“We need to get on these vegetables. We are close to disaster in here,” Andy said as he crammed the half and half back into the refrigerator between cascading cucs and billowing broccoli. By “we” he means me, my family’s food grower, harvester and preservationist.
This week, I started with the 80 pounds of peaches I bought from a local orchard. I buy the split pit peaches, which can be literally translated: the pit is split in two and there is sometimes (like 1 in every 8 peaches) an earwig or seven hanging out in there. The split pit peach flavor is the same and my kids have fun opening the peaches in search of the copper bugs. Also, they are $1 per pound which is quite enjoyable.
Alice and 80 pounds of peaches
Ruby and I went at it this year, spending Margot’s first days at school in the kitchen covered in peach juice, eating peaches, cutting peaches, peeling peaches, boiling peaches, cooling down peaches, puréeing peaches and squealing over surprise earwigs.
not for peach butter, these peaches are on a baking stone to freeze so they won’t stick when we bag them
Me: Ruby, I love you. My little peach.
Ruby: I not a peach! Silly mama.
Me: No?
Ruby: I your sweet potato. Your rhubarb. Your cat-pillar. (All my nicknames for her. Doesn’t she resemble a sweet furry little catepillar?)
Me: True. Will you be my peach too?
Ruby: OK, mama. Thank you. Then you be my rhubarb.
My canning setup:
1. Fresh peaches
2. Boiling water for blanching, to loosen skins
3. Ice water, to cool so skins slip off.
4. Bowl for pits and skins.
5. Water with a dash of ascorbic acid (to prevent browning) to hold halved peaches
6. Pot over low heat for peaches preparing to be butter.
7. One of my most favorite things I own: a big slotted copper spoon with a hand-forged iron handle
My peach butter recipe and canning tutorial HERE.
We canned about half the peaches and have eaten and shared about 10 pounds, leaving 30 pounds of really ripe peaches to preserve, stat. We cut and froze some and right this minute making Peach Salsa from Marissa McClellan’s fabulous new book Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round. I’ve been a fan of Marisa’s blog for a while now and was so excited to learn she was to publish this book! And then thrilled for the opportunity to review her book.
It’s gorgeous, creative and full of wonderful recipes. Food in Jars is a killer resource for those who want to begin canning as it beautifully and thoroughly explains process with accessibility and ease. It’s also a great addition to the seasoned preserver’s library — it’s creative and full of interesting recipes like Caramelized Red Onion Relish and Pickled Sweet Cherries. I’m also a big fan of the section titled Other Foods in Jars with recipes like Rosemary Salt and Mo’s Famous Whole Grain Pancake Mix. I am devouring this book. And one of you lucky ducks could win one, courtesy of Running Press! Leave a comment for a shot at it. If you’d like, link up to what you’re preserving this season.
** comments closed **
WINNER: Lucky #24:
About me: said…
I really want to start canning as well. I just purchased a box of Ball supplies, including the jar lifter and a magnetic thingy for pulling the lids out of the boiling water. Look around thrift stores for the canner and basket. This book would be a great help! Amy
Congrats, Amy! Everyone else: buy the book! You will be happy you did.
*GIVEAWAY TERMS: Winner randomly selected on the morning of Wednesday, September 5 and announced HERE in this very post, at the bottom. Please check back or leave your email in your comment. If the winner doesn’t claim their prize within two weeks, I’ll randomly select another.
158 Comments
I would love to start canning. I have a list a mile long of things I want to do! I think I will start small this year and do applesauce!
Ooh, my husband has been asking me to learn to preserve food for a couple years now… maybe this book is the ticket!
-Lee
A warm, skinned peach has such a lovely feel to it!
Oh, would so love to give this book a read. I’m so interested in preserving but SO, so worried about not doing it properly and having it spoil.
And also, more ideas of WHAT to preserve would be wonderful. We can only eat so much jam and applesauce, which my wonderful mother-in-law gifts us weekly.
