So, my first canning of the season was 4 half pints of Meyer Lemon and Vanilla Bean marmalade, yummy and it all set well.

I've also cut and frozen 20 pounds of potatoes into french fries for the freezer but the Grandkids seem to have eaten them all. Now they don't like the "store" french fries, LOL, and even prefer mine to McDonald's, as long as I can give them a toy too. (grin)

Annie

I found one jar of your red pepper H&D spread in my pantry and I got the same feeling you get when you find $20 in your coat pocket from last year. Yippee.

I've been nibbling on it at work, I feel like I've been on this diet forever and it's got an assertive enough flavor that just a bit on a cracker gives me that "hot/sweet" hit and I'm good to go.

Perfect diet food, although you probably didn't plan that. LOL

Anyway, thanks again, I'm enjoying every darned bite.

Annie

Diane

Started with cherry jam, 12 half-pints
then meyer lemon marmalade, 24 half-pints
peaches with rum and brown sugar, 24 half-pints
that's total after weeks of addiction :) I gave a lot of it away, I was so proud of myself!

Thank you to Annie, readinglady and everyone here, you have all really widened my horizons, I never thought in a million years I'd have homemade jam that I made. Annie got me addicted by sending me the stuff in the first place :)

Carol

Mainly, it has been trying to perfect my sourdough bread - and finally it is getting there.

On inspection of the pantry, I find many empty jars and fewer full ones - so we really like this home made stuff - it is soooo good (at least most of it).

I made some "killer" chilis with the canned pinto beans and home canned enchilada sauces - (made last summer). The canned chicken became salad for great tasting sandwiches. So many great tasting foods and a lot of new ones, that probably wouldn't be the usual grocery list.

Mainly, early 2007 has been clean up in the garden month, pruning, composting and starting summer seeds - so not a lot of time for kitchen stuff, but just wait!

I must remember to make more fermented crock dill pickles, more berry jams and canned fresh fruits. They sailed away very fast off the shelves.

Started my pepper seeds - including habanero, jalapeno and the Azi Flor that gardenlad so kindly sent me. Can't wait. Especially want to do those hot jellies this year.

Bejay

Oh wait, i did can something this year. Something like 18 pints of sauerkraut along with 3 of sauerkraut juice. Not that I have a use for the extra liquid now, I just didn't want to find out i did later if I had poured it down the drain.

-Robin

Robin, I don't know what that juice would be used for either, but I know I've seen cans and bottles of sauerkraut juice at the store with the fruit and vegetable juices. There must be SOME use for it.

Annie

I have not accomplished much in 2007 but it is only beginning
15 quarts british style bread/butter pickles
6 quarts regular bread/butter pickles
1 gallon of choc.habanero hot sauce
4 quarts smoked chipotle sauce

kendra

I pickled 7, 16 oz jars of the asparagrass and also canned 7 half pints of the Roasted Red Pepper spread two weeks ago. LOVE the spread, will definitely make again!

Strawberries are coming back in season down here in Florida, along with citrus. Would like to do more strawberry jam and give another good ole' fashioned try at marmalade. Sigh...again. ;-)

So - froze 4 half pints of beet/carrot/potato/celery soup from harvested winter crop. Lots of broccoli and many, many off-shoots this year. Will do freezer broccoli soup base today to perserve - as I'm the only eater - (don't know what they are missing).

Freezing lots of lime cubes - the last of last summer's crop. Have a nice flower set for new crop, so think the freeze missed here - I hope. Haven't analysed the Valencias yet - will do so today, but have another bloom coming later this month or in March anyway.

Strawberries coming - commercially, but haven't priced them. The recent rains may have made them a bit too watery, but will wait until price comes down.

Bejay

How I envy you that nice FRESH fish you caught. I tried to imagine that nice warm feeling you had while eating, especially a meal put together with the wonderful "right out of the garden" veggies.

I'm lucky to find some supermarket frozen fish here that is "fitten" to eat. I grew up in Minnesota, with childhood memories of lake fishing - bass, bluegill, walleye, pickerel.

Oh yes, and my mother saying ("look out for the bones - and if you do get one, eat a piece of bread to help it go down".

I Remember.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

Saturday Grand Rapids just shut down for the blizzard, a pile up down there ended up involving 70 or so cars. The malls even closed early. Lots of blowing and drifting, it was definitely an old fashioned blizzard here!

Yum, bluegills. I've always liked them, along with perch, sunfish, whatever I could drag out of the inland lakes. We always just called the mess of them "panfish". And yes, Bejay, Grandma used to tell me to take a bit of bread to help the fishbones down if we swallowed one. LOL I'd forgotten about that.

Annie

I certainly don't envy you that 30+ below. My recollection - the lowest in St. Paul was 34 below, I believe I was around 17 or so, and recall walking to school in it. Brrrr.

We have been having foggy mornings until almost 10:00 or 11:00. They, too, can lead to multiple rear-end car smash-ups. We live close enough to see the main freeway between LA and SD and hardly a day goes by that the ambulances don't run.

I never learned to drive a car on icy roads, so would hate to have to do it - rain is bad enough because it happens seldom and can make roads slippery.

Well - I made 2 quarts of beet/vegetable soup for the freezer, using some of the canned chicken/turkey broth from holidays.

My burgundy wine vinegar finished - half gallon and very tasty, full bodied. It was started the middle of November - so it took a good 3 months to achieve full strength.

