We interrupt all of the Disney chatter to bring you Tuesday Talk today! It’s where once a month, I link up with Ashley and Erika who host this fun little blog link up. Every month, you are supposed to chat about anything and everything. Now, if you missed Part ONE of my Disney Land & Sea vacation from yesterday, you can see that HERE. We’ll get back to that tomorrow, today though, we’re chatting about something different.
Before we get to that, if you’re trying to memorize a verse a week with me this year, this week’s verse is…
…Phillipians 1:6. Amen and amen, right?!
Okay, here is a look back at what we’ve discussed so far (you should really read the comments of all of these posts!!)…
Last year, we chatted about this stuff…
In January, we chatted about whether or not I should keep my home phone. (You overwhelmingly told me TO keep it!)
In February, we chatted about preparing for sitters at your house.
In April, we chatted about a book I read called Unstuffed.
In May, we chatted about what TV shows are good for kiddos.
In July, we chatted about bows and clothes for little girls.
In August, we chatted about whether or not I should get an e-reader (Whoa! Lots of opinions!!)
In September, I showed you guys my sign wall.
In November, we chatted about Instant Pots.
In December, we chatted about books you might want to get for the new year.
And so far this year, we’ve chatted about this…
In January, we chatted about our verses of the week.
In February, we chatted about quality time with our kids.
And today, we’re going to chat about…CANNING!
Ha!
Because apparently, I’ve decided to get a new hobby.
For all of that free time I have.
So, I told you guys last week, that I started to make freezer jam for my family which is basically the world’s EASIEST jam to make…
My friend Amanda told me that she only uses this for her kids and gave me a jar. Well, it was delicious, so I decided to make a batch…and now, I can’t stop. I’m going to be some crazy lady with 800 jars of jam in her freezer and look like this…
…Joey from Friends who couldn’t stop eating jam. #myspiritanimal
So, here’s my question, I’ve polled my family and they have given me a lot of ideas to can/jar (spaghetti sauce, taco sauce, candied jalapenos, tomatoes, pickles etc) and I’ve started a Pinterest board (my favorite thing to do!)…
…but what are your favorite things to can? And what are your favorite methods? I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW!!! Please comment and share!! I am going to plant my garden here in a month, so I would love some ideas that could be used with that too. Please share!!
And PS: buy a box of pectin at the grocery store (right there on the pudding aisle) and it shows you the simple steps to make freezer jam. Pectin, sugar and fruit are the only ingredients required! xo
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog says
For some reason, you always seem to blog about the things that I’ve been considering doing lately! I had a bunch of overripe nectarines a while back and was contemplating making jam with the lot, haha!
–
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
http://charmainenyw.com
Beth Dunham Swindig says
We can tomatoes for chili and sauces. We also have made and canned spaghetti sauce. This past year we did not get a ton of tomatoes and so we only canned salsa. Peaches and pears are stuff we have also canned in the past. I’m married to a man who comes from a southern family!! The freezer jam sounds great. I will have to try it.
Jordan@the2seasons says
Spicy Carrots. OMG so good.
Jennie says
We can every summer from our garden! Green beans, salsa, tomatoes, pickles, applesauce and jam. I freeze corn, broccoli and berries too but some things I like better canned. Good luck! It’s a great hobby!
Kassy says
We can salsa, beans, green beans, pickles, and jam. My favorite is the jam and salsa. They’re no brainers, so easy!
Beth Knecht says
I started making freezer jam with my grandma years and years ago. She is gone now, but I still make the jam by myself and think of her!
Erika Slaughter says
I vote candied jalapeños!!!! I hope you can so many you start giving them away to friends. 😉
Beth P says
Try and do candied jalapenos when you can have the windows open and as few people home as possible. It made my family’s eyes and noses burn. But they are so delicious!
