Bone Broth

Bone Broth 

1 chicken or turkey carcass, cleaned pretty well of meat

a couple celery stalks, cut into large pieces (keep the leaves on, too)

1 onion, quartered (keep the skin on, too)

4-5 whole peppercorns

2 bay leaves

1/4 c. apple cider vinegar

Put the carcass and veggies in your biggest crockpot and pour the vinegar over the bones. Let it sit for 15 minutes (this helps to start drawing the minerals, etc. out of the bones). Add water to fill it to the top. Cook on low for 24 hours. Alternately, you can simmer it in a stockpot on the stove for 24 hours, too.

Pour the broth through a strainer lined with a double layer of cheesecloth. Add salt as needed. The broth can be pressure canned, frozen, or kept in the fridge to use sooner.

You can repeat the process with the carcass again if you want to get more broth out of it.

You can also add other veggies, like carrots, but I like to save as much room as possible for the water.

*When I did our turkey carcass it was too big for the crockpot, so I started it in a stockpot on the stove so I could see how much water to add, then I transferred it all to my roaster oven to simmer for the 24 hours.

Dilly Beans

These are spicy pickled beans. A fun way to use some of your beans from the garden.

Dilly Beans
Yield: about 4 pints or 2 quarts
2 pounds green beans
1/4 c. canning salt
2 1/2 c. vinegar
2 1/2 c. water
1 tsp. cayenne pepper, divided
4 cloves garlic
4 heads dill

Trim ends off green beans. Combine salt, vinegar, and water in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Pack beans lengthwise into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Add 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, 1 clove garlic, and 1 head dill to each pint jar. (Double the amounts for each jar if using quart size.) Ladel hot liquid over beans, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust 2-piece caps. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. (Adding time for higher elevation. Where I live is about 4,000 some feet so I add 10 minutes, for a total of 20 minutes. Here's a handy dandy chart to reference.)
Turn burner off and remove canner lid. Let jars rest in water for 5 minutes, remove and cool.

From the Ball Blue Book of Preserving

Pear and Cranberry Conserve

I made this in the fall, but am finally posting it here. You could still make it since there are still lots of pears around, at least in my neck of the woods. Conserves have lots of chunks of fruit, and not as much of a smooth, spreadable texture like jams, just in case you didn't know that for sure like me. :) This recipe doesn't call for any pectin because cranberries are already high in pectin. Instead, you just simmer if for a long time to get it to thicken up. You'll know it's the right consistency when you dip a metal spoon in and hold it over the pan and the mixture slides off in sheets rather than drips.
I have only tried it on pancakes (mm!) and rolls so far, but I think it would be really good with chicken or possibly pork too (I'm rather inexperienced with pork, you know). At any rate, it is super tasty!

Pear and Cranberry Conserve
6 medium to large firm, ripe pears such as Bartlett or Bosc (about 3 pounds total)
1 16 ounce package fresh cranberries, rinsed
4 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. water
2 T. lemon juice
2 T. finely shredded orange peel
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground allspice

Peel, core, and chop pears. In a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil gently, stirring frequently, for 20-25 minutes or until the mixture is thickened and sheets off the metal spoon. (Mine took over an hour to get to this point).

Ladle hot pear mixture into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims, adjust lids.

Process filled jars in a water bath canner for 10 minutes (adjust time to your altitude). Remove jars and cool.

Yield: 7 half-pints

This is from http://www.livingthecountrylife.com/