Harvest

Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree

NorthbirdLeave a comment

Find Northbird on social media:

This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure HERE.

Jump To Recipe Card

Jump to Video

Return to “Homemade Pantry”

We love this time of year! Lots of beautiful fall colours, it’s sweater weather, and it’s time to harvest what is left in the garden.

(Now, this year is a bit of an exception as there wasn’t much of a garden to speak about!) But other years at my parent’s house there has been much fun in discovering all the pumpkins and squash that have been hiding all summer, and bringing them inside to store for the next several months.

We particularly love cutting up and cooking pumpkins to turn into homemade pumpkin puree. It’s a great activity for the kids to help with, working on their fine motor skills and scooping out all the gooey seeds!

Ways to use Pumpkins and Pumpkin Puree:

There are so SO many ways of using this tasty fall vegetable besides carving it up and putting it on your doorstep for decoration!

Here are a few of my favourites plus a few more fun ideas:

Sweet
Savoury
Pumpkin PiePumpkin Seed Wheat Bread
Pumpkin MuffinsPumpkin Crackers
Pumpkin Energy BallsPumpkin Egg Noodles & Other Pastas
Pumpkin Chocolate SquaresPumpkin Hummus & Veggie Dips
Pumpkin Sweet BreadPumpkin Soup Variations
Pumpkin CookiesPumpkin Casserole
Pumpkin Spiced Latte & Other drinksStuffed Pumpkin Dishes
Pumpkin Pancakes & WafflesFried Pumpkin Fritters

Does the Size of Pumpkin Matter?

Honestly, the size only matters for what you plan on using the puree for. The smaller pumpkins will typically be sweeter, and the larger ones will just be a bit more watery.

Smaller pumpkins, such as “pie pumpkins” are usually used for (obviously!) pies! They are sweeter, and have a more distinct taste, making them ideal for baked goodies and treats.

The larger pumpkins are not usually used for pies and baking due to their slightly more dulled taste because they have a higher water content. This of course doesn’t mean that they can’t be used in baking and cooking, it’s purely a matter of preference.

What can you do with the Pumpkin Seeds?

Here are 3 ways that we use leftover pumpkin seeds:

  1. Seed Saving for planting the following year (s).
  2. Dry the seeds to use in crafts or educational activities.
  3. Roast and eat them in so many different ways!

Saving Pumpkin Seeds for Planting:

  1. Clean seeds in a bowl of water and separate out any pulp or broken seeds. Select the biggest and best seeds to save.
  2. Drain off as much water as possible and pat the seeds as fry as you can.
  3. Put seeds on parchment paper to continue drying for several days.
  4. Put in a paper envelope and label.
  5. If you are using the seeds the following planting season, you can store it in a cool, dry pantry. If you want the germination of the seeds to last for many years, put in the freezer.
  6. Note: If it’s an heirloom pumpkin then it is definitely nice to save some seeds for future planting. If it’s a hybrid-grown pumpkin then you may not get much produce from planting the seeds, and anything grown would likely be less hardy and more vulnerable to diseases.

Dry the Seeds for Crafts & Activities:

1. Clean seeds in a bowl of water and separate out any pulp from them.

2. Drain off as much water as possible and pat the seeds as dry as you can.

3. Put seeds on parchment paper to continue drying for several days.

4. Store the seeds in a paper envelope.

Eating Pumpkin Seeds:

The seeds are delicious to use in so many ways!

  • Enjoy as a salty snack
  • Add to a trail mix with other seeds, nuts and dried fruits
  • As a salad topping
  • As a pumpkin or squash soup garnish
  • Make your own pumpkin seed crackers
  • Baked into bread
  • Put in a smoothie
  • Mix into a nutritious breakfast bowl

How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds:

1. Wash the seeds and separate from the pulp.

2. Mix in a small bowl with olive oil or (my favourite) Avocado oil. Add sprinklings of salt, pepper and also a dash of paprika.

3. Spread in single layer on parchment paper.

4. Broil on low for about 5 minutes, or until crispy (every oven is different!)

5. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Here’s a simple video of one of the times we recently cut up some pie pumpkins.

How to Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree

Supplies Needed:

Ingredients:

  • Pumpkins

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.

2. Wash the outside of the pumpkins to remove any dirt.

3. If it is a small pumpkin, simply cut in half next to the stem and cut through into two halves. Cut off the stem and blossom end. If it is a larger pumpkin, cut around the stem part of the pumpkin in a circle and lift it out. Cut off the blossom ends as well.

4. Scoop the seeds out into a bowl **Save these for a tasty snack later!

5. Place pumpkin halves upside down on parchment-lined baking sheets.

6. Bake fat 350 for 45-60 minutes until the pumpkin skin on the outside is soft, lightly browned, and can be easily pierced with a fork. (You will want it soft enough to easily scoop the pumpkin flesh)

7. Let cool completely, turning right side up to cool down faster.

8. Scrape the insides out into a high powered blender and puree until smooth.

9. Use immediately in desired recipe, or put in a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to one week. You can also put the pumpkin puree in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Best to use within 6 months. (Although I have used some puree that was frozen for much longer than that and still thawed and tasted great!)

10. One small pie pumpkin makes approximately 4 cups of puree.

Hi, I’m Jessie!

I’m a Wife and Homeschooling Mom living in a remote town in Northern Ontario, Canada. I love making wholesome meals for my family from scratch, homeschooling our girls and learning more about natural living.

Read more about my story HERE.

Subscribe to Northbird’s email list to get weekly posts on: tasty recipes, activity ideas for kids, natural living tips, and some genuine mom thoughts and encouragement!

Recent posts from Northbird:

Homemade Pumpkin Puree

  • Servings: 4 cups
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

Make your own pumpkin puree with this easy recipe and then freeze the puree to later make many sweet or savoury pumpkin recipes!



You can use either large or small pumpkins for this recipe. The smaller pumpkins will typically be sweeter, and the larger ones will just be more watery. See ideas above for how to use pumpkins best based on their size.