Adrienne says
Dilly beans! I’m not sure if these have a more technical name, but this is what they are called in my MIL’s family, who I got the recipe from. It’s basically a dill pickle brine with a clove of garlic and a little cayenne added in, but you pickle green beans instead of cucumbers. They are so good as a side with sandwiches!
Sheaffer Sims says
YES to the candied jalapenos! LOVE those over cream cheese with crackers! And you know if you ever have an over abudance of canned items, I’ll be happy to “store” some for you. 🙂
Amy Heinl says
Freeze corn and green beans…blanche them and put in freezer bags. Can jam, pickles, salsa, spaghetti sauce, applesauce and sauerkraut. So kuch fun and tasty too
Lesley McFarland says
I LOVE making jelly’s and jams. It is very intimidating at first but sooooo easy. I just buy whatever fruit is on sale…this week blackberries. Let them ripe and in an hour I have several jars. I will never buy jelly from a store.
Bethany @ 4SonsPlus1 says
Canning intimidates the pants off me! I think I tried the easy method you’re referring to years ago, and it was not all that successful for me, and THEN I tried a different method and it was even worse! A total disaster! I cook and bake all the time but for some reason, this process hates me, ha! Maaaaaybe I will try again…. 🙂
Jen says
Strawberry Jam and Hot Pepper Jelly. I also love spaghetti sauce and salsa..It’s so easy and they all freeze well so you don’t actually have to “can” it.
Dana says
Canning sounds so intimidating to me! I would love for you to do a step-by-step on how you actually do it. I love love love homemade bread and butter pickles!!
Sarah says
I’ve never canned! But would definitely want to try out jam! Seems easy enough and quite delicious!
-Sarah http://www.thefrugalmillionaireblog.com
Narci Dreffs says
I love that you have started canning! All of your jam looks delish! I love the idea of canning spaghetti sauce! Yum!
Tara G. says
My mom always cans every summer – pickles & salsa mostly but she has done all sorts of fruits and veggies and even grape juice one year. Our favorite freezer jam is strawberry rhubarb. I also can apple butter.
Sarah Kate McAlister says
Tomatoes, salsa, tomato pasta sauce, green beans, pickles (cucumbers, okra, jalepenos, carrots, hard boiled eggs, squash, beans) chow chow, kraut, relishes (pickle, corn) jams. Can all the things! We also freeze corn, green beans, okra, broccoli, carrots, Brussel sprouts, berries, peaches, peas, etc! Best thing is making summer vegetable soup in dead of winter, thanks to canning & freezing from garden! With big cast iron skillet of cornbread with fresh homemade butter! Yum! Happy canning!
Alexis deZayas says
I haven’t canned any myself but I love to eat canned sweet and sour pickles! Can’t wait to come back and read the comments today!
Shannon Molenburg says
I’ve canned tomato sauce from scratch and also apple butter!! Last fall, I made a ton of apple butter and zucchini bread. Best gift idea ever if you do a fall party or have a friend who could use a little TLC.
Olivia says
My favorite jam to eat is my grandmas strawberry jam! SO GOOD and so much better than store-bought. It’s been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. This post has inspired me to start canning!
Elizabeth Feldpausch says
We’ve been making that freezer strawberry jam for years! My brothers always try to steal it from my freezer!
We canned a lot of veggies from our garden last year and I will say that when you actually can it to create the seal for pantry sitting the veggies lose their crisp-ness and become soft (I assume from the second round of hot water sitting) and I am not a fan of the soft veggies- just a heads up if you prefer the crunch to them!
Anne says
We do lots of canning in my house! We can enough tomato sauce, BBQ SAYCE, ketchup, salsa, pickles, soups, jam, corn relish, relish, jalapeños, etc to last all year. We try to not buy any produce at the store so we live off of canned, frozen, and dehydrated food from our garden year round. When I was getting started in canning I bought the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving book. It has everything in it and super straight forward recipes. https://www.amazon.com/dp/0778801314/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_CvpSAbW54XT0G
Happy canning!
