Okay canners, preservers, picklers, jammers....Let's hear it!
So, this is my second year of canning. I have mastered jam making with hot water bathing. I have also cracked out a few wine jellys, also with a BWB. Today, my farmers market is advertising Red Haven Peaches, corn, banana peppers, blueberries and raspberries.
Here it goes...
~I am going to blanch and freeze corn. No brainer.
~I want to make a nice peach jam. Any sweet ideas or just follow the pectin box?
~Who does banana peppers with garlic, oregano and a vinegar/oil mix? Do you bath them or do the old school of hot jar, hot pack, hot oil, hope to seal?
~What the eff does pickling salt really do? Last year I soaked the peppers in pickling salt and water overnight before we packed them. Does this preserve the texture? They still have a little bite to them and arent a soggy oily mess.
~Apple and pumpkin butters are around the corner. Does the apple have enough acid on its own to be BWB'd after jarring without needing to buy a pressure canner? How about the pumpkin? I don't think pumpkin is very acidic at all...any ideas for that?
I hate the canning websites. Alot of readable words, but I like the straight talk from my SE'ers that have knowledge and skill.
Thanks in advance and enjoy this beautiful weekend!!!
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7 Comments:
Check out my comments on: how do I make it safe?
Specifically the PDF link from the National Center for Home Food preservation.
When making jams or jellies, I follow my grandmother's advice: Follow the proportions & directions that come with pectin EXACTLY....and especially, do not boil it any longer than directed or it won't set....and yes....15 seconds can make difference as I learned the hard way some years ago.
Canning salt is simply pure salt with no additives that can discolor food. Kosher salt is an acceptable substitute in most cases, but the proportions may need to be adjusted.
As for you apple or pumpkin butter, pressure can them unless you get a ph meter or disposable strips to test.
2qrs at 12:30PM on 08/16/08
I like to add grated ginger to my peach jam, or gingered vodka. It gives the jam a nice zing.
MerMade07 at 2:18PM on 08/16/08
Agreeing with just about everything already said. (Great post on other thread 2qrs)
I have used Kosher salt for pickling and done fine, though I used a bit less as it was too salty if I used the same amount as for canning salt. Prefer canning salt though. (Just what I am used to)
I never, never, never use powdered or liquid store-bought pectin.
Never have that exact timing issue with my jams, and there are substitutes for thinner jams/sugar free etc. Plus some of the folks I share with have sulphite issues and can't have it. Just not a fan...ick.
Mmm..ginger. I have added that to just about every jam I made this year, just felt in the mood. They have all need great too! Looking forward to crabapples to add ginger to, as well as apple sauce and peaches. Yum.
sadiepix at 5:43PM on 08/16/08
I get too lazy to can, so I just make peach butter and it lasts a few weeks in the fridge.
Take peaches, do not peel, just halve and seed.
Place in pot in one-two layers (if they don't fit, use bigger pot)
Add about a half inch of water, just so the peaches facing the burner do not burn.
This is also the time to think spices, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, even chili powder (I tried it, it was pretty good). Add whole spices to your preference to the pot.
Simmer uncovered on low, stirring every 4-5 minutes, until peaches soften to a mushy consistency.
Don't worry about the water, it will evaporate.
Strain the peach mixture through a mesh sieve. Discard spices.
Turn the heat to medium-high, add the strained peach puree back to the pot.
Add sugar to taste (usually one part sugar to three parts peach puree).
Stir vigorously until quantity is reduced down to half.
Let cool in the refrigerator.
You now have peach butter.
browntown at 2:06AM on 08/17/08
I just freeze blueberries.
My mom canned peaches according to the recipe in BH&G cookbook. I am not a big peach fan; never done it.
I always use Ball Freezer Jam pectin for raspberry jam, as well as strawberry. That pectin recipe uses less sugar, and is easy, and seems to keep the taste of fresh picked. As a note, I freeze in glass jars, the kind you buy artichokes in, because the pints are too precious for canning.
At the local such and such fest, they do apple butter open kettle, but I have had apple stuff go bad that way. I always water bath the apple butter after cooking it down in the crock pot.
As far as the salt, as long as it isn't iodized, use it for canning. That is my understanding anyway.
For crispiness, I use the poisonous alum. I haven't perfected a recipe for jalapenos, so maybe I will post a question about that when my peppers are ready. Grape leaves supposedly do the same thing naturally, but I haven't experimented with that enough yet.
My best resource for canning is the local estension office, and every state has one.
Have fun.
cucinacecilia at 7:23PM on 08/17/08
I make tons of peach and apple butter every year to sell. I've always used a BWB with no problems.
I usually use my large electric roaster to cook down the pulp/sugar mixture. Long, slow cooking that I don't have to watch and stir every minute. I usually do it overnight, getting up to stir every couple of hours.
thewrighttaste at 10:34PM on 08/17/08
I'll make jam out of any fruit I can get my hands on - even tomatoes. I've never been disappointed.
I've also started pickling with the same abandon, leading me to discover how much I love pickled watermelon rind.
butterface at 12:09AM on 08/18/08