# Ball - Bruschetta in a Jar - Opinions



## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

There is a recipe for "Bruschetta in a Jar" in the Ball Book. Has anyone made it? What did you use it for when you opened the jars - just bruschetta? Or other things?


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## Ms.Lilly (Jun 23, 2008)

Can't wait to see the responses. I was also looking at this recipe and thought "what would I use this for?"


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

would you post the recipe?? Its not in the older book


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

http://www.freshpreserving.com/recipe.aspx?r=78


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## Bat Farm (Apr 21, 2010)

We make this every year and love it. We use as just bruschetta. It's a great finger food for company. I like to add a little olive oil once a jar is opened and sometimes I heat it up a little too. It is good with fresh crusty bread (like french or Italian -both supper easy with the bread machine making the dough).

People who don't make their own bread or can are always very impressed  There is never any left when we have people over. If it is just us, we will keep the open jar in the fridge and warm some up when we want it.


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## blynn (Oct 16, 2006)

Yum, what kind of wine do you use?


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## Bat Farm (Apr 21, 2010)

We use Bandit brand Chardonnay (it's a small yellow box). I try to keep one in the fridge at all times for cooking. Its crisp so it works with pretty much any recipe that calls for white wine, keeps a long time in the box, and it cheap (like me )  

Red wine we can keep a bottle of because we'll drink that as well as cook with it.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

I haven't made this exact recipe, but I've used bruschetta spreads for all sorts of things other than just on crostini. Like it's Hispanic counterpart, salsa, you can use it as a relish-type condiment for just about anything. I make an Eggs "Benedictine" with proscuitto and bruschetta spread instead of ham and hollandaise. It works great in sandwiches and wraps - especially panini or grilled mozzerella. I've even used it to top grilled fish.


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## susieneddy (Sep 2, 2011)

beaglebiz said:


> would you post the recipe?? Its not in the older book


we have the new book and couldn't find it in it 

Eddy


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

susieneddy said:


> we have the new book and couldn't find it in it
> 
> Eddy


Should be on pg 223


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## susieneddy (Sep 2, 2011)

PlicketyCat said:


> Should be on pg 223


hmmm, our book only goes to page 128. Our book is called Ball Blue Book Guide To Preserving. Must be another book that we don't know about 

I went to Ball's site and noticed there is a 100th Anniversary book. Ours doesn't say that..darn


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## Canning Girl (Jan 13, 2010)

Ball Bruschetta in a Jar

5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
9 cups chopped, cored plum tomatoes

Combine all ingredients except tomatoes in saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat, cover and boil gently for 5 min. Remove from heat.

Pack tomatoes into jars to within 1/2 inch of top. Ladle hot vinegar mixture into jar to cover tomatoes, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Place lids on jars.

BWB 20 minutes.


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## blynn (Oct 16, 2006)

http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Complete...1314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315786495&sr=8-1

I think this is the book they're referring to. This is the one I have, at any rate. And I know it has that recipe in it. (Not sure which page offhand.)


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

There are 2 Ball Books. The Ball Blue Book of Preserving, which is kinda like a thick magazine. Then there is the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, which Blynn linked to. It is on page 223 of this book. I linked to the recipe in post #4, and Cannign Girl nicely typed out the recipe in post #12


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## susieneddy (Sep 2, 2011)

blynn said:


> http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Complete...1314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315786495&sr=8-1
> 
> I think this is the book they're referring to. This is the one I have, at any rate. And I know it has that recipe in it. (Not sure which page offhand.)


thanks for the link, that got Susie drooling :happy2:


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## susieneddy (Sep 2, 2011)

Canning Girl said:


> Ball Bruschetta in a Jar
> 
> 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
> 1 cup dry white wine
> ...


Thanks for the recipe. The only thing we would do differently is to use fresh basil and oregano.


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## blynn (Oct 16, 2006)

It's a great book, I use it for most everything I make. 

I think that switching to fresh herbs would be really good for making it fresh, but the taste might not hold up as well for canning. 

I know I have a bunch of purple basil I need to do something with soon, wonder how purple basil jelly would go? Would be an interesting color if nothing else.


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

One of the rules of canning is that you can't substitute fresh herbs for dry herbs in a recipe. It could mess up the ph.


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## susieneddy (Sep 2, 2011)

PixieLou said:


> One of the rules of canning is that you can't substitute fresh herbs for dry herbs in a recipe. It could mess up the ph.