Michael H Hay says
I started canning last year, been freezing our garden for years now using vacuum sealing , but canning sounded fun and productive! I made tomato sauces and pickles! It’s all about the acid so mind that! Good luck!
Shannon says
Freezer jam is so good on top of ice cream!!!
Debbie K says
I love the pressure cooker/canner my mom bought me many years ago. I can the green beans and tomatoes from my garden. You don’t have to pressure can the tomatoes, so it’s a relatively fast process. I freeze some of the other things I grow. I don’t can as much now that my children are grown, but you can bet my daughter is always waiting for her canned green beans! I think I want to try strawberry jam.. my mom does it every year.
Joann says
Can you can bacon jam? I love it but I’ve only ever stored a batch in the fridge.
Emily Trilikis says
I second what Anne says above. Buy the ball canning cook. There is a lot to learn about headspace, cold packing vs hot packing, etc. It tells you what you can can in a water bath and what you will need a pressure canner for. Ultimately, if you don’t cook things as long as you should, you could end up ruining your hard work and even getting sick.
My biggest tip is to take the rings off after your lids pop. Leaving the rings on can give you a false sense of security. Also, don’t stack them to store your jars. (My cleaning lady is a canning expert, so she has taught me a TON!) Sometimes it’s helpful to have someone who knows what they’re doing the first time, because it can be intimidating!
I just do peaches and pickles, but I’m hoping to do more this summer. It’s fun and makes you feel like a pioneer woman, haha!
Mix and Match Mama says
I have it!! I bought it online a few weeks ago. I’m going to try some of the recipes out and let you girls know!!
Pam E. says
Lavender Peach Jam & Blueberry Basil Jam are my 2 favorite jams. Delicious flavors added by each herb. Tomatoes, marinara sauce , green beans, applesauce in the fall. You’ll never eat store bought apple sauce again. Invest in a pressure canner , doesn’t have to be the expensive kind, you’ll love it. Most rewarding hobby I’ve found.
Tonya Rosinbaum says
I would love to have the Blueberry Basil recipe! Is it on line?
Laura @ Fantastically Four says
I also been interested in Canning! I got an instant pot for Christmas, and the possibilities are endless. I want to start with something simple like applesauce. ? Love the topics you choose!
Amanda Wilson says
We LOVE canned peaches at our house!! Peach season is in August here and I can as much as I can then ration them to last us all year!!! We also love pickled green beans and carrots. I am not so good at rationing those! I make tons of jams to!! I love making a mixed berry jam that is so good!! All my kids teachers ask for my jams for Christmas presents!!! Why is canning so fun!! I have a friend who takes a week off of life just to can…. she gets her mom to take the kids and cans everything and anything for a week!! Lol
Alexandra C says
My grandmother had a big ol’ plum tree in her back yard growing up and to this day plum jelly is my favorite thing to can, followed by bread and butter pickles and this amazing squash relish that my dad found a recipe for on pinterest. Then all the things listed above that are standard.
Melissa says
I would love to get more into canning. I have a Southern Living recipe for blackberry jam that has WAY more steps and ingredients than I think I can handle as a rookie. Could you please do a step-by-step on the jam you made? I’m nervous to try it for risk of the bacteria and such-eek!
Lisa says
Love to can! I make refrigerator pickles, candied jalapenos, salsa, fig preserves, pickled banana peppers, etc. Candied jalapenos are good on cream cheese like someone mentioned but I put them them in things like chicken salad, tuna salad, on hamburgers, just about anything that needs a little kick!
Laci says
green beans are my absolute favorite but I have no clue how to can…so no advice from me I just always find a local market. Jam sounds so good on toast right now!
Becky says
We can green beans, carrots, corn, pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, pears, peaches, applesauce, pickles, salsa, jellies and jams, I’ve done turkey broth, the possibilities are endless as long as they are done the safe and proper way. Our house has been canning for 3 years now and my family says how much more flavor is in everything over store bought commercially canned items. Get yourself the latest Ball book and use this website for all your safe recipes http://nchfp.uga.edu/index.html
Meagan Ruse says
My Grandpa makes jam all the time! Some of our favorites he makes are: apple butter, apricot, peach, plum, pear 🙂 It’s always my favorite package to get in the mail!
