What are you canning now?

[3goodeggs]

'Smokey pepper fig' sounds good, as long as you are thinking,"smoky fig" and not 'crisp fruity fig" when you first try it.
Our preconceived expectations ruin many perfectly decent event.

We used to dry figs and use them in cookies and fruitcakes...in case you are over run with them.

 

[Peep_Show]

I harvested 4.5 lbs of gooseberries. Made several jars of jam, gooseberry scones and mixed berry muffins.

Apples starting ripen. Will use some for applesauce, the rest for cider.

Our figs are still way tiny.

 

[jomoncon]

Our local walmart has poblanos and serranos, so those might be better choices. Do you think I could take a raspberry chipotle recipe and just sub the figs for rasberries? I'm really new to all this.

I'd give it a try. What I like to do when I'm experimenting with a recipe is to try a very small mixture. Cut up a few figs. Add some chipotse & sugar & a dash of whatever else the recipe calls for. Cook it a little bit then have a taste. It won't gel, but you'll have an idea of what the taste is like. If you like it, make a whole batch. If you don't, then you will not have wasted all your figs.

A few months ago, I went around my neighborhood, spotting all the fig trees. I'd then ask the homeowner if I could have their figs in return for some fig preserves. Most folks said yes. Some wanted to sell the figs at ridiculously high prices, so I politely said "No Thanks." But I was able to get several gallons of free figs in return for a few jars. I'm even teaching 2 young couples how to make fig preserves.

 

[rancher hicks]

I harvested 4.5 lbs of gooseberries. Made several jars of jam, gooseberry scones and mixed berry muffins.

Apples starting ripen. Will use some for applesauce, the rest for cider.

Our figs are still way tiny.

Boy those look good. I'm still working to get a good crop of them.

 

[ducksanddoxies]

'Smokey pepper  fig' sounds good, as long as you are thinking,"smoky fig" and not 'crisp fruity fig" when you first try it.
Our preconceived expectations ruin many perfectly decent event.

We used to dry figs and use them in cookies and fruitcakes...in case you are over run with them.

We do have a lot. We have two of the largest fig trees I've ever seen. . I'm going to open a jar from last night and see what I think after it has set. I'm defiantly going for a smoky flavor and not so much crisp and fruity. Yeah, folks around here are selling their figs anywhere from $4-$8 a gallon. I still have a gallon in the fridge I picked the other day.

 

[ducksanddoxies]

Working on apples today. Our tree had a great harvest this year. One of the best I every remember. My oldest son started saying he wanted apple sauce so I'm attempting applesauce today. I also have apple butter in the crockpot. So I have a few questions:

1. The apple butter has to cook down around 12 hrs on low. After it cooks down according to the recipe, (will be about 10:30 tonight) can I wait until tomorrow morning to can it, or do I need to do it right then?

2. Since I'm on apples right now, I have a recipe for apple pie filling that calls for clear gel. Is there anything I can substitute for that in case I cannot locate it in my small town? What does it do?

 

[wyoDreamer]

Working on apples today. Our tree had a great harvest this year. One of the best I every remember. My oldest son started saying he wanted apple sauce so I'm attempting applesauce today. I also have apple butter in the crockpot. So I have a few questions:

1. The apple butter has to cook down around 12 hrs on low. After it cooks down according to the recipe, (will be about 10:30 tonight) can I wait until tomorrow morning to can it, or do I need to do it right then?

2. Since I'm on apples right now, I have a recipe for apple pie filling that calls for clear gel. Is there anything I can substitute for that in case I cannot locate it in my small town? What does it do?

You can put the apple butter in the fridge for a couple of days if needed, then just warm it back up to a full boil on the stove when you are ready to can it. Remember - "hot into hot" when putting something into a jar for canning. Never put cold stuff into a hot jar.

The clear jell is the thickener for the apple pie filling. I can't find it anywhere but on-line. According to the USDA, it is the only thickener that is heat stable and approved for canning. Some people will use cornstarch and/or flour as a substitute - I have seen 2 two different fails when using those. One got really yucky-clumpy-gooey and the otherwas that the thickener lost its thickening ability and the pie filling came out soupy (almost slimy like) after a couple of months on the shelf.

