What are you canning now?

[Kim_NC]

Quote:
I have beets to do too. I froze a few earlier in the month. Our second planting is ready now. We sold some of them at Saturday's market. DH has decided he really likes beets after years of not wanting to eat them.

So now that there's more than just me to eat them, we need more put up. I always froze them in small amounts because I couldn't eat a whole pint jar alone. Maybe I'll can some now.

 

[PlumTuckered]

Thank you Kim! I'll be buying extra bananas when I head to the grocery store LOL

I'm going to have to check and see if Mulberry can grown here in southeast Arkansas, I'd love to make Mulberry Jam!
I got another batch of plums picked from my trees, now my Husband is "considering" making a batch of wine with them. He's got until morning to decide and start working or they're becoming jelly LOL

Michelle

 

[pnyjmper89]

What do all ya'll do with plums? My neighbor has lots and lots of plums free for the picking and I'd hate to see them go to waste.

Also, is there an easier way to extract juice from fruits without whirling them in a food processor and straining the pulp spoonful by spoonful? My hands are still purple from the blackberries

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
Sugar is what carries the flavor. Without enough sugar you are going to get a perfume strong taste that is NOT the light delicate rosebud flavor you are seeking.

Cutting sugar seems to be some new fad these days that is simply wrong if you are planning to can these things to last more than 2 - 4 months. Sugar is preserving the foods and flavors. Cutting the sugar cuts the life and the quality of the product.

Sugar is not your enemy. If you want less sugar then eat less of the item you are making.

I have repeated myself hundreds of time and will say it again - I hate no sugar and low sugar pectins. Sure you can jar a few things but you need to eat them up ASAP they are not made to have an extended shelf life.

I wouldn't even begin to bother with the time and effort it takes to make nice things and to can them if they won't even last from spring to winter in my pantry or cellar. If I make something this spring I expect it to be able to sit on my shelf until just before time to make those items again next year.

Properly preserved and canned jams and jellies and pickles with full measure sugars and vinegars keep 2 years following traditional recipes and techniques.

 

[MissPrissy]

Quote:
You can make jam, jelly and slow gin if you like it.

 

[vfem]

Quote:
Sugar is what carries the flavor. Without enough sugar you are going to get a perfume strong taste that is NOT the light delicate rosebud flavor you are seeking.

Cutting sugar seems to be some new fad these days that is simply wrong if you are planning to can these things to last more than 2 - 4 months. Sugar is preserving the foods and flavors. Cutting the sugar cuts the life and the quality of the product.

Sugar is not your enemy. If you want less sugar then eat less of the item you are making.

I have repeated myself hundreds of time and will say it again - I hate no sugar and low sugar pectins. Sure you can jar a few things but you need to eat them up ASAP they are not made to have an extended shelf life.

I wouldn't even begin to bother with the time and effort it takes to make nice things and to can them if they won't even last from spring to winter in my pantry or cellar. If I make something this spring I expect it to be able to sit on my shelf until just before time to make those items again next year.

Properly preserved and canned jams and jellies and pickles with full measure sugars and vinegars keep 2 years following traditional recipes and techniques.

I understand you prissy, I am not concerned about the sugar though. My last batch I did normally, and the rose flavor was lost to an over whelming SWEET as I was told. I have someone who wants more of this, and I had asked before the weekend and was waiting for a response I didn't get about whether lowering the sugar would allow the rose flavor to stand out more then the sweet. No one answered me though. Its not about less sugar in one's diet.... don't care about that... just finding a way to intesify the flavor. I added extra rose petals, and let sit over night rather then a few hours hoping that would help too.

So I probably won't cut the sugar down, but cross my fingers that this one is more rose flavor then sugar this time.

 

[vfem]

Quote:
I get a big strainer and my food processor for that! The huge strainer is the spagetti strainer, and it lets some seeds through, and some pulp but not more then 1/4-1/3 of it. I pour in all the pulp and use a spachula to turn and press the juice through until not much of anything goes through it anymore. Then I add 1 cup of the pulp from the strainer, mix it altogether and I got my jam fruit ready to go!

 

[MissPrissy]

What kind of roses are you using? Cultivated roses have much less flavor and scent than wild roses. The rose petal jam uses the entire petal and the flavor is much stronger compared to the jelly which uses only steeped water from the petals.

 

[pnyjmper89]

hmmm, that sounds alot easier than trying to squish a little at a time through a fine mesh. I was mostly concerned about the blackberry seeds, but any other fruit I wouldn't mind letting some seeds slip through. What about if I decide to make some jellies instead of all jams? Would you strain your initial juice product through a cheesecloth or something to filter out any sediments that slipped through?

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

Quote:
Here is link to a sight that has all kinds of recipes for Lavender. I have used their jelly recipe and it was good. Reminds me that I have fresh flowers myself and need to get the picked.

I also make a "Lavender Drier Bag". I use a small tobacco bag and stuff full of Lavender - throw it in the dryer and clothes smell so wonderful when they come out. Plus you have the benefits of the aromatherapy and being really relaxed when you that pile of laundry

The other thing that I make are Lavender Wands that keep the smell for years. Will have to take a picture of some and post.
You can get the instructions on the Internet I sure.

http://www.happyvalleylavender.com/lavender_recipes.html

Sandee