A few years ago Scott told me that he wanted to start canning. Go for it, I said. You see, we get all of these grand ideas for projects but then...besides all of the other projects that I have swimming in my own head. Canning is one of those things that just seemed so involved. So old fashioned. So...not me. Besides, we can't get fresh/local produce in Dallas that would make putting up produce worth the effort.
I was so wrong.
Well, maybe I should amend: I am so learning.
Last summer some of my favorite quilting blogs showed pictures of their beautiful canned goodies and I coveted. You mean people, young people, are still canning? And then a friend on Facebook showed her pantry full of canned goods. You mean you can buy enough good produce in Dallas to process a pantry worth of food? I told Scott to start doing research and picked up the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving
. (Also thanks to Care for sending me the Ball Blue Book).That was almost a year ago. And at the beginning of the summer our produce prices were so high (some still are) that it just didn't make sense to preserve. Until I tasted the strawberries of this summer. I don't know if it's just me, but are the strawberries more delicious this year than ever? And the prices aren't bad either. So...we took many deep breaths, hulled about 50 ounces of strawberries, and jammed away.
It was a bit chaotic, especially as we filled the first jar (hence the lack of pictures), but the rest went smoothly and I'm already plotting my next trip to our local farmers market and the next canning project. Thinking Peach BBQ sauce. Tasty, huh? I'm still not ready for the pressure canning but it's on my list for one day, especially with the amount of stew that we eat in our house.
Where do you fall in the canning party? Are you a seasoned veteran (if so, tips/advice are welcome below) or does canning scare the pants off you? I'm still wavering towards the scared off pants side, but baby steps, right?
My grandmother canned every year but I have yet to try it. Maybe someday.
ReplyDeleteI've never tried canning and admire you for jumping in there and doing it!
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I think I'm in the "this scares the pants off of me" crowd. Both my grandmothers and my mother canned, although my mother quit canning when I was about 8 or 10 and started freezing vegetables instead. I've never done either. My paternal grandmother made what she called "chow-chow", which was a relish thing. Green tomatoes, peppers, vinegar, spices and I'm not sure what else. It was a good tasting condiment and I'm sorry I don't know how to make it. I think I'd like to make apple butter. I love it and I find it increasingly hard to find at the store. Your strawberry jame looks good, Trish!
ReplyDeleteI do freezer jam and put up some frozen produce (like whole berries for smoothies, blanched green beans, etc), but I just got a full-fledged canning set at the end of last summer, so more is to come. My kitchen is still in the getting-done stage, so it will be next summer before I really get to test myself, but I'm looking forward to it.
ReplyDeleteThe best jam you'll ever eat will be the one you made. I know, I haven't made for a couple of years and am in withdrawal. My favourite is strawberry/blueberry jam. And I love pickled beets, and peach and pepper relish. i've never had a better pickle than my mom's and I don't remember how she made it. My peppers rock. I don't do everything each year and the last two I've only done the peach and pepper relish, (it's a late Aug. adventure) But I am so missing my jam. Tomorrow is market day. Enjoy and for Ellie, I pickled pears and peaches without sugar,(when my guys were little) my sons are still wanting them. Do small amounts, I bought a 6l. basket and did it. Don't buy large quantities too stressful. Good luck and have fun.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother canned too..my mothers attempt when I was a child was a disaster.maybe it scared me off...lol
ReplyDeleteI used to spend half my summer canning. I'd make jams and jellies, spiced peaches, tomato sauce, ketchup, relishes -- you name it. I love taking my own canned goods off the shelf for wintertime eating. But, alas, I haven't canned in about 12 years. My fall started the year Mr. BFR was looking for a big pot for a project and took one from the basement without checking with me first ... I *still* haven't gotten a new canning pot. LOL.
ReplyDeleteFirst, I agree with you on the strawberries; my husband bought some and I bought some so far this year and both batches were stand there and eat them with your fingers right out of the colander delicious.
ReplyDeleteI haven't shelf-stable canned but I have made blueberry jam in my bread machine and put it in the freezer-jam jars...it was delicious and I would like to do it again. I have only done bread in a jar in canning jars but one of these days I'd like to dive in and do the jam.
