What are you canning now?

[animalsRawesome]

how can they tell if you add dye to it to make the color better?

 

[bockbock2008]

how can they tell if you add dye to it to make the color better?

The natural color of relish is more of an olive or bread and butter pickle color. When you go adding green dye, it turns to more of an Irish bright green. At least in my experience.

 

[animalsRawesome]

I see

thanks!

 

[erinszoo]

My husband and I both judge at fairs so I thought I'd chime in here. Canning judging is all about appearance. We look at correct headspace in the jars, bubble formation, clean jars, appearance of the fruit or veg or meat inside the jar, whether there's foam, etc. If someone adds too much food coloring, it's pretty obvious they've done it however, you can add just a little to help improve the color without going to extremes. Clean your jars off with vinegar before you enter them. Make sure the canning lid lines up with the wording on the front of the jar. Find, buy, or borrow a Ball Blue Book of Canning and use it for correct headspacing in the jars. Jellies should be clear, not cloudy, but they should also be able to shake off the side of the jar without a lot of work in one piece. Jams should always have fruit pulp in them. Pickles should always have spices that you can see. Everything except corn or potatoes or beans should have clear liquid with it, not cloudy. Although there are methods to keep your product from floating after being pressure canned, most judges won't penalize for floating food. It happens. Always make sure to get all the foam off your jams and jellies before you can them. Soup mixes win because of the variety of things in the mixes depending on the recipe. Judges like to see herbs in your tomato soup or spaghetti sauce and a mix of at least five vegies in vegie soup.

 

[Kismet]

And make sure your bread and butter pickles are not made with over-ripe cucumbers - those big seeds really look bad.

 

[animalsRawesome]

WOW! Great Tips! I never thought about the lids facing the same way as the wording on the jar...

 

[erinszoo]

Making applesauce and apple butter here today. Probably going to can some apple for apple pies later in the year as well. Waiting for the pears to ripen so we can make pear honey ... my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

 

[erinszoo]

WOW! Great Tips! I never thought about the lids facing the same way as the wording on the jar...

It can make the place between first and second if the judge has two jars that are virtually identical. It just makes it look like you took that extra little bit of time.

 

[KDbeads]

My husband and I both judge at fairs so I thought I'd chime in here. Canning judging is all about appearance. We look at correct headspace in the jars, bubble formation, clean jars, appearance of the fruit or veg or meat inside the jar, whether there's foam, etc. If someone adds too much food coloring, it's pretty obvious they've done it however, you can add just a little to help improve the color without going to extremes. Clean your jars off with vinegar before you enter them. Make sure the canning lid lines up with the wording on the front of the jar. Find, buy, or borrow a Ball Blue Book of Canning and use it for correct headspacing in the jars. Jellies should be clear, not cloudy, but they should also be able to shake off the side of the jar without a lot of work in one piece. Jams should always have fruit pulp in them. Pickles should always have spices that you can see. Everything except corn or potatoes or beans should have clear liquid with it, not cloudy. Although there are methods to keep your product from floating after being pressure canned, most judges won't penalize for floating food. It happens. Always make sure to get all the foam off your jams and jellies before you can them. Soup mixes win because of the variety of things in the mixes depending on the recipe. Judges like to see herbs in your tomato soup or spaghetti sauce and a mix of at least five vegies in vegie soup.

Awesome info!!!! Thanks so much for the insight, much appreciated!
You know, I've never made any jelly that pulled away from the sides of the jar without a spoon

At least not on purpose and I've been canning more that 20 years

Now as for clearness, if I may ask, the candy apple jelly I make isn't exactly clear and it's colored with red hots, makes it a little different looking so to speak (it's here if you want to peak at it, down at the bottom: http://strayneedle.blogspot.com/2010/09/apple-day.html ) will that be of issue?

Here's our rules and categories, it's a pdf file: http://www.dinwiddiecountyfair.com/4-H/Canning[1].pdf

 

[erinszoo]

It shouldn't be an issue that it's colored with red hots as that's the recipe. It looks good to me but then the judge will actually be able to pick it up and hold it to the light, etc. Lol.

Just made a dozen pints of applesauce, a baker's dozen half pints of apple butter (and more ready to go), and we're canning apple pie filling as well in quarts. Whew. My feet hurt. Now my husband wants to build a cider press and go pick more apples. Ha ha ha ha!! We still have two bushels of apples in the cold room to process but it hardly looks like we touched the trees.