That's What Jenni Said

Like any other practical skill, canning and preserving take practice to build expertise. From my first canning session at the end of spring, I learned that you can’t shortcut recipes unless you know what you are doing and that you MUST make sure to cook down your jam until it reaches the gel stage. If it’s syrupy instead of gel consistency when it goes in the jar, it will be syrupy still when it comes out. To make myself feel better, I like to tell people I didn’t fail in making strawberry jam, I succeeded in making strawberry compote. Still, the lesson was obvious: cook the jams down properly. During my second canning session, or the weekend of 10 thousand peaches as I like to call it, I learned that pressure canning jams for too long (anything greater than 5 minutes) or under too much pressure (anything more than 6 pounds) threatens to break down the natural pectin gel you created with the concentrated cooking. I didn’t figure this out until I was almost finished canning (I had bee...

It was quite an exhausting weekend as our family spent most of it on our feet working on preserving fresh summer produce.   At least we didn't have to begin by picking the fruit ourselves as they did in the old days and t hankfully, we have plenty of delicious creations to show for our hard work!  Fresh Currants After his early morning half-marathon run on Saturday, hubby and I drove to Fairfax to gather up the currants waiting for us at the Farmers’ Market. Kuhn Orchards (operated out of PA) is one of the only available sources for currants in the metro DC distribution area. We picked up 6 pints of black currants and 6 pints of mixed currants – red, white, and pink. White and pink are merely pigmentation variations of the red while black currants are quite different (larger and tarter). We also stopped by the Manassas Farmers’ Market to pick up 30 pounds of ripe fresh peaches for preserving ( on sale for less than a dollar a pound!) . Fresh Peaches ...

Canning and preserving: our mothers did it, our grandmothers did it, and many of us wistfully dream of capturing the best of every season ourselves. But it seems a bit intimidating at first glance. Before we can begin, we must assemble our equipment. First we start with our pressure canner, a necessity for canning many foods and a time saver for all foods. If you've got a modern flattop ceramic stove, pay close attention and make sure to buy a canner approved for ceramic tops (the selected canner MUST have a completely flat bottom) like the Presto 16 quart aluminum one that we own. You’ll also need equipment to handle the jars during the canning process and both Presto and Ball make a nice 7 piece kit that includes a funnel, jar holder, and other items. Of course you’ll need canning jars, and I recommend, at minimum, a set of half-pints (for jam), pints (for salsa, bbq sauce, pickles, and fruit in syrup), and quarts (for tomato sauce). If you’re going to be giving away your ...