Traditional New Year's Recipes from the Past.

These are traditional recipes that my fath, grandfather and great grandfather used on the farms in eastern and western in Ohio from 1840 through 1940.

New Year's Greens

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lb Turnip Greens
• 1 lb Collard Greens
• 1 lb Dandelion or Mustard Greens
• 1 lb Kale
• 1 cup Chopped onion
• 4 Garlic cloves, minced coarse
• 2 Tablespoon chopped fresh, or dried, Ginger <OR> Dried Mustard
• 2 teaspoon hot pepper flakes or chopped hot red pepper
• 4 Tbl oil or lard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper or more to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash all the greens well to remove any sand and dirt.
2. Remove stems and any discolored spots in the greens.
3. Tear greens into pieces.
4. Using a cast iron skillet, stir fry onions, garlic, ginger and red pepper in hot oil, bacon grease or lard for 1 minute until tender-crisp.
5. Stir in salt and pepper.
6. Add greens and stir fry 2 minutes.
7. Cover in a large cooking pot and cook 3 minutes or until wilted.
8. Yield: 8 servings.

Apple Cider and Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce [from your own orchards and bogs]

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ lb fresh Cranberries
• 2 Cups homemade Apple Cider
• 2 Cup sugar
• 3 Cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 cup Water

DIRECTIONS

• Pour your homemade apple cider and the water over medium-high heat in a large cooking pot.
• Add the whole cinnamon sticks.
• Add the sugar and stir the mixture until the sugar is dissolved.
• Bring the pot to the point where bubbles begin to break the surface of the mixture, but not to a full rolling boil.
• At this point, quickly add the cranberries and immediately turn down the heat to medium-low or low and simmer.
• Stir occasionally until about one quarter of your cranberries have burst. His will take about 10 minutes.
• Remove the cranberry sauce from the heat and let cool to room temperature.
• Place the cranberry sauce into the refrigerator and chill overnight to allow flavors to marry.

Dandelion Jelly

INGREDIENTS

This recipe is made in the spring and summer and used year around, but it was a special treat on New Year's, along with homemade apple butter that cooked in an iron pot out back of the farm house.

• 1 Quart [4 Cups] Dandelion Blossoms for 5 8-oz jars of jelly
• 2 Tbl fresh lemon juice
• 1 3/4 oz powdered fruit pectin
• 8 Cups Water
• 5 1/2 c Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

• Use the freshest looking dandelion blossoms (no decaying blossoms and pack tight into a quart container. You can use a quart plastic milk bottle and cut of the top part, or a paper quart milk carton open up all the way. Wash out either one thoroughly.
• Rinse off the dandelion heads in cold water and lay out on paper towels or clean kitchen towels to dry.
• Cut off all the stems and green parts.
• In a non-reactive pan, boil dandelion petals and water for 3-4 minutes until the water colors.
• Remove from heat and cool. Strain liquid though a strainer, pressing the flowers to get all their juices.
• You should have about three cups of jelly liquid.
• Add lemon juice and pectin and stir well.
• Return pot to the fire and boil.
• Add sugar and stir and boil 2 -3 minutes.
• Remove from heat and pour the jelly into 5 hot sterilized small sized jelly jars (8 ounce) and seal them with sealing lids or melted paraffin. OR Process the jars 4-5 minutes in a boiling water bath in a large stock pot. My jars using seal themselves sitting on the counter - I always hear the sealing lids POP within 2 minutes.