I used a recipe that I got off of this thread a couple of years ago - it is not USDA approved, but it was really good. It used tapioca for the thickener. (post #7832) Tapioca was what my grandma's recipe called for.

You could also mix everything together without the thickener and can it with a little liquid (apple juice). When you want to make a pie, strain the juice into a pan, stir in cornstarch and thicken it on the stove top while you make the pie crust. Add the apples that you strained out and put into the pie shell and bake as usual. Alot more work than just plopping into the pie shell right out of the jar, but it works if that's all you got. You end up with more suace this way also. I canned some sliced apples in straight apple juice and made a pie filling by adding cornstarch and spices so I could make some appetizers for a party out of canned apples and won-ton skins. It turned out good that way also.

Edited to add - if you can in just juice and thicken everything all together later, the apples may become over cooked. That is why I say to drain out the juice and thicken just that by itself before adding the apples back into the juice. Otherwise you will end up with applesauce pie.

 

[MooseOnTheLoose]

I freeze green peppers this way frequently. Just slice and freeze. They keep very well this way and are not too mushy. Jalapenos should work too. Mine always get used up for salsa.

Good to know! Thanks KentuckyMom. I'm going to try freezing them and let you know since I really don't have another option! I could make more salsa LOL

Sunflower4you - Cowboy candy is indeed pickled jalapeno slices. My DH loves them so I thought I'd grow some this year. And for some reason, jalapenos cost an arm & a leg around here!!
Maybe I'll can a few jars with the pickle crisp and a few without to see if it makes a difference!

 

[ducksanddoxies]

T

You can put the apple butter in the fridge for a couple of days if needed, then just warm it back up to a full boil on the stove when you are ready to can it.  Remember - "hot into hot" when putting something into a jar for canning.  Never put cold stuff into a hot jar.

The clear jell is the thickener for the apple pie filling.  I can't find it anywhere but on-line.  According to the USDA, it is the only thickener that is heat stable and approved for canning.  Some people will use cornstarch and/or flour as a substitute - I have seen 2 two different fails when using those.   One got really yucky-clumpy-gooey and the otherwas that the thickener lost its thickening ability and the pie filling came out soupy (almost slimy like) after a couple of months on the shelf.  

I used a recipe that I got off of this thread a couple of years ago - it is not USDA approved, but it was really good.  It used tapioca for the thickener.  (post #7832)  Tapioca was what my grandma's recipe called for.

You could also mix everything together without the thickener and can it with a little liquid (apple juice).  When you want to make a pie, strain the juice into a pan, stir in cornstarch and thicken it on the stove top while you make the pie crust.  Add the apples that you strained out and put into the pie shell and bake as usual.  Alot more work than just plopping into the pie shell right out of the jar, but it works if that's all you got.  You end up with more suace this way also.  I canned some sliced apples in straight apple juice and made a pie filling by adding cornstarch and spices so I could make some appetizers for a party out of canned apples and won-ton skins.  It turned out good that way also.

Edited to add - if you can in just juice and thicken everything all together later, the apples may become over cooked.  That is why I say to drain out the juice and thicken just that by itself before adding the apples back into the juice.  Otherwise you will end up with applesauce pie.

Thanks. I'm happy to have knowledgable people to help me.

 

[KentuckyMom]

I have used cornstarch in apple pie filling( despite the USDA warning) but it ended up losing its thickening ability and became "watery". WyoDreamer has the best idea. Can slices in juice, drain it , and add your thickener before using. It is crazy that the Clear Gel is so hard to find, but, it is.
Today I canned a few jars of bread and butter pickles. I am getting plenty of cucumbers, but never enough for a full batch of pickles. So, I have been canning a few at a time and refrigerating the brine until I'm ready to heat it up for the next batch.
We have a crazy amount of pears right now. I am trying to do a couple of five gallon buckets a day. Today I made Chunky Vanilla Pear Sauce and Maple Vanilla Pear Butter. I already canned two crockpots full of "plain" pear butter last week. My house smells delicious!