Thank you for the canning tip regarding substitutions. I've read that but keep forgetting. It's not easy for me to refrain from putting my own spin on a recipe.

We made pesto out of our red rubin basil which we froze for future use.

Susie


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

PixieLou said:


> One of the rules of canning is that you can't substitute fresh herbs for dry herbs in a recipe. It could mess up the ph.


Really? I couldn't find that factoid in any of my canning books or in the USDA canning guide. There's a bunch of warnings not to increase the amount of vegetable seasonings in a recipe (i.e. onion, garlic, peppers) but I didn't see anything about subbing fresh herbs for dry. In fact, many recipes don't even state whether the herbs or spices are dry or fresh; and many recipes specifically note that you can change seasonings (except actual veggies) without affecting safety.

If you have a link or a reference to the no fresh herb substitutions, can you post it so I can look it up?


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## Packedready (Mar 29, 2011)

If you use fresh herbs, you have to use a lot more and the taste is altered and remember it is a water bath, stick for the recipe.


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## girlwithasword (Aug 10, 2009)

i actually did not like this recipe as bruschetta, but that could just me. i did, however, love it over hot pasta with some feta cheese, and I also loved it pureed and used as pizza sauce.


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## blynn (Oct 16, 2006)

susieneddy said:


> Thank you for the canning tip regarding substitutions. I've read that but keep forgetting. It's not easy for me to refrain from putting my own spin on a recipe.
> 
> Susie


I have that same problem. When I'm making stuff that I am not canning, I find it near impossible to stick to a recipe 100%. But, the most I will do with canning recipes is leave certain types of seasonings out. Like cilantro or cumin in salsa recipes, because my husband hates those. Often times I'll half the amount of cloves in other recipes, because ours are very strong tasting, and cloves tastes funny (to me at least) in canned stuff if it's been on the shelf for a while. I made peach pie filling last month, and left all of the spices out completely for that very reason. I will just season as I use them.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Packedready said:


> If you use fresh herbs, you have to use a lot more and the taste is altered and remember it is a water bath, stick for the recipe.


Normal conversion is 1 dry = 3 fresh, which isn't really "a lot" more. Yes, the flavor is slightly different, but that's not a safety issue. I'm not seeing how using fresh instead of dry is going to change the pH, since the only difference is the fresh still has it's water in it, which really doesn't change much overall since you cook this down before you can it.

I'm all for sticking to a recipe if there is a safety issue, but I don't see the safety issue here. If you can find a source for the warning, please provide a link so I can see what the concern is.


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## susieneddy (Sep 2, 2011)

PixieLou said:


> One of the rules of canning is that you can't substitute fresh herbs for dry herbs in a recipe. It could mess up the ph.


I googled this today: Can you use fresh herbs instead of dried herbs when canning"

it is amazing how many canning sites are having this discussion but yet no one can find a statement saying you can't.

Also most of the sites were discussing this particular recipe.

Eddy


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Even on this recipe's page it says you can't increase/decrease the proportions of vegetable seasonings (onion,garlic & peppers) although you can substitute more of one for the other or a different kind of pepper; but it says nothing about the herbs other than you can add/delete or substitute to taste. You'd think if using fresh herbs instead of dry was a safety issue, they'd have called it out right there with all the rest of the warnings.


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## Packedready (Mar 29, 2011)

It probably is safe, I have used fresh basil and other herbs that I grow in pasta sauces thinking that it would taste better - it didn't, the dried herbs taste better - I know it is hard to believe but as it sat in the jars it wasn't as good.


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## susieneddy (Sep 2, 2011)

blynn said:


> http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Complete...1314/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315786495&sr=8-1
> 
> I think this is the book they're referring to. This is the one I have, at any rate. And I know it has that recipe in it. (Not sure which page offhand.)


we just ordered this book last night along with a dehydrating book. We dehydrate a lot of foods and meals to take backpacking with us

Eddy


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

I've always been taught that herbs are low acid ingredients and should be treated in the same manner as other low acid ingredients. You do not increase the amount in a recipe and you do not substitute one for another in a recipe. When herbs have been dried, all of the moisture has been removed, which I was taught removes the botulism risk. Supposedly this is why you can add any dried herb to a recipe without issue.

In a quick internet search, all I could come up with is the statement that herbs need to be thoroughly washed and dried before storing in oil to reduce the botulism risk.

