9.15.2011

Summer all year long

Back in July (or maybe it was June) I went strawberry picking.  Since I couldn't eat all the strawberries before they went bad I decided to make myself some strawberry jam so I could enjoy that Summer taste all year long.

This is only about 1/4 of what we picked that day.  Bad blogger me forgot to take a photo before I started making the jam...oops.

Since this was the first time I had made jam, or even canned in my life I decided to make it easy on myself and just follow the recipe that came in the Pamona's Pectin box


I chose to use the Pamona's Pectin because I wanted to make my jam with less sugar, my whole batch of jam only used 2 1/2 cups of sugar as opposed to other recipes that require 5-6 (or more) cups of sugar

my washed and sanitized jars ready to go

I put the tops in a simmering (not boiling, you don't want to ruin the plastic seal on them) pot of water till it was time to can

washed and hulled strawberries ready to go 

 I decided not to cut them up for a more chunky type jam.  I used my handy drink muddle tool to crush the crap out of them instead. 

Once I got all my aggressions out by crushing I added them to the pot along with the sugar and pectin

 After I let the mixture boil for the allotted time I used a Pyrex measuring cup to pour the strawberries into my sanitized jars

I didn't want to pour a hot liquid into cold jars, so I kept my jars hot by standing them up in a pan of simmering water.  Not sure if this is the correct way to keep them hot, but in a tiny kitchen with little to no counter space this worked for me.

Once all the jars were filled I put them in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.


Side note- I thought about investing in a canning pot, but since my kitchen is tiny I decided to work with what I have.  I realized that the All Clad pasta pot I registered for was perfect for this job.  It saves my fingers from being burned to a crisp as its super easy to lift the jars in and out in one sweep

After the jars were finished in the 10 minute water bath out they came and I let them sit on the counter overnight to cool and seal


I totally forgot to take pics of the jars after I added the cute labels I whipped up, but here is what they looked like so you get the idea


I ended up giving my Dad two pints of the jam to enjoy.  He eats peanut butter and jelly like he's still in kindergarten.  I figured some homemade jam would be just the thing to make his sandwiches special.


In other canning news, remember when I blogged about the pickles I made (you can see that post here)?  Well since I used a boiling canning method and didn't use any additives or grape leaves (as recommended by some) they didn't turn out as crispy as I had hoped. 

I was so sad when I finally got to try them that they were soggier than I would have liked.  I'm not giving up on pickles yet though. I'm going to try them again but make sure I find some grape leaves to get that crispiness I was missing the first time.  Any canning friends out there that can recommend a good CRISPY recipe?

Since I'm really getting addicted to this whole canning thing I cant WAIT to go apple picking this month.  I'm already drooling just thinking about homemade applesauce and apple butter.  Again to those canning friends, what apple recipes are a must try?

Happy canning everyone!

9 comments:

April of Smidge Of This said...

Linds, here is a post one of my IRL friends did on making your own pickles -- I use this recipe and they are TO. DIE. FOR. Plus, you make them overnight with no fancy equipment! Let me know if you try them.

http://splendidminta.blogspot.com/2010/07/icebox-picklesyum.html

LindsB said...

April, I will have to try that recipe- it looks delish! Thanks for sharing!!

Glenna said...

Hi Lindsay,
I am new to reading your blog. I too am interested in canning. I just purchased a Ball Blue Book- Giude to Preserving at my local Lowe's store. It was around $5.00.This book is filled with great recipes and lots of "how to's". Maybe see if you can take a look at this book at your local Lowe's. Hope this informatioms helps. I enjoy reading your blog.

Jessica @ Lavender and Lilies said...

Never canned in my life but I do have some freezing baby food experience. ;) I would love to have some fresh made jam. I need to try this!

Full House said...

Look at you..I have never canned a day in my life either but have had it on my radar. Those would be the cutest gifts for neighbors at Christmas.

Have a great weekend!

Laura@JourneyChic said...

I've always been intimidated by canning, but you made it look pretty simple! I bet your dad just loved the jam. Have a great weekend!

annie said...

try this recipe for refrigerator pickles. I omitted onions and added hot peppers to some of the jars.

http://sloanscreekfarm.com/our-favorite-recipes/refrigerator-dill-pickles/

for the love of a house said...

yummmm! I've never canned/made jellies, so I'm super impressed! I do have that All Clad pasta pot though!! Don't you love your All Clad?!!

hope you are well!
happy weekend!
joan

Leslie Christen | Fashion Stylist said...

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