What are you canning now?

[Happy Chooks]

Sorta, kinda canning. Technically, it's in a bucket right now. Once it sits and the air bubbles dissipate, I'll put it into canning jars. My first honey harvest, about 2 gallons:

 

[hennible]

Wow, how many bees do you have?

 

[rancher hicks]

Freezing will not change the quality of the jelly. Yes, freeze them up whole and then cook them later for jelly. It will come out the same.

My mother used pectin AND sheeting. which is why hers never came out. It was like rubber. It made your teeth stick together.

You can use pectin and follow the directions for the jelly in the certo box or sure jel box and it will be fine.
OR
you can use your recipe and the sheeting method because they have enough pectin in them to jell.

I do not like standing over a steaming pot that long, so depending on how tight money is, I would just use the pectin if I had it and get on with the job.

Things were awful for us a few years back and I had to add green apple to everything because I could not afford the pectin.

Well I am your friend you know so.

I have the two recipes that do not call for added pectin, as I've stated. One adds a tart, I used green, apple the other uses an Organic lemon chopped up.

If these sound like recipes you'd like I can type them up and post them here for you. (Be aware that Meyers lemons are NOT true lemons.)

I can also post other apples that are tart if you can not find Grannies. There are also recipes for making your own pectin. This of course will save you money even when times aren't tight.

I have some coupons for free sugar with the purchase of two boxes of pectin. Unfortunately DW used all my sugar are Christmas time for cookies.

Now I have to ask. Would it be better to cook up the grapes and then freeze the juice for later rather than freezing just the grapes?

 

[rancher hicks]

I love those little wild grapes for jelly, far better flavor, to me, than concord.

I'm sure they are, but that does little good when you don't have any of them.

These were FREE and even you can't beat that price.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Wow, how many bees do you have?

I don't know how many bees I have, but I have 1 hive. I started with a 3lb package of bees, which was 10,000 bees. There are far more than that in the hive now. I'm considering whether I want to add another hive next year.

 

[hennible]

Very cool. I've thought about bees before but my plates pretty full... What sorts of flowers do the "harvest". I've heard pumpkin honey is pretty good, if you like pumpkin.

 

[Raech]

Well I am your friend you know so.

I have the two recipes that do not call for added pectin, as I've stated. One adds a tart, I used green, apple the other uses an Organic lemon chopped up.

If these sound like recipes you'd like I can type them up and post them here for you. (Be aware that Meyers lemons are NOT true lemons.)

I can also post other apples that are tart if you can not find Grannies. There are also recipes for making your own pectin. This of course will save you money even when times aren't tight.

I have some coupons for free sugar with the purchase of two boxes of pectin. Unfortunately DW used all my sugar are Christmas time for cookies.

Now I have to ask. Would it be better to cook up the grapes and then freeze the juice for later rather than freezing just the grapes?

I used a grape juice bottle and put my grapes in it and froze it, figured I would juice them and make some jelly, I also juiced my Bing cherries to possibly make jelly with that in the future if it doesn't get drank first. Guy I got them from said they would be ok if frozen first, hoping to get some more grapes this fall so I can make some jelly. I would like the pectin free recipe if you would be will to post it.

 

[3goodeggs]

Rancher, I would just freeze them once and cook them once.
Cook them when you are ready to make jelly.
Make it easy on yourself.

Things are better for us now, But this canning thread sure did help us through some tight times.
I think I will always can now.

 

[rancher hicks]

I don't know how many bees I have, but I have 1 hive. I started with a 3lb package of bees, which was 10,000 bees. There are far more than that in the hive now. I'm considering whether I want to add another hive next year.

I saw hives forsale on CL for $200. Not bad I think. I'd like to put a hive up but with DW not working I'm stressing.

I bought honey at the Fair. $1.00 more than last year. They were low on kinds they had and I didn't get the Bear bottle which I like cuz I can squeeze the honey out.

One thing I wonder is how old is honey they sell. I never thought about it til now.

At Aldis they had honey. I didn't notice the price, BUT it was from the USA, Brazil and Argentina. I buy local honey and anything else I can. I never even dated girls from other states, let alone other countries.

Though I did have a crush on the girl from Ipanema.

 

[rancher hicks]

Rancher, I would just freeze them once and cook them once.
Cook them when you are ready to make jelly.
Make it easy on yourself.

Things are better for us now, But this canning thread sure did help us through some tight times.
I think I will always can now.

I did freeze them. 21 cups of them.

I still have three batches of juice sitting in the fridge to do up tomorrow. The recipe calls for 5 cups of juice each. I bet there is more than that though. Depending on how much there is of crystals in the bottom of the pitcher.