Now I agree with PlickityCat - and I personally think the risk is minimal in substituting fresh for dried in this recipe. And I also agree with Packedready - that the taste may not be the same. And I'm not quite sure I agree with the practice of being able to add unlimited dried herbs to a recipe - not that someone would add 6 cups of dried basil to this or any recipe, but somewhere along the line wouldn't too many dried herbs change the density of the recipe? And I've never been under the impression that the canning people make their recommendations with the assumption that we cannign folk use common sense.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Some fresh herbs do react badly to canning and get more bitter than their dried counterpart which probably has to do with more potent volatile oils. Sage and rosemary jump to mind, although you have to be careful not to over do those dried too, just not as careful. 

I used fresh herbs when I made my pasta sauces, salsas and bruschetta spreads since everything pretty much came up in the garden en masse all at once. But I only used the same amount as the dry called for in the recipe when I intended to can them instead of tripling it like I would if I was going to eat it fresh. So far, I haven't noticed anything tasting horrible or really "off". 

However, I don't recommend adding more than a tiny pinch of sage or rosemary (fresh o dried!) to any sausage you want to can, because that ends up tasting like you've licked an old crusty battery! Clove, anise and cinnamon can do some weird stuff too.


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

Question for the people who have made this recipe - do you peel the tomatoes? The recipes seems to imply that you do not - you only chop them. I'm concerned that the peel could turn leathery or papery during processing.

I just got 60 lbs of romas, so plan on making this tomorrow or tuesday. If I don't have to peel these tomatoes - it will jump a bit higher on my processing list.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

I nearly always peel any tomatoes that aren't going to be sent through the food mill to remove or pulverize the skins in the end. Leathery strings of skin makes most recipes unpalatable for me (I'm a bit freaky on weird textures), and the skins can also sometimes be a bitter mouthful.

If you don't want to peel 60 lbs of tomatoes for this recipe, or for a salsa, you can puree or mill the cooked tomatoes rather than having them be chunky. It's a different texture, but just as tasty... with no stringy, leathery bits of skin to worry about. Whirring them through the food processor or mill would probably take less time than peeling them all


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

Thanks Plickety Cat. This recipe will now wait until Tuesday or Wednesday when I peel the rest of the tomatoes for sauce. I'll deal with the 40 lbs of pears and 20 lbs of peaches first.


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

I finally made this. We better like it since I had to go to my local frou frou grocery store to buy the wine and white wine vinegar, plus I was all out of balsamic. I spent $28 on the wine and vinegar alone.


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## blynn (Oct 16, 2006)

PixieLou said:


> I finally made this. We better like it since I had to go to my local frou frou grocery store to buy the wine and white wine vinegar, plus I was all out of balsamic. I spent $28 on the wine and vinegar alone.


28 dollars, ouch! 

I thought of making this one, but ended up not doing it cause I'd have to buy the wine and the white wine vinegar. Have about seven other types of vinegar in the house, but not the one I needed.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

Since we're not big drinkers at our house, I normally stock up on the cheap 4-pk pony bottles for cooking whenever they're on sale. It's drinkable, but not excellent, so I don't feel too bad cooking with it. There's no way I could use up a full 750ml bottle of wine unless I was making *a lot* of sauces at once. Many of my recipes call for red and white wine vinegars, so I normally have those on hand anyway... but some of them can get really expensive if you go to the frou frou stores rather than a regular grocery store. The only wine, vinegars and oils that I shell out more for quality are ones I'm going to consume uncooked otherwise it's just a waste of money IMO. Like Cold Pressed EVOO is for salads and drizzling, not cooking; if you're going to cook with olive oil save yourself 2/3 the price and get regular grade olive oil since the heat damages it anyway.


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## Packedready (Mar 29, 2011)

Plicketycat foodsaver has wine stoppers that you can vacume seal the bottle of wine. We do that all the time.


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## PlicketyCat (Jul 14, 2010)

We got a couple of those vac-stoppers when we purchased our unit. They work pretty well if you're going to use whites in 1-3 months and reds in 3-6 months, but we still found that the wine eventually started tasting weird. Maybe our stopper's are damaged??


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## Packedready (Mar 29, 2011)

Plicketycat

I don't drink the wine after sealing unless it is in the first week or two, but I think it is ok to cook with - no weird taste in the food. If when you pull the cork it pops it is sealed


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## Bat Farm (Apr 21, 2010)

The little boxes of wine are excellent for cooking. I pay $3 for the white we use and it lasts forever in the fridge.


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