I started another half gallon of Chardonnay/Chablis with added mother - in hopes of having it ready when the green beans come due. - That should be around May and June when, hopefully, the beans are in good supply. Someone on these forums (David ?) mentioned making dilly beans using wine vinegar, so decided to give it a try.

Those I made last summer were good, but a bit pungent using distilled vinegar. That didn't stop anyone from eating them tho - disappeared fast.

Still "doing" sourdough - and as the saying goes "ever day I'm getting better and better" - the chickens will not get as many "leftovers" anymore - (yeah).

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

These five are ready for the canning pot:

In they go:

Eventually they became this:

Annie

I made Grapefruit Marmalade yesterday. I used Pink Grapefruit and I thought it was going to be the most gorgeous pink color but by the time it was ready to set, it was almost maroon. I don't think I scorched it as it does not taste burned at all, not even a hint of off taste. I kept a very close eye on the pot and there is no burning on the bottom at all. And it set just perfect too!

I've never made marmalade, jam or jelly before. Does marmalde generally get darker?

Michelle

Mine never tastes scorched or "caramelized" either, but it definitely darkens. It's still darned good, isn't it?

Annie

Thanks for the info!

I used 2 lemons to give it more zing but it still is so sweet. Is there anyway to make marmalade not so sweet? Do you have to use 1 c. sugar for every c. of fruit?

What would caramelized marmalade look like?

Michelle

What would the proportions be in substituting corn syrup for sugar?

Michelle

You do have to be careful. The jelling properties are different with corn syrup.

Just as a point of interest, these proportions are also true of honey, but with honey the flavor of the honey is also a factor.

Carol

Grapefruit-Meyer Lemon Marmalade.

Then I followed zemmaj’s (Marie’s) suggestion, marinating leftover lemon peel squares in a mixture of homemade Meyer lemon liqueur (made several years ago) and dark rum. I also decided to try some Moroccan preserved lemons brined in salt, lemon juice, pink peppercorns, fresh bay leaf and cinnamon stick.

Marinated Peel and Preserved Lemons

And finally I candied the grapefruit peel. I don’t know how much is going to survive for breads and cakes. It’s going fast.

Candied Peel

Carol

Also, that is a very cool looking jar the marinated peel is in. Is is an older one.

Thanks for reminding me about my preserved lemons, time to go turn the jar. Moroccan chicken for dinner on Friday (that is when they will be done).

-Robin

The recipe for candied peel is the best I’ve tried; in fact, it’s the first I’ve ever been really satisfied with. Moist and tender with total penetration of the syrup. It comes from a candy-making site from a guy named Skaarup that unfortunately isn’t online any more, but the pages can still be accessed using the WayBack Machine.

CANDIED PEEL
2 cups Sugar (as 1 cup + 1 cup)
3/4 cup Water
3 tbsp Corn Syrup (light)
Peel of (choose one):
3 Oranges
2 Grapefruit
6 Lemons

PREPARE THE PEEL
Peel the fruit into large strips which should include the zest (colored outer peel) and white. Excessive white peel should be removed a moderate amount should remain. Place the peel into a saucepan or frying pan and add water until covered. Bring to a simmer for 30 minutes. Drain, cover with cold water, and bring to a simmer until the peel is tender. Drain and cut the peel into thin strips about 1/4" wide and 2-3 inches long.

PREPARE THE SYRUP
Mix 1 cup of sugar with the corn syrup and water in a 3 quart saucepan and dissolve over a medium-low heat. Add the sliced peel and cook under low heat until most of the syrup has been taken up. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand overnight.

THE NEXT DAY
Return to heat and bring to a simmer, then cool slightly and drain. Spread out newspaper and cover with a couple of layers of paper towels. Spread out the remaining sugar and roll the warm peels until thoroughly covered. Let them stand uncovered until dry. Store in an airtight container. Lasts months.

NOTE: Excellent taste and easy to prepare but it takes time. Consider making a double batch.

My Note: I found ½ cup of sugar was just the right amount for rolling the candied peel in at the end, so for me it was 1 ½ cups total, not 2 cups.

The marmalade turned out excellent, perfect set, tender and not tough. I got 8 jars total but those Weck jars are about 7.4 oz., not 8. I think for prep this is the most troublesome marmalade I’ve ever made but the quality and texture of the final product justifies the work. (I definitely wouldn’t feel the same if it’d turned out less well, LOL.) I don’t know how June Taylor makes this commercially viable. If I did it I’d charge about $30 per jar!

Grapefruit-and-Meyer-Lemon Marmalade
5 pounds grapefruit, rinsed
5 Meyer lemons or small regular lemons, rinsed
1/2 cup lemon juice (from 2 to 3 additional lemons)
2 1/2 pounds sugar.

1. Remove the grapefruit skin with a vegetable peeler. Cut the peel into 1/8-inch slivers; stop when you have 3/4 cup. Discard the rest. Slice off the ends of the grapefruit and the remaining grapefruit peel and pith. Remove grapefruit segments, reserving membrane. Stop when you have 5 cups of segments.

2. Cut the ends off the Meyer lemons, deep enough so you can see the flesh. Leaving the peel on, remove the segments of lemon and reserve the membrane. Cut the segments crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Put membranes from the grapefruit and Meyer lemons in a jelly bag and tie closed.

3. In a wide and deep pot, combine the grapefruit segments, grapefruit peel, lemon pieces and jelly bag. Add lemon juice and 2 1/2 cups water. Simmer until the grapefruit peel is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool.

4. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Working over a bowl in your sink, squeeze the liquid from the jelly bag; keep squeezing and wringing it out until you extract 1/3 to 1/2 cup of pectin. Add pectin and sugar to the pot. Place over high heat and boil, stirring now and then, until marmalade is between 222 and 225 degrees and passes the plate test. (Spoon a little onto a plate and put in the fridge for 3 minutes. If it thickens like jam, it is done.)

5. Meanwhile, put 6 sterilized 8-ounce canning jars and lids on a baking sheet and place in the oven. When jam is done, remove jars from the oven. Ladle jam into the jars, filling them as high as possible. Wipe the rims. Fasten the lid tightly. Let cool. If you don't get a vacuum seal, refrigerate the jam. Makes 6 8-ounce jars of marmalade. Adapted from June Taylor.

I did change the process a bit for more control. I cooked step 3, wrung out the pectin and removed the bag, then added the sugar and let the mixture sit in the fridge overnight. I’m slow and by the time I’d prepped everything and cooked the fruit and peels with water I was done for the day.

Next day I cooked on medium-low to dissolve sugar then on medium high until the fruit was translucent. This recipe needed minimal skimming. Then I let it sit overnight. Next day drain fruit and cook syrup to jell point, add fruit back in and cook a bit longer to return to jell point. Then I let it sit 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to distribute fruit and prevent float. Then process BWB 10 minutes.

Also, to cut the Meyer lemon wedges with the peel I cut the ends off the lemons then again in half at the equator. Then I cut the wedges down between the membranes. I didn’t see how I could visually control the cutting with a whole lemon as the instructions directed.

Here are a few pictures of the process; I wish I’d taken a good photo of the cut-up fruit. The peel bag was quite large:

Prepped Ingredients

In the Pan

Draining the Fruit

Nearing the Finish

The jar with the marinated peel is a Ball Special short pint. Kerr made something similar. They're my favorite jars. I have about 2 1/2 dozen plus a couple of Ball Special half-pints.

Here's something from ebay if GardenWeb will let me post the link:

If you get lucky, sometimes they show up at garage sales or on Freecycle, etc.

Carol

those jars are great, but $17.50, gulp. I have some that are similar but a little larger. They are new though.
So the peel recipe sounds like it will work for any citrus peel. ah to have more free time.

-Robin

We still are getting Meyer lemons here, but they cost the earth.

Carol

Since I'm getting a bit bored with marmalade I decided to make kumquat chutney. Isn't it pretty:

I got four pints and a half pint of chutney and another 7 half pints of kumquat jelly:

Annie

I guess they're kind of like oranges, all shapes, sizes, flavors, sizes and uses.

Annie

Boo

4 pints sauerkraut fermenting now.

4 half-pints beet soup (borscht)for the freezer - tasted some with a dollop of sour cream - great.

Still trying to perfect sourdough bread - but learning with each new batch - and I do believe I'm catching on. The pizza dough is quite worthy, however.

I think I've read every sourdough recipe on the net - no two are the same!

Bejay

BF calls this "proposal stew" because I made it for him the very first time he came to visit me, when we had not been dating long and mostly long-distance, and he had one bite of it with a piece of fresh bread I'd made and said, "You have no idea how much restraint it's taking to keep me from proposing right now." ;-)

That was about 7 years ago; we are in fact, at last, getting married this fall.....

Zabby

I made three half pints of fig preserves with lemon and vanilla bean, made with dried figs that Mellyofthesouth sent me. It's very good, not quite as good as Jessica's fresh fig preserves but really, really good anyway. I made it entirely without additional sugar for my diabetic Dad and it set up very well.

Annie

My name is Susan I am originally from Massachusetts now living in North Carolina. I have been canning since I was 12 years old. I am now 49. Two years ago I entered strawberry jam, orange marm, squash B & B pickles and apple butter in our county fair. They all won first place and my orange marm won best of fair! Boy, was I surprised! I love reading all your posts, you are all very ambitious and creative. I love to can. Last year I froze alot but this year I hope to can more. My hubby and I are really strapped financially and I don't own a pressure canner so everything I make has to be stuff that can be waterbathed. I hope to get a canner this year. I am not crazy about the way our veggies that we grow tastes when frozen.

I attempted to make brandy black cherry jam, but it isn't setting up so it is going to be yummy pancake or ice cream syrup. I also made just today, Pina Colada Jam it came out delicious and very pretty. I love pretty canned stuff. When I make pickles, because I give a lot of them for Christmas gifts I will add red bell peppers just to make them look Christmassy. :)

This weekend I am making pickled beets and spiced beets. We grew 7 20 ft rows of them and I want to plant a Fall crop of them, love beets! Then I will be making cuke and squash pickles next month. Hoping to make bluberry jam if the farms here didn't get hit too hard with our Easter frost we had.

Looking forward to meeting lots of you.

Thanks,
Susan

I agree, I love beets. I love them fresh, pickled, canned, steamed, roasted, in salad. Yum. Can't have too many beets.

Annie

I live about 35 minutes North of Greensboro in Sandy Ridge, Stokes county. I hope I can find blueberries somewhere that were not hit. I really have to get some of my own bushes. :(

One more day and I'm cannin beets!!!!!! Whhhaaaahhhooooo!