I just started canning a little a few years ago; seeing my enthusiasm in the garden my mom bought me a pressure canner. I've done jam and green beans. It's a bit tricky but worth the effort! Haven't done any canning since the baby was born, but now that she's a bit older I'm anticipating more canning days next year.... especially if I have a good strawberry crop again, and lots of green beans.
ReplyDeleteLike you, I'm a complete novice, and will try my first canning later on in the summer, in the savoury sector - tomato sauce... because I'm fed up with that tingy aftertaste all store-bought sauces have! Enjoy your canning!
ReplyDelete*Hillary Roberts - It was a little chaotic at first but definitely not as hard as I thought it would be!
ReplyDelete*Bermuda - That's what happens when you have a nagging husband.Ha!!
*Kay - LOL! It's overwhelming. Who knew that there were like 20 different types of jam as well..jelly, conserve, preserves, marmalade, etc. It's crazy! I'll have to flip through my Ball book and see if there's anything similar to the chow-chow. What did you spread it on?
*Sara C - I have done a bit of freezing but mostly just fruits that I'll bake later. How did the green beans turn out? I'll look forward to hearing about your own canning experiences!
*Irene - I've never heard of pickling stone fruits but you have me curious!! When we lived in Toronto my mom canned a lot--you guys definitely have much much better (and more plentiful) produce than we do down here where the weather is so extreme in the summer.
*Caite - LOL!! Well, it is definitely overwhelming but it wasn't really that hard!
*Beth F - Maybe it's just because of the Internet and Pinterest but it seems like canning is making a comeback. Perhaps because of the desire to eat less processed foods. We found our canning pot at the local hardware store!
*Shieldmaiden - The strawberries are so good, huh?! Though I suspect that up in PA you have much better produce than we do in Texas. Too hot and dry in the summer! Jam in the bread machine?! I haven't heard of that before but it sounds interesting. The jam was very very easy and probably similar to what you were doing now although I know some freezer jam doesn't need to be cooked.
*Jeane - How do the veggies do after you can them? I've thought about doing whole fruits and veggies but just not sure what the texture will be like. I'm hoping to one day take a cue and start gardening like you and Chris do!
*Patty - Good luck!! The jam really wasn't difficult as I thought it would be--I just made sure to have everything prepped in the beginning and of course hub helped me a lot.
I SO WANT TO CAN! I'm always looking at Heather's adventures with jellies and jams and coveting. My grandparents had a HUGE garden when I was growing up, so I'm used to this canning idea. My cousin still cans (and has all the canning instructions, I'm pretty sure), and I want to get onboard. I have a starter kit, but I have not been brave enough to try it yet. Glad the first go was successful!
ReplyDeleteI am so happy the book is useful! I just knew you were the right person for it. (canning scares the crap out of me. so does gardening.)
ReplyDeleteI just started canning in small batches last year, and I absolutely love it. I'm trying to pick one item a week from the farmer's market -- last week we made green bean pickles. You might enjoy Eugenia Bone's Well-Preserved.
ReplyDeleteI've thought about canning but haven't tried it yet. I love the look of Mason jars! :-)
ReplyDeleteI tried to can once and failed miserably. I want to try it again but I'm still super nervous.
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law is a canning maniac, so she usually gives us a bunch of jam, etc to keep us happy throughout the year. :) Because of her, I haven't tried it on my own (part of the problem with me cooking and trying new things is that both of Matt's parents were restaurant chefs in a former life-its how they met. She was the head pastry chef and he was the head chef-romantic, right? Anyway, whenever I say, "I want to try this!" Matt usually tells me to call them for their recipe. I want to try it on my OWN, you know?).
ReplyDeleteLet us know how the next try goes! I know that some people can all kinds of crazy concoctions, but I don't have the guts just yet!
My mom and brother still can. In fact I ate an entire jar of my brother's "bread and butter" pickles on the 4th of July. I admire everyone who keeps up the tradition.
ReplyDeleteMy MIL still cans, but I've never tried it. I know my mom did when I was younger. My husband keeps talking about it and we've investigated it somewhat. We (I) want my own garden but our yard is sand, not dirt. My son made a raised garden in his yard a few weekends ago and maybe I'll do that. Would love to grow my own stuff and can it.
