the holiday season. It is a simple recipe that is easy to make.

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. This article includes variations and serving suggestions.

Homemade custard may be safely preserved by pressure canning and is suitable for most uses. Chocolate, vanilla, butterscotch, and coconut milk recipes are given here, along with a whole-egg variation. The entire canning process is shown as well.

How do you turn 400 pounds of tomatoes into 92 quarts of wonderful smoky sauce in one day? With an outdoor evaporator and the help of several friends, of course.

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

Make jelly from Queen Anne's Lace: The flower creates a beautiful, pink jelly with the flavor of honey. Making jelly from edible flowers creates beautiful homemade gifts for friends and family alike!

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

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.

This is a homemade salsa recipe that can be used all year round. It includes step-by-step instructions and tips like how to handle jalapeno peppers to keep them from burning your hands.

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.

This article explains how to make a tasty, spicy jam to warm autumn and winter meals.

A gooey, dark brown and salty spread has been marketed under the slogan “Love Me or Hate Me, I’m Yours.” Learn all about the phenomenon that is Marmite.

This article contains photos and text that will teach you step-by-step how to pressure-can milk by sealing it in jars for long-term storage.

Guacamole is hands down a crowd-pleaser and sure to spruce up just about any meal. This recipe has been my go-to for over 15 years and has never been beat. It's super easy and quick to prepare, and it will disappear just about as fast as you can make it!

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.

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

When I visit my home country of the Philippines, I like to make coconut oil from the coconut trees behind my house. My grandmother taught me how to do it.

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

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.

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

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

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

This sauce is made with tiny tomatoes, garlic, and fresh and dried basil. It's an easy sauce that goes well with any type of pasta.

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.

Learn how to dehydrate food and save money. Dehydrating food takes none of the nutrients out and helps you use food when it's at its prime.

If you love mango chutney but always thought that it was too complicated to make, you are going to love this recipe. This tangy condiment may soon become a firm family favorite in your home.

Here is a guide to making your own homemade berry jam with step-by-step instructions, photos, and a video.

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

Gravy should be sublime, not like something out of the "Twilight Zone." Learn how to make the perfect lump-free, grease-free gravy.

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.

Check out this fantastic method 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.

Try this tasty pineapple twist on a traditional Mexican condiment.

Here are a few quick and easy avocado recipes, including salads, salsa, guacamole and more. Enjoy avocado a variety of ways with these tempting and healthy recipes, including guacamole a la mexicana!

Italian pesto is loved all over the world over. But have you ever tasted tallarin verde, or green noodles, the pesto of Peru? Creamy and mild, it is the favorite dish of many Peruvian children.

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.

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

Real maple syrup is a treat that cannot be duplicated with artificial flavors. Let’s explore the history of this natural sweetener and how to use it in baking and cooking.

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

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

"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.

Here are some awesome diabetic recipes to add to your cookbook! This article includes photos and directions for low-carb sauce recipes.

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

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.

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.

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.

Learn how to make delicious and unique BBQ sauce from scratch. I've included easy directions and photos in this article to help guide you.

Here are 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.

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

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.

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!

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

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

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.

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

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 garlicky-sweet soy glaze.

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.

Is your jam thin and runny? Here are all the ways you can make great jam using low-pectin fruit, with example recipes.

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 of extra virgin olive oil and includes several recipes.

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!

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

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.

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.

Red sauces—a simple idea with world-wide appeal. Each culture uses the produce of their garden to craft a condiment to accompany the foods they love. Let’s explore the origins of ten of these sauces and learn how to make them.

Learn how to make homemade strawberry jam and topping. I have included step-by-step instructions with my own photos as well as a video.

Wild berries are a common summer sight all over the world and are often free for the taking. Learn to make this quick and easy berry sauce—a delicious and elegant accompaniment for many desserts.

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.

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.

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.

Now you can enjoy the luxuriousness of a hollandaise sauce without the saturated fat of butter.

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. This recipe turns juicy cherries and crispy grapes into a sweet, smooth, yummy concoction that you can enjoy with toast or biscuits.

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

This homemade vegetarian tomato sauce is a health-conscious solution for your spaghetti. Everyone will think it has beef in it. Made with Morningstar Farms® Grillers Crumbles™.

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

Fruits can be made into jam or jelly straight or used to balance low pectin fruit to gel.

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.

I've made a lot of baby food in the past year. I prefer to make it at home because I know exactly what goes into it. I'd love to share my experiences with you.