Ball is now offering a new pickled beet mix. Haven't tried it, but I do make pickled beets using a sweet pickle mix, and Splenda.

How exciting to have another experienced expert around to tell us all her secrets. I've only been canning a few years, and am the first person in my family in generations to do so (my grandmother canned during the depression and WWII because she had to, but was a city woman who resented it & gave it up again as sooon as she could; my mom just thinks I'm eccentric!).

I've learned such a lot and gotten such support from this forum. Got so addicted to gardening and canning I moved from the big city to a small town! (OK, my fiance's need for a workshop had something to do with it, too. ;-) )

Am not very ambitious or productive compared to a lot of folks here (if I had to live on what I grow and preserve I'd be very hungry indeed), but I enjoy it a great deal.

Haven't had the canner out this year yet but my young nieces is coming this weekend and she love those kinds of projects, so maybe we'll make some rhubarb jam!

Zabby

I'll let you know how my trek for blueberries goes.

Susan

Yum! What is the first one? And, do you have recipes for both?

Thank you!

Six half pints of Asian pluot dipping sauce - (thanks to Readinglady and Katie C's posting). Turned out great.

Also thanks to Readinglady for the February postings for citrus peel candied - (in the making - soaking peels now). I think I left too much white part, but will see.

Freezing pints of strawberries and boysenberries - May do boysenberry jam later, but still have lots of jelly/jams from last year to eat yet.

Getting a few beans - want to do dilly types - so pray for more sunshine. We have very cloudy weather this month, but garden veggies look promising. At least not so much watering.

Took note of Ken's asparagus posts, and perhaps next year's yields will be better. - still only 3rd year, but not a lot of gus for table yet. Wish I'd planted "Jerseys" instead of the others.

The local strawberry U-pick site is now open, but from comparing last year's freezing with their berries against my (smaller yielding patch) mine are definitely more tasty - just not as many.

Bejay

On the fruit front, the red thornless raspberry canes are sprouting up a few feet away from the rest of the patch. The recently planted thornless variety (Lauren) are very hardy and prolific.

Today I mulched the bed with straw to help with moisture control we are currently in a long hot dry spell.

Thanks,
Susan

4 cups
1 half-cup

strawberry-rhubarb freezer jam

I'm sorry to say that for the first harvested & preserved item of the season I doubt it's going to be the best-quality I've ever made --- we didn't have a lot of time, or any powdered pectin, so we made a freezer jam from the liquid pectin package instructions

It called for only 1/2 cup rhubarb and 1 1/4 cups strawberries and 4 1/2 cups sugar. This made it a good recipe for me from a harvest point of view because I have only a small rhubarb plant still in a pot, so 1/2 cup was a good amount to harvest! The strawberries were from a large bag purchased already frozen, however, and that proportion of sugar is awfully high for my taste.

But we had fun, and my niece was really happy to take home her product to her family today. She made colourful labels with markers and we put the jam in some plastic "jars" sold for freezer jams with purple lids that my sister had given these to me last year.

Zabby, thinking that some more grown-up rhubarb thing like gingered rhubarb jam is on her agenda for later this week...

Confiture de Fraises au Poivre Noir et à la Menthe Fraîche
- 1.1 kg fresh strawberries
- 800 g crystallized sugar (This is a special sugar that jellifies better than ordinary sugar. Substitute regular granulated sugar if you can't find it.)
- the juice of one lemon
- 10 leaves of fresh mint
- 10 grains of black pepper, freshly ground
Rinse the strawberries quickly under cold water. Dry with a kitchen towel, and cut off their stems. Cut them in halves or quarters if they're big, leave the small ones whole.
Put the strawberries together with the sugar and the lemon juice in a porcelain dish, such as a terrine dish. Cover with a sheet of parchment paper, and let macerate overnight.
The next day, put the strawberry mixture in a large saucepan (Christine Ferber uses a "bassine à confiture", a special copper pan -- I use a red tin cocotte), and bring just to a simmer. Pour the mixture back into the dish, cover with parchment paper, and let rest in the refrigerator overnight again.
On the third day, put a saucer in the freezer. Wash the glass jars and their lids carefully, then soak them in boiling water for 10 minutes, and set them out to dry upside down on a clean kitchen towel.
Pour the mixture through a silk sieve (I just used a regular sieve). Bring the syrup you've gathered to a boil, and let it boil for ten minutes. The goal temperature, if you have a candy thermometer, which I don't, is 105°C (221°F). Remove the foam cautiously with a spoon (I personally leave the foam alone, I don't mind the foam).
Add in the strawberries, the mint and the pepper. Bring to a boil for another 5 minutes, stirring gently. Remove the foam again if you want.
Take the saucer out of the freezer, and put a drop of jam on it. Tilt the saucer, and see if the jam is set. If not, let it boil for another minute, then test again until you've reached the desired consistency.
Pour the jam into the jars until they are full, wipe carefully if there was any spillage and close the lids tightly. Let cool to room temperature upside-down on the counter, then store in a cool and dark place for a few months.

Strawberry Lemonade

4 qts strawberries, washed and hulled
4 cups lemon juice (I use bottled)
3 qts water
6 cups sugar
Puree strawberries. For a clearer lemonade, extract juice of strawberries with a juicer. (I use a food processer and strain it). Place strawberries in an 8 qt pot. Add lemon juice, water and sugar. Place mixture over medium heat and heat to 165 degrees, stirring occasionally. Do not boil.
Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon. Ladle hot juice into clean, hot jars, leaving 1/2" headspace; seal. Process in a BWB for 15 minutes. Yield: 6-7 qts.

