Canning 101 | One Hundred Dollars a Month

Canning 101 – How to Make Blackberry Jam

August 19, 2012 14 Comments

Yesterday The Girl and I picked blackberries. After after gorging ourselves on fruit, we made a cobbler. But we still had a huge bowl of blackberries left over. So I popped them in the freezer last night and made a batch of blackberry jam this morning after breakfast.

Blackberry jam is one of those funky ones you usually only find in specialty stores. And with good reason. Blackberry jam takes a little extra effort to make. Unless you want a mouth full of hard little seeds, you’ll need to use a sieve to remove some of the blackberry seeds first.

Trust me. You don’t want to miss this step.

Ingredients

6 cups blackberries
1/4 cup lemon juice {I used bottled}
8 cups sugar
1 box pectin {I used Sure Jell}

Directions

Bring a boiling-water canner, 3/4 full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well before filling.

Crush blackberries, and measure 4 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-qt. sauce pot. Add pectin and stir.

Combined the blackberries, pectin, and lemon juice and bring to a full rolling boil, reduce heat, and stir in sugar. Return to a full rolling boil and boil for 4 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid boiling over. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Ladle immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. {Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.} Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.} Yields 10 1/2 pints.

Go HERE for more canning recipes.

If you are looking for a canner, I used the Granite Ware 11-1/2 Quart Covered Preserving Canner with Rack to can my homemade blackberry jam.

If you need a tool kit, I use one similar to this one.
If you are looking for a proper sieve, this is what the pros use.

Filed Under: Canning 101, Recipe Tagged With: blackberries, blackberry jam, Canning, canning 101, How to Make Blackberry Jam, recipe

Canning 101 – How to Can Jalapeno Pepper Jelly Recipe

August 15, 2012 10 Comments

The girl picked a bunch of jalapeno peppers this morning so I decided to crank up the AC {it’s in the 90′s today} and can a few jars of jalapeno jelly. If you have never tried jalapeno pepper jelly before and are not exactly sure what the heck you would do with it… I like to serve it with a block of softened cream cheese and fancy crackers. It’s great to have on hand for entertaining for an easy peasy, no brainier appetizer.

This particular recipe made 3 1/2 pint jars of jalapeno pepper jelly. If you want to make a few more jars, just double the batch.

Here is a picture tutorial for you.

Ingredients

6 oz jalapeño peppers, steamed, seeded, and chopped
1 cup cider vinegar, divided
3 cups sugar
1 3-oz pouch liquid pectin {I used
3 drops green food coloring {optional}
3 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions

Chop off the stems, remove the seeds and chop the jalapenos {wearing gloves of course}. Once you’ve done that, toss the peppers in a blender with 1/2 cup cider vinegar and puree until smooth {I like mine to have little chunks}.

Next, combine the puree with remaining 1/2 cup cider vinegar and add sugar in a heavy pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add liquid pectin, and continue to boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Add food coloring, and skim any foam.

Looking for more canning recipes? Check out Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. Amazon currently has it on sale for only $12.62.

Filed Under: Canning 101, Recipe Tagged With: Canning, canning 101, canning recipes, How to Can, Jalapeno Pepper Jelly, mavis butterfield, recipe

Canning 101 – Strawberry Basil Jam Recipe

August 13, 2012 16 Comments

Oh dear. I think I have found another knock out canning recipe. This time it’s for Strawberry Basil Jam. I loved the strawberry bruchetta the HH made a few weeks ago so much, that when I came across a recipe for strawberry basil jam, I just had to give it a try. And I’m so glad I did. This jam recipe is scrumptious {and it tastes great on homemade pancakes too}.

Hopefully you have some basil in the garden so you can make a batch of this jam soon, trust me, it’s a keeper.

Ingredients
4 cups fresh, sliced, strawberries,
2 cups Sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice {I used bottled}
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Directions

Crush strawberries, and measure 4 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-qt. sauce pot.

Combined the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice and bring to a full rolling boil, reduce heat, and stir in basil and cook an additional 3 minutes. Remove from heat and skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Go HERE for more canning recipes.

Looking for more unique jam recipes? Check out The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook By Rachel Saunders. Amazon currently has it on sale and the book has great reviews.

And if you are looking for a canner, I used the Granite Ware 11-1/2 Quart Covered Preserving Canner with Rack to can my jam. If you need a tool kit, I use one similar to this one.