Daniele says
I don’t can anything, but I look forward to seeing some recipes! When does the Mix & Match Mama canning cookbook come out? ?❤️
Angie Sharp says
We really prefer jams and jelly in jars over freezer jams and jellies. Tomatoes, peas, beans, and corn we like to freeze.
Maria says
If you make the cooked jam, you can actually store it in your pantry and it doesn’t take up valuable freezer space (to me anyway). It’s not really any more difficult either. We make all kinds: strawberry, blueberry, peach, hot pepper. Strawberry is our favorite. You should also google strawberry fig preserves. It’s delicious.
We also can spaghetti sauce (use the Taste of Home recipe), which is time consuming, but better than anything you will ever buy; tomatoes (easiest thing in the world to can), salsa, pears, potatoes, pickles.
And we put in our freezer corn, green beans, peas, butter/lima beans, squash, carrots, turnip greens (cooked first), and rutabagas (cooked first) . I also like to buy meat in bulk and put in my freezer. We usually cook extra crawfish and will free that for later recipes. Last summer we bought 150 lbs. of shrimp to go in the freezer. We put it up raw and can cook however we want with just a short thaw time.
I also make ahead and freeze cookie dough, lasagna, casseroles, meatballs and gumbo. These make for great, easy meals when we are spending multiple nights at the baseball fields!
Sorry I rambled on, but you posted today something that is near and dear to me. Our kids are missing out on the things my grandparents taught me! I’ve learned and love to grow, can, freeze and cook. Thankfully my hubby does, too. I only wish I had learned the art of quilting before my Grandmother died.
Morgan says
My family cans black eyed peas every year. They are the BEST!
Carol Callen says
Just ran across this. Love it and you already. The first thing I have done is say a prayer for you and your family.
Now to canning. My favorite thing to can is tomatoes , the store bought ones just don’t taste the same. If I don’t have enough from the garden I purchase from the local farmers market. Hot water bath canning is my preferred method. Some things need a pressure canner as I am sure you are aware. I also like to put up dill pickles and dill relish. Last year we had an abundance of green beans so I made garlicky dill beans.
I make jam/jelly all year and give it away at Christmas. Praying for the person that will receive it as I stir.
Good luck with your new “hobby”. I will continue to pray for you as the Lord leads.
Blessings, Carol.
Ruth says
My mom and I love canning salsa every year…I’m a salsa snob so it is really nice having it year-round. We also make a jalapeno peach jam and my mom makes awesome bread and butter pickles with both zucchini and cucumbers.
Shannon says
I love to can too!! We love spaghetti sauce, fresh salsa, garden tomatoes, pickled beans, and lots of fresh fruit! (peaches, pears and applesauce are our favorites!) They look so beautiful in the glass jars on your shelves:)
Brianne Cole says
I started canning a few years ago.. mostly because my kids were little and they went through fruit so quickly! Our stock includes..Applesauce (literally my 2 kids ages 6&8 eat a quart a week!), pears, peaches, apple butter, pear butter, grape jelly, grape juice, tomato sauce, whole tomatoes, salsa, and peppers! So easy to do and the kids love to help!
BTW..I was also at Hollywood Studios the day you all were. I saw Bowen and Ashby performing in the parade and looked all around to spot you and Erika, but I didn’t see you! Sort of like I was aw-struck..following your blog for several years and finally seeing part of your family in person was surreal! 🙂
Laura Krause says
I am a Family and Consumer Science Agent with Colorado State Extension and teaching safe canning is one of the biggest parts of my job. The biggest thing to know is to always use a tested recipe. This means that it didn’t come from Pinterest or a random recipe website, but from a source that is scientifically testing these recipes in order to ensure that they will not grow harmful and potentially fatal bacteria such as botulinum. They make sure that the ingredients have a proper ratio of salt, sugar or something else acidic enough to create a shelf safe storage environment. Some great resources are any state university extension website, the Ball Blue Book, the Ball Complete Book to Home Preserving, the National Center for Home Food Preservation, and So Easy to Preserve. And if you ever have any questions, call up your local county extension office! They can always help you to ensure that you are creating safe canned products!