Supplies Needed:

  • Cutting Board
  • Large Knife
  • Baking Sheets
  • Parchment Paper
  • Spoon
  • Bowls

    • Ingredients

    • Pumpkins

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit.
    2. Wash the outside of the pumpkins to remove any dirt.
    3. If it is a small pumpkin, simply cut in half next to the stem and cut through into two halves.
    4. Scoop the seeds out into a bowl **Save these for a tasty snack later!
    5. Place pumpkin halves upside down on parchment-lined baking sheets.
    6. Bake fat 350 for 40-50 minutes until the pumpkin skin on the outside is soft, lightly browned, and can be easily pierced with a fork.
    7. Let cool completely, turning right side up to cool down faster.
    8. Scrape the insides out into a high powered blender and puree until smooth.
    9. Use immediately in desired recipe, or put in a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to one week. You can also put the pumpkin puree in a ziplock bag in the freezer. Best to use within 6 months.
    10. One small pie pumpkin makes approximately 3-4 cups of puree.

    Nutrition


    Per 1 cup serving: 34 calories; 0.3 g fat; 8.1 g carbohydrates;
    1.1 g protein.

    Return to Top

    Easy No-Sugar Crockpot Apple Butter Recipe

    NorthbirdLeave a comment

    Find Northbird on social media:

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure HERE.

    Jump To Recipe Card

    Jump to Video

    Return to “Homemade Pantry”

    This tasty recipe is creamy and rich with the pure taste of autumn apples!

    No sugar is needed to add to this as the final product’s natural sugars have been slow cooked down and act as their own natural preservative. I usually prefer homemade apple butter for this reason over jam or jelly that typically have lots of sugar added!

    Making your own Apple Butter is also a great way to use up any apples that are looking a little tired and wrinkled in the fruit basket!

    The taste is even better if you are able to use a few different kinds of apples. I usually have a mix of golden delicious, granny smiths, red delicious, macintosh, or empire.

    I like recipes that are adaptable based on how much produce I am trying to use up. This one is great for example, because if I have about 10 apples that I would like to use up, I can use up all 10 instead of only 8 if the recipe calls for only 8.

    Now that’s a bit of a ramble! But I hope you understand the gist of what I am trying to say: With this recipe, you can use whatever amount of apples you would like that will fit in your available crockpot.

    Water Bath Canner: Altitude Adjustments

    For the majority of canning recipes, it is important to note that it is necessary to increase the water bath boiling time if your geographical altitude is over 1,000 feet (305 meters) above sea level. The higher the altitude is, the boiling point of water decreases, so it needs to boil longer in order to effectively kill heat-resistant bacteria and preserve canned goods more safely.

    Altitude in Feet:Altitude in Meters:Increase Processing Time
    1,001-3,000306-9155 minutes
    3,001-6,000916-1,83010 minutes
    6,001-8,0001,831-2,44015 minutes
    8,001-10,0002,441-3,05020 minutes

    A simple video of part of the process of making Homemade Apple Butter!

    How to Make Homemade Apple Butter

    Supplies Needed:

    Ingredients:

    • Apples (a few different types is best!)
    • Cinnamon (optional)

    Stage 1 Directions: Harvesting the Apples

    1. Wash apples, slice and peel. Make sure to discard any bad bits.

    2. Put apple pieces into crockpot and turn to low, cooking slowly 8-12 hours or overnight.

    3. When the apples can be easily mushed with a spoon, whisk up a little and use an immersion blender or put in a high power blender to puree until smooth.

    4. If desired, add some cinnamon for additional flavouring.

    5. If you are planning to preserve your apple butter by canning in a water bath, keep the pureed apple butter warm in crockpot, then continue with directions below. If you are just planning on keeping your finished apple butter in the fridge, pour into clean jars with lids. Best to use within 1-2 months in the fridge.

    Stage 2 Directions: Water Bath

    1. Before you start: Begin by prepping and setting up for the canning process. (There’s nothing worse than being ready to pour into the canning jars and realizing that you are missing something!)

    • Clean your glass jars, lids and rings in hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Place jars upside down on a clean tea-towel covered baking sheet. Place in the oven, preheat oven to 180 degrees fahrenheit.
    • Place cleaned lids in a small saucepan and put on low/med on the stove.
    • Set out: canning tongs, paper towel, ladle spoon, non-metallic utensil, tongs or magnetic lid lifter, and lid rings.
    • Fill large water bath canner with cold water and set on stove, cover with lid. Bring to a boil then turn to low to simmer until ready.
    • If you don’t know already know this, research your current geographical altitude to see if you will need to modify some timing of this recipe. See notes below for testing for the jelly-set stage, as well as later on for the water bath canning stage.

    2. With canning tongs, pull out a few jars from the oven and make sure all supplies are ready for the canning stage.

    3. Carefully ladle or pour the warm apple butter sauce into the jars through the funnel.

    4. Gently stir each of the filled jars with a non-metallic utensil.

    5. Wipe the tops of the filled jars with a clean/wet paper towel.

    6. Put a warm canning lid on each one, pressing down while you twist on a screw band. Only tight enough to hold in place.

    7. With canning tongs, put into water bath canner. When all the jars are filled and inside, return water to a boil.

    8. Process jars in the water bath for 10 minutes, at sea level. See note above for altitudes above 1,000 feet to increase timing.

    9. Lift jars from canner, being careful not to tilt. Place on towel-covered baking sheet and wait for the jar lids to start to “pop” as they naturally vacuum seal over the next little while.

    10. When lids have finished “popping”, without lifting the jars you can gently remove the screw bands and wipe off any excess water.

    11. Let sit for 24 hours undisturbed so the apple butter can finish setting.

    12. Store at room temperature for 12-18 months, refrigerate after opening.

    13. Recipe yield will depend on how many apples you harvest! But when I typically fill a 6 quart slow cooker, it makes around 2x 500ml jars of finished apple butter.

    More Great Ideas for Your Homemade Pantry!

    Hi, I’m Jessie!