Filed Under: Canning 101, Recipe Tagged With: basil, Canning, canning 101, recipe, strawberries, Strawberry Basil Jam

Canning 101 – How to Can Dilly Beans

August 12, 2012 5 Comments

If you have OCD and you’d like to give canning a try, than this is the recipe for you. Not only is it an easy peasy recipe because you are cold packing your vegetables, but for me, being able to line my beans up in the jar was a total rush. I loved every second of it!

Just remember, after canning these bad boys, you won’t be able to eat them for a few weeks. You need to wait a bit and let the flavors develop. But don’t worry, they’re worth the wait. I promise.

Ingredients

3 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 head of dill
6 cloves garlic
3 3/4 cups white vinegar
3 2/4 cups water
1/3 cup pickling salt

Directions

Fill your boiling water canner 2/3 with water and bring the water to a boil.

Fill 6 washed and sterilized jars, with 1 clove of garlic, 1 head of dill and 1/4 teaspoon cayanne pepper. Then add about 1/2 pound of trimmed beans {until the jar is packed tight}.

In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, water and salt and bring to a boil.

Once the water had been brought to a boil, pour the boiling brine over the beans, making sure to leave 1/4 inch headspace. Make sure all bubbles are removed before adding a lid and band.

Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Wait 4-6 weeks before cracking open a jar to allow the flavor to fully develop.

Looking for a great canning book? I recommend The Joy of Pickling: 250 Flavor-Packed Recipes for Vegetables and More from Garden or Market By Linda Ziedrich. Amazon currently has it on sale for only $11.41

Filed Under: Canning 101, Recipe Tagged With: beans, canning 101, How to Can Dilly Beans, recipe, recipes

Canning 101 – How to Can Green Beans

August 9, 2012 13 Comments

Well, I did it. I succesfully canned green beans in a pressure canner, and I didn’t blow up the house either. I totally feel like Olivia Walton right now. In fact I might even go cut up some fabric and sew me a quilt this afternoon too. Ha Ha Ha!

So because I am a visual learner, I decided to take a boatload of pictures for you just in case you want to give this a try too. Using a pressure canner was easy, I promise.

Step 1 – Fill a pressure canner with 4 inches of water, place the rack in the bottom of the canner, and then place the canner on the stove and bring the water to a boil over low heat.

While the water in the canner is heating up, wash and cut your beans. I used just under 8 pounds of beans and I ended up with 12 pint jars of green beans.

Fill clean, dry, sterilized jars 1 inch from the top with cut green beans.

Cover the beans with boiling water within 1 inch of the top of the jar and remove any air bubbles.

Carefully place the jars in boiling water, on the bottom of the canner rack. The water level in the canner should be at 3 inches by now. If not, add more boiling water until you are at 3 inches.

Raise the temp to med- high and place the lid on the canner. Set a timer for 10 minutes to allow the steam to escape. DO NOT put the weight on the canner yet.

After 10 minutes of venting, tighten the side clamps.

Put the 10 pound weight in place and make sure any openings are now closed and allow the pressure to build to 11 pounds.

Once the pressure canner reaches 10 pounds, set your timer for 20 minutes {see chart below}. You may need to adjust the heat {I did} to maintain 10 pounds of pressure.

Once the 20 minutes are up, turn off the heat. Walk away, go find something to do until the pressure in your canner drops to zero {my canner made a “ping” noise when it hit zero. Do not attempt to open your canner until it is at zero. Big No No!

Once the pressure in the canner has dropped to zero, remove the clamps, and remove the lid. Carefully place the jars in a draft free area {I always place my hot jars on a towel}.

photo credit

Check seals {they will be indented if you canned the beans properly} and after the jars have fully cooled down, wipe clean and store in a cool dark pantry {or cupboard} away from heat.

Viola! That is how you can green beans. See, I told you it was easy.

Christmas of 2008 my Mother in Law gave me an All American 21-1/2-Quart Pressure Cooker/Canner. Now, I’m all about saving money, but a pressure canner is not something I would buy used. But that’s just me. So you do what you like. But if you are interested in getting a new one, Amazon has a ton of different sizes to choose from and the All American company has the highest ratings.

* I am not a pressure canning expert, this is simply how I canned my own green beans. Can at your own risk.