Mix and Match Mama says
Wow!! This is so resourceful!!!
Tiffany Stegall says
I loooove to can and and all the yeses to the Ball canning book. You will learn so much from that book. You can also buy a little canning kit for under $10 that has a jar funnel, a magnetic lid grabber, and tongs if you want to can using the hot water bath. This is my favorite kind of canning because it yields a lot of jars, but it doesn’t take up valuable freezer space. You can buy a large enameled hot water canner for cheap at Walmart, too. Canning jam is my favorite because it’s simple and it really makes a cute end of the year gift/Sunday school teacher gift/ everybody else gift, too! Some of my favorite things to can besides jam are hot pepper jelly (the kind you put over a brick of cream cheese), bread and butter pickles, applesauce, and apple butter. Those are pretty much things always in the pantry. I like canning salsa but I don’t do tomato sauce because it takes a WHOLE BUNCH of tomatoes for a pretty small yield. AKA a lot of work for not much goods, ha ha. Taste of Home magazine puts out a seasonal canning book each year in the spring/summer that always has fun, different recipes. Hope you have so much fun with your new hobby! ❤️
Nori D says
Peaches are my all time favorite though I like fig jam. Weatherford peaches make a wonderful jam. And freezer jam is THE WAY to go!
I also can tomatoes because it HAS to be healthier than buying them and it’s easy, as well.
Melanie says
Believe it or not, chicken!! It is the most tender chicken you will ever eat and it’s super convenient for those days when you’re trying to make a quick dinner and need shredded (or chunked, or cubed) chicken. I will say it doesn’t look the most appetizing sitting there cooked in the jar, so I put mine back behind something so I don’t have to look at it, but it is so good and so convenient! And way better than store bought canned chicken.
Susan Lewis says
Freezer Jam sounds amazing. A great post about canning would be full of pictures of the process, recipe and instructions. This post was not at all helpful. As a cook book author you really dropped the ball. I would love to see an updated blog actually givin your readers what they crave.
Mary Worton says
As a Master Food Preserver I will state that you’ve started well, doing freezer jam. It’s easy, and delicious. That said, water bath and pressure canning require specific equipment. Low acid foods such as most veggies have to be pressure canned in order for the temperature to get high enough to kill bacteria. I freeze most of mine, because blanching and freezing is easier. Tomatoes are different, because the acid content is higher. Add a bit of lemon juice and your good to go. If you have questions I’m available. Good luck!
nancyluce55@yahoo.com says
Applesauce!
Haley Hopkins says
I would love to get into canning! I’m pregnant and I have recently realized I don’t have any individual hobbies for myself. My husband hunts and I don’t have anything! Lol! I like to read and be with family but that’s not a hobby in my book. Do you have any recommendations besides canning?
Tatiana says
We LOVE to pickle all our hot peppers! We layer them in the jar so it looks real pretty: Yellow hot hungarian, Red Cherry and Green jalepeno. I do not boil seal them so they stay nice and CRUNCHY! These are foolproof, easy peasy, and is our go to recipe for Crunchy. Pickled. Deliciousness! You HAVE to try these hot peppers on a fresh shredded beef sandwich- they are to die for! http://thecreeksidecook.com/refrigerator-pickled-hot-peppers/#axzz3t5EfOt1x P.S. we put extra garlic because in our house, u can never have too much 😉
Marty says
My favorite thing to can is chicken! I buy chicken in bulk from Zaycon and can at least 1/2 of it for quick easy meals. I also make and can my own applesauce which is way better than the store bought kind. I also buy peaches from the Peach Truck and can those. I want to start canning more vegetables this fall. This means I probably should figure out what I am planting.
