Canning Food
For those of you out there worried about what’s in the foods you eat, it’s not difficult to make and preserve your own. Some things may be a little more difficult and time consuming, but there are a lot of things that are really easy to do, like jams, jellies, relishes and pickles. (And you can pickle just about any fruit or vegetable. My grandmother did, which is where I learned most of what I know about food preservation.)
Now I know a lot of people who are scared about canning their own food, or think it’s too complicated. Let me tell you a secret… it’s not. There are just a few tools you need to make it easy. One is a small canner. If you can’t find one, use a large stock pot with a round cake rack in the bottom. The others are just basic kitchen tools that not everyone would have: a wide mouth canning funnel and a set of jar tongs. You can find a Canning Utensil Kit with all the special tools you will need for under $10.
Those you can find at most places specializing in cooking ware and kitchen goodies. Or find a local, old time hardware store. If they carry canning jars, most likely they will have all three items. If you can’t find them locally, you can always search the internet for Ball Canning Jars, and that will lead you to their home website, where they can be purchased.
The next thing you’ll need will be the canning jars themselves. What size you need depends on the quantity you use at one time, and the quantity the recipe makes. They come in cases of 12, and can vary in volume from 4 ounces up to a quart, and can be decorative or not, wide mouth or not. It’s all a matter of personal preferences.
Assortment of jar sizes
Before you use any of them, make sure to wash the jars and lids in soapy water, rinse well, and air dry. And before you start any recipe, put the jars in a pot of water, bring them to a boil for 5 minutes, then turn the pot down to a simmer. Put the lids (not the rings) in a small pot and just bring to a simmer. Put water in the canner enough to cover the size jars you’re using put a lid on it and bring it to a boil. (Once it has, turn the heat down to the point that it stays just at a boil and leave it.)
Blackberries
Now that we’ve done all that, let’s start off with something simple and seasonal – Blackberry Jam. Here’s what you need in the way of ingredients: 4 cups of blackberries and 4 cups of sugar. That’s it.
Preheat the oven to 250°(F). Put the sugar in a pan, and put it in the oven. (The warmed sugar will dissolve easier in the jam.)
Put the blackberries in a pot, start them out on a medium-low heat and crushing them until they start to release juices, then turn them up to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes. Add the warmed sugar, stir well to dissolve, and return to a boil for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently so the jam doesn’t scorch or stick to the bottom of the pot.
Check the jam to see if it has jelled. The easiest way is to use a clean, cold spoon, pull up a spoonful of jam and turn it sideways to let it pour back into the pot. Watch the spoon: if your jam has jelled, the drops will thicken on the spoon before running together to fall back in the pot, and some of the jam will cling in a thin sheet to the spoon.
When the mixture first boils, drops are light and syrupy.
As mixture continues to boil, drops become heavier and drop off the spoon two at a time.
When two drops form together and "sheet" off the spoon, the gelling point has been reached.
The other way is to put a little on a small plate that you’ve had chilling in the freezer, then tilt the plate about 45 degrees. If it stays in a mass on the plate, it’s done.
Headspace
Once you’ve reached the gel point, remove your jars from the water and stand them up on a towel. Pour or ladle the jam into the jars, leaving a space at the top of about 1/4 inch. (This is called the headspace. You need the small amount of air at the top of the jars for them to seal properly) If any jam spills on the lip of the jar, wipe it off with a damp cloth. Using a pair of tongs, put a lid on each jar, then put on the rings, using only your fingertips to tighten. (You want the jars covered, but not sealed so tightly that no air can escape when you put them in the canner)
Lower the jars into your canner, put the lid on, turn the heat back up, and, once it comes back to a full boil, boil for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat, take out the jars with your canning tongs, put them on a rack or towel on the counter, and leave them alone.
You should hear the lids pop after a short amount of time. If one of them for some reason doesn’t seal after an overnight, remove the lid, wipe the rim of the jar and replace the lid with another clean, boiled lid, reseal and process again as before. This can be done anytime in the first 24 hours. After that, put it in the refrigerator to use now.
I can hear you now, saying “That’s too complicated!” It’s not. It’s the setup that takes time, not the making and canning of the jam.
It’s just 4 steps.
Blackberry Jam
Blackberry Jam
1 – Boil jars, lids and canning pot water.
2 – Make and jell test the jam.
3 – Fill the jars.
4 – Put them in the water bath, boil, remove.
Done! And you’ve made your own jam.
Mr Green Jeans
croneandgreenjeans