I have not made the jump from just freezing some of our garden goods (shredded zucchini for breads, oven roasted tomatoes for sauces, etc) to actually canning. I find it a little intimadating. Your blog has inspired me to maybe consider it!! Especially the peach butter…it looks amazing!!
Beautiful peach butter! I would love to make some. We make several batches of apple butter every fall. Maybe we’ll do both this year.
All I want is to move to the country and eat peaches.
Not sure I can wait until September 5 to win 😉
I may have to buy this book and when I win I will gift it to another Mama!
I so enjoyed your little convo with ruby about nicknames! My just-turned-three-year-old is similar in tat she knows what I call her & will correct me if I call her one thing different.
I have just started canning this season and I’m a true addict! I’ve been coveting that book. Yum, peach butter sounds delish!
I also have too many things that all need to get canned stat! Last week I made applesauce and honey plums (from the food in jars website) I need to finish processing the wormy apples so they don’t go bad and have 20 lbs of concord grapes in the fridge. We are also in the middle of tiling the kitchen floor, so canning is a bit more challenging than usual. Would love a chance to win the book!
The picture of Peachy Rhubarb Sweet Potato Cat Pillar.. the one before she sticks her tongue out is so beautiful. the one where she sticks her tongue out is pretty great too.
I’m taking a stab at preserving tomatillo salsa, pear chutney, apple sauce and very soon, if I can keep the deer away with my garden protector dog, tomato sauce.
Always happy to read,
Erin
I was literally JUST wishing I knew how to can and preserve foods so beautifully when I stumbled upon this post. I keep seeing your peachy pictures on instagram along with those sweet girls’ faces and I am smitten. Can’t wait until the day I can grow our own food in the earth… haven’t found a way to do on so little space yet besides single plants in single pots…. doesn’t go so far in a growing family of 6 (and a 7th on the way!) Thank you, sweet momma!
Me, Me, Me. Please. I would love her book.
We have two pear trees and an apple. I made a few batches of apple-pear butter, applesauce and tonight the final four apples go into an apple crisp for immediate consumption 🙂
You always do the funnest stuff! I’d love to win the book. I used to can tomoatoes and jam with my mom, a great memory! We’d make homemade applesauce too. Delicious!
Thanks!
Mmmm. Yum. Send me the book. I have relapsed to just freezing stuff.
Small batch canning is right up my alley. In a season that will probably be remembered as one in which we said goodbye to some beloved family members, I am preserving memories.
I adore your blog. As a single woman you’re kind of my hero for when I have kids. I’ve been staying with my cousins in Boulder and their garden is overflowing, I’d love to be able to give them this book so they could start canning!!!
I would love to have this book….will most likely buy it if I don’t win….might just buy it anyway! 🙂
Just 2 weeks ago I taught my friend how to can (mostly just tips and tricks), and her virgin canning cherry was popped by- Peach Butter!
I’d love this book! I’ve been caning lots of jam, juice & sauces this year. Some can be seen here: http://www.borninthewrongcentury.com
My husband recently got into canning (go figure) after our neighbor asked us to get rid of the pears off their pear tree. He’s now kinda obsessed, but with no knowlege haha. This book would be a great gift for him.
I really want to start canning as well. I just purchased a box of Ball supplies, including the jar lifter and a magnetic thingy for pulling the lids out of the boiling water. Look around thrift stores for the canner and basket. This book would be a great help! Amy [email protected]
My best friend and I started canning 3 years ago and we are slowly expanding our horizons. Up this year….ketchup, BBQ sauce, salsa, jams, and pasta sauce!! YUM!
I started canning applesauce a few years back – but this year ventured into tomato sauce, salsa verde, and…peach butter. Earlier this summer I was inspired to try peach butter thanks to your posts through the years on this pantry staple of yours – thank you!
We started the canning process last week. Having so much fun! Trying to fenagle an orchardist out of some peaches this week. Lovely photos. Love your cat-pillar.
http://www.theruralroost.com/2012/08/fair.html
Looks like such a great book! Would be fun to start canning!
