Pickles with alternative sweetener
I would love to try your pickle recipe, however I am allergic to processed sugar and need to know if I can use Splenda or other sweetener to make them?
Gretchen Richmond
Nampa, Idaho
Yes, you can use artificial sweeteners such as Splenda or natural sweeteners like Stevia powder in your pickles. I would boil the pickling solution and spices first, then stir in the sweetener just before adding the cucumbers/vegetables for peak flavor and sweetness then pack as usual. — Jackie
Canning teriyaki sauce
Back in February or March I wrote you about canning my teriyaki sauce. You could not answer me as I didn’t have the exact amounts of the ingredient and I couldn’t find my recipe. I have found it now and hope you can help me! I also have a few more of my favorite sauces I’m hoping you can help me with to see if I can, can them up? I need to know which canning method to use on which sauces and processing times for each one? I realize the sweet chilli sauce and the lemon sauce have cornstarch, I will be taking that out and doing some experimenting with my pectin.
Teriyaki sauce:
2 cups soy sauce
2 cups sugar.
4 cloves garlic (chopped fine).
2 tsp. ginger (grated).
Combine soy sauce and sugar in saucepan on medium heat cook until sugar is dissolved. Add garlic and ginger, remove from heat. Use on meat or vegetable.
Sweet and sour sauce:
16 oz. tomato sauce
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vinegar
1 tsp. garlic (chopped fine)
Add all ingredients to pan and heat till sugar is dissolved.
Sweet chilli sauce:
3 large garlic cloves
2 red jalapeño or Serrano peppers, deseeded.
½ cup sugar
¾ cup water
¼ cup white vinegar
½ tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 tablespoon water
In blender, puree together all the ingredients, except the last two. Transfer the mixture into a sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Lower heat to medium and simmer until the mixture thickens up a bit and the garlic and pepper bits soften, about 3 minutes. Combine the cornstarch and water to make a slurry. Whisk in the cornstarch mixture and continue to simmer another minute.
Lemon sauce:
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons butter
1½ tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
In a saucepan stir sugar and cornstarch. Add water gradually. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 2 minutes and remove from heat. Add butter and stir until melted. Add lemon juice and nutmeg.
Dawn Sedlacek
Dallas, Oregon
You can process your teriyaki sauce in a boiling water bath canner for 15 minutes. The sweet and sour sauce is fine processed in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes (pints or half pints). I don’t feel that the sweet chili sauce has enough vinegar/sugar in it to offset the amount of water and vegetables in it to be safe to water bath process. You could pressure can it for 35 minutes (pints or half pints) at 10 pounds pressure. The lemon sauce is safe to can but I would substitute Clear Jel for the cornstarch — just to be safest. That would process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes (pints or half pints). Remember to increase your processing time (boiling water bath) or pressure (pressure canning) if you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet. Consult your canning book for directions on this. — Jackie
Canning baked beans
I made a recipe of baked beans cooked in a crock-pot. It was for a party. We ended up with a lot of left-overs. I’m wondering if I could can them, so they are not wasted? How long should I pressure can them? If they seem a little dry is it safe to add some water?
Nicole Bramm
Narvon, Pennsylvania
You sure can can up those beans. I’d stir in enough water to make them slightly soupy (they’ll absorb water as they can), heat them thoroughly, then ladle out into clean jars, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Process them as if you’d just made them (65 minutes for pints and 75 minutes for quarts) at 10 pounds pressure. As always, if you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet consult your canning book for instructions on increasing your pressure to suit your altitude. — Jackie
