Canning: Blueberry Jam

Another great, easy canning recipe from Pick Your Own. This time I made blueberry jam, I love blueberries!

I have posted the ingredients as always but you will need to follow this link for the directions.

Ingredients

• Blueberries - 10 cups, or 2.25 liters, about 3.5 lbs, almost 1.75 kg) preferably fresh, but frozen (without syrup works, too)
• Lemon juice - either fresh squeezed or bottled. 1/4 cup.
• Water - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - See step 6.  My favorite approach is to use the no-sugar needed pectin, but still add about 4.5 cups of dry, granulated (table) sugar. It is possible to make low-sugar,  fruit juice-sweetened, or Stevia (or if you prefer, Splenda)-sweetened blueberry jam; I'll point out the differences below.
• Pectin (it's a natural product, made from apples and available at grocery stores (season - spring through late summer) and local "big box" stores.

Canning: Peach Jam

I have never done any canning with peaches before but with this recipe being so easy to follow.
I love this website and I use it for almost all my canning recipes.

I have posted the ingredients but you will need to follow this link for the instructions.  I was able to get 9 jars of jam using this recipe.

Ingredients

• Fruit: Peaches or Nectarines - 5 pints (which is: 10 cups, or 2.25 liters, about 3.5 lbs, almost 1.75 kg) fresh., whole peaches.  Ultimately, from this we will need 5 or 6 cups of peeled, chopped peaches
• Lemon juice - either fresh squeezed or bottled. 1/4 cup.
• Water - 1/2 cup
• Sugar - About 4.5 cups of dry, granulated (table) sugar. It is possible to make low-sugar,  fruit juice-sweetened, or Stevia (or if you prefer, Splenda)-sweetened fig jam; I'll point out the differences below.
• Pectin - get the "no sugar needed" type. (it's a natural product, made from apples and available at grocery stores (season - spring through late summer) and local "big box" stores. 

Canning: Bread and Butter Pickles

Canning seems to come naturally to me as both my grandmothers canned. My grandmother who is no longer with us (She pretty much raised me, I spent most of my life living with her) taught me how to can, she made the best pickle beets!

These were super easy to make, now I forgot to add the onions but that is okay I am sure they will taste just as good once they are ready to be eaten!

Once again I used the awesome Pick your own website! I am going to post the ingredients, but you will need to follow this link for the instructions and lots of pictures!

INGREDIENTS

• 6 lbs of 4- to 5-inch pickling cucumbers
• 8 cups thinly sliced onions (about 3 pounds)
• 2 tbsp mustard seed
• 1-1/2 tbsp celery seed
• 1 tbsp ground turmeric
• 1 cup pickling lime (optional- for use in variation below for making firmer pickles)
• 1/2 cup canning or pickling salt (most large grocery stores sell this)  See this page for pickling supplies, equipment, books, crocks and additives. Note: the salt is drained and rinsed off, so the final products won't have nearly this much salt in it!
• 4 cups vinegar (5 percent) (5%, apple cider vinegar works well.  Store brand is about $1.25 for a 64 oz bottle.)
• 4 and 1/2 cups sugar (if you are diabetic, use Stevia (or if you prefer, Splenda), or you can omit sugar altogether)
• water (for rinsing and washing)

Canning: Sweet Pickles

Pickles, never thought they would be so easy to can. I am in love with this canning website, called Pick Your Own. They have simple and amazing recipes for canning. This is now my go to site for all my canning recipes. I check here before I look anywhere else.

I got my cucumbers from our local farmers market!

I am only posting the ingredients here you will need to go to the website for the rest of the instructions. There are tons of photos as well.

Ingredients

• 8 lbs of 3- to 4-inch pickling cucumbers
• 1/3 cup canning or pickling salt
• 4-1/2 cups sugar
• 3-1/2 cups vinegar (5 percent)
• 2 teaspoons celery seed
• 1 tablespoon whole allspice
• 2 tablespoons mustard seed
• 1 cup pickling lime (optional- for use in variation below for making firmer pickles)

Link to website

I was able to make 12 jars from this recipe and all of my jars sealed