    I’m a Wife and Homeschooling Mom living in a remote town in Northern Ontario, Canada. I love making wholesome meals for my family from scratch, homeschooling our girls and learning more about natural living.

    Read more about my story HERE.

    Subscribe to Northbird’s email list to get weekly posts on: tasty recipes, activity ideas for kids, natural living tips, and some genuine mom thoughts and encouragement!

    Recent posts from Northbird:

    No Sugar Crockpot Apple Butter

    • Difficulty: Easy
    • Print

    No Sugar Added, Just Pure Apple Goodness!


    This recipe’s yield depends on how many apples you want to cook up. But If I fill a 6 quart crockpot with apple slices, it yields around 2 x 500ml jars of finished apple butter.

    Supplies Needed:

  • Water bath canner
  • Canning tongs
  • Canning funnel
  • Canning jars, lids and rings
  • Paper towel
  • Non-metallic utensil
  • Juice strainer or fine mesh colander
  • Stock pot
  • Measuring cups
  • Paring knife
  • Bowls
  • Candy thermometer
  • Spoon


    • Ingredients

  • Apples (a few different types is best!)
  • Cinnamon (optional)


    • Stage 1 Directions:

    1. Wash apples, slice and peel. Make sure to discard any bad bits.
    2. Put apple pieces into crockpot and turn to low, cooking slowly 8-12 hours or overnight.
    3. When the apples can be easily mushed with a spoon, whisk up a little and use an immersion blender or put in a high power blender to puree until smooth.
    4. If desired, add some cinnamon for additional flavouring.
    5. If you are planning to preserve your apple butter by canning in a water bath, keep the pureed apple butter warm in crockpot, then continue with directions below. If you are just planning on keeping your finished apple butter in the fridge, pour into clean jars with lids. Best to use within 1-2 months in the fridge.

    Stage 2 Directions:


    Nutrition


    Per 1 tablespoon serving: 15 calories; 0 g fat; 4.0 g carbohydrates;
    0 g protein.

    Return to Top

    Simple Crockpot Recipe for Homemade Tomato Sauce

    Northbird1 Comment

    Find Northbird on social media:

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure HERE.

    Jump To Recipe Card

    Return to “Homemade Pantry”

    This is one of my favourite recipes and preserving hacks to deal with your garden tomatoes in a simple and stress-free way using a crockpot!

    While there are many recipes found online that make absolutely delicious tomato sauce (I’ve tried so many!), this simple recipe is what I’ve been doing for the last few times we’ve had tomatoes to harvest.

    For me, the preference boils down to time. During harvest season, I’ve had less and less time and energy to preserve the veggies that we have managed to grow, or that I’ve bought in bulk from the grocery store.

    As a young mother, I also find it extremely hard just in general to have the time needed to devote to the whole process of canning. Something that used to take me an hour or two now takes sometimes half a day to finish because of all the little ones that always need something. I’m sure many moms can relate to this!

    So using a crockpot to the cook the tomatoes slowly overnight is a very convenient solution for those of us that struggle with busy lives!

    Here are a few important things to note about making this recipe:

    • This recipe has no set measurements for the sauce and herbs as it purely comes down to taste preference, how many tomatoes you harvest, and how big your crockpot is.
    • The only measurement that is important (in my opinion) is adding specific amounts of lemon juice or citric acid to the different jar sizes.
    • The timing of the water bath canning stage will depend on your current altitude over sea level. This is important because water boils at different heights, so length of time needed to preserve effectively differs based on geographical altitude. If you don’t know what your altitude is, this can easily be found by a google search.
    Jar SizeLemon Juice(or) Citric Acid
    500ml (approximately a pint)1 Tablespoon1/4 teaspoon
    1 Litre (approximately a quart)2 Tablespoons1/2 teaspoon

    Water Bath Canner: Altitude Adjustments

    Altitude in Feet:Altitude in Meters:Increase Processing Time
    1,001-3,000306-9155 minutes
    3,001-6,000916-1,83010 minutes
    6,001-8,0001,831-2,44015 minutes
    8,001-10,0002,441-3,05020 minutes

    Avoid using aluminum pots or utensils:

    It is best to avoid using aluminum pots or utensils because the acid in the tomato reacts with the aluminum and causes the tomatoes to taste more bitter and the beautiful red colour to go more brown.

    Some folks have also noted that their aluminum cookware will also become discoloured from the acidity of the tomatoes. So best to use stainless steel or other if possible!

    How to Make Easy Crockpot Tomato Sauce

    Supplies Needed:

    Ingredients:

    Stage 1 Directions: Harvesting & Cooking the Tomatoes

    1. Wash tomatoes and cut into quarters, removing the stem end and cutting out any bad bits.

    2. Put tomato pieces into crockpot and cover.

    3. Cook on low for 12 hours or overnight until the tomatoes can be easily mushed with a spoon.

    4. Spoon off the excess water that has separated from the cooked tomatoes.

    5. Use an immersion blender or put into a high powered blender and blend until smooth.

    6. Add in desired amounts of dried herbs and salt (until it tastes right to you!) For a full 6quart crockpot I put a couple of tablespoons of dried basil and parsley, and about 1-2 tablespoons of garlic, onion powder and salt. Mix well.

    7. Keep in crockpot with temperature on low until ready to can.

    Stage 2 Directions: Water Bath

    1. Before you start: Begin by prepping and setting up for the canning process. (There’s nothing worse than being ready to pour into the canning jars and realizing that you are missing something!)

    • Clean your glass jars, lids and rings in hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Place jars upside down on a clean tea-towel covered baking sheet. Place in the oven, preheat oven to 180 degrees fahrenheit.
    • Place cleaned lids in a small saucepan and put on low/med on the stove.
    • Set out: canning tongs, paper towel, ladle spoon, non-metallic utensil, tongs or magnetic lid lifter, and lid rings.
    • Fill large water bath canner with cold water and set on stove, cover with lid. Bring to a boil then turn to low to simmer until ready.
    • If you don’t know already know this, research your current geographical altitude to see if you will need to modify some timing of this recipe. See the table below for additional timing needed for the water bath canning.