Would love the book as I already have a crush on FIJ
Oh, thank you. This book is *exactly* what I need. Jealous of your $1/pound peaches! Are they organic/un-sprayed?
I just started canning this past fall when I made apple butter for gifting. I am so eager to learn more. I have only attempted water bath canning so far…would love to try more!
My Grandma canned everything. I wish I had learned from her while she was alive.
clove’s corner: yes, unsprayed. It might be worth a trip for you! They are the best best peaches I’ve ever had. I am so thankful for the resource.
I would LOVE this book! I have a peach tree with 2 different peaches growing on it…i had white peaches ripen in June and now we are harvesting yellow peaches 🙂
[email protected]
I would love to can some produce! Especially produce that we were able to grow ourselves. Our garden was small this year so there wasn’t enough to can but maybe next year 🙂 You seriously inspire me with the amount of love that you put into feeding your family. I’d love to hear more about how you involve your kids with the cooking and the gardening and especially at a really young age. (my son is 14 months old)
I started canning for the first time this year and am anxious to learn more and preserve more, would love a copy of the book, oh and Ruby is adorable!!
As much I want the book, I REALLY want the peach butter. Is that possible? 🙂
You rock, mama!
Applesauce and butter every year and trying plum butter this year too!
I started canning just a year ago- pickles, salsa, applesauce, salsa and jalapeno jelly were my first attempts, then orange marmalade this winter. (And right now I have about 40 pounds of tomatoes, and 20 pounds of jalapenos from our garden waiting on the counter to be processed). It is SO satisfying to pull a jar of something homemade out of the pantry, and I was really proud to give canned goods to friends and family for Christmas last year. I would love to get more adventurous with my canning- this book looks like just the ticket!
I would love a canning book. I can Crushed Tomatoes, Salsa, Strawberry and Raspberry Jam, Grape Jelly, Peaches, Dilly Beans, and Apple Sauce. I try to add a new canning item each year and would love some great creative ways to use produce!
I am so excited for winter and canned goods – great post, and I look forward to learning more about how you can!
Love the food in jars blog, her book is on my amazon wish list:)
I’m not canning this year but I am freezing as much shredded zucchini as I can for zucchini butter–so so SO GOOD!!!!
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-jennie-cooks-zucchini-b-121770
Pick me! Pick me!
[email protected]
I’ve always wanted to start canning. I just never got around to it. Especially since it’s always so hot here in Florida. I’d love to give it a try though this fall!
We have only canned sales but with 4 growing kids we could benefit tremendously from this book!
Your canning looks like such a cozy thing to do. 🙂
This comment has been removed by the author.
Love to can but am tired of the same old recipes. I’d love this book!
This would be awesome! Did my first garden this year. Noy quite enough produced to can this year, but I have BIG plans for my sophmore graden!
What a beautiful peaches post (Ruby post). Canning is something I am anxious to learn because I live in Eugene, Oregon and the organic food is abundant here. Food In Jars looks like a perfect book to learn from. I recently froze 20 pounds of organic blueberries. I love it that you give your readers chances to win really fun things, thank you.
My friend invited me to her home this coming Sunday to learn how to can salsa. We’ll be drinking Corona as we can. Can’t wait to learn!
I’ve only canned strawberry preserves, but would love to branch out.
I have wanted to can for years! I even have a big fancy canner as a generous gift from a friend who was hoping to jump start the trend. I hope to end up with this book either way – looks super awesome.
I have always wanted to can, but have never felt confident enough. That book sounds fantastic! And your peaches look amazing. 🙂
Learning to can and preserve is definitely on my bucket list! How did you start and who taught you, Nici?
My beginner’s garden barely produced enough for our table this year, so no canning for us. But I learned a lot of lessons, and I am already anxious for next spring so I can plant again! Hopefully next year I’ll have enough harvest for canning.
I’m making apple/chokecherry jelly and dill pickles this year. I’m contemplating canning tomatoes as well.
The peach butter sounds wonderful. I have great memories of my grandma’s canned peaches but have never tried making them.
