WHAT ARE YOU CANNING TODAY?

[TanksHill]

I am going to assemble my jars and canner and be ready.

As I read that, I heard the theme from Jaws in my head.

That sounds funny but I can just see myself lurking along the aisle of the grocery. Duh duh,, looking for fresh veggies.. duh duh, duh duh, pouncing when I see just the right tomato. Ahhhhahhhh!!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLAYvjaGGqM

 

[DawnSuiter]

More pickles & relish, quick dills and some bread & butter recipe too.

I picked up about 25lbs of fresh apples from the local orchard tonight for processing... I'll start on those tomorrow!

 

[kcsunshine]

We've got squash coming out our ears. What we don't sell, I've been canning squash pickles and squash relish. I've been able to sell 4 pints and 2 half-pints at market.

 

[DawnSuiter]

Advice needed!

How flexible is the term "juice"?
What I mean is... I of course didn't thoroughly read the directions in my book and now realize my plan for making jelly and apple butter may not be ideal?

Every year I use my juicer to get complete juice... straining & straining to get a clearer juice but still it always has a little pulp.. I like it that way. Anyway.. we juice the WHOLE apple and then drink that juice.
Then I use all the pulp stuff in baked goods, and apple butters.

I want to do the same thing except finally this year preserve it in jars instead of the freezer. (we had a big freezer mishap last year that has pushed me to try and can anything possible so we don't repeat)

Do you think that I can use my juice this way? Or should I follow the Ball guide exactly and cut up my apples and boil them in water :/ to get the juice?

I thought people even bought bottled juice from the store sometimes to make jelly... so what do you think?

 

[Farmfresh]

The Ball guide is good, but in my opinion it is NOT the end all Bible of how to do things.

I would use my juicer, just as you had planned and then use the Ball guide for processing times.

Yes, lots of people including me sometimes BUY bottled juice for making jelly. I use bottled organic current juice and even organic cherry juice sometimes. It is easier for me than juicing my own, especially since I don't grow currents!

Trust your instincts a bit.

 

[DawnSuiter]

Oh THANK YOU for your response.. it's so wonderful that this thread is watched so closely!!!!!

I'm so new (last few years) to ALL forms of food not packaged by Kraft This is only the 1st year we'll put up anything except pickles and sweet potatoes, and the first year we've grown a serious amount of our own food.

I appreciate being able to learn what rules are potentially flexible from all of you.

 

[Ldychef2k]

My SIL loves grape jelly. No other kind. I went on a trek around the valley last year, looking for concord grapes so I could make him the real thing. We grow a ton of varieties, but concords don't seem to be among them. It was a fun trip, though !

Anyway, in the end I bought a can of Welch's grape juice concentrate and added a shade less water to increase the flavor. Made a fantastic jelly !

 

[Farmfresh]

The jelly that gets the best reviews at my house is Niagra grape. The jelly is a weird color when finished, a greeny amber, but one taste and they won't go back to Concord grapes again! The flavor is quite complex and very delicious.

You should be able to find some Niagra's Ldychef. They are often raised as a wine grape.

 

[Farmfresh]

By the way Dawn to get the clearest juice for my jelly I always follow this procedure.

First I stew the fruit a while to release the juices and then I slowly pour the fruit into a colander lined with two or three layers of cheesecloth that fits into a big kettle that I have. Then I pop on a lid and let it drip, placing it in a refrigerator as soon as it is cool enough. I often let it drip undisturbed overnight! Never press or stir while the fruit is dripping as that causes pulp to be released.

When it is done dripping I measure how much juice I have. Then I return the fruit pulp to another pot and replace the juice with the same amount of water.

The clear juice is then used for jelly and the pulp plus water is stewed again to make jam or butter. That way I get twice the product from the same amount of fruit! Man am I cheap.

 

[Ldychef2k]

The jelly that gets the best reviews at my house is Niagra grape. The jelly is a weird color when finished, a greeny amber, but one taste and they won't go back to Concord grapes again! The flavor is quite complex and very delicious.

You should be able to find some Niagra's Ldychef. They are often raised as a wine grape.

Sounds awesome! Will check it out. We are the #1 raisin producing area in the world, so we have a lot of thompson seedless, sultanas, etc.