    2. With canning tongs, pull out a few jars from the oven and make sure all supplies are ready for the canning stage.

    3. Carefully ladle or pour the warm tomato sauce into the jars through the funnel.

    4. Put the lemon juice or citric acid into each jar. See table for amount per size of jar.

    5. Gently stir each of the filled jars with a non-metallic utensil, removing any bubbles.

    6. Wipe the tops of the filled jars with a clean/wet paper towel.

    7. Put a warm canning lid on each one, pressing down while you twist on a screw band. Only tight enough to hold in place.

    8. With canning tongs, put into water bath canner. When all the jars are filled and inside, return water to a boil.

    9. Process jars in the water bath for 10 minutes, at sea level. See note above for altitudes above 1,000 feet.

    10. Lift jars from canner, being careful not to tilt. Place on towel-covered baking sheet and wait for the jar lids to start to “pop” as they naturally vacuum seal over the next little while.

    11. When lids have finished “popping”, without lifting the jars you can gently remove the screw bands and wipe off any excess water.

    12. Let sit for 24 hours undisturbed so the tomato sauce can finish setting.

    13. Store at room temperature for 12-18 months, refrigerate after opening.

    More Great Ideas for Your Homemade Pantry!

    Hi, I’m Jessie!

    I’m a Wife and Homeschooling Mom living in a remote town in Northern Ontario, Canada. I love making wholesome meals for my family from scratch, homeschooling our girls and learning more about natural living.

    Read more about my story HERE.

    Subscribe to Northbird’s email list to get weekly posts on: tasty recipes, activity ideas for kids, natural living tips, and some genuine mom thoughts and encouragement!

    Recent posts from Northbird:

    Easy Crockpot Tomato Sauce

    • Servings: Adaptable
    • Difficulty: Easy
    • Print

    An easy and stress-free way to make tomato sauce from scratch in the crockpot!

    Supplies Needed:

  • Crockpot
  • Paring knife
  • Cutting Board
  • Whisk
  • Large bowls
  • Immersion Blender or High powered blender
  • 1 Litre Canning jars, lids and bands
  • Water bath canner
  • Canning tongs
  • Small pot
  • Paper towel
  • Cookie sheet and tea towel
  • Non-metallic utensil


    • Ingredients

  • Tomatoes
  • Salt
  • Lemon Juice or Citric Acid
  • Dried herbs (Italian blend/Parsley/Basil/Oregano)
  • Garlic Powder
  • Onion Powder


    • Stage 1 Directions: Harvesting & Cooking the Tomatoes

    1. Wash tomatoes and cut into quarters, removing the stem end and cutting out any bad bits.
    2. Put tomato pieces into crockpot and cover.
    3. Cook on low for 12 hours or overnight until the tomatoes can be easily mushed with a spoon.
    4. Spoon off the excess water that has separated from the cooked tomatoes.
    5. Use an immersion blender or put into a high powered blender and blend until smooth.
    6. Add in desired amounts of dried herbs and salt (until it tastes right to you!) For a full 6quart crockpot I put a couple of tablespoons of dried basil and parsley, and about 1-2 tablespoons of garlic, onion powder and salt. Mix well.
    7. Keep in crockpot with temperature on low until ready to can.

    Stage 2 Directions: Water Bath


    Nutrition


    Per 1 cup serving: 0 calories; 0 g fat; 0.1 g carbohydrates;
    0 g protein.

    Return to Top

    How to Dehydrate Zucchini

    NorthbirdLeave a comment

    Find Northbird on social media:

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure HERE.

    Jump To Recipe Card

    Jump to Video

    Return to “Homemade Pantry”

    Have you ever had an abundance of really robust zucchini’s growing in your garden?! And then had no idea of what to do with them?!

    A few summers ago while helping to plant out my parents garden, “someone” decided that since we had the space and enough happy seedlings, we should plant over 20 zucchini plants.

    The vision was to have enough zucchinis harvested throughout the summer to not only be used in stirfrys and other meals, but to make some tasty zucchini chips to dehydrate. In this way, we could have a crunchy, homemade snack to enjoy for the long winter months. (Or at least that was the intention behind planting so many zucchini plants!)

    Did this happen? Did the zucchinis grow as expected? Well yes they did grow, so much in fact that it turned into a daily game of “twister” in the jungle of giant zucchini plants to find them!

    We harvested many delicious and delicate normal-sized zucchinis, and they were enjoyed very much. But what happened when we forgot to go on our jungle zucchini adventure for a few days?!

    Yup.

    And with 20 zucchini plants, I’m sure you can imagine how fun it was for the kids to discover all of these monstrous vegetables that became somewhat of a nightmare for my mother and I to figure out what to do with.

    So what can you do with large zucchinis? The taste is certainly not as flavourful as the delicate petite ones, because they are much more watery inside.

    We ate them anyway in so many different ways until we got SO BORED OF EATING ZUCCHINI!

    Thankfully, I found somewhere online about dehydrating shredded zucchinis as a form of preserving them to enjoy at our leisure, and this became our solution.

    I have since then dehydrated shredded zucchini multiple times, and successfully re-hydrated them to use in soups, frittatas, and baking.

    I have also used this recipe and subbed in the asparagus with a few handfuls of re-hydrated shredded zucchini and it tastes DELICIOUS.

    Nutrition:

    Zucchini is a wonderful garden vegetable that is packed full of important antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It is high in fibre, which helps to regulate your digestion and keep you feeling “full” longer.

    Zucchini is also low in calories, which makes it valuable to those trying to lose weight. I learned this summer that it is a staple for the keto diet (we subbed in zucchini noodles many times for regular pasta).

    Studies have also shown that zucchini is beneficial to eye health, heart health, lowering risks of anaemia, regulating blood sugar levels, supporting the immune system, and assisting in muscle growth (to just name a few!).

