Q and A: canning vinegar and canning pizza sauce

Canning vinegar

Have you ever made fruit scraps vinegar and is it okay to can it(water bath canner)? Also, have you ever made crab apple jell? Can you explain how?

Melody
Upstate New York

Yes I have. I’m sure you saw the good how-to article in the latest issue of BHM (Sept/Oct 2013, Issue #143). Yes, you can easily can it. Just bring a large pot of it (stainless steel or enameled, not bare metal) to a simmer then pour hot into hot, sterilized quart jars, leaving 1/2″ of headspace. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes and it’ll stay good for a long time in your pantry.

I make crab apple jelly every year as it’s one of Will’s favorites and so pretty when you use red crab apples because it is a beautiful clear pink. Here’s a recipe from my book, Growing and Canning Your Own Food: About 5 lbs crab apples, making 5 cups juice (Less if you use a steam juicer, as it gets more juice from less fruit!) 1 pkg. powdered pectin, and 7 cups sugar.

Remove blossom end and stems of crab apples and cut in half or quarter, depending on size of apples. Add a small amount of water with the crab apples in a large pot and slowly simmer until fruit is soft and juice is running. Drain in a damp jelly bag or several layers of cheesecloth overnight or for several hours. Measure juice.

To 5 cups juice, mix pectin and stir well as you bring to a rolling boil. Add full measure of sugar, stirring well, as you return to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly so it does not scorch. Ladle hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Wipe rim of jar clean; place hot, previously-simmered lid on jar and screw down the ring firmly tight. Process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. (I use both pint and half-pint jars; processing time is the same.) — Jackie

Canning pizza sauce

I have a pizza sauce recipe that I want to water bath but it has 1/2 teaspoon of anchovy paste is this ok. Jackie I’m sorry to say I killed your squash it was going great. We had some winds that broke a few of them off at the stem, the ones that didn’t break died a slow death the winds here are bad but this was unbelievable — lost all my peppers too.

Sherry

I’d skip the anchovy paste as water bathing recipes containing a fish product can be dicey. Some folks have canned recipes such as antipasto salad for generations in a water bath canner but it is usually considered unsafe. I’d add the anchovy paste just before you make your pizza, stirring it in well.

I’m so sorry to hear you had nasty weather for your squash and peppers. Try, try, try again. It’s our homestead motto! — Jackie