Filed Under: Canning 101, Recipe Tagged With: black valentine beans, Canning, canning 101, how to can green beans, Mavis, recipe

Canning 101 – How to Make Raspberry Jam

July 29, 2012 10 Comments

I know there are all sorts of freezer and low sugar recipes out there for raspberry jam, but this one {and all it’s sugar} is still my favorite. For the most part, we don’t consume a lot of sugar. But when it comes to raspberry jam, I like mine sweet, and in my opinion, this recipe is da’ bomb.

If you live in the Pacific Northwest, then you’ve probably been to the Puyallup Fair and had a Fisher Scone slathered with raspberry jam. Be still my heart. Scones + raspberry jam will always = love.

This recipe comes from Kraft, and I’ve been using it for years.

Ingredients

6 cups raspberries, crushed
1 box of pectin
1/4 tsp. butter {I used unsalted}
8 1/2 cups sugar

Directions

Crush raspberries, and measure 6 cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot.

Stir pectin into prepared fruit in saucepot. Add butter to reduce foaming. Bring mixture to full rolling boil {a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred} on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 4 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon.

Ladel immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. {Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.} Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.} Recipe Credit

Looking for more canning recipes? The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook By Rachel Saunders is jam packed {ha ha ha} with delicious recipes, and comes highly rated by fellow amazon shoppers.

If you are looking for a canner, I used the Granite Ware 11-1/2 Quart Covered Preserving Canner with Rack to can my homemade cherry jam. If you need a tool kit, I use one similar to this one.

Filed Under: Canning 101, Recipe Tagged With: Canning, canning 101, How To Make Raspberry Jam, raspberries, Raspberry Jam, recipes

Canning 101 – How to Make Cherry Jam

July 26, 2012 29 Comments

After listening to my neighbor Girly Girl go on and on about how wonderful her $12 jar of gourmet cherry jam was, I thought I would try whipping up a batch for myself. So this morning before The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird left for practice, I made her pit 3 pounds of cherries for me. She was so excited {Ha!}.

And I’m so glad I did.

So. Freakin’. Delicious.

I think there is even enough left on the bottom of the pan to pour over the last few bites of my hidden stash of vanilla ice cream I have tucked away in the freezer.

Go make this! Trust me, you won’t regret it. Homemade cherry jam is awesome!

Ingredients

3 cups ripe cherries, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice {I used bottled}
1 box fruit pectin
4 1/2 cups sugar

Directions {Thank you Sure-Jell}

BRING boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain jars well before filling.

STEM and pit cherries. Finely chop or grind fruit. Measure exactly 3 cups of the prepared cherries into 6- or 8-qt. saucepot. Stir in lemon juice.

STIR pectin into fruit mixture in saucepot. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat; skim off any foam with metal spoon.

LADLE immediately into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10 min. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

Looking for more canning recipes? The Blue Chair Jam Cookbook By Rachel Saunders is jam packed {ha ha ha} with delicious recipes, and comes highly rated by fellow amazon shoppers.

If you are looking for a canner, I used the Granite Ware 11-1/2 Quart Covered Preserving Canner with Rack to can my homemade cherry jam. If you need a tool kit, I use one similar to this one.

Filed Under: Canning 101, Recipe Tagged With: Canning, canning 101, cherries, cherry jam recipe, how to make jam, recipe, recipes

Canning 101 – How to Can Cherries

July 25, 2012 20 Comments

One of my local grocery stores {Safeway} has cherries on sale this week for $1.29 a pound. So I got up bright and early and headed down to pick up 10 pounds so I could can some cherries to use later this winter. Have you ever tried home canned cherries before? Holy cats, they are da’ bomb! The Handsome Husband and I especially like them over homemade vanilla bean ice cream in the winter time.

Not only are cherries just about the easiest thing on the planet to can, but they are so freakin’ delicious.

Here is my low sugar/ syrup recipe.

Once you get your cherries home, wash them thoroughly. Plan on roughly 1 pound of cherries per pint jar.

Pit cherries. I use the MIU Stainless Steel Cherry Stoner{Amazon $11.18} and it rocks!

Wash several canning jars in hot soapy water. Rise and drain.

Fill your hot jars with pitted cherries. Pour hot sugar syrup mixture over cherries, remove bubbles and leave about 1/2 head space at the top.

Add lids and bands, screw on tight.

Place in a hot water canner and process for 25 minutes. Remove jars form canner and let them cool on a kitchen towel over night. Check seals and store in pantry. If seals did not take, place in refrigerator for up to 1 week and enjoy.