I used the recipe that readinglady posted around February or so. It took awhile - but they taste fine. I even left quite a bit of the pith (white part) and was wondering if it would be too bitter, but apparently all that soaking, boiling rendered it out.

Sooo - on to the boysenberries.

Froze another 2 quarts - just plain - may make jam later.

I checked in the BBB to see if there was a recipe for canning boysenberries - not jam - just by using the simple syrup method as one would with other acidic fruits. Could not find one though. Why?

Bejay

I also have a nice savings of macadamia nuts - that would be good rolled around the chocolate covered orange peelings I think. They add a nice flavor when toasted to almost any kind of dish - just had some with grated celery and apples from my new Dorsett apple tree, (just a new tree but looks like it will produce well here - hopefully more next year).

I prefer to freeze boysenberries on a tray - that way they taste almost like fresh when thawed. I know - with sugar, they can be more sauce-like, but I couldn't help wondering why they couldn't be preserved like other fruits - with simple syrup and then sealed.

The beans are coming - but sloooow. Still very cloudy - not much sunshine to keep them happy - but otherwise, the garden looks OK. Not too many bugs either - the lizards have multiplied nicely, and that may be the reason for fewer bugs. Hope lizards won't eat plants if they run out of bugs.

Bejay

Before coating or dipping chocolate, try to bring the chocolate down to almost a set (almost solid) stage, while thorougly mixing. This helps to keep the cocoa butter suspended so they will set up firm. This method is called 'tempering' and is what most people do when making chocolate covered items. Without tempering, the very soft chocolate tends to melt a bit easier and would need refrigeration to keep it firm. My earlier molded chocolates were like this until I started to temper it. The way I did that was to first melt the chocolate, then add some small bits of unmelted chocoalate to help it cool a bit faster, while also helping to keep the mixture in suspension. Another choice it to make truffles. These are made with melted chocolate with lots of cream mixed in. The only prblem then is does remain very soft, so would have to be coated with a tempered layer of chocolate. Making filled chocolates do require a lot of extra work.

But it's still a great product and definitely fills a need with many foods.

To answer your other question Bejay, there's no reason whatsoever why boysens can't be preserved in simple syrup either canned or frozen. I've certainly done it with no problems. I've also canned as filling thickened with clearjel for topping cheesecakes, layering with yogurt or for use in pies and that worked fine too.

Carol

It seemed the day to try a new recipe. I've done 12 half-pint jars of American Weekly Cucumber Onion Relish this afternoon. The last batch just came out of the BWB.

12 cucumbers (about 6" long, 1½" diameter)
4 qts cold water
1 cup salt
1 large red bell pepper
1 hot banana pepper (can use jalapeño or other hot pepper of choice)
1 qt sliced onion (about 5 medium onions)
4 cloves of garlic or garlic scapes, minced
3 cups apple cider vinegar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tsp mustard seed
1 tsp celery seed
½ tsp dill seed

Wash cucumbers. Mix cold water and salt, stirring well. Soak cukes overnight in the combined water and salt. Drain, dry,and slice into rounds slightly less than 1/4" thick. Wash, core and seed peppers. Chop fine. Combine all ingredients in kettle. Cover and bring to a boil; then cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Pour at once into sterilised jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Put on the lids and process in BWB 15 minutes.

I kept out some to taste and think it will go very well on the turkey burgers we are going to grill tomorrow.

Becky

(Hi Becky! I knew that was you the moment I saw your user name)

Well, at least I am easy to recognise. :-)

I should've posted pics of the relish making with the recipe. Here they are:

Ingredients all in the maslin pan:

Cooking after coming to a boil:

Ladled into jars:

In the canner:

Jars waiting for the tell tale PING.

I love canning. It's so satisfying hearing the lids seal.

Becky

Becky

7 half pints of boysenberry jam. (Not too bad either - we could use more young peanut butter/jam users here tho).

So picked ANOTHER quart today - (When will it all end?).

Have approximately 3 quarts and 5 pints frozen already.

Pole beans are coming in - a bit slow, with bush beans not too far behind. This year, I promised to do that dilly bean in white wine vinegar if I get enough. They are mighty fine eating just fresh steamed however.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

I had a "panic" moment - when I took the jars out of the bath, they oozed quite a bit of juice. Thought surely they would not seal - but after they cooled, found they were OK. Why? I did the fingernail test this a.m., and no leaks.

Question: Would a heavier sugar/water syrup help the fruit float somewhat?

Ken - you mention Goo Gone, can I buy this on line? Also on my marketing list are - Pomona pectin, citric acid crystals and bulk chocolate for making candy. If there is a single web site for all of these - perhaps I can only make one order. I hate to shop otherwise in local stores -as it means making lots of trips.

Have a few summer squash to freeze, so appreciate today's refresher posting on it.

Some of last summer's perennial peppers are bearing heavily. They appear to be Anaheim types.

Perhaps will do a few small jars for freezing by blackening skins, steaming, add some salt, water, vinegar or lemon - to use like the commercial types of canned peppers in Mexican recipes (enchiladas, tacos, etc.) That worked well last year, as well as the ripe ones (pimento). I have a recipe for canned, but we use such small amounts, that freezing is more convenient in small jar sizes. It only takes a zap in the microwave, to thaw enough for a recipe.

