What are you canning now?

[Happy Chooks]

So I got my apricots, got my pineapple chunks and my half pint jars. Read over the recipe for the 5th time, only has 4 ingredients, how many times can I read it and still doubt that I have everything right?

But the recipe doesn't say anything about pectin at all, it has the apricots, pineapple, lemon juice and sugar(optional). I feel like it is going to be missing the pectin, isn't all jam/jelly supposed to have pectin? And what am I supposed to do with the extra juice, just freeze it? None of the apricot recipes in my book call for pectin. Just looked at apricot butter, anybody try that yet? I have never made a butter of any kind, or jelly/jam for that matter.

I am really nervous about expanding my canning horizon right now.
P.S. I am a big chicken when it comes to anything new.

**Ok I lied a quick apricot jam is under the with pectin list. But I got the recipe from the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.

Apricot pineapple jam is the best! I very rarely use pectin (I don't like the texture of jam with pectin) - some fruits are high in pectin, like apples, apricots and mangoes.

Going to try blackberry jam for the first time today. I have a new blackberry patch and gathered about 4 gallons of berries that I froze. I'll probably run them through a food strainer using a berry screen, and just give it a try. It can't be too hard - blackberries, sugar, pectin. I think the straining will be the messiest part!

Cook the blackberries over low heat with just enough water so they don't burn. Then they strain much easier, but it's still time consuming. Last year, I used my vitamix to puree them after cooking and they strained much easier.

Your chickens will love the pulp!

 

[rancher hicks]

Going to try blackberry jam for the first time today. I have a new blackberry patch and gathered about 4 gallons of berries that I froze. I'll probably run them through a food strainer using a berry screen, and just give it a try. It can't be too hard - blackberries, sugar, pectin. I think the straining will be the messiest part!

Here's what I do with my apple jelly. I cook all the apples and then use one sheet of cheese cloth to strain them, squeezing all the juice I can get out. The I put it in the fridge over night and let all the solid stuff settle. Then I pour the juice through TWO sheets of cheese cloth, stopping when I get to the sediment.

So cook your berries FIRST, by themselves. Then strain them through two sheets of cheese cloth. The proceed using only the juice.

What you're making is Jelly. Jam contains everything and is not strained. Lots of folks prefer jam as it contains the seeds/pulp/fiber and requires less work.

Jelly is course better if you have dentures and are prone to get the seeds stuck in them. Though there are berries that seem to be more seeds than fruit.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I push my blackberries through a fine mesh sieve and I end up with a seedless blackberry jam. It's a lot of work, but it's worth it. My blackberries are wild ones, so they have a lot of seeds.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I like to remove a majority of the seeds form my blackberries also. I can't seem to get them all, but even getting some out is a great thing. There is a lot of pulp that goes through the sieve, so mine is still a jam also, just not a really chunky jam. Blackberries and raspberries have a lot of seeds in them!

 

[jomoncon]

Well, I didn't get to the blackberries the other day, so this morning I took 2 gallons out of the freezer. When they defrost, I'll run them though the strainer. Let you all know tomorrow how it comes out!

 

[Raech]

Well, I didn't get to the blackberries the other day, so this morning I took 2 gallons out of the freezer. When they defrost, I'll run them though the strainer. Let you all know tomorrow how it comes out!

I wish our berries were ready. I really need to go berry picking, especially huckleberries. My freezer is empty of all berries. The blueberries were all ate straight off the bush and I only got 5 strawberries.

 

[3goodeggs]

We had a disappointing berry crop all around.
I miss blueberry everything.

All I have canned this year is tomatoes, cowboy candy, and beans.
I plan on making tomato jam just to have some jam about.

 

[YgritteChick]

My grandma got some shipment of peaches from Georgia and gave me a couple boxes, so I have been canning peaches like crazy these past few days. Plain canned peaches, Brandied Peaches, Peaches in Tea Syrup, and Summer fruit cocktail with peaches, pears, apples, and cherries. I don't think any blackberries are ripe here yet, but all the talk about berries makes me think I need to walk around and check to make sure I am not missing the harvest

 

[wyoDreamer]

I love brandied peaches - I tried them with rum too, but the brandy is better. I used a little Southern Comfort with my Peach butter, that is really good too. I love those on vanilla ice cream, for a special treat I have frozen custard in the freezer right now.

Almost out of everything canned here, need to finish the move to WI soon. Only two jars of Apple Pie, two jars of apple sauce and some canned apples are left. Thankfully, I will be all moved before apple season. I need to make a lot more apple sauce than I did last time.

 

[erinszoo]

Canned 5 1/2 pints of tomatoes and 6 quarts of chicken today. More chicken and sand plum jelly tomorrow plus my mock olives.