A new book about food preservation sounds wonderful! We recently moved to an area abundant in stone fruit, can’t wait for adventures in canning.
LOVE THIS POST! Just canned my very first batch of tomatoes ever this week and I’m hooked. I can’t believe I’ve waited so long!
Ruby does look at little like a cat-pillar! In the best way possible, of course. This book looks groovy. I’m working through lots of tomatoes, zucchini relish and soon will turn my sights to applesauce. Love it!
I’ve always been curious about canning….my grandparents and great grandparents did lots of it, and I enjoyed the fruits of their labor! I am no cook…actually, I suck at it, but I wonder if I could can?? I love fresh fruits and veggies and love to eat food that is preserved naturally. My e-mail is [email protected] if I win!
Yum! I really should learn how to can! I know my family and friends would love it!
Would really love to win!
Ooh, would love to win this! I am preserving mustard pickles this season with my mom! 🙂
Would LOVE to have a shot at this book. It looks divine.
Elizabeth
[email protected]
Oh I have been wanting to really start canning, but don’t really know where to start this book would be great!! Thanks for the opportunity!! And, oh my goodness “Ok, mama. Thank you. Then you be my rhubarb.” is perhaps one of the most adorable and fantastic quotes I’ve heard!! love it!.
Would love to can but being the frugal person I am, I have not found an economical source for fresh fruit and veggies, I grow some of my own but have very little space for a large garden. I do freeze quite a bit of tomato products though.
I love how much you preserve your own food! I actually tried corn last year and would love to do more!!
What timing! I just receives a salsa recipe from a friend. I just need to learn how to can! Thanks for the opportunity
I must try your peach butter!! 🙂
Can I buy one?
LOVE Ruby’s pictures and your conversation with her. She’s beautiful.
Ooh, love this post! This year I have done peach preserves, strawberry jam & raspberry jam. We are running low on our stockpile of salsa, so there may be some of that in the near future as well. Ruby is darling.
I began canning this year.
Started with pickled asparagus.
Then made pickles.
Most recently preserved 18 lbs of blackberries we picked.
I am ready to try tomatoes from our garden (if we don;t eat them all first) and your peach butter!
Would love another book with recipes!
I just picked and washed all the pears from the tree in my yard and have no idea what to do with all of them! I would love to give canning a shot…perhaps this book would give me the motivation and information I need to follow through.
Ruby gets cuter every day.
I would love to get this book for my friend who has just started canning in small batches. She is generous enough to share with me!
I love your blog. i would love to start canning!
Yep, this book looks amazing. I’m just getting going on my canning. So far: summer squash relish and monkey butter. On deck, apple preserves, apple butter, salsa, pasta and tomato sauce. Maybe some dilly beans!
Fun! I made my first batch of peach butter this summer with 20lbs of organic seconds from a local farm. I used a combo of your recipe for canning at a high-altitude and Smitten Kitchen’s recipe. It’s divine! This week I am making pickles from my garden harvest. And exactly when did Ruby get so big?! x, katie
This book sounds amazing! Already planning to spend the weekend canning peaches and pesto. Would love some new ideas. 🙂
Would love to learn to can! Your food always looks so amazing!
I’ll be doing applesauce this year!!
What wonderful pictures of your sweet little helper Ruby! I’ve been following your blog for a couple of years now and have enjoyed reading about all of your gardening/harvesting! Those peaches look amazing! My husband and I just moved into a new home that we hope to make memories in for many, many years! We are going to spend this winter planning just how we want to set up our very first garden next spring! We’ve got so many ideas and can’t wait to have our two young daughters dig in and learn about harvesting our own food right along with us!
P.S. Have you gotten through most of your grandmother’s recipes?
[email protected]
We had our first garden ever this summer. We froze a ton of tomato sauce and also lots of squash soup, but I would like to try some canning (instead of freezing) in the future. Hope you enjoy all that peach butter you worked so hard on. It looks amazing!!
That peach butter looks SO good.
