So it didn't turnout/seal. No need to toss.

[averytds]

My 1st batch of pear sauce had more seal failures than seals and had gritty bits in it. (Probably from under ripe/mature pears.) Toss in compost, trash, feed to chickens? All that work for nothing?

No prob. I tossed them in the freezer for now and will use them instead of applesauce in reduced sugar baking, smoothies or kitchen sink muffins. I swear you can toss all kinds of stuff in them. It won't take up freezer space for long.

Mushy pickles. Let them take a quick spin in the food processor and add them to other stuff. Mix them in with your hamburger meat. Gourmet seasoned patties are the rage around here right now. Add them to your potato, tuna, chicken and pasta salads. My GMs secret ingredient for her potato salad is dill pickle juice.

Runny jelly. Remake it or add to baking. Cakes, kitchen sink muffins, pancake batter. Yes pancake batter. McDs calls them McGriddles. And they only have 1 flavor.

Salsa I made that not only still failed to seal the second time (yes I have a sauce/lid failure prob) but also got a tad overprocessed. Believe it or not it's great meat seasoning.

Get creative, ask for ideas. Even if nothings wrong with the product, it turned out beautifully, you or fam just don't care for it. Why let all your hard work go to waste.

 

[OaklandCityFarmer]

Good to know! Nice to see that there is still hopes to those little mishaps.

Thanks!

 

[Grow 4 Food]

if you look at Mrs Sienfelds cookbook it tells you where you can put a lot of those things "unnoticed" if they are those types that you can't get the family to eat. Example we put a cup of chopped to almost nothing brocoli in our spagetti and no one can tell (DS is big time picky and doesn't do green anything).

 

[Dace]

Yep you are right on the money! My goal for this summer was to learn how to can.

First I made strawberry Lemonade concentrate...turned out way more berry than lemony...lesson learned: TASTE before canning ! Duh! Now when I mix it up I squeeze in an extra lemon and throw lemon wedges into the pitcher. Yum

Second thing I made was apricot jam with no pectin. Tastes wonderful but is pretty soft...no problem, my neighbors kids eat it on the morning waffles like syrup!

3rd was the salsa that I made with heirloom tomatoes from the farmers market...just couldn't let the canner sit cold for too long not fond of the flavor and texture, but throw in a little fresh Chile, cilantro and lime and it is great!

Last was my mushy pickles. Will try again and I figure I can always add these chopped up into various recipes that call for pickles, we just won't be enjoying them plain!

Every challenge or mishap is really an opportunity to try something new! I have had a great time playing with my canner even though nothing has gone quite according to my plan

 

[averytds]

Example we put a cup of chopped to almost nothing brocoli in our spagetti and no one can tell (DS is big time picky and doesn't do green anything).

That's the kind of thing I do with the kitchen sink muffins. My kids would never eat them if they knew of even half the stuff I've tossed in them. Like the cereals they've begged for then wouldn't eat. The other half of the apple, banana or whatever they don't eat. No matter how small, DD only eats half.

I do the same with soups in the winter. They never notice the little bits of this and that. LOL

 

[vfem]

Oh this is fantastic to find!!!! I am queen of try and fail. Canning is on my list for next year. Don't want to waste around here. Comes in handy in bad times.

I'd like to dry some berries next year for my biscotti recipes. ALL orgainic.

 

[Grow 4 Food]

What exactly is a kitchen sink muffin?

 

[Seahound]

Im wondering what a kitchen sink muffin is too?

 

[averytds]

A kitchen sink muffin is just a plain muffin recipe that's had various stuff tossed into it. Anything you want to add, do it. Just try and keep a muffin batter consistency. You can toss in anything you want, everything but the kitchen sink.

I started with cereal muffins because I won't let the kids have more than 2 boxes of cereal open at a time. So if there was one they decided they didn't like or those boxes with only a little left, it would just sit there. They'd eat the other box and open a new one. Drove me nuts.

Then I started dicing up and adding the halves of fruit my DD didn't eat. They're great for breakfasts and snacks.

Dinners where there would be a couple spoonfuls of corn, peas, etc, left or leftover mac and cheese, whatever I knew if I put it in the fridge would never get eaten, I'd toss that in and have them as the bread with dinner the next night.

HTHs