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Category: Food allergies

Does one (or all!) of your children have food allergies? Sadly this is no longer a rare thing. More and more kids struggle with food allergies now than ever before.

I’ve been there too. Skin testing, blood work, epi-pens…the works. It can be challenging or down right scary.

But you don’t have to live in fear. And you don’t have to just accept food allergies as a life sentence. There is help!

My son went from over twenty food allergies and an epi-pen to being able to eat just about anything. Even nuts!

There are ways to heal the gut and nourish the body so your child can get back to a normal life. Food allergies have so many underlying causes. Once you figure out the root problem and treat it the body will begin to heal.

Don’t let food allergies define your life. I’m here to help you and your child heal.

Apple Butter

I made my first batch of apple butter this morning. I LOVE apple butter. I had never had it before I met Justin. His mom makes it. I’ve been hooked ever since. This recipe is from Justin’s mom. Very good. I used the apples they gave us and cider they made from their apples too. I wasn’t sure exactly how much it would make. I ended up doing 2 pints and 7 half pints. Plus a little extra to go in the fridge (maybe 1/4 pint).

Apple Butter

4 1/2 qts. apples, peeled, corred and sliced (I used 16 or 17 LARGE apples)
1 qt. water
1 qt. apple cider
3 cups sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. cloves

Cook apples with water until soft (5-10 min.). Press through sieve (I used my food mill on the finest setting). Add cider and sugar. Bring to boil. Cook on low until thick (a/b 3 hours). Add spices. Process 10 min. in boiling water. Makes 4 1/2 – 5 1/2 pints.

Salsa

I canned a batch of salsa yesterday. The original recipe is from my Ball Canning Book. I modify it a tiny bit. I canned 7 pints and had a little left to have fresh in the fridge.


Zesty Salsa
makes 7-9 pts.

10 cups chopped, seeded, peeled tomatoes (I used canned – diced and petite diced)
5 cups bell peppers, chopped
5 cups onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar
*I add some sugar to balance out the vinegar a bit…maybe 1/4 – 1/2 cup.

Combine all ingredients in large sauce pot. Simmer 10 min. Process 15 min. in boiling water canner. Remove lid and let sit for 5 min. Remove jars and let rest over night.

Cherry Jam

I squeezed in another round of canning last night. I made cherry jam. This was my first time making canned jam (I’ve done freezer jam once). The most time consuming part is pitting and chopping the cherries. I did that earlier in the day so that I could do the jam fairly quickly after dinner. It looks pretty good. I hope it tastes good. I got the recipe from my Ball Blue Book of Preserving.

Cherry Jam
Makes 8 half pints

1 qt. chopped and pitted sweet or sour cherries
6 1/4 cups sugar
2 Tbsp. lemon juice (use only w/ sweet cherries)
2 pouches liquid pectin

Combine cherries, sugar and lemon juice (if needed) in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in liquid pectin. Return to rolling boil. Boil hard 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 min. in a boiling water canner.

Pickles


I canned a batch of hamburger dill pickles last night (recipe from my Ball Blue Book of Preserving). This is my first attempt at pickles. I’m anxious to try them, but they have to soak for 4-6 weeks. I still have some sliced cucumbers left, so I might try to do another small batch. But we’ll see if time allows.

I got blueberries and cherries at the farmer’s market yesterday to make cherry jam and blueberry syrup. I decided to skip the peaches this week since they’ll be around for a bit yet. And then I’m not trying to squeeze in too much. Maybe next week. I’m hoping to get the blueberries and cherries prepped today. Then I can do the cooking/canning Th-Sat.

Hamburger Dill Pickles
Yields about 7 pints

4 lbs. 4″ cucumbers
6 Tbsp. canning salt
4 1/2 cups water
4 cups vinegar
14 heads fresh dill
3 1/2 tsp. mustard seed
14 peppercorns

Wash cucumbers. Cut into 1/4″ crosswise or lengthwise slices. Combine salt, water and vinegar in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil. Pack cucumber slices into hot jars, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Add 2 heads of dill, 1/2 tsp. mustard seed and 2 peppercorns to each jar. Ladle hot liquid over cucumbers, leaving 1/4″ headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 min. in a boiling water canner.