My local produce store and neighborhood farmer’s market are bursting with wonderful veggies right now. Oh how I would love to start canning all of it!!!
a book on canning would fit in perfectly with the new canning kit i got for my birthday!
That books looks great..would love to start some propper canning. So far its just jams..wild blueberry is a stable!
oh, yes please! I have the beginnings of a vegie garden, and plans for a more sustainable future. This book would be a wonderful inspiration!
This is my virgin canning year. So far, I’ve cranked out 30 pounds of peaches for either butter and canning slices (both which are disappearing at light speed). And last week, I made tomato sauce.
Fun. Takes time. More than anything, makes me wish that I was bumping elbows with both Grandma Lyle and my mom in the kitchen.
80 pounds. The Mutha Load. I bow down to you. I know that you’re just warming up.
-Jennifer
Ohh, I’d love a copy to inspire me to get back into canning. The arrival of my little boy has thrown me off this summer…but we are farmers and I have a farm full of produce screaming at me!
Would love this book for my mom… she is a canning goddess like you. I’m a freezer gal myself. Have not yet ventured into canning on my own but my boys sure do love grandma’s applesauce, pears & jams.
Sweet Ruby sunshine is such a peach!
In addition to Forbidden Fruit peaches and PEAS Farm tomatoes, I’ve been preserving my sanity this season; it will be great to have more of it during the cold winter months.
I had to just pause and stare at your Ruby. She has that affect 🙂
And I think you are incredible.
Yup… 80 lbs of peaches waiting for me downstairs too!!
It is killing me to see all of my apple trees releasing their fruit…to the ground. But alas, this year is not in the cards for me since my precious little babe will be arriving in six more days. Last year I caught the canning bug and have been anxiously awaiting this season.
Makes me wish it was summer here. We call it bottling or preserving rather than canning. Either way I have fond memories of my mum doing summer stone fruit this way – I haven’t done it for a few years – best I do so my daughter knows what I am talking about.
I would love to have this book. This is something that my daughter, granddaughter & I could all get into together and make wonderful memories.
I have all the equipment in my basement thanks to a wonderful mother in law. I want to do it! From Salsa to green beans to applesauce. A good book with awesome instructions is just what I need~
I’d love to learn preserving for me and my family. What a great book.
Love these pictures as always – real life
The books sounds terrific… but I’d much rather have one of your jars of peachy goodness! 🙂
Have a great weekend!
BRH in CT
oh yes please! stunning looking book and stunning looking peach butter, love me some of that!
80 pounds of peaches AND 80 pounds of dog!
I know, I love to can too…as I have said before you have many before & now generations smiling at your passion of this skill!
xoxo!
Oh, Alice. Love the shot of her with the peaches. I love fresh summer peaches from our local farmers… but I admit I have no desire to jar. You do make the process look quite beautiful though.
I would love to start doing some canning – never have, but have friends that do and would love to join in the satisfying fun of it all!
That’s too funny! We have the same problem, although with beets and zucchini. We planted a full 8’x4′ raised bed with Detroit Dark Red beets. Holy cow! Next year, succession planting will be our friend…we don’t have the kitchen to process that many beets at once! That book sounds right up my alley…my MIL will process five gallons of cukes into pickles at a time…just washing that many takes me all day. Small batches? Yes, please!
I need a new way to can my rhubarb! (I’ve made chutney and jam.) Also, green tomatoes! Maybe this book can help.
I would love to win the book just to share with my hubby of 38 years. He has stage 4 cancer and often relates stories of growing up on the farm and his mom and aunts canning etc. although there are many things that he can’t eat right now (things still taste metallic to him) it is something maybe I could do for his good days when he’d be able to enjoy it.
Sounds like a fabulous book! So far this year I canned peaches and tomatoes, which were turned into tomato sauce and salsa.
I’ve bene coveting that book in my dreams for awhile now.
Here’s a link to my fave peach bbq sauce:
http://6512andgrowing.wordpress.com/2012/08/20/diy-kitchen-peach-bbq-sauce/
xoxoxoxoxoxoxo
ps: Rhubarb fuzzy caterpillar is adorable.