ReplyDeleteHere's Mine
Lovely jam. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be fun to make jam, but it is intimidating to me! Seems like it would be fun as a group effort? Or a mom/daughter project? Have you seen the episode of Friends when Monica makes like a million jars of jam? :)
ReplyDeleteI LOVE LOVE LOVE canning!!! And don't worry about ever having to pressure can..you can can just fine without ever having one. I don't plan on ever using one :p So far I've canned pineapple jelly which has been my absolute favorite and I've made two batches, strawberry mint jelly which I wasn't nuts about, apricot and vanilla bean jelly, apple butter, pickled jalapenos from my garden, homemade dill pickles and homemade restaurant style salsa. I've loved it all except for the strawberry mint jelly. I highly highly highly recommend the book Canning For a New Generation...I have that book and I LOVE it!! It taught me everything I needed to know about how to can and has some really great recipes in it too!
ReplyDeleteI actually prefer canned green beans, because my mom always canned them and I was used to the taste/texture. They're sweeter and blander than fresh. I canned my own a little bit a few years ago and my older kid still prefers canned green beans to fresh, now. I can't get her to eat the ones I'm picking fresh now, but with a 13-mo baby toddling around it just seems to hard to can this year. I'm determined to do it again next year, though....
ReplyDelete*Andi - My best piece of advice is to read through ALL the directions and get EVERYTHING together and ready to go when you start. I don't think I could have done it the first time without Scott but next time I think I'll be better prepared. Wasn't difficult--just involved.
ReplyDelete*Care - It's possible I'm the OLDEST 30 year old ever. ;) Thanks again.
*Col (Col Reads) - Thanks for the tip on the book! Pickled beans sounds really interesting--someone else mentioned pickled peaches! Since I don't have a pressure canner, pickling seems the way to go.
*Vasilly - I love mason jars as well. I've been wanting to try mini pies in them!!
*Linda - I've heard that you must follow the directions exactly when canning. What did you try to make?
*Allie - Of course I started with a really simplistic recipe but it really wasn't tough at all. There are SO many things that you can can but some of it just sounds weird. Too bad about the in-laws (even though they sound great). I say just keep finding recipes and making them you own. It's hard, though, I know.
*Beachreader - MMMM, bread and butter pickles sound delicious!! I'm hoping one day to start gardening so I can put up my own produce.
*Vicki - We built the raised boxes this spring to start gardening but I was afraid of another summer like we had last year (hot and dry). I've heard that square foot gardening is really easy! Hope it works out for your son!
*Carole - Thanks for stopping by!
*Laura - Definitely not a project to tackle alone! At least not the first time. I've been trying to talk my mom into canning with me since she's done before but she's the one who's convinced me that we can't get produce down here!! Boo. :)
*Chris - Mostly I just want the pressure canner so that I can process things that have meat--like stews. But until then we just put those items in the freezer. Will eventually need to get a new freezer! The Vanilla bean jelly sounds DELICIOUS! And if I ever start gardening I'd love to pickle okra. Mmmm. I'll check out the book. I bet Scott would LOVE pineapple jelly!
Sorry, me again. There are some things I hate canned- peas for one. I like frozen peas though. Canned are too mushy. But I'm fond of canned g. beans, cherries, peaches and pears, and of course cukes- I mean pickles. Canned tomatoes are real useful in cooking too, but I've not even though of doing that yet. I think I'd have to grow different kinds of tomatoes...
ReplyDelete*Jeane - I'm hoping to one day grow some tomatoes so that I can process them. We go through a LOT of canned tomatoes for soups and spaghetti sauce--would be nice to use our own stuff! I'm same with canned peas. Ick! ;)
DeleteCool that you've done some canning. I'm tempted to freeze more produce, but haven't quite reached the point where I want to can. Although, it does seem like it would be really satisfying -- and for months to come.
ReplyDeleteWell... I made my own peanut butter and put that in a jar. But as for canning... not so much. I have been planning to make my own strawberry jam for years. Somehow it never happens.
ReplyDeleteI used to make several types of jams and a few sauces. Now all I make is strawberry freezer jam. The peach bbq sauce is very tempting.
ReplyDeleteCount me as someone who would be scared pantless at the prospect of canning! I don't think it is as much a part of our food culture here either. A family friend used to make their own tomato sauce/ketchup but that is about it really as far as I can remember!