    Ways to Use Dehydrated Shredded Zucchini in Cooking:

    • Soups and Stews as a “filler”
    • Baking (breads, muffins, etc)
    • Omelettes and other egg dishes
    • Fried potato patties/ hashbrowns
    • Pancakes

    I’m sure there are many more ideas and ways to get creative with shredded zucchini. When I learn some more, I’ll share on here with you!

    How to Re-hydrate Zucchini?

    Simply put a few handfuls of the shredded dried zucchini bits into a bowl of warm water and wait 5 minutes or so until it plumps up. Then you can squeeze out the excess water and use as normal.

    How Long to Store Dehydrated Zucchini?

    It is best if used up within a year, but I have also used some that is a few years old and it still re-hydrated fine and tasted the great!

    Make sure it is properly stored in a cool, dark, dry place, in a sealed container to avoid any moisture seeping in to cause mold.

    A quick visual of the harvesting process from start to finish!

    How to Dehydrate Zucchini

    Supplies Needed:

    Ingredients:

    • Zucchini

    Directions:

    1. Cut up zucchini into chunks that will easily fit in your food processor.
    2. Use a shredding insert and shred zucchini until fine strings.

    3. Place tea towel or large nut milk bag into a large bowl. Put the shredded zucchini into the towel, gather it up and squeeze out as much of the water as you can.

    4. Place shredded zucchini evenly onto drying racks, leaving spaces for air to pass through.

    5. Dehydrate at 125 degrees fahrenheit, for 8-12 hours until dry and brittle. Timing will depend on the humidity of your drying area, and how well you are able to squeeze out the water in the towel.

    6. Remove and place in sealed containers, and store in a cool, dark and dry place. Best if used up within a year.

    7. When ready to use in cooking or baking, simply put desired amount of dried zucchini in a bowl of warm water and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze out extra water before use.

    More Great Ideas for Your Homemade Pantry!

    Hi, I’m Jessie!

    I’m a Wife and Homeschooling Mom living in a remote town in Northern Ontario, Canada. I love making wholesome meals for my family from scratch, homeschooling our girls and learning more about natural living.

    Read more about my story HERE.

    Subscribe to Northbird’s email list to get weekly posts on: tasty recipes, activity ideas for kids, natural living tips, and some genuine mom thoughts and encouragement!

    Recent posts from Northbird:

    How to Dehydrate Zucchini

    • Servings: 1 large zucchini
    • Difficulty: Easy
    • Print

    Dehydrate your garden zucchinis to enjoy later in your favourite cooking and baking recipes!


    Supplies Needed:

  • Knife
  • Cutting board
  • Food processor
  • Spatula
  • Dehydrator
  • Food storage containers or glass jars


    • Ingredients

    • Zucchini

    Directions:

    1. Cut up zucchini into chunks that will easily fit in your food processor.
    2. Use a shredding insert and shred zucchini until fine strings.
    3. Place tea towel or large nut milk bag into a large bowl. Put the shredded zucchini into the towel, gather it up and squeeze out as much of the water as you can.
    4. Place shredded zucchini evenly onto drying racks, leaving spaces for air to pass through.
    5. Dehydrate at 125 degrees fahrenheit, for 8-12 hours until dry and brittle. Timing will depend on the humidity of your drying area, and how well you are able to squeeze out the water in the towel.
    6. Remove and place in sealed containers, and store in a cool, dark and dry place. Best if used up within a year.
    7. When ready to use in cooking or baking, simply put desired amount of dried zucchini in a bowl of warm water and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain and squeeze out extra water before use.

    Nutrition


    Per 1 serving: 8 calories; 0.1 g fat; 1.7 g carbohydrates;
    0.6 g protein.

    Return to Top

    How to Make Crabapple Jelly: Step-by-Step Instructions

    Northbird2 Comments

    Find Northbird on social media:

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure HERE.

    Jump To Recipe Card

    Jump to Video

    Return to “Homemade Pantry”

    I LOVE this time of year! So many good things to harvest from your gardens, bushes, foraging, and fruit trees!

    In southern Ontario, my parents have some wonderful neighbours that have an incredibly plentiful crabapple tree. Each year, some members of our family have spent an hour or two picking apples and then spent the next few days turning the thousands of tiny apples into delicious jellies, juice, and some deliciously tart pink applesauce.

    The kids have always been particularly fascinated with the mini red apples, and our oldest was always taking a handful of them to snack on throughout her day!

    Nutrition:

    Did you know that crabapples contain high levels of vitamin C? As a result, they are a great source for keeping your immune system strong! They are also packed full of other essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need such as: phosphorus, calcium, iron, magnesium and manganese.

    Crabapples have naturally high levels of pectin, which not only helps the jelly to “set”, but also has numerous health benefits for our bodies (some of these I didn’t even know about until researching for this post!)

    Another important thing to note about crabapples (and all apple varieties) is that the seeds contain amygdalin, which is a compound made of a mixture of sugars and cyanide. You definitely want to avoid eating apple seeds whenever possible!

    Mini Jellies Make Great Gifts!

    For a few years now, I have made numerous batches of crabapple jelly, apple butter, and other jams to give away at Christmas time to family and friends.

    I love using these smaller 125ml jars for the various jars and then doing up little boxes from the dollarstore with a variety of preserves in each box.

    Here’s a video showing each step in the process of making Crabapple Jelly!

    How to Make Crabapple Jelly

    Supplies Needed:

    Ingredients:

    Stage 1 Directions: Making the Juice

    1. Wash crabapples in cold water and remove any bad ones.
    2. With paring knife, cut off stem and blossom ends, and cut in half. Put prepared pieces in large stock pot.

    3. Add cold water to pot until you can see the water through the top layer of apples. Too much water will result in more watery jelly and might have trouble setting, and not enough water might make it too thick or the apples might burn while cooking down!

    4. Cook for several minutes on medium, stirring frequently until you can mush the apples easily with a spoon.

    5. Remove from heat and let it cool while you set up to strain the juice.

    6. Carefully scoop out the cooked crabapples and let the juice slowly drain through a canning strainer. ***Do not squeeze the bag! See note below.