I just started canning, such a wonderfully satisfying experience. Great canning photographs!!
love your photos!
Would love to have the book, I do mostly jams, raspberry later this fall!
This looks like a great book. I just preserved a dozen jars of apricot jam and would have loved more guidance! Thanks, [email protected]
Canning is something i have been interested in trying…thank you for the inspiration! jackecrow @ verizon.net
I would LOVE to win a copy of the book! If I don’t win, it’s def. going on my birthday wishlist!
Just got done making peach butter with my middle kiddo for the first time. Turned out awesome! Thank you for all of the work you did getting the info on your blog!
My mom cans tomatoes every year and I’d love to learn how to can other fruits and veggies.
This will be the first year since Lewie died we will have dill pickles. And it’s not me canning them, it’s Richard!
Nici,
Can’t tell you how much hope it gives me to see kids learning real skills–planting, growing, harvesting, preserving, enjoying nature while maintaining a healthy respect for it, behaving with loving kindness without sacrificing themselves, using their imaginations to build and play and create, embracing different styles of learning . . . I could go on and on. (For example, I know that skiing is an important life skill in your family, and I can’t wait to see pics of Ruby on the slopes this winter!)
Anyway, I like to see children practicing skills and values that relate to something deeper and more meaningful than materialism. Means that some dang good parenting is going on.
You and Andy are doing a wonderful job with these girls. Carry on, won’t you?
Love,
Susan
Those cheeks, those eyes, that Ruby!
She looks like so much fun and so does the canning. Would love to get lucky…crossing my fingers.
If beginners can learn from this book, I’m in! I haven’t had a Georgia peach yet and I need to eat some before it’s too late! Hello, farmer’s market on Tuesday 🙂
figwittage at outlook dot com
I wish I was canning veggies right now… My husband just canned a bunch of smoked salmon, yum. What a treat in the middle of a cold Alaskan Winter, the kids love it too.
Ruby is definitely the soft little caterpillar 🙂 I’m a novice canner, peaches, pears, tomatoes and salsa so far. I’d love to own the book to see what else I can preserve in my little kitchen!
Dude – you inspired me to get off my a** and try canning. Canned for the first time today: strawberry jam and dilly beans. Listening to the happy ping right now! Thanks for blogging.
Your peach butter sounds amazing,
I would so love to win this!
Help! I’m drowning in cucumbers. It was fun at the start of the harvest but is beginning to get ridiculous! Short of ding-dong-ditching them, any ideas (big salad cukes btw). Also, I was looking to see if you had a pickled beets recipe on your blog. Thought I had seen one but can’t find it now.
My mother and grandmothers used to can and I need to get back into that! Would love to win the book to get me started!
OOhh!! I have been interested in this book ever since you mentioned it first. I would love to have more recipes for canning. Here’s hoping.
As we continue our adventure into becoming more self-sufficient, canning is most definitely on the list! We recently went to a u-pick orchard and will be going back to stock up on fruits to preserve. Can’t wait to get started! 🙂
[email protected]…if I’m so lucky to win!
Ooh, looks like a yummy book!
kiwibrooks(at)gmail.com
Peaches come from a can, I would love to learn how to put them there (instead of a man). 🙂
I can’t get enough of modern canning recipes! So far I’ve made strawberry jam, but will soon be putting up apple butter, beets, green beans, tomatoes, and whatever else my spare time enables!
oh alice and those peaches! now that… should be on a t-shirt!
i would adore a chance to have this book!
Oh what a great book to add to my arsenal. I have canned a little but would love to experiment some more.
Having been wanting to get into canning more! We have some neighbors with a beautiful apple tree or two that they said we can harvest next year!!
Say split pit peach 10x fast! haha
Made your peach butter last week, as you saw in IG and we are already through one jar! yikes!!!
Thanks again for the flawless tutorial!
I am going to jar peaches, as well
you inspired me
xoxo
cathy
[email protected]
go peaches go!