Erin says
Pickled green beans, carrots, peppers! I also can chili verde sauce. I just mix up the tomatillos, onions, peppers, garlic, cumin and cilantro per the recipe I have and put it in jars. I use a hot water bath canning method. When I want to use it it, I’ll sauté up some pork and put that and a jar of the verde in the slow cooker for a few hours. I add fresh cilantro at the end for freshness!
Melanie says
When my children were young, I canned figs all the time. I canned regular figs and then (my favorite) was making strawberry jam from figs. It was so good and really tasted like strawberries. Brings back good memories!
Meredith says
Can you please do a post on your garden? What are you planting and what is your method? 🙂
Mix and Match Mama says
I will. Last year, I planted too much and everything was too crowded. This year, I’m doing less.
Gail Young says
Such fun! For years I canned blackberry jam and when we would drive down to Southern California to see our families we would take cases of jam. My dad would store it until Christmas time and then give it out to my siblings as our gift. We called it ‘black gold’ and it was a big hit. We would bring home the empty jars from the year before. Now our kids are grown and I dont make jam anymore but I make and freeze huge amounts of the topping for blackberry crisp and when we go blackberry picking the topping is all ready. Very handy when you have perishable fruit. And a fun thing we do now is to take our old boat down the slough (like a skinny river) and pick the blackberries that hang over the edge of the water. Lots of free berries growing in Seattle!
Rosemary says
Water bath canning is the only time worth my time. I usually do tomato sauce (that I roast in the oven first-it’s so good!) and apple butter that I give as gifts. I did some apricot raspberry jam last year that was really yummy. I canned that so I could give it away at Christmas. I prefer freezer jam, but it’s easier to give away if it’s canned and still yummy. Good luck! It’s a very fulfilling way to use your produce!
Kristin Amero says
Wow! So glad you’re trying this! We have a community canning group (AKA: we get together, eat, have wine, do productive stuff) and we can everything!
My faves are apple sauce, apple butter, apple pie jam, pickled beets, peach butter, sliced peaches, tomato sauce and strawberry jam (water bath method). I recently did baked beans and pea soup (freezer method).
We literally bring our crock pots, food mills and big boiling pots, and other gear to a house and process whatever is on the menu for that day. We make a ton and have fun doing it!
So glad you’ve started with such a great new hobby, enjoy it!
Megan says
I can a ton – mostly low-sugar water bath processed jam (raspberry, strawberry & blackberry – I think I did 48 pints last year), but pickled green beans, pear caramel and a few sauces too. We’re moving to Houston in a month or two and my son (he’s 6) was very concerned that we wouldn’t be able to get flats of berries for me to make into jam in Houston like we can here in the Pacific Northwest. I’m glad to hear we can can 😉
Melissa says
I stick with the water bath canning…no pressure canning over here – tomatoes, applesauce, tons and tons of peaches. I also experimented with green tomato pickles this year (had lots of green tomatoes) and they were a big hit.
Sarah says
I recently learned how to make homemade sauerkraut from my husband’s grandma! It’s so good and much better than store bought. She grows her own cabbage that we use to make the sauerkraut. It’s a big Lancaster County, PA Dutch tradition!
Katie A says
I have such bad memories with canning. I’ve canned our garden twice ?. Once I was 8 months pregnant ?and the next time I thought canning would be a good idea, I had a brand new baby! It ruined me, I don’t think I’ll ever can again ?. Freezer jam I do, that is easy and takes much less work than canning.
