What are you canning now?

[Hillbilly Hen]

Jack Daniels Apple Butter

aprox 50 apples
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp nutmeg
2 cups Jack Daniels
2 lbs brown sugar

Core apples. Place in hotel pan [I use my turkey pan]. Mix rest of ingredients together and pour over apples. Cover with parchment paper and foil. Bake for 2 hours. Put through food mill. Adjust seasoning.

That is word for word the recipe I found, but I also water bath mine for 10 minutes. This is a mild flavor apple butter.

I also have this recipe that I like;

Apple Butter
3 quarts sweet cider
8 lbs ripe apples, peeled, cored & quartered
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup molasses
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp salt
sassafras bark [optional]

Cook the cider over high heat uncovered until reduced by half. Add apples and cook over low heat until tender. Work through a food mill and return puree to the kettle, stir in sugar, molasses, spices and salt. Cook over low heat, stirring almost continuously until apple butter thickens. Ladle into hot sterilized jars and sink a small piece of sassafras bark [optional] into each jar. Seal. Makes 6 pints.

I have never been able to make this with the sassafras bark as we only have a couple of small sassafras trees on our property. This recipe is a bit stronger tasting but I still like it.

 

[Arielle]

I haven't had apple butter since I was a kid. THe sassafras and molasses must be a regional flavor. Now I wish I had a sassafrass tree!

 

[Happy Chooks]

I make the apple butter vfem posted the recipe for. I have it bookmarked on my computer, but I'm on my phone now. You cook it in the crockpot. Super tasty!

 

[erinszoo]

quote name="Arielle" url="/t/78434/what-are-you-canning-now/8430#post_11891392"]Canned for the first time in my adult life. 7 quarts of turkey. Have summer squash in now. WOuld like to ask-- does anyone start with cold or room temperature foods for packing the canning jars?? Can't see adding hot water to jars filled with cubed summer sqaush. ALl opionons welcomed. [/quote] We can raw packed chicken into hot jars and add boiling water. If you cold pack everything, you must put your jars in cold water to start the canning process or they might crack on you. Cooking veg and fruit before canning keeps it from floating in the jar. You are pressure canning the squash, right?

 

[Arielle]

quote name="Arielle" url="/t/78434/what-are-you-canning-now/8430#post_11891392"]Canned for the first time in my adult life. 7 quarts of turkey.


Have summer squash in now.



WOuld like to ask-- does anyone start with cold or room temperature foods for packing the canning jars?? Can't see adding hot water to jars filled with cubed summer sqaush. ALl opionons welcomed.

We can raw packed chicken into hot jars and add boiling water. If you cold pack everything, you must put your jars in cold water to start the canning process or they might crack on you. Cooking veg and fruit before canning keeps it from floating in the jar. You are pressure canning the squash, right?[/QUOTE]
YEs pressure cooking -- 13 pounds on the thingy.

Based on glass breaking if temps vary too much, I tried to keep the water in the canner at the same temp as the jars going in. ANd allowed extra time for the jars to come up to " hot pack" , then increase the temp to get the canning process going. PErhaps my method will be ok for the meats; perhaps too much for the summer squash.

I picked 13 beccause it was a little more than the 11 recommended. I haven't had my thingy checked by county extension-- no idea how to reach the right person. SO erring on the higher side.

Or am I way off base here??

 

[Lacy Blues]

Last question-----


I'm looking for recipes without sugar--- can any one direct me to any sources? Or share some recipes?

Sugar gives me wicked hot flashes.

First off, the sugar that gives you the hot flashes, is it cane sugar or beet sugar? Apparently beets which are processed for sugar are one of the items Monsanto has messed with. I just found this out the other day and have given myself a mental note to check the bags of sugar I buy and make sure it is CANE sugar.

On the recipes... I have a book entitled "Putting it up with honey"

Is honey safe for you to use?

I made some really good raspberry jam last year and used the pectin with low sugar directions. I think for 10 cups of berries, I used 1 cup of sugar and nobody but me could stand to eat it. I wish the pectin wouldn't make the fruit so sour because these raspberries were heavenly sweet before being canned.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Well not sure about cane v. beet sugar-- but even 1/2 tsp mollasses sends my body into hot flashes. Will have test honey and see what it does. I know in less than 30 minutes.I loved honey and a house down the street sells local honey in the fall and hope to buy some this year.

Many many years ago II made cherry jam from an old tree at a neighbors, and I didn't use pectin,j just the old stand and stir and heat method and it gelled. Actually, it set up like soft candy!!!! lol

I have noticed that fruits change their"sweetness" or our perceived sweetness when cooked. THey are not as sweet as when eaten whole. I don't know why, but I have tested this theory a few times.

Can splenda be used??

 

[hdmax]

Canned for the first time in my adult life. 7 quarts of turkey.

Have summer squash in now.


WOuld like to ask-- does anyone start with cold or room temperature foods for packing the canning jars?? Can't see adding hot water to jars filled with cubed summer sqaush. ALl opionons welcomed.

Most foods are started at room temperature but don't really mater, however for pickling you want to start with chilled cucumbers. Meat don't mater, you can pre cook it, or cold pack.

 

[Arielle]

Thank you.

Well I think I over processed the squash. Seems a little dark. Had a hard time getting the pressure right so I had to restart the time TWICE. Oh well.

 

[hdmax]

Thank you.

Well I think I over processed the squash. Seems a little dark. Had a hard time getting the pressure right so I had to restart the time TWICE. Oh well.

Melissa

When canning foods you want to keep a crispy snap in them, like pickles, and even squash to a lesser degree, you can use a small amount of Alum. I can't really tell you how much, because it depends on the batch size. I use about 1 1/2 tsp for a 12 quart batch of pickles.

When using pressure canners, you should get the pressure correct before starting the timer. When I first started using them, I did a dry run so to speak. I used water only, no jars, just water. (I used about 5" of water so it wouldn't run dry.) Once I got the pressure correct, I marked the stove where the knob was set at so I would know where to set it every time. I have never had an issue with getting the pressure set right after that. I have a mark for both 10# and 15# of pressure.
I am sure you know to allow the canner to vent for 10 minutes before setting the weight, then build the pressure to the proper pressure, and don't start the timer until you have gotten the pressure stabilized, thought I'd mention this just in case you didn't know.

Mike