How to Can Cherries

Directions

Wash cherries
Pit cherries
Fill canning jars with cherries
Add syrup to cherries leaving 1/2 head space
Add lids and bands, screw on tight
Process in a hot water canner for 25 minutes
Remove jars form canner and let them cool on a kitchen towel over night
Check seals and store in pantry. If seals did not take, place in refrigerator for up to 1 week and enjoy

Light Sugar Syrup Recipe

Combine 1 1/4 cups sugar and 5 1/2 cups of water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. This should yield enough syrup for 6 jars of cherries.

See More of my Canning Recipes HERE

Looking for a few more awesome canning recipes? Check out Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. Amazon has it currently in stock and ready to ship.

Need a canner? I used the Granite Ware 11-1/2 Quart Covered Preserving Canner with Rack. And if you need a tool kit, I use one similar to this one.

Filed Under: Canning 101, Recipe Tagged With: canning 101, canning recipes, how to can cherries, mavis garden blog, recipe

Canning 101 – How To Make Zucchini Relish

July 23, 2012 8 Comments

If you have never given zucchini relish a try, I want to encourage you to make a batch this summer. I’ve been using this zucchini relish recipe for years and the funny thing is, you can’t even tell you’re eating zucchini. It really does taste like regular relish.

We like to use it on hot dogs, hamburger and mixed in with potato salad. It’s delicious! Try it, you’ll see. This recipe yields {4} 1/2 pint jars

Ingredients

2 cups chopped zucchini
1 cup chopped onion {I used Walla Walla Sweets}
1 cup chopped sweet peppers {I used green peppers}
2 tablespoons salt
1 cup cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed

Directions

Place the chopped zucchini, onions peppers and salt in a large bowl and cover with cold water and let it sit for 2 hours. Drain liquid, rinse throughly and drain again.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the zucchini mixture, reduce heat to simmer and cook 10 minutes.

Pack hot relish mixture into 1/2 pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust 2 piece caps, and process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

Carefully remove jars, place on a towel in a draft free area and let cool over night. Check seals after 24 hours.

If you are looking for a canner, I used the Granite Ware 11-1/2 Quart Covered Preserving Canner with Rack to can my zucchini relish. If you need a tool kit, I use one similar to this one.

Filed Under: Canning 101, Recipe Tagged With: canning 101, how to make zucchini relish, mavis garden blog, recipe, zucchini relish recipe

Canning 101 – How To Make Peach Jam

July 13, 2012 16 Comments

Earlier in the week I purchased 50 pounds of peaches at my local grocery store for $.79 a lb. I canned a dozen jars of peaches the other day, but I still have a counter top full of them, so I decided to go ahead and whip up a couple of batches of peach jam this afternoon.

In my opinion, peach jam rules. Not only does peach jam taste good on toast and pancakes, homemade jam makes giving hostess gifts all year long a walk in the park. You can give a jar pf jam to someone on its own, or include a nice loaf of bread to go with it.

I suppose it just depends on how much you like the person.

If you have never made peach jam before, here are a ton of pictures to help you through it.

It’s easy. I promise.

Ingredients

4 cups peaches {chopped, peeled and pitted}
2 Tbs. lemon juice {I’m not a lemon snob, so I use bottled lemon juice}
1 box Fruit Pectin {I used Sure-Jell}
1/2tsp. butter {to prevent foaming}
5-1/2cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

Directions

Fill a boiling-water canner about 2/3 rds full with water and bring it to a boil.

Place 4 cups prepared fruit into an 8 quart sauce pot. Add lemon juice and pectin {add butter to reduce foaming, if desired}. Bring to peach mixture to a full rolling boil {which is a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when the mixture is stirred} on high heat, stirring constantly.

When the peach mixture has begun to boil, stir in the sugar. Return mixture to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute {no cheating}, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and skim off any foam with spoon.

Next, ladle the peach jam mixture into hot prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe the jar rims and threads clean if need be. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner and then lower the rack into canner. Make sure the water is covering the jars by about 2 inches. Place the lid on the pot and bring the water to gentle boil.

Process peach jam 10 minutes. One recipe makes {12} 4oz jars or {6} 8oz jars

Remove jars and place on a towel to cool. After 24 hours check the seals. If the lid springs back, our jam is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.