ReplyDeletePeach BBQ sauce sounds so scrumptious. My husband and I canned tomatoes once, a very long time ago.
ReplyDeleteVery nice, Trish! I made rhubarb jam (with a little bit of ginger) a few weeks ago, which worked really well. If I find some good-price strawberries I'll try that too!
ReplyDeleteHave a good time eating that lovely jam.
My canning experience is limited to making freezer jam with my mother about 30 years ago. Maybe some day... your jam is inspiring me!
ReplyDelete*Joy Weese Moll - I've done a little bit of freezing as well but I'm running out of space in my freezer. Wishing we had basements here!
ReplyDelete*Uniflame - So I take it the peanut butter turned out well?! Yummy!!
*Heather - I'd love to make some freezer jam but since everything has to be cooked for hub's allergies it just makes more sense to process it.
*Marg - It's interesting because I've never thought about canning as being particular to some countries more than others but I think maybe you're right. Bet there's a whole history there!
*Bookchickdi - I would love to can tomatoes but need to learn to garden first. ;)
*Judith - Mmmm, rhubarb jam sounds delicious! We don't see a lot of rhubarb down here but I do enjoy it with strawberries!
*JoAnn - It was surprisingly easy to make the jam -- just a lot of steps. Am thinking about making some berry jam today with some fruit I picked up that needs to be eaten immediately!
YAY Trish!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love canning! I find it really relaxing, even though it's actually an often hectic and EXHAUSTING affair. :P I grew up canning with my Mom as a kid, but then didn't do it on my own for a long time. I ton buttloads of tomatoes from our garden. Last year I made jam for the first time (strawberry and blueberry and, my personal favorite, blackberry--and I made so much that I don't need to even make any this year. Our apple tree didn't do well last year for some reason, so I ended up going totally overboard at a pick-your-own organic orchard--made and canned nearly 70 jars of applesauce and 12 pints of apple butter. This year I'm hoping to go pear picking and can pears, too (because they're Gray's favorites). And I hope like heck our garden puts out enough green beans to can at least some. And well...yeah Debi, shut up already! Anyway, I suspect you'll be a complete canning addict before you know it. :)
I would have been able to call myself a seasoned veteran at one point. I used to can from spring through fall. Everything from jams, sauces, vegetables, and pickle.
ReplyDeleteI love seeing all of the lovely cans all lined up after the job is finished. Canning can be so rewarding. I should pick it up again.
*Debi - I remember when you did all of that applesauce. I still can't believe 70 jars! Surely you were able to give some away as gifts, right? My mom used to can a lot of fruit when we were younger and I remember loving that. Since Scott can't eat the fresh stuff this is the next best option but we don't really have orchards down here (except peach) to pick our own. Do you ever pickle your fruit? Or do you put in a syrup?
ReplyDelete*Steph - That's so wonderful about your canning. I'd love to hear about the sauces that you would make! The fruit is nice but it seems especially nice to pull your own sauce off the shelf and use it.
Oh gosh....I don't know if I can do this. I have storage issues, but the jam part...that maybe I could do? Requires more research for sure.
ReplyDeleteI've toying with the idea of an herb garden or something. My yard is a concrete jungle though, so I would need to build raised beds or something and now it's become a "project".
I'll just read what you're doing and be inspired :)
I have never canned anything before and making jam is on my list this summer. I'm so glad you did it and it wasn't too bad!!!
ReplyDelete*Jenny Girl - We have space issues as well. We're going to have to rehaul our pantry in order to fit the cans we've done so far. BUT you can do freezer jam!! If you do manage to do a garden I hope you'll share with us.
ReplyDelete*Melissa - I can't wait to hear about your canning experiences! The first time was quiet chaotic but since writing this post I did another session for blackberry/raspberry/blueberry jam and it was much smoother.
Woo hoo!!! *cheers enthusiastically* I am so proud of you!!! You'll be addicted now. The first thing I did was strawberry jam and I haven't looked back since! Completely addicted. I had to add shelves to my kitchen this week to hold all my canned stuffs. Yay!!
ReplyDeleteHeather - Yes the space. Not enough space!! Somehow my pantry is too full! need to work on that before I can do any more canning.
ReplyDelete