This post is coming a little later because the day has been a little crazy. First off no usual breakfast tale today. Here in the house I have been fighting off what I imagine to be my second bout of pneumonia and losing so the MIC gave me the opportunity to sleep in (God love him). I woke up in time for him to kiss me goodbye and off I went to prep for my day because I had BIG plans in the works.
I got myself and the baby dressed and off I went to run my errands to buy....canning supplies!!! I was determined to make two different jams today! I had settled in Strawberry rhubarb and peach raspberry. It is important to note that I have NEVER canned before so I was rather intimidated, but like my foremothers before I was determined to learn this skill if it killed me. raspberry. It is important to note that I have NEVER canned before so I was rather intimidated, but like my foremothers before I was determined to learn this skill if it killed me. I will admit I got the recipes offline as I needed gluten free options but here is the basic list you'll need to can:
Mason jars (pint size wide mouth)
Canning funnel
Canner (see picture below) this is used for pasteurizing the canned goods once you are done
INGREDIENTS
2 lbs fresh rhubarb cut into ½-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
1 lb fresh strawberries, hulled and diced (about 3 cups)
½ cup water
2 cups sugar
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
INSTRUCTIONS
Place rhubarb, strawberries, water and sugar in a medium-sized pot set over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until the juices are released and begin to cover the fruit. Pour the mixture through a fine mesh sieve to separate the fruit from the juices. Set the fruit aside. Return the the juices to the pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Allow to cook, stirring frequently, until reduced by approximately half (an easy way to check this is to use the handle of a wooden spoon. Dip it into the liquid to “stain” it. Then use that as a measuring guide for how much it’s cooking down). Skim off any foam that rises to the surface, as you go. Add the fruit back to the pot, along with any accumulated juices. Stir in lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until a spoonful of the mixture
mounds on a frozen plate without spreading. Once ready, you can pack it into jars, or tupperware, and freeze. Or, follow the process below for canning.
To can
While jam is cooking, sterilize 5, ½ pint jars along with lids, as instructed in the canning basics post*. Fill the jars to within ¼ inch of the top with jam; wipe the rims, top with lids and tighten rings to fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 5 minutes (see: “things you need to know” in the canning basics post for processing times above 1000 feet). Remove jars from water bath and set on a kitchen towel to cool for 24 hours. Check for seals before storing in a cool, dark place until ready to use.
It tastes absolutely delicious and I can't wait for breakfast!!!
Second came the peach raspberry:
Ingredients
2-2/3 cups finely chopped peeled peaches
1-1/2 cups crushed raspberries
3 cups sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
Directions
In a Dutch oven, combine all ingredients. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar has dissolved and mixture is bubbly, about 10 minutes. Bring to a full rolling boil; boil for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat; skim off foam.
Carefully ladle hot mixture into hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims and adjust lids. Process for 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield: 5 half-pints.
This one also taste delicious and I'm excited to try it!!! I'll tell you that I was very scared going into this but it was a lot less terrifying than I thought! You really should give it a go! My next project is to try pickles but the grocer said there was some issue with quality control up here...I'm not sure what he was referring to but I'm just going to go to another store haha!
Have a sunshiny day everyone.
Forever stuck in the 50s
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