Today's recipe... Remember... Disclaimer: Some folks don't always follow updated USDA canning methods, they may live in another country where the standards are not the same, they may use heirloom methods passed down through the generations, they may choose other canning methods not recommended. Use this recipe at your own discretion, or adapt it to your own method. I am sharing these recipes EXACTLY as they were sent to me and take NO responsibility for them.

Why do we see different Amish customs from community to community?

There is no central governing body for the Amish Church. Therefore, each congregation is left to answer these questions of policy on their own. Inevitably, solutions to identical issues vary from church to church.

Over a long period of time, differences in Amish customs have developed across the whole spectrum of Amish communities and individual congregations.

This explains why you see different types of dress, styles of beards, and different appearance of the horse and buggies as you travel throughout Amish country.

Although customs may differ from church to church they are still easily recognizable as “Amish customs." Traditions help the Amish preserve their identity and stay separate from the world.

Today's recipe... Remember... Disclaimer: The Amish don't always follow updated USDA canning methods, they follow methods passed down from generation to generation. Use this recipe at your own discretion, or adapt it to your own method. I am sharing these recipes EXACTLY as they were sent to me and take no responsibility for them.

I needed AN orange for a recipe I was making, but when I was at the grocery store, I just couldn't see paying a dollar for ONE orange when I could get a whole bag of them for $5! So I bought the bag of oranges and used one in my recipe... I had like 13 left! What to do?

I dug through my recipes and found a yummy sounding recipe... Oranges in Cointreau... Why not?

Here's what I did...

First, I made a spice bag (using a coffee filter, you can also use the traditional cheesecloth) with...

10 whole cloves
5 cinnamon sticks, broken in half

I tied the spices up in my coffee filter using a twist tie.

In my large stainless steel saucepan, I combined...

3-1/2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water



Then I dropped in my spice bag...


 ... and brought this mixture to a boil over medium high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. I reduced the heat and boiled the mixture gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then removed and discarded the spice bag.

Meanwhile I trimmed, sliced, and seeded 9 navel oranges (about 1/8 inch slices) then I cut the slices in half (because these were pretty big oranges).



I added the oranges to the sugar/water mixture, along with



3/4 cup Cointreau (if you can't find Cointreau, Triple Sec, Grand Marnier, or other orange liqueur may be used)



1/2 cup dry white wine (I used Chardonnay)



 Over medium-low heat, I brought the mixture slowly back to a boil, occasionally stirring gently so as not to damage the orange slices. Once it came to a boil, I removed the pot from the heat.



 Using a slotted spoon, I carefully packed the hot orange slices loosely in layers, in my hot, sterilized pint jars (you could also use half pint jars) to within a generous half inch of the top of the jar.



 I then ladled hot syrup (from the orange mixture in the saucepan) into the jar to cover the orange slices, leaving a half inch headspace. I removed any air bubbles, wiped the jar rims with a damp cloth, and tightened my lids on to fingertip tightness.

I processed the jars in a boiling water bath, ensuring they were completely covered with water. I brought the water to a boil and processed the jars for 15 minutes.

After processing, I removed the jars from the canner using my jar lifter and set them on a folded dish towel on the counter to cool and to listen for the PING of each successfully sealed jar.

This delicious fruity concoction is wonderful spooned over ice cream or pound cake, or the orange slices can be used as an edible garnish and the leftover juice used to sweeten beverages... and let me tell you, the syrup is SO SO yummy... I had a little left over and just canned one jar of juice alone!


This recipe makes about eight 8-ounce jars. (I had a few extra oranges and canned in pints, so ended up with six pints plus one pint of just syrup)

For a printable copy of this recipe, click here.

There's nothing more refreshing in the heat and humidity of a Southern summer than a tall, cool glass of Lemon Squash (the British term for Lemonade, I just LOVE the name!)... unless, of course, it's Orange Squash... takes me back to the days of going to the mall for an Orange Julius, my favorite refreshment when I was a teenager.

Combining the Britishness and the Deep South, I canned up my own Orange Squash Concentrate to have on hand on those sweltering summer days.

Here's what I did...

Extracts are easier than I could ever have imagined to make... why on earth have I been paying so much for those tiny little one ounce bottles of lemon or orange extract when I could have been making my own?

I didn't know!

I started reading and searching and found a few super simple recipes for extracts.

Here's how I did it...

First, wash half pint canning jars and sterilize them by either boiling them in water or if your dishwasher gets as hot as mine does, just wash them up in it and keep them hot. Simmer jar lids and rings in water for 10 minutes or so. You always want to start out with clean, sterilized jars and lids.

The ingredients for extracts are pretty simple...
For lemon, I used
2 lemons
1 cup vodka

For orange
1 orange
1 cup vodka

To prepare...
Use a vegetable peeler and peel the fruit (just the colored part, try not to get any of the bitter white part of the peel)

Peel two lemons

Peel one orange

Place the peelings in a half-pint canning jar (you won't fill the jar or pack tightly, just put them in the jar).

Then fill the jar with vodka up to about a half inch from the rim.

Tighten the lid on and give the jar a shake.

There's no need to heat or seal the jars, just keep the lid on so the liquid doesn't evaporate.




Store the jars in a cool, dark place, giving them a shake once a day. You will have lemon or orange extract in about six weeks. After six weeks or so, you can strain the fruit peel pieces from the liquid and discard... but you don't have to... it will continue to strengthen the longer it sits. The extract will last pretty much indefinitely, especially if it's stored in a cool, dark place.

Add vodka, filling to within about a half inch of the rim.

Orange and Lemon Extract