What are you canning now?

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
Yes, peel and core the pears and dice them. I used vfem's recipe here and it came out great!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=7400228#p7400228

It did take a full 24 hours to cook down in the crockpot.

 

[KDbeads]

I found a large, TALL stock pot today that will be able to handle 7 quarts (maybe 8, haven't pulled out the jars to check yet) for waterbath canning with over 2" of space above the jars even with a rack on the bottom!!!!

My 2 enameled canners aren't this tall and I've always dreaded using them for quarts due to the boiling over with barely 3/4" of water over the tops of the jars. I found it at a Do It Best hardware store, 20 quart, stainless steel, thin walled and it only cost $20. Item number 603378 if anyone is looking for something like this.
http://www.doitbest.com/Pots_+pans_...k+Company-model-36010-doitbest-sku-603378.dib

I've been using my tall stainless steel pasta/stock pot for canning about 8 years now, it fits 7 pints and will boil in less than 5 minutes compared with the 45 minutes for the enameled canner. I just have a cake cooling rack in the bottom to keep the jars off the bottom. For this new one I have an old pressure canner rack that fits just perfect!!!

Gee can you tell I'm excited?

 

[annaraven]

Quote:
Gotta love those unexpected finds!

 

[jtbrown]

I am going to check that out, thanks for the lead. WE have a huge enameled pot that is a bear to get up to boil. Stays there fine, but I always feel I am using so much electric just to get the silly thing boiling that it is ridiculous! I have a smaller one and end up doing more pints because it boils so quickly.

 

[krcote]

How do you all keep your GIANT batches of jelly from jelling in between water baths sets? Do I just keep the stock pot on another burner on the lowest setting possible? Last time I did a large batch of crabapple jell, it had mostly jelled by the last water bath set and as I'm sure you all know, it makes for lots of air bubbles and other unsightly things!

 

[redhen]

Quote:
Yes, peel and core the pears and dice them. I used vfem's recipe here and it came out great!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=7400228#p7400228

It did take a full 24 hours to cook down in the crockpot.

Thanks, Happy Chook!

Hmmm.. can i use an apple corer on the pears?

 

[KDbeads]

Quote:
I go ahead and get all of the jelly into jars and set the full, capped jars on the back of the stove while the water bath is going. Keeps them warm enough not to shatter when they are put in the bath, it's already in the jars so no problem if it starts to gel.

 

[flyingtnh]

We've put up most of the berries and all the peaches from the summer, and are now in the middle of apples. Pics of one of our creations (and the fun labels we made) - peach, blackberry, and raspberry "Tri-Dye Jam" - are on our blog: http://flyingtnh.wordpress.com/2011/10/01/tridy/

Edit: We also just finished our first batch of wild grape ("Wild Grrrape" is what the labels will say) jam as well.

 

[jojo54]

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Checked out your blog. I bet the jam was great! The labels are SOOO neat! What did you use to make them? They look great!

 

[flyingtnh]

Quote:
Checked out your blog. I bet the jam was great! The labels are SOOO neat! What did you use to make them? They look great!

Thanks!

We just picked up some Avery labels and found a .jpg of a tie die T-shirt to put in the background of the Word Document. They turned out better than I expected.

Right now we're thinking up imaginative labels for the "Wild Grrrape" and two other creations:
"Blue Suede" (Peach blueberry) - Elvis theme
"Peach Pyromania" (salsa) - Probably a flame background