Bejay

OK, we didn't eat THAT many and I did put 6 "sliced/sugared" pints in the fridge. We had company and we DID eat a lot of strawberries. Next trip will be more for preserving, but this was the first of the local berries.............Mmmmmmmmmmmm...........they just can NOT be matched!
Deanna

So far, that's all I've gotten to... the fever hasn't hit me yet. But I was just organizing all of my stuff from last year- and moving the very last of 2005 to the front so dh uses that first. (He's particular to his favorites and it drives me crazy if he opens a new batch when there are older ones on the shelves). I always make note of what takes too long to use up. Like the giant batch of piccalilli from 2005 that I still have. There's only so much of that stuff you can use. It still looks good though...

Susan in NC

Looks like enough to pick for about 7 to 10 more days. Then hope to have more beans coming then.

The red burgundy onions that I started from last year's saved seeds are beginning to bulb up. The tops are really hugh. Have been chopping and drying the scapes and drying in my makeshift sun dehydrator just outside my kitchen window - (in test for bigger things) - like - a good crop of cherry toms coming now. They are great for drying.

Ken - send me your snailmail and I'll let you taste test my boysens (sauce or jam?). Hope it won't upset your potassium count (??).

Bejay

Thanks for the generous offer. Unfortunately, thare are two strikes, sugar being one, and avoiding the dark red being the other. The kidney specialist not only tells me to avoid high potassium foods, but also any that have lots of red color. Things like beets, raspberries, and many others are also an issue with failing kidneys. Oddly, in looking back through the years, I was always anemic, even as a young kid, but somewhat overweight, always ate well, and never drink alcohol, but the failing kidney symptoms I have all point to excess of these things. Another thing that just came up is the unusually large sizes of my red blood cells. I guess with 15 different meds per day, its only a matter of time before something else gets me.. It drives the three doctors I have, crazy.

Someone on this forum gave me this link years ago. I love this place for my citric acid/ascorbic acid/pomona pectin/unsweetened coconut for my dried granola. Don't know about the chocolate.

Thank you for the link! I ordered some Low Methyl-Ox pectin, Clear-Gel, ascorbic acid, chocolate - etc., and was amazed at the many nice things that are otherwise hard to find locally.

I look forward to making some chocolate covered orange peel, rolled in toasted macadamia nuts - when I get the order.

Also ordered the "dough enhancer" as my sourdough bread could stand a bit of "enhancing" - maybe that is just what the Dr. would order for it. (LOL).

The last loaf I made was "doorstop" material - but I found that it makes GREAT breadcrumbs for such recipes as breaded chicken or fish.

The Italians use a lot of French and Italian bread types - usually the end of the loaf for bread crumbs - which are more satisfactory than regular bread made into crumbs.

I saved the Barry Farms website for future use. Much obliged.

Bejay

Raspberry jam on the left and strawberry on the right. I used Pomona's in both and a lot less sugar. Yeah, I know those little jars in front are "illegal", but they only go to my mom who knows enough NOT to eat moldy stuff (grin)!

Also put about 2 cups of shelled peas in the freezer and ate a big salad of baby romaine, buttercrunch lettuces, swiss chard, snow peas and radish. Tasty!

Deanna

I just picked a few, but boy are my bushes loaded! I don't usually grow shelling peas, but now that it's down to just 2 of us I figured I could grow enough to put a few in the freezer without using all my garden space.

My snow peas are barely adequate this year. Usually we're buried in them by now (or nearly finished), but this has been a strange year so far. We're eating a few in salads.

Thanks for "watching out for us"!! (grin)
Deanna

Annie

8 - jars of strawberry jelly (BWB)
15 - 1/2 lb bags of sugar snap peas (frozen - and took up way too much of my limited freezer space)
11 - pints of peas (pressure canned)

And just to prove I'm insane, this was my first attempt at both jam/bwb and peas/pressure canning, and I did this all last Sunday (while hubby was taking up way more than his fair share of the kitchen installing a new dishwasher). This has led to the new house rule of one type of canning / one food per day until we get LOTS more practice!

I'm thinking I saw some really nice beets last week at the farmers market. Might have to find a good pickled recipe for them!

But I have successfully put up:

Half a batch of Annie's salsa (the other half didn't seal, so it doesn't count as being preserved, but it will definitely get eaten!)
5 pints of another salsa recipe I wanted to try. It's not as good. What was I thinking?

Julie

After that, I did 5 pints of blueberry syrup.

Both were very easy to do, and we had about a 1/2 pint leftover on each batch to save for ourselves to eat now- I think waffles are in the near future!!

Tomorrow I am going to take my son to the you-pick strawberry patch near us. None of us have ever done that before, but I would like to get some more berries to put in the freezer before the season ends.

Lisa

Susan in NC

Also canned a few pints of sauce. No jam - as we still have a shelf of various jams, jelly or marmalade - can always do later if we run out. I hate to dispose of good food, and I went slightly overboard in that department last year - having so much fun.

The apricots are almost as plentiful this year. Although the raccoons have had more than their share. They broke off a nice branch a few nights ago - of some of the best ripe ones. But still have a bin full - so will do more simple syrup in pints.

Also have almost enough pole beans to start some serious pickling - today.

Tomatoes still waiting for heat - cool temps in the mornings - (our June gloom) keeps them green. The sun didn't show until almost noon yesterday.