    7. Leave for several hours or overnight to fully drain through. You can discard the remaining pulp or push it through into a separate bowl to make some crabapple sauce.

    8. After your juice has been collected, you can either store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or start the canning process below.

    Additional Notes for Stage 1:

    • If you don’t have a canning strainer, you can also use a fine mesh colander or hang nut milk bags suspended over a bowl. Get creative with what you have!
    • It is important to let the juice drain through slowly on its own without being squeezed or hurried along. This will prevent the juice from becoming cloudy and instead have the beautiful clear dark red that every canner aims toward!
    • Sometimes I do the apples in batches over a few days, so its helpful to store the containers of crabapple juice in the fridge while I finish cooking the remaining crabapples. Then I like to do the canning all on one day since it takes so much work to set up everything needed!

    Stage 2 Directions: Cooking the Jelly

    1. Before you start: Begin by prepping and setting up for the canning process. (There’s nothing worse than being ready to pour into the canning jars and realizing that you are missing something!)

    • Clean your glass jars, lids and rings in hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Place jars upside down on a clean tea-towel covered baking sheet. Place in the oven, preheat oven to 180 degrees fahrenheit.
    • Place cleaned lids in a small saucepan and put on low/med on the stove.
    • Set out: canning tongs, paper towel, ladle spoon, non-metallic utensil, tongs or magnetic lid lifter, and lid rings.
    • Fill large water bath canner with cold water and set on stove, cover with lid. Bring to a boil then turn to low to simmer until ready.
    • If you don’t know already know this, research your current geographical altitude to see if you will need to modify some timing of this recipe. See notes below for testing for the jelly-set stage, as well as later on for the water bath canning stage.

    2. Measure out prepared juice into large saucepan. The amount will depend on your pot size, I usually start with 4 cups.

    3. Boil the strained clear juice for 5 minutes, stirring frequently and skimming the foam off as needed.

    4. Add sugar: The general rule is 3/4-1 cup of sugar per 1 cup of juice. So if you start with 4 cups of juice, you will need to add between 3-4 cups of sugar. This is based on personal preference of desired taste (how sweet you want your jelly to be!).

    5. Return to a boil, stirring constantly, and after a minimum of 5 minutes, start testing for the jelly stage. If it is not ready yet, keep boiling and stirring constantly, checking every minute. Note: Timing of this will vary based on altitude, and also the quantity and ratio of juice/sugar in your pot. (See below). When I made this recipe in Southern Ontario, it took less time to reach the jell stage, than when I made it here in Northern Ontario, because the location at sea level affects the boiling point, (which in turn affects the jell stage).

    6. Once the jelly stage has been reached, remove pot from heat, and lightly skim off any remaining foam.

    Testing for the Jelly Stage:

    If you have a candy thermometer, the optimal temperature for jelly to set is 220 degrees fahrenheit, or 8 degrees fahrenheit above the boiling point of water if you are at sea level.

    Note: For every 1000 feet above sea level, subtract 2 degrees fahrenheit to reach the stage for the jelly to set.

    For example, at 1,000 feet above sea level, the setting stage is 218 degrees fahrenheit. At 2,000 feet above sea level, the setting stage is 216 degrees fahrenheit, etc.

    If you don’t have a candy thermometer, you can use a few items in your kitchen to check with every minute or so after it has been boiling with sugar for 5 minutes. I have made jelly with each of these methods, but my favourite one is using a spoon.

    • Fork: Dip a fork into the boiling jelly and lift up vertically. The jelly will have a few drips then start to clump together within the spokes of the fork.
    • Spoon: Dip a spoon into the boiling jelly and lift up horizontally. The jelly will have a drip or two then start to hold in place.
    • Cold plate: Keep a few small saucers or ceramic plates in your freezer until you are ready to test. Spoon a tiny dab onto one of the cold plates and tilt the place horizontally to see if the dab of jelly starts to run. If it holds in place, then the jelly is done. If it runs, then wait another minute or so then test on another cold plate.

    Stage 3 Directions: Water Bath

    1. With canning tongs, pull out a few jars from the oven and make sure all supplies are ready for the canning stage.
    2. Carefully ladle the hot crabapple liquid into the jars through the funnel.

    3. Gently stir each of the filled jars with a non-metallic utensil.

    4. Wipe the tops of the filled jars with a clean/wet paper towel.

    5. Put a warm canning lid on each one, pressing down while you twist on a screw band. Only tight enough to hold in place.

    6. With canning tongs, put into water bath canner. When all the jars are filled and inside, return water to a boil.

    7. Process jars in the water bath for 10 minutes, at sea level. See note below for altitudes above 1,000 feet.

    8. Lift jars from canner, being careful not to tilt. Place on towel-covered baking sheet and wait for the jar lids to start to “pop” as they naturally vacuum seal over the next little while.

    9. When lids have finished “popping”, without lifting the jars you can gently remove the screw bands and wipe off any excess water.

    10. Let sit for 24 hours undisturbed so the jelly can finish setting.

    11. Store at room temperature for 12-18 months, refrigerate after opening.

    12. Makes about 2 pints.

    Water Bath Canner: Altitude Adjustments

    Altitude in Feet:Altitude in Meters:Increase Processing Time
    1,001-3,000306-9155 minutes
    3,001-6,000916-1,83010 minutes
    6,001-8,0001,831-2,44015 minutes
    8,001-10,0002,441-3,05020 minutes

    More Great Ideas for Your Homemade Pantry!

    Hi, I’m Jessie!

    I’m a Wife and Homeschooling Mom living in a remote town in Northern Ontario, Canada. I love making wholesome meals for my family from scratch, homeschooling our girls and learning more about natural living.

    Read more about my story HERE.

    Subscribe to Northbird’s email list to get weekly posts on: tasty recipes, activity ideas for kids, natural living tips, and some genuine mom thoughts and encouragement!

    It’s Harvest Season!

