Let's get Canning!

[JohnT]

First up for canning season 2017.... 27 jars of strawberry jam. This year was a bumper crop for strawberries with warm days, lots of rain, and cool nights. They honestly never tasted so good.

The bowl is what was left after an entire flat of berries. These were the ones that were just not quite ripe enough.

 

[Merrywine]

Wow, looks like you'll be set for a while.

 

[Bodenski]

I love homemade strawberry jam. The recipe (if I remember right) is 5 cups of strawberry puree to 7 cups of sugar. With a ratio like that, it's hard to go wrong!

 

[Julie]

I don't can my strawberry jam, I freeze it.

 

[Arne]

I don't can my strawberry jam, I freeze it.

Lol, I ferment mine. Sadly, tho, ours froze during flowering time. Guess I'll have to wait til next year. Next are the cherries, but they had a bad time with the cold weather also. The robins are takin them about as fast as they turn a bit red. Only a year away from a decent batch. Arne.

 

[the_rayway]

So far we have done a Rhubarb Vanilla With Earl Grey Tea jam and a Rhubarb/Spruce tip/Mint Jelly. Strawberries won't be out until July up here But I'm in @Julie 's camp - I only do freezer jams with Strawberries: way less sugar, and it tastes like summer in a jar.

 

[montanaWineGuy]

Excellent. Before I started making wine, I made lots of different types of Jam. I'll have to discipline myself and make Elderberry jam with some of this years Elderberries.

 

[JohnT]

I love homemade strawberry jam. The recipe (if I remember right) is 5 cups of strawberry puree to 7 cups of sugar. With a ratio like that, it's hard to go wrong!

Yup, plus 1 packet of pectin and a squirt of lemon juice.

 

[Julie]

And has anyone ever made zucchini relish? I love this stuff!

 

[the_rayway]

I made some last year! Considering I'm more of a dill pickle relish lady only - it was pretty good! I also tried a Jalapeno Salsa this year that was dynamite - I finally found that balance between burn your face off/limey-ness/robust flavour.

I find that when someone makes a request for "____ that my mom/grandma used to make" I'll end up testing a few batches on them until I get it right. Then I put it in the yearly rotation with a note to give them most of the batch. The others usually get distributed to others I think might like them. I'm currently searching a Beet Jelly recipe similar to my Step-Mother-In-Law's. She passed recently, and many of her extended family adored this jelly. We searched her records and couldn't find it...but I'll keep looking! I find it's part of the fun.

 

[Julie]

Canning season is really coming along so I figured I would bring this thread back up. So far I have canned bread and butter pickles and dill pickle chips. Also, freezing corn here and there. I talked to this guy about freezing corn. He says he does not blanch his corn. He cuts it off the cob, puts it in a bag and then fills the bag with water, then freezes. He claims the corn is better this way. Does anyone else do this?

 

[JohnT]

Just finished off making 28 jars of bread and butter pickles. Then I made a single batch or eight jars of peach jam.

Boy are my feet killing me!

 

[fivebk]

Canning season is really coming along so I figured I would bring this thread back up. So far I have canned bread and butter pickles and dill pickle chips. Also, freezing corn here and there. I talked to this guy about freezing corn. He says he does not blanch his corn. He cuts it off the cob, puts it in a bag and then fills the bag with water, then freezes. He claims the corn is better this way. Does anyone else do this?

I cut the corn off the cob , put it in a large pan with a little sugar and salt I bring it to a boil and fill quart freezer bags.

 

[GreenEnvy22]

My wife and I have been busy.

 

[Julie]

Nice looking canning cubbard, GreenEnvy22!

I did a batch of green beans yesterday and will do another batch today. Thinking about peach butter, I need to see how much I still have from last year.

 

[Julie]

Does anyone freeze corn on the cob? If so, is it any good and how do you do it?

 

[GreenEnvy22]

Nice looking canning cubbard, GreenEnvy22!

I did a batch of green beans yesterday and will do another batch today. Thinking about peach butter, I need to see how much I still have from last year.

Thanks!
This is in our cellar. As those two shelving units are almost full, I'll squeeze one more shelving unit in yet, I'll move the one wine rack just visible on the end there to another wall. Tomato's are just starting to produce in volume so we'll have a lot more salsas and sauces coming up soon.

 

[fivebk]

We tried freezing corn on the cob one time and it came out tasting like the cob instead of the corn

BOB

 

[J-Hat]

My wife and I have been busy.

Never canned anything before, but am intrigued by you photo, how long does this stuff last before it first doesn't taste fresh or good and second isn't safe to eat?

 

[GreenEnvy22]

Never canned anything before, but am intrigued by you photo, how long does this stuff last before it first doesn't taste fresh or good and second isn't safe to eat?

It depends on what it is, but most stuff is good for 1-2 years.
We are still eating some 2015 salsas and jams. Typically though we try to keep stuff under 18 months.
It doesn't usually go "bad" after that point,but stuff like salsa gets more mushy, or flavours may decline.

Our highest volume use (and so what we make most of) is tomato salsas, pepper jelly, and pickled veggies. Most of it is from our vegetable garden.
The jams we mostly give as gifts.

Some of it is just finding uses for the surplus we often have. My wife has made zucchini salsa and zucchini relish because we have so much (I have about 15 zucchini sitting on the kitchen counter right now waiting to be used).

Interestingly, I don't really like any of the pickled stuff like the cauliflower, cabbage, pickles, and beets, but I enjoy making them. My wife, kids, and other extended family love all that stuff though.