All of those different peppers hanging in there - waiting for heat too - but doing well otherwise. Will refresh my thinking with past postings on making powders - habaneros, paprikas, anchos, and of course, the Aji (seeds from Gardenlad), etc. (Haven't seen his posts recently ??).

Sooo - today - here we go.

Bejay

The only tomatoes ripe here are the first of the Sun Golds. We're anxiously awaiting the others. :-)

Becky

Did another batch of Annie's salsa in the pressure cooker last night, and again, only half the jars sealed. Can't seem to figure out what went wrong, but that's another thread.

Started a batch of maraschino cherries yesterday. Should go into the canner . . . Tuesday, I think.

Julie

Apricots next. Had to pick them a bit under-ripe, but with a tad of lemon, should be fine. The durned raccoons got quite a few the night before. They are so big - about 40 lb. size, and broke quite a few branches on that young apricot tree - but I stopped the fun last night because I activated a water shooting sensor device. It seems to be working fine. (Why didn't I think of it sooner ? DUH)

Bejay

I froze up broccoli and spinach this spring, and have been freezing up beans for a few weeks. Got out the canner for the first time this weekend, to make some pickles. I put up:

10 pints of a low-sugar Bread and Butter pickle
10 pints of dilly beans
8 pints of 3-bean salad

Plus, I have 2 gallons of mixed pickles (beans and cukes) fermenting.

My 2-year-old loves to help--he helps to snap the beans and uses my mortar and pestle to crush spices. He can't wait to try the "pipkles"--he's a pickle fiend!

Tomatoes are just starting to come in, so Annie's salsa is on the docket for next week.

I hope the Easter freeze hasn't ruined the peach crop around here. We need our canned peaches and jam.

Leigh

9 - 8oz jars of blueberry jelly
9 - 8oz jars of raspberry jelly
13 pints of peas

I already broke my rule of only one kind of canning in a day, and it only took me a week!

That about does it for me in the jam department. Last year it was peach, year before blueberry. I may have another go at peach this year, and I definately want to try some peach chutney. And then salsa and pickled peppers. So I'm on hold for a while until the peaches, tomatoes and peppers come on. I planted a few cukes in pots on the patio this year, we'll see if they inspire me for anything else.

Need I say that I am wore out.....that corn kicked my butt! But it's OH SO GOOD come winter! Next week, if I can find them it's going to be Habanero Jelly! I've got one half pint jar left from last year!

Jessie

But - here goes -

4 pints dilly beans (did I already add that?).

6 pints apricots in simple syrup - canned.

2-1/2 pints "cots" in simple syrup - frozen.

3 - 1/2 pints macadamias - cracked, hulled, frozen.

Hey - The Tomatoes are Coming, the tomatoes are coming! And plums, peppers, onions, - whee! Small pickles might not make it - durn. More apricots for ??

Bejay

bejay,

I got one of those motion-water thingies when the raccoons back in Toronto started messing with my tomatoes and corn! It worked pretty well indeed, though when the young ones turned into teens, while they mostly were deterred from the garden, they set it off so often the noise kept us up half the night! (There were 8 young ones, and one would be startled off by the water, but then another one would come up, etc., and by the time they had all been up the first one would have recovered his gumption and try again --- argh! Toronto has the most thuggish raccoons in the world.)

Sometimes the 'coons get used to it over time, and it can help to move it around.

Anyway, glad you found a way to protect your apricots. Apricots are my FAVOURITE fruit and NO WAY I want any #*$()#*()) raccoons getting any!!!!

Zabby, who has a lot less trouble with wildlife in her garden since she moved away from the city, go figure!

I love reading what other harvester's are doing!

We have at least 3 of the biggest raccoons I've ever seen -they must weigh close to 40 lbs apiece and mean looking. They have already killed a couple of chickens and of course, been a real mess in the garden.

But - I figured I had them pretty well closed out with my PVC type cages over the vegetables. Guess I just was so amazed at my good fortune to have 2 standard apricot trees just loaded, that I forgot those rascals. I saved most of the crop - although the poor tree is sad looking with so many broken branches - from all that weight.

The 2nd apricot tree is also loaded (my cup runneth over this year). So I will be busy "doing" them too.

I think outside of the coyote, that coons will also be last survivors on this earth.

Of interest, our dry weather has caused a lot of wild animals to encroach on civilization - guess it is easier for a coyote to catch a domestic animal than pursue its wilder prey.

On topic - drying a few cherry type tomatoes - outside. Also partially dried some apricot leathers in the kitchen, and partially outside. Just my little experiment for energy conservation.

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

I think after this, I'm done for the year......unless I can get my hands on some pears.....or peaches.....

Jessie (who by the way had help from her Momma with the corn and the canned tomatoes! Still whipped my butt though!)

Strange.......interesting.......and thank goodness we can live vicariously during the OFF season!

Deanna

Drying the first of the smaller cherry tomatoes outside - (weather really warms up after the marine layer lifts at about 10:00 or so).

Picked the first of the small cucumbers - but coming on slowly - if there aren't enough for straight dill pickles, may start a dill fermenting crock - using great combos with mixed stuff like - small onions, green tomatoes, small squash, peppers, garlic, cukes, etc., all brined and allowed to ferment. The mixture of veggies makes for great tasting - and makes wonderful relishes if ground up. Canned quite a few small 1/4 pints last year.

