It is also the time of year that I start canning. Growing up, my mum always canned fruit and made pickles. I always remembered it to be this laborious ordeal where pots were bubbling and boiling on the stove, mason jars were strewn to and fro, and the windows were constantly built up with steam. We'd have jars upon jars stacked in our cold room of pickles, canned peaches, canned cherries, pickled beets, pickled carrots, and, of course, jam.
Recipes back then yielded so many jars of preserves. Those recipes we used were leftover from the days of my Grandparents when rationing was a common occurrence. Now, you can find many cookbooks which provide perfect, inventive recipes for small batch preserving. And that would bring me to my most dog-eared/post-it noted cookbook I have - "Small Batch Preserving" by Ellie Topp and Margaret Howard. From pickles to chutneys to jams and canned fruit, you will find any recipe you need for your favorite fruits and vegetables, all with clear, easy instructions on how to make small batches of preserves.
Making jams is very easy. Basically, all you need is fruit, sugar and some lemon juice. Cook them together on the stove and ladle them into jars. SO easy! You can also process them to store in the pantry, and all that entails is boiling them in a canning pot for a certain amount of time (depending on your elevation). It's really not hard at all, and what you produce is something so fresh and amazing.
From this book, I have made a jam and a jelly recipe I will share with you. Both are so delicious and unique that anyone receiving them as a gift would be honored. Please be forewarned...the more you give away the less you have for yourself, and these 2 recipes have proven to be absolute winners with anyone who tastes them, that you will find that you have none left! So, give sparingly, and enjoy!
Fresh Fig and Strawberry Jam
From Small-Batch Preserving
Makes 4 cups (1L)
The figs add such a subtle sweetness that blends perfectly with the strawberries. This is absolutely delicious on scones with clotted cream. Enjoy at your next High Tea party.
1 lb (500g) fresh figs, stemmed and cut into small pieces
2 c (500ml) quartered strawberries
2 c (500 ml) granulated sugar
3 T lemon juice
1. Place figs and strawberries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium, stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Cover and let stand for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
2. After an hour, bring the pot to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium and boil rapidly, uncovered, until mixture will form a gel* (about 15 min), stirring frequently. Remove from heat.
3. Ladle into sterilized jars and process.
*The easiest gel test is to place 2-3 small plates in the freezer ahead of time. Test for gel formation by putting a spoonful of hot preserves on one chilled plate. Immediately return to the freezer and wait 2 minutes (be mindful of the preserves on the stove and remove from heat so it doesn't burn while you do this test). If the mixture is sufficiently cooked, it will form a gel that moves slowly as the plate is tilted. If it runs off the plate, cook the mixture for another couple of minutes and repeat the freezer test until a gel is formed.
Processing:
Ensure your mason jars are clean, and place the clean jars into a boiling-water canner with hot water. Cover and let the water come to a boil over high heat. Boil for 10 min to sterilize the jars. This step can take 20-30 minutes, depending upon the size of your canner.
About 5 minutes before you are ready to fill the jars, place the lids in hot, boiling water according to manufacturer's directions.
Remove the jars from the canner and pour of ladle the foods into the hot jars within 1/2 " of the top rim. If the food is in large pieces, remove air bubbles by sliding a clean, small wooden spoon or spatula bewteen the glass and food. Wipe jar rim with a clean, wet paper towel to remove any stickiness. Center the lid on the jar and apply screw band until fingertip tight.
Place the jars in the canner and ensure the water level is 1-2" above the jar. Cover canner and return to a boil. Begin the timing when water returns to a boil. Process for 5 minutes**.
Remove jars from canner onto a kitchen towel. In the next 10 minutes you will hear the distinctive "pop" of the jar lids sealing. Congratulations! You just preserved!!!! Let cool for 24 hours and check the jar lids are all vacuum sealed down. Store in a cool, dry place.
**If you live at altitudes higher than 1000 feet (306 m), longer processing times are needed. At higher altitudes, water boils at a lower temperature, so it is necessary to increase processing time if you live at higher elevations. Adjust the time as follows:
- Elevations between 1000-3000 ft (306-915 m), add 5 minutes to the processing time given in the recipe
- Elevations between 3000-6000 ft (916-1830 m), add 10 minutes to the processing time given in the recipe.
