water bath canning is the first type of canning i learned to do.
it is easy to do & you can use water bath method of canning for nearly ALL fruits, tomatoes and pickles.
other veggies will require pressure canning to remain wholesome.
so at my son's house there was a big crop of purple plums this year. these are wonderfully sweet delicious plums that have purple skin & deep red flesh inside. mrD went & got them & i made plum butter, plum jam, almond plum jam & plum brandy & plum rum (prum) with them.
we thought our plum tree had gotten zapped by a cold snap & had no plums.... but there were two branches that either bloomed early or late & were FULL of plums. these plums have red skins & yellow flesh inside. so i thought i'd try to make some plum butter that was yellow rather than the deep purple we always have... just for variety.
then i thought GHA! i should take pictures! so y'all can see how easy it really is to do this.
(& you needn't have you own orchard or garden... get your produce from the farmers market at the end of the day. they'll cut you a sweet deal... promise!)
word of warning: i am not a very good cameraman. especially not with one hand! sorry for the pisspoor quality of these pics.
a few words about canning:
i love to can food!
to me there is nothing finer than seeing my pantry FULL of food i've canned. it makes me feel like i've accomplished Great Things
it does take work but....
it makes me feel wonderful to know that the work we put into the garden has not gone to waste. i like knowing exactly what is in my food & that only the freshest produce has been used. normally the things i can go from garden or tree to jars in a day... at the most two. i feel like i'm contributing in cutting expenses by doing this work.
when canning you must use glass or ceramic bowls, stainless steel or ceramic knives, stainless steel or wooden spoons & a stainless steel or enamelware pot to cook in.
other metals will have a bad reaction with the acid in fruit, tomatoes or pickles.
for water bath canning you need NO special canning pot. a very large pot with a lid will do!
all you need is something to keep the jars off the bottom. you can use the metal pan from a pressure canner, a round cake cooling rack, or in a pinch you can even buy a box of regular sized canning jar rings & tie them together, with bread ties, in a circle with one in the middle. put this in the bottom of your large pot.
things you WILL need are jars, lids, rings & a set of "jar snatchers"
the jars and rings are re-usable, so after your initial purchase all you will have to buy are lids to be able to use your jars & rings again & again!
in these pictures the large jars hold one cup, commonly known as jelly jars
the small ones hold half cup. i usually use this size to give as gifts.
butters:
butters are fruit cooked down with spices added. although apple butter is what is normally available in stores, butters can be made from a variety of fruits. i've made butters from apples, plums, peaches, blueberries, cherries & pumpkins!
here's how:
first you must make "juice" from your fruit. this is just fruit cooked to mush. i guess it's really more of a nectar...
i peeled all the plums (about 2 quarts)
because i was trying to make yellow butter. normally you would not peel the plums.
add 1/4 cup water for each two cups of fruit to keep it from sticking
add 1/4 cup sugar for each two cups of fruit to get it to juice better
cook over medium heat mashing plums with a tater masher until they are soft
next you need to separate out the plum pits.
i use my steamer as a strainer for this
and a spaghetti portioner thingey to mush the pulp through the holes.
soon you will be left with plum pits in the steamer
and plum juice in the bottom
OKAY!
now we're ready to make butter!!
first get all your stuff ready.....
a pan to cook in & a large pot to can in
(note metal plate on counter to keep jars off bottom of pot)
freshly washed jars
always wash more than you think you'll need.
it's better to have too many than not enough!
lids & rings
and accouterments
(from L to R: canning funnel