Last night, my water sensor apparently hit its mark and sprayed a coyote - he/she really let out a howl - (chuckle). Don't know if it will come back or not - but there were fewer half eaten apricots on the ground this morning.

Picked another batch of beans - GD would like them steamed and served with garlic, dill, oil and vinegar marinade -so will do for dinner.

Saw a recipe for saurbraten - and thought it a good recipe for using the home made wine vinegar that I made a few months ago. Still marinating (3 days in all).

It called for juniper berries - which I've had very few recipe use for in the past - and also gingersnaps - so better see if I can rustle those cookies up somewhere. Hmmm - wonder if some chopped fresh ginger root might substitute.

Bejay

This weekend I made 8 half-pints of Balsamic Red Peppy Jelly . The first batch was flavorful but too mild so I ran out and bought two whole jalapeños for the second batch and it was just right.

I bought the wrong size jars though. The recipe called for 4-ounce jars and I bought 8-ounce jars. I still kept the process time at 10 minutes. I hope that was okay - the other 8-ounce jelly recipes all seemed to be processed for 10 minutes also.

I also canned 10 pints of homemade barbeque sauce back in April.

The tomatoes are growing and the cukes are coming along so more should happen later this summer.

Daria, just wanted to say there is nothing better than strawberry preserves. Annie posted a recipe for them last year and that is the only way I will make them from now on. So much better than any other recipe I have tried!

Here's the recipe:
STRAWBERRY PRESERVES

1 quart strawberries
4 cups sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbls butter

Bring berries, lemon juice and butter to a boil and boil 3 minutes. Add 2 cups sugar, bring back to a boil and boil 2 minutes. Add remaining sugar and bring back to a boil, boil 3 minutes more. Pour into a container and let sit overnight before putting into jars. Heat the next day and process in BWB 10 minutes.

These are thicker when kept in the refrigerator, and I remember Grandma would put a few drops of red food coloring in when she made this. It's wonderful with fresh berries and just smacks of summer.

Annie

Oh, I got 2 more batches of Habanero Gold put up yesterday and a pint of peach jam.

Jessie

My mom always makes the Sure Gel recipe, and since she's getting some of the jam, I figured I'd make her what she expects. But next time I'll try those preserves.

My strawberry plants didn't do much and I haven't gone in search of a PYO but I may have too after reading the strawberry recipes. Mostly I've used the sweet cherries from tree in my yard. The sour cherry tree has worms and neither apricot did well though someone from dh's work brought him a box yesterday.

5 half-pints and 1 tall quilted jar cherry jam (recipe from the Ball box)
5 tall quilted jars of cherry preserves (no pectin kind)
4 tall quilted jars of apricot butter

I have mulberries and chokecherries in the fridge with plans to make syrup, jam, and pie filling in the next couple days.

Even if it doesn't turn out well from eating standpoint, I may just put the jar in a conspicuous spot - it is so beautiful and colorful - would vie for honors in any decorator contest - LOL!

Still drying cherry type toms and apricots - tomatoes OK, but not too keen for the apricots. Still prefer the old fashioned way of sulfur and outdoor drying, but will have to settle for stove or perhaps forget it for canning. They don't freeze nicely either - even with pre-treating with Fruit Fresh.

Would like to try some hot pepper jams - but unfortunately peppers still mostly in green stages. Maybe I could fast freeze some apricots and use them in jams later, when the hot peppers finally ripen. Dunno if it would work - apricots are so fragile.

Bejay

So far this year I have frozen:
several pints of wax beans
many, many quarts of chicken broth (and I have more bones and stuff in the freezer to do)
1 stack grape leaves
1 quart strawberries, sliced
2 quarts cherries, pitted
2 pints patty pan squash
3 quarts freezer pickles
5 quarts peach nectar

Dried, I have:
rosemary
spearmint
basil
and 5 varieties of dried beans

This is my first year canning. Yesterday I did
3 quarts dill pickles
3 pints pickled squash

I've also done 2 quarts of old fashioned sweet and sour pickles -- they really old way without canning. I haven't decided if I will have the guts to eat them yet, but they ARE packed in vinegar after all...

I have another pile of cucumbers and zucchini waiting. I think I will make relish next. Also, I want to turn my frozen peach nectar into peach jelly. And I have 3 large cantaloupes I need to do something with soon!

How do you stack your grape leaves for freezing? Put something between them - so they won't stick together?

I use them occasionally when doing dill pickles, but usually have fresh ones.

Another idea that I found useful this year - if I want cabbage leaves for roll-ups, is to allow 2 cabbage plant roots to remain in the ground, after the cabbage is harvested. The root will then produce more leaves - sometimes even growing a new small head, but I like to have the outside bigger leaves as mentioned.

Another way to preserve chicken broth in ice cube trays - great for a quick taste boost to gravies, sauces, etc. I reduce the broth down so flavor is concentrated.

Looking for a way to pickle some apricots - perhaps the recipe for peach pickles would work. There is something about apricot pits that comes to mind - so wonder if they need to be pitted ???

Drying didn't work yesterday - no sun until very late - oh summer where art though?

Just my 2 c's.

Bejay

I do the same with broth: I reduce it to a very thick gelatin, but I freeze it in pints. I tend to make big pots of soup and such instead of small ones, and then freeze leftovers. But I may do your ice cube tray trick -- you are right, it would be good if you were making gravy and didn't have fresh drippings.

I am getting ready to make a solar dehydrator. Do you have one already, or is it dry enough where you are to just put stuff out?