That looks awesome! We made jam this year, as always, but may have to give peaches a try!
[email protected]
Yes PLEASE! I am nearly overrun with tomatoes and grapes at the moment… Would love some canning inspiration and guidance!!!
Oh, that all looks wonderful. I’ve been reading your blog for two years now, and you’ve inspired me to preserve food, but i need to do more.
~Cindy
crl301 at yahoo dot com
This would be a great resourse for me since my interest in canning is much higher than my knowledge! Also, i wanted to thank you for your very inspiring photos and words! Your way of life and view of life is truly inspiring to me and I look forward to your writings here and in Mamalode. Thank you! 🙂
We always head to the farmers market around this time of year to buy up all the amazing goodness and preserve it for the Fall and Winter. Salsa, apple butter, canned peaches, I love it all!!
Would love to get into this!! It looks like such a fun process to teach children, too!
Abby
[email protected]
I’m learning canning slowly… it started with hot pepper jelly at my friend’s house. I’m moving up and this book would help a ton!
Looks yummy! I’ve always wanted to learn how to can food.
I would love to join in this earthy-looking sticky mess of summer preservation…
I missed all her signing events here in Chicago! But I’m a big fan! And my husband and kids are big fans of all the pickling we’ve done already this summer. Tomatoes are next!
Thanks for the Peach Butter recipe. I tried canning for the first time this weekend – strawberry jam. And I am hooked. Next up – spaghetti sauce and peaches. This post could not be timed better!
Nici you got me started canning with your original peach butter (NOT the simplest recipe I found out! jam is so much quicker than butter!) but I have been crazy canning this year! We have a CSA and it’s the only way to keep up with the veggies when there are only 2 of us. I’ve done pickled green beans, carrots, cauliflower, onions, beets (my fave! and I grew those!), and if my Oregon tomatoes don’t turn red soon there’ll be some pickled green ones too! Oh and marionberry jam from berries we picked ourselves. I love it and am so proud of my stack of jars!! [email protected]
I would love to start canning! I’m making more and more food from scratch these days.
I would love to start canning! I’m making more and more food from scratch these days.
I am happy you can label your kitchen like that, I should try it, then maybe I could keep myself in line more instead of wondering what step I am on!!
Oooh, how I’d love to get my hands on this book! I have walked downstairs to my basement too many times to count with the heavy and imperious tome of Ball’s Canning in my hand just to stare trepidatiously at my second-hand-scrounged canner and supplies. Having yet to gather up my courage to make an attempt at canning my small garden’s abundance, I usually just turn quietly and skulk back up the stairs. “Preserving in small batches” is much less intimidating and much more up my alley. Crossing my fingers that I’m the lucky one and thanking you for the heads up on a great resource for us newbie canning-wannabes.
Well hope springs eternal. I’d love the book as I am very interested in canning products both for the food and hopefully for the fun of doing it with my kids.
I’ve never tried canning but your posts always make me want to! In fact, I just told my husband today I want to pack up and move to Montana.
With a new yard (read – no garden) and not a lot of free time, all I’ve had time for is a small batch of Pear and Chocolate Jam. Yum!
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/recipes/2012/08/29/pear-and-chocolate-jam/
So far tomatoes in all forms (stewed, salsa, blanched, sauce, etc) lots and lot of beets and green chili salsa. And also froze arugala to add to pasta later. Love, love, love this time of year
i need this. stat. because SO.MANY.TOMATOES. and thoughts of canning but i literally have no idea where to start … because everytime that i start to read it’s all “use a special utensil to pick up hot things!” and “do this for acidic things and this for not acidic things!”
and my brain turns to mush and then i die.
so maybe this book would help me not die surrounded by a billion tomatoes. save.me.
Hope I’m not to late!
So far I’ve canned whole plums in light syrup (10%) plum jam, apricot jam, green tomato chutney, red current jam, blackberry syrup and I’ve frozen rhubarb, blackberries, peaches and sour cherries. I’ll be making your peachbutter once it cools off!