    Recent posts from Northbird:

    How to Make Crabapple Jelly

    • Servings: About 2 pints
    • Difficulty: Medium
    • Print

    Preserve the fresh taste of summer crabapples with this delicious homemade Crabapple Jelly Recipe (no added pectin), step-by-step instructions and visuals included for the beginner canner.


    Supplies Needed:

  • Water bath canner
  • Canning tongs
  • Canning funnel
  • Canning jars, lids and rings
  • Paper towel
  • Non-metallic utensil
  • Juice strainer or fine mesh colander
  • Stock pot
  • Measuring cups
  • Paring knife
  • Bowls
  • Candy thermometer
  • Spoon


    • Ingredients

  • Fresh crabapples
  • Cold water
  • Granulated sugar


    • Stage 1 Directions: Making the Juice

    1. Wash crabapples in cold water and remove any bad ones.
    2. With paring knife, cut off stem and blossom ends, and cut in half. Put prepared pieces in large stock pot.
    3. Add cold water to pot until you can see the water through the top layer of apples. Too much water will result in more watery jelly and might have trouble setting, and not enough water might make it too thick or the apples might burn while cooking down!
    4. Cook for several minutes on medium, stirring frequently until you can mush the apples easily with a spoon.
    5. Remove from heat and let it cool while you set up to strain the juice.
    6. Carefully scoop out the cooked crabapples and let the juice slowly drain through a canning strainer. ***Do not squeeze the bag! See notes above.
    7. Leave for several hours or overnight to fully drain through. You can discard the remaining pulp or push it through into a separate bowl to make some crabapple sauce.
    8. After your juice has been collected, you can either store it in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or start the canning process below.

    Stage 2 Directions: Cooking the Jelly

    1. Before you start, begin by prepping and setting up for the canning process.
    2. Clean your glass jars, lids and rings in hot soapy water and rinse thoroughly. Place jars upside down on a clean tea-towel covered baking sheet. Place in the oven, preheat oven to 180 degrees fahrenheit.
    3. Place cleaned lids in a small saucepan and put on low/med on the stove.
    4. Set out: canning tongs, paper towel, ladle spoon, non-metallic utensil, tongs or magnetic lid lifter, and lid rings.
    5. Fill large water bath canner with cold water and set on stove, cover with lid. Bring to a boil then turn to low to simmer until ready.
    6. Measure out prepared juice into large saucepan. The amount will depend on your pot size, I usually start with 4 cups.
    7. Boil the strained clear juice for 5 minutes, stirring frequently and skimming the foam off as needed.
    8. Add sugar: The general rule is 3/4-1 cup of sugar per 1 cup of juice. So if you start with 4 cups of juice, you will need to add between 3-4 cups of sugar. This is based on personal preference of desired taste (how sweet you want your jelly to be!).
    9. Return to a boil, stirring constantly, and after a minimum of 5 minutes, start testing for the jelly stage. If it is not ready yet, keep boiling and stirring constantly, checking every minute. Note: Timing of this will vary based on altitude, and also the quantity and ratio of juice/sugar in your pot. For more information on testing the jelly stage (with and without a thermometer), see notes above.
    10. Once the jelly stage has been reached, remove pot from heat, and lightly skim off any remaining foam.

    Stage 3 Directions: Water Bath

    1. With canning tongs, pull out a few jars from the oven and make sure all supplies are ready for the canning stage.
    2. Carefully ladle the hot crabapple liquid into the jars through the funnel.
    3. Gently stir each of the filled jars with a non-metallic utensil.
    4. Wipe the tops of the filled jars with a clean/wet paper towel.
    5. Put a warm canning lid on each one, pressing down while you twist on a screw band. Only tight enough to hold in place.
    6. With canning tongs, put into water bath canner. When all the jars are filled and inside, return water to a boil.
    7. Process jars in the water bath for 10 minutes, at sea level. See note above for altitudes above 1,000 feet.
    8. Lift jars from canner, being careful not to tilt. Place on towel-covered baking sheet and wait for the jar lids to start to “pop” as they naturally vacuum seal over the next little while.
    9. When lids have finished “popping”, without lifting the jars you can gently remove the screw bands and wipe off any excess water.
    10. Let sit for 24 hours undisturbed so the jelly can finish setting.
    11. Store at room temperature for 12-18 months, refrigerate after opening.

    Nutrition


    Per 1 serving: 94 calories; 0 g fat; 24 g carbohydrates;
    0 g protein.

    Return to Top

    How to Dehydrate Celery for Flavorful Recipes

    Northbird1 Comment

    Find Northbird on social media:

    This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read my full disclosure HERE.

    Jump to Recipe Card

    We love eating celery throughout the winter months, and frequently use it for making soups, stir frys, curries, stocks, sauces and stews.

    When I started learning how to dehydrate vegetables, celery quickly became a favourite item and I always made sure to dehydrate lots of celery to store up for winter cooking.

    I find that dehydrated celery has a wonderful flavour and is one of my favourite staples to use particularly when making chicken stock.

    Can You Dehydrate Multiple Vegetables at the Same Time?

    We use a Excalibur Food Dehydrator, which has 9 large trays! So sometimes I have a small amount of one vegetable that must be dried and I end up filling the rest of the trays with a few other vegetables with a similar drying time and temperature.

    For example, during a recent trip to a grocery store I discovered several marked down bags of organic celery and oodles of parsnips (my favourite). Their blemishes earning them a 50%off badge? A few wrinkles! (Or in other words: already starting to dry/dehydrate!)

    After prepping both of these on several different trays I also cut up a few carrots that I had on hand to fill up the remaining 2 trays.

    Here is a basic guide for a few vegetables that have similar temperatures and drying times:

    VegetablePre-Treatment (Optional)TemperatureDrying Times
    BeetsBoil/Steam to cook through & peel.125 degrees F10-12 Hours
    CarrotsSteam blanch125 degrees F10-12 Hours
    CeleryWater blanch125 degrees F6-8 Hours
    OnionsN/A125 degrees F4-8 Hours
    ParsnipsWater or steam blanch125 degrees F8-10 Hours
    ZucchiniN/A125 degrees F8-10 Hours

    How Long Does Dehydrated Celery Last?

