Plastics are a hot button issue, most Americans are aware that they are filling up our landfills, but not what to do instead. The short answer is, use as little as you can and recycle everything else. But what about safety? Some plastics we know are toxic, such as #3 aka PVC or vinyl. PVC … Continue reading Storing food without plastic
I am firmly convinced that canning the marinara should be a regular family ritual. There is something special about making your own sauce from scratch for the people you love. It’s so individual to your own tastes that it really feels meaningful to complete the process and makes preparing the sauce later on for dinner … Continue reading Canning the marinara
Canning labels are a great way to not only spruce up your jars, but label what the heck is in the jar! If you’re like me, you might make the same product with varying recipes and are unable to tell the difference. Here is a picture of my latest jars with a free label I … Continue reading Canning Labels
I thought I would share some pictures of my ongoing food in jars project. The first picture is of all of my canning so far this year. From left to right, we have salsa, pickled green beans, strawberry preserves, strawberry jam, peach slices, peach jam, chai plum syrup, fruit cocktail and the two small jars … Continue reading Food in Jars
Fruit cocktail is one of the easiest canning recipes, though a bit time consuming. The best part about making your own is that you can control exactly what goes into the final product from fruit to the liquid it is contained in. Today, I made a fairly traditional fruit cocktail in heavy syrup (upon my … Continue reading Fruit Cocktail
Next up in the canning recipe line up is a super simple, but rewarding recipe. I'm calling them sliced and spiced peaches. It’s your standard canned peaches in white grape juice with some spices to zing up the flavor a bit. I used cinnamon, allspice and cloves. You can see my ingredients below, don’t you … Continue reading Sliced and Spiced Peaches
I think it is just as important to post on your failed attempts as your successes. Failing is just a lesson for the next experiment you make. Inspired by a friend posting an apple peel & core jelly recipe, I decided to try and make some from my fruit cocktail scraps. (I’ll post on the … Continue reading Try, try, try again.
My very first jar broke today. It was a good lesson for me in how hot the stuff inside the jar needs to be versus the boiling water. Initially I was frustrated by it, but after reflecting about the incident I think it was a good thing. First, I know how thermal shock works. I … Continue reading Reflections on Canning
I was planning to make a spiced plum jelly for Christmas and calling it “Sugar Plum Jelly” on a bit of a lark or for Christmas presents. After looking through some online recipes, I found two that most interested me, a spiced plum jam and chai-poached apricots and plums. After some consideration, I decided to … Continue reading Chai Spice Pluot Jelly
Continuing in the series on the basics of canning, let’s talk about stock pots. Almost any kind of large pot will work for canning potsregardless of price. A basic enamel stock pot shouldn’t cost more than $30 from a big box store. If you are looking for a life time investment, I would recommend stainless … Continue reading Canning Basics: The Pots
