Canning Jam

I am so excited about canning my peaches from the farmer's market.  (I am also going to have to give some to my neighbor because we switch and swap homemade jams and jellies all the time).  I have to admit, I am a novice in the home canning department.  I have only tackled boiling water canning and only acidic fruits.  I am hoping to tackle homemade spaghetti sauce and salsa (maybe even barbecue sauce) soon.  It is a recently acquired hobby since B left this last time. 

I highly recommend the Ball Blue Book of Preserving.  It is full of tips and recipes.  I also really like seeing things in person, so if you can find someone in your neighborhood that cans, maybe watch one time (my aforementioned neighbor taught me).  There is also a wealth of resources on the web.  Canning is a great way to preserve farmer's market food at the height of the season.  It is also the best from a frugal standpoint because it is free storage.  Any shelf holds properly canned food.  Freezer space costs money to maintain and quickly runs out.  I start stashing cans everywhere:  it's great!  Environmentally, the more you can use locally grown produce year round, the less we are all paying for shipping produce grown thousands of miles away in a warmer climate.   

More to come on this subject, perhaps I will do an easy "How to Can," with my tips, if anyone is interested.  I suppose the general take away from today's blog is that it is more environmentally friendly to preserve in season produce than to buy (expensive) out of season produce at the grocery store. 

Tackle a new hobby!  Learn to preserve food!

Signing off for now,

EM

Comments

[Brittanie Lockard]

Thanks Environmental Mama! I'll have to share the marinara/spaghetti sauce recipes that I've been using out of Better Homes and Gardens. In addition to suggesting this book (I think I'll get it!), where have you found your equipment? I've been looking at craft stores and the grocery store, but I'm not quite sure what I'm looking for.

Also, are you saying you can can (ha ha) the whole fresh fruit without first turning it into a jam, adding extra ingredients, etc?

I like this topic :)

[Environmental Mama]

You can can (ha ha) whole fruit without turning it into jam, but you generally have to process it some first and add liquid. Often you have to at least blanch (boil it suddenly and cool it suddenly) it to inactivate the enzymes that would cause it to ripen further. That book has a ton of recipes. I got my equipment off Amazon (a kit and included that book), but a friend got it at Tuesday morning for a great deal. I think it's one of those "keep your eyes peeled" type of things. I get the canning supplies (jars, lids, etc.) from Walmart. I can elaborate more later!