- Elevations between 6000-8000 ft (1830-2440 m), add 15 minutes to the processing time given in the recipe.
- Elevations between 8000-10,000 ft (2440-3050 m), add 20 minutes to the processing time given in the recipe.
Example: Calgary's elevation is 3438 ft, so you would add 10 min to the processing time of 5 min. Total processing (or boiling of jars) is 15 minutes.
*The easiest gel test is to place 2-3 small plates in the freezer ahead of time. Test for gel formation by putting a spoonful of hot preserves on one chilled plate. Immediately return to the freezer and wait 2 minutes (be mindful of the preserves on the stove and remove from heat so it doesn't burn while you do this test). If the mixture is sufficiently cooked, it will form a gel that moves slowly as the plate is tilted. If it runs off the plate, cook the mixture for another couple of minutes and repeat the freezer test until a gel is formed.
Processing:
Ensure your mason jars are clean, and place the clean jars into a boiling-water canner with hot water. Cover and let the water come to a boil over high heat. Boil for 10 min to sterilize the jars. This step can take 20-30 minutes, depending upon the size of your canner.
About 5 minutes before you are ready to fill the jars, place the lids in hot, boiling water according to manufacturer's directions.
Remove the jars from the canner and pour of ladle the foods into the hot jars within 1/2 " of the top rim. If the food is in large pieces, remove air bubbles by sliding a clean, small wooden spoon or spatula bewteen the glass and food. Wipe jar rim with a clean, wet paper towel to remove any stickiness. Center the lid on the jar and apply screw band until fingertip tight.
Place the jars in the canner and ensure the water level is 1-2" above the jar. Cover canner and return to a boil. Begin the timing when water returns to a boil. Process for 5 minutes**.
Remove jars from canner onto a kitchen towel. In the next 10 minutes you will hear the distinctive "pop" of the jar lids sealing. Congratulations! You just preserved!!!! Let cool for 24 hours and check the jar lids are all vacuum sealed down. Store in a cool, dry place.
**If you live at altitudes higher than 1000 feet (306 m), longer processing times are needed. At higher altitudes, water boils at a lower temperature, so it is necessary to increase processing time if you live at higher elevations. Adjust the time as follows:
- Elevations between 1000-3000 ft (306-915 m), add 5 minutes to the processing time given in the recipe
- Elevations between 3000-6000 ft (916-1830 m), add 10 minutes to the processing time given in the recipe.
- Elevations between 6000-8000 ft (1830-2440 m), add 15 minutes to the processing time given in the recipe.
- Elevations between 8000-10,000 ft (2440-3050 m), add 20 minutes to the processing time given in the recipe.
Example: Calgary's elevation is 3438 ft, so you would add 10 min to the processing time of 5 min. Total processing (or boiling of jars) is 15 minutes.
Cranberry Hot Pepper Jelly
From Small-Batch Preserving
Yields 3 cups
Sweet and spicy and a very festive red colour. I put this over ham, or serve on Rainforest Crisps with cream cheese.
1 large sweet red pepper
2 jalepeno peppers, seeded (or any other pepper you have - I use red chili peppers)
1/4 c water
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
3/4 c frozen cranberry cocktail concentrate, thawed
3 c granulated sugar
1 pouch liquid fruit pectin
1. Wash and de-seed the sweet and hot peppers and finely chop in a food processor. Place in a small saucepan with vinegar and water. bring mixture to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and boil gently for 10 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids. Pour liquid in another clean saucepan (if you don't have a fine sieve, you can use a course sieve, and then pour the mixture through a jelly bag. I find a fine mesh sieve works just the same and eliminates an extra step).
2. Place strained liquid, cranberry concentrate and sugar in a medium stainless steel or enamel saucepan. Bring to a full boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in pectin, return to a full boil and boil hard for 1 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.
3. Ladle into sterilized jars and process 5 minutes* (add elevation time to the 5 min).
1 comment:
I've never received these as gifts from you. Hmmm....what does that mean? haha
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