Lucy says
I can salsa, tomato Juice, green beans, and freezer jam every year! Salsa is super simple, I use a mix by Mrs. Wages (there is also a pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, and some others), tomato juice is a little more time consuming but sooooo worth it for chilis and soups, and the green beans are just delicious if your family eats green beans! I used fresh garden tomatoes for the salsa and juice and fresh garden green beans. I also always use fresh strawberries when they are in season here for my freezer jam. I think its so fun and love knowing that there are certain things I make for my family that I know exactly where they came from (because they get plenty of processed in their oreos and mcdonald treats LOL).
Laura says
We can sour kraut, green beans, jellies, squash, tomato sauce, whole tomatoes that are great for soups, salsa, relishes are great to have around and great for gift giving. I have to say out of all that we have canned…the sour kraut is my favorite. For St. Patrick’s Day I made Reuben sandwiches. Homemade kraut is definitely better than bought!
Gale Johnston says
I have been following you for several months, but just realized a couple months ago that you live in north Texas, as I do! I have started my garden this year and am still working on getting seeds and transplants in. I can salsa, tomatoes, spicy dilly beans, pickled beets, and lots of dill pickles. I had never done candied jalapenos before, but when I saw your recipe for the Candied Jalapeno Bacon Pimiento Cheese Dip, I was motivated! I had a bumper crop of jalapenos the year before, and lots of them were in my freezer still. So I made candied jalapenos with them and canned them and used one of the jars to make your dip. Delicious! I’m looking forward to making them with fresh jalapenos this summer! I have canned spaghetti sauce before, but have not been thrilled with it. I saw in the comments that someone uses Taste of Home’s recipe, so I may try that one this year. I’ve also made peach preserves, but man did they call for a lot of sugar! I get peaches in Weatherford every year. So good! I don’t like the bland taste of canned green beans, so for regular green beans, I blanch and freeze. Yummy green beans all winter long…can’t beat it! I’ve also canned pizza sauce that wasn’t great, so I’m still looking for a good recipe for that one. Happy planting and happy canning!
sara says
A great pectin to use is Pomona’s Pectin. It uses waaaay less sugar than traditional pectin and turns out perfect every time. Enjoy your new hobby!
Janet says
Fruits I freeze. I can tomatoes and green beans. Last summer I canned pickled jalapenos for the first time. Have made freezer jam in the past. I also made pesto last summer. Put it into ice cube trays then after frozen popped them out into a freezer bag. Great for dropping a cube of pesto into a recipe for flavor.
Pamela Garrett says
I am so intimidated to can food but I am so interested in preserving food in freezer etc. I really hope you will do future blog posts about your garden, your step by step for making jams, and any other tips you have. This is why I love your blog…all your posts are so interesting!!
Bri Bliss says
My mother in law cans salsa every year & it’s so much better than the stuff you buy at the store! She also makes huge batches of her applesauce each year & freezes it for us to have all year – same with apple pie filling. I tell you, the woman is a saint & keeps me fed year round!
Mandii says
I love to can, and my mom and I do it every summer! We can hot peppers, (the easiest!), strawberry jelly, Pico de gallo, pepper relish, dill, sweet, and bread and butter pickles, we’ve even made our own chili soup base! I love knowing we are eating fresh things that I know the ingredients to!
Sherron Borders says
Hot pepper jelly and peach preserves. Hot water bath is easy. Instructions come with Certo.
Lisa says
Sounds funny but i canned my beet greens, taste like spinach. Use it for spinach omelets. My family says when the last child leaves the house the room will be filled with jars of strawberry, blue berry, black berry, and many other jams, then beans, green, black, and kidney beans. Plus all the other jars under the table and in laundry room. Tomatoes, beets, corn, peas…so much fun! When you plant your own food you can watch what chemicals you do not need to use!
Angela Ellingson says
Wow! Great and timely topic! We just bought a new home in November and there is a huge, beautiful, established garden in the backyard. I have lots to learn! 🙂
Natalie says
This will sound weird, but I can shredded chicken! My husband’s grandmother does it with a pressure cooker and it comes in so handy for recipes that call for shredded chicken. We use a pressure cooker. Weird, I know!