Many thanks from Tocomoca to all pious followers of St. Pectina

I don't know the proper etiquette, but I took the liberty of starting
a new thread rather than thank and reply to everyone individually.

Also, you all seem like such nice folks, I wanted to change my screen
name to my real name which is "Nathan".

In my previous post, I was using "Tocomoca" which I understand means
"From the East" in the language of Tocobaga Indians who once lived
around Tampa, Florida. I currently live in that area of Florida, but
I work in Japan. (I happen to be writing from Tokyo now.) I "commute"
back and forth about every 3 months, but I am planning to conduct my
canning activities in Florida, where I hope to take advantage of the
low cost fresh produce available at the local farmers' markets. I am
not planning a business, but I might eventually consider bringing back
some truly successful results as gifts to friends in Japan.

Anyway, thanks for all the good advice in reply to my first post. I
have submitted an account request for the recommended UGA on-line
course, and (through the power of the internet) have also requested
copies of the Ball Blue Book and several other similar books at my
local library in Florida, so they will be waiting for me when I get
back.

Your consensus seems to be that my plan to test recipes without
canning is workable, so I have no urgent need for any canning
equipment yet (it is likely to be some time before I arrive at a
recipe that I feel is worth the effort of actual canning), but I am
still interested in learning more about the equipment angle. (I do
like new "toys".)

I am still inclined towards a Pressure "Canner" (thanks for the
correction), because, if nothing else, I suspect that that such a
device could always double for Boiling Water Bath equipment, but not
the other way around. (I have a small kitchen, and would prefer only
one set of equipment.)

I am also thinking about the safety factor. While it may be a bit
reckless for a newbie, I hope not to precisely follow standard
recipes. And, while I might eventually decide to invest in one of
those "pH tester gadgets" (I took a look at the thread "In Thinking of
Vinegar & pH"), it seems to me, one simple brute force solution is to
always use a pressure canner regardless of the pH. Is this somehow a
crazy idea? (Having never tried either process, I realize that I am
probably being naive about the difference in the required time and
effort between the two processes. But, still... better safe than
sorry?)

In addition, I have now read that the physical properties of the food
(the gooeyness of what you are canning) can make a difference.
(Perhaps this doesn't matter if the food is uniformly low in pH? But,
what if you have higher pH "chunks" in a low pH gooey solution?) So,
at first take, my impression is that if my goal is to safely can all
manner of "exotic" Chutneys, perhaps Pressure Canning (while sometimes
"overkill") might be the safest way for me to eventually go. But, as
I said, I think I have plenty of time yet to make that final
decision. The first thing to do is to develop some recipes that I
like.

So, as evidence that I occasionally have a bit too much time on my
hands, let me share with anyone who might be interested a recent study
on Chutney recipes. A brief search of the internet a few days ago
yielded 29 Chutney recipes which turned out to contain a total of 66
different ingredients. Recipes varied from as many as 17 to as little
as 4 ingredients with an average of about 9 ingredients. Some recipes
were clearly non-preserve type cold (Mint & Yogurt) or dry (Coconut &
Nuts) type Chutneys, but I included them anyway in hopes of getting a
broad view of "What is Chutney?".

Base Ingredients:

55% Onion
48% Vinegar
41% Sugar - Demerara
14% Sugar - Brown

17% Oil - Olive, Coconut
7% Coconut Milk
3% Ghee - Clarified Butter

34% Lemon - Juice
3% Lime - Juice
10% Tamarind - Juice

Hot Stuff:

41% Chilies - Fresh
34% Chili powder
24% Cayenne
14% Chilies - Dry
7% Pepper

Primary "Fruit"

21% Coconut
17% Tomatoes
14% Apples
14% Mint
10% Yugurt/Curd
10% Mangos
7% Dates
3% Figs
3% Apricots
3% Carrots
3% Cucumbers
3% Cherries
3% Bell Pepper
3% Papaya
3% Pineapple
3% Lemon Fruit

Raisons, Nuts & Seeds

21% Raisins
10% Sultanas
3% Currants

7% Peanuts
3% Walnuts
3% Almond - Blanched

10% Mustard Seeds
3% Sesame Seeds
3% Poppy Seeds

Other

79% Salt
41% Ginger
41% Garlic
24% Cinnamon
21% Cumin
17% Coriander
10% Cardamon
10% Cloves
10% Cilantro
7% Bay Leaves
7% Turmeric
3% Curry Leaves
3% Thyme
3% Nutmeg
3% Star Anise
3% Asafoetida Powder
3% Chana Dal - Bean
3% Garam Masala
7% Curry Powder
3% Lemon Rind
3% Lime - Zest
3% Candied Citron
3% Cherry Preserves

.

Quantcast