Q and A: Canning recipes, Turkey questions, and Plum jelly

Canning recipes

I just purchased a pressure canner with the idea of canning our favorite family recipes. After attending a canning class and trying to research online it seems I must use approved canning recipes. Is this the case or is it possible to for me to can my own recipes?

Teresa Hoskins
Memphis, Tennessee

Experienced canners can certainly can their own recipes. But until you get the hang of canning and using tried and true recipes, I’d be careful canning your own recipes. The reason for this is that family recipes are usually “mixed” ingredient recipes and sometimes home canners do not remember to process each batch for the length of time required for the one ingredient requiring the longest processing time. For instance, meat requires a lengthy processing time, whether canned alone or with other ingredients. Adding your own spices to an approved recipe is certainly fine. You might want to pick up a copy of my canning book, Growing and canning your own food. It has tons of different recipes that I’m sure you can safely tweak by using your own spices and seasonings. — Jackie

Turkey questions

I have some questions about turkeys. 1. If a tom is more than a year old is he still tender for roast turkey or is his meat tough by then? 2. Can turkeys of two different breeds successfully breed and hatch babies? 3. Do turkeys need to be two years old (like geese) to have fertile eggs? 4. If turkeys are raised on pasture do they need grain or feed in addition? 5. If they do need feed would chicken lay granules be sufficient? This should be interesting! We have bronze hens and a royal palm tom.

Gail Erman
Palisade, Colorado

Most year-old toms are still tender. We’re having one of ours for Thanksgiving, in fact. Yes, turkeys of different breeds can mate and hatch babies, unless they are one of the engineered breeds, such as Broad Breasted Whites or Bronzes, which can not often successfully breed and hatch. No. Yearling turkeys are fertile. If turkeys are free ranged, they need less grain, but still require some grain to do well. I wouldn’t waste money by feeding turkeys laying feed. It costs more money that way. A simple 18% poultry mixed grain will feed them well when they are on pasture. Are your Bronze hens standard bronzes or Broad Breasted Bronzes? The Broad Breasted birds do not usually hatch as well as do the older Bronzes, due to their weight. They should breed, being that you are using a Royal Palm tom, which is considerably lighter. You’re right, that breeding should be interesting. Keep us posted! — Jackie

Plum jelly

I was just wondering if you have to “pit” plums to get the juice for jelly making or not.

Stephanie Sheriff
Eastanollee, Georgia

No, you don’t. If I had to pit my wild plums, I probably would never make the jelly and jam! They do juice up best if you cut them up, though. — Jackie