    Dehydrated celery and other fruits and vegetables are a great item to keep in your pantry because of the natural shelf life they give if properly stored.

    Most sources suggest around two years for best results, but I have heard of a few folks that use oxygen absorbers inside their mason jars that extend the shelf life by many years further.

    For long term storage, put your dehydrated celery bits in an airtight container (such as a jar) in your pantry for a week, and give the jar a shake once a day, checking for any missed moisture before storing in a cooler, dry location.

    If some moisture is spotted within this time, just put back in the dehydrator to dry a little longer. If any mold is noticed within the week, toss it all out and don’t risk eating. I tend to over-dry instead of under-dry, because of being paranoid of mold.

    Can You Dehydrate Celery in the Oven?

    I have not personally dehydrated celery in the oven, but from what I have researched, it is very easy to do so.

    The process is the same as with a dehydrator, but you would put the celery slices on a parchment-covered baking sheet. If you have more than one baking sheet, arrange the larger pieces on one sheet, and put the smaller pieces on another. (The smaller pieces will dry out faster so can be removed earlier).

    Then put on the middle oven rack with a preheated temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit (or the lowest temperature your oven has). Bake for 2-3 hours or until the pieces are dry and brittle.

    You can turn and stir the pieces around on the tray a couple of times during this time. The pieces are done when they can be snapped in half, not bent.

    Oven drying is a quicker process, but you will need a little more patience and keep a close eye on the small pieces to see that they don’t burn.

    How to Cook Dehydrated Celery:

    We love using dehydrated celery in crockpot soups, stews and curries. You can also blend up the dried celery bits to make celery powder for seasoning dishes.

    1 stalk of raw celery is roughly equal to 1 heaping tablespoon of dehydrated celery (or approximately 4 grams).

    If I am making a crockpot dinner dish, then I’ll just add the dried celery straight to the main mix and let it simmer and rehydrate while cooking. If I am making a dish on the stove that does not require much cooking time, then I will usually put the dried celery in a dish of water for a few minutes first to rehydrate it prior to cooking.

    Here are a couple Northbird recipes to use dehydrated celery in:

    How to Dehydrate Celery

    Supplies Needed:

    Ingredients:

    • Fresh celery

    Directions:

    1. Cut the ends off and wash well. If the celery is not organic, you may want to consider washing in a water and vinegar vegetable bath to help remove any pesticide field sprays. (Fill a large bowl with cold water and add a few tablespoons of white vinegar. Soak the celery for a minute and wash, rinse off)

    2. Cut into slices 1/8”-1/4″ thick.

    3. Optional Pre-treatment: You can blanch the celery slices briefly by putting them in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute then putting them in a bowl of ice water.

    4. Spread out slices on dehydrator trays without touching. I recommend putting smaller pieces on one tray and larger ones on another, that way the smaller pieces will be done drying sooner and can be removed.

    5. Set dehydrator temperature to 125 degrees fahrenheit, and set timer for 6-8 hours. Depending on the humidity in the room, they may take longer to dry.

    6. When crispy and fully dry, put into airtight container (I use 1 Litre glass jars) and store in a cool, dry place.

    Note: For long term storage, keep accessible in a dry place and monitor for a week. Give the jar a shake once a day, checking for any missed moisture before storing in a cooler, dry location.

    If some moisture is spotted within this time, just put back in the dehydrator to dry a little longer. If any mold is noticed within the week, toss it all out and don’t risk eating.

    Best to use within 1 year as long as they are dried fully and stored properly.

    Coming Soon! “Just Add Water: Veggie Soup Mix”, featuring all dehydrated vegetables, split peas and spices.

    More Great Ideas for Your Homemade Pantry!

    Hi, I’m Jessie!

    I’m a Wife and Homeschooling Mom living in a remote town in Northern Ontario, Canada. I love making wholesome meals for my family from scratch, homeschooling our girls and learning more about natural living.

    Read more about my story HERE.

    Subscribe to Northbird’s email list to get weekly posts on: tasty recipes, activity ideas for kids, natural living tips, and some genuine mom thoughts and encouragement!

    Recent posts from Northbird:

    How to Dehydrate Celery

    • Servings: 2 Litre Jars
    • Difficulty: Easy
    • Print

    A Winter Pantry Staple for Your Kitchen


    Supplies Needed

  • Dehydrator
  • Knife
  • Cutting board
  • Colander
  • Airtight container (I use 1L glass jars)
  • Oxygen Absorbers (Optional)


    • Ingredients

    • Fresh Celery

    Directions

    1. Cut the ends off and wash well. If the celery is not organic, you may want to consider washing in a water and vinegar vegetable bath to help remove any pesticide field sprays. (Fill a large bowl with cold water and add a few tablespoons of white vinegar. Soak the celery for a minute and wash, rinse off)
    2. Cut into slices 1/8”-1/4″ thick.
    3. Optional Pre-treatment: You can blanch the celery slices briefly by putting them in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute then putting them in a bowl of ice water.
    4. Spread out on dehydrator trays without touching. I recommend putting smaller pieces on one tray and larger ones on another, that way the smaller pieces will be done drying sooner and can be removed.
    5. Set dehydrator temperature to 125 degrees fahrenheit, and set timer for 6-8 hours. Depending on the humidity in the room, they may take longer to dry.
    6. When crispy and fully dry, put into airtight container (I use 1 Litre glass jars) and store in a cool, dry place.
      7. – Additional Note: For long term storage, keep accessible in a dry place and monitor for a week. Give the jar a shake once a day, checking for any missed moisture before storing in a cooler, dry location. If some moisture is spotted within this time, just put back in the dehydrator to dry a little longer. If any mold is noticed within the week, toss it all out and don’t risk eating. Best to use within 1 year as long as they are dried fully and stored properly.

    Nutrition


    Per 1 Cup: 200 calories; 10 g fat; 20 g carbohydrates;
    8 g protein.

    Return to Top