Since Will went down in the basement and easily found the Mehu Liisa steam juicer I couldn’t find, yesterday, I not only seeded out some more tomatoes but got busy and made my first attempt at Bronco cherry jelly. I added the jalapeños to the steam juicer with the chokecherries. I didn’t seed them, but cut them in half, lengthwise. I only used three of them as they were hot and I didn’t want my jelly to be too spicy.
I ended up with enough juice to make two batches of jelly. Boy, do I hate it that SureJel did away with putting a recipe flyer in each box! Gee, I had to get my book, Growing and Canning Your Own Food, out for the recipe.
Well, the jelly came out just fine, although next time, I’ll add double the jalapeños to the same ice cream pail nearly full of chokecherries. It wasn’t spicy at all, but had a nice, rich flavor. All the jars sealed nicely although the ring came off one jar! This is the second time this has happened and they were newer rings. In more than 60 years of canning (and Mom and Grandma before me), this has never happened before. Cheap rings, with incorrect spacing on the ridges. Yes, I did tighten the rings snuggly, as I always do! Aghhhhh!
As I’d saved all the tomato pieces, after I’d seeded them, I tossed them in the blender with onion and garlic pieces and gave it a good whizz. Then I packed the puree in pints and waterbathed that. There were only three pints and a half pint. But I hate throwing away anything and we’ll sure find use for the tomato puree this winter.
Today, it’s rained a bit so I think I’ll seed out the Sweet Granite muskmelons Will picked in the Wolf Garden yesterday. This year, they’re not only early but also nice and big. We have several watermelons that are much larger than a basketball too. That’s so encouraging. Just like the ears setting on our 3rd planting of corn! Despite a late start and the dratted weeds, it looks very promising. — Jackie
I remember the first time I tried to make chokecherry syrup. I was a young 20-something-year old who wanted to learn all the things…my older neighbor gave me a recipe for Chokecherry syrup. I happily picked the cherries…they are my favorite thing to pick. Cooked up the berries and poured it into a few jars. Well.. I had cooked it WAY too long and it turned into rock candy inside of the jars! It took a month of adding water to the jar to dilute it enough to get it out.
This weekend was the Embarrass Fair and it was so fun to see that a Hopi Pale Gray squash took 1st Place in the adult “any squash” category. It was a beauty and I knew the seed likely came from Seed Treasures.
Looking forward to this week of warmer sunny temperatures.
I did the same thing when I opened Sure Jell to make peach jam. Said a nasty word and then got out your book for information.
My garden this year has been dismal to say the least. Only potatoes have produced a decent crop, and it was excellent. Tomatoes dismal and slow to ripen. The large cherry tomatoes and one yellow tomato have done okay … not great and barely okay. Cucumbers planted in June are only 4″ tall so nothing will happen there. Early frost date here is 9/15 although most years we make it till the end of the month and last few years into first of October.
Glad to hear your gardens are doing good.
We make maple syrup that we bottle in canning jars. A couple of years ago, I got some jars on sale. Poured hot syrup into a jar and turned over like always. The pressure of the hot syrup with those cheap rings blew hot syrup all over the side of the refrigerator, down the cabinet, and on the floor under the refrigerator! Huge mess! Now I test all my rings by putting them on an empty jar, and pulling hard on them. If they come off, I bend them in half and toss in the recycling.
I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one having trouble with rings that don’t work!
It’s universal, I think. I know for sure I didn’t do anything wrong! And I’m sure others didn’t too. Cheaply made material these days.
Your cook book set is absolutely necessary for Real cooking. Have “gifted “ it to the younger cooks in the family. Basic information they can understand and have delicious meals. Builds their confidence and compliments with smiles. Makes their beginning so much better. Thank you again for showing us the way. Even with Written Directions for the journey 😃😃
That was my true hope in writing those books! I’m so glad if they have helped.
I love reading that you refer to your canning book when you can. Your book lives on my table & with every round, I re-read the details. I have followed you about 30 yrs. now & you (without even knowing) taught me how to garden & can. I appreciate the education you have provided me. Tomorrow we will be putting up salsa & to not get confused, we mark our jars as page 123! :)
Oh Tracy, that’s so nice! I’m so glad if I could help you out in any way. I, too, get my canning book out every time I can something. Some folks think that after all these years I would just know the times and directions. But I don’t want to make a mistake. Sometimes when you get going too fast or distracted, bad things could happen. If my book is open, that doesn’t happen. I’m doing salsa tomorrow for the first go-round of many. I find myself hoping a jar won’t seal and I’ll HAVE to eat it!! LOL
I must admit I like hard copies of information, ie books. I don’t trust getting all my information from the internet. I have a reasonable library of “how to” books and add to it periodically. We also puree our tomatoes (with added ingredients-garlic and onions) and freeze them flat in freezer bags. This makes for easier “stacking”. The weeds are winning in the garden. Today we are tearing out a field fence that must be replaced -the old fence is 41 years old. It still contained the cattle but certainly won’t be any good in the near future. The old rusted steel stakes will go to the local recycling outfit that pays for steel. It’s almost not worth the effort but I’m loathe to have it go into a ditch. Field corn prices are edging above 5 dollars and soybeans are moving up. The news says America is 40 trillion in debt-someone (us/future generations) will have to pay. Debt is to be avoided. Enough philosophy-back to the fence.
Yep, I totally agree debt is to be avoided and a 40 trillion dollar debt is shocking!! I, too, have a literal ton of how-to books plus favorite novels. A lot of what you read on the internet is fiction and unfortunately, folks take it as God’s truth. So sad!!
Our weeds are monumental too. But fortunately, our crops are seeming to ignore them and keep on growing, despite them.
And to think in 2001 the country was in such good shape the debt could have been retired by 2009.
Seems like every day yet another food is linked to salmonella (or more cases of cyclospora).
Yep, I think about that national debt too, wondering how the heck anyone could let it get so huge in such a short time, too.
I’m also astounded at all the recalls of various foods, both fresh and even frozen and canned. Holy cow!! And they say home canned foods are dangerous, as is raw milk???? We’ve drank raw milk for over half a century and eaten home canned and fresh from the garden foods. Guess what? Nobody has ever gotten sick from any of it. Duh!!
I too like the hard copy! internet is handy? but trustworthy it’s not.
Jackie your books are a Lifesaver!
I do have a question :
Is there any measurements quota in water bath canning
for the tomato puree with garlic and onions? Thank you
Debt is a terrible thing to
pass onto the next generation. I pray Something happens before
alas todays politicians are only interested in themselves and their own money supply
I agree about the greedy politicians. Few really care about the people that elected them, only lining their own pockets while they’re in office….and beyond. As for canning tomato puree with garlic and onions, it’s a case of using your own common sense. If you use them as a flavoring or spice, you’ll be fine. If you dump in a lot, using them more as a large ingredient of the sauce, not so good.
I’ve read so much false information on the internet and even on canning sites it should scare you! Holy cow, people oven canning or not canning foods, just saying “but they sealed!!”. It scares the bejesus out of me!!
thank you! yes canning is easy common sense way of preserving. people today seem to lack common sense more than in the past appreciate your response. wish id found you sooner but your books are SO marked i never start without a refresher from the book. Thanks Jackie
Here is a link to a pdf of the SureJel inserts:
https://www.kraftheinz.com/sure-jell/product-insert
I too was very annoyed when I went to make raspberry freezer jam last fall and had to do quite the search for the lower sugar recipe.
Yep, I’m sure they saved a couple of pennies by not putting in the information, as they did for generations. But they’ll lose customers that way. I quit using it, switching to bulk pectin I buy online by the pound or better. More economical if you make the amount of preserves I do each year. No, we don’t EAT that much jam, jelly, preserves, etc. But I’ve learned long ago, when things get tough, having a bit of sweet sure makes a dreary day go much nicer!! Talk about a bartering chip better than booze or tobacco.
Companies are being pressured by the government to reduce paper. I guess that’s the main incentive to drop it.
I just had one of my rings pop off like you. I’m sure you’re right about the spacing being wrong and the ring wiggles loose. But I’ve been canning for 35 years and this was a surprise to me too…
Isn’t that the truth!! Kind of shocking, isn’t it? Be sure to throw away the offending ring as I’m sure I’d forget which one it was if I just tossed it back in my ring basket. They LOOK okay but sure aren’t.
Your canning book has lived with me in Oregon, Iowa and now California! Best salsa receipe ever in it! Thanks so much for the years!!!
Oh Ginger, I’m so very glad to hear that! I know I, myself, use that canning book nearly every time I go to can. Just to be sure I haven’t forgotten a time or ingredient. You’re very welcome!!
Well better to err on the side of caution than to end up with a product that cannot be salvaged (sour cream on/cream cheese with jelly – maybe?)
And I remember my mom telling me that after she and dad were first married, she made a dessert that was *so* bad even the farm dog wouldn’t eat it!
I agree. Next batch, I’ll double up on the jalapenos. I have to laugh about you telling about your mom’s dessert. One time my late husband, Bob, and son, David, moaned that they wanted Spaghetti O’s. I though, gee, ish, but bought a can, anyway. I heated it up and they started in eating. Only a bite or two. Then they stopped and said it was awful. Duh!! I made a quick, homemade dinner and scraped the nasty O’s into a dish and gave our wolf/husky. He would eat anything. But he gave it a sniff than gave me a dirty look and walked away. It’s pretty bad when a wolf won’t even eat it!
Hahah when the dog wont eat it…. best to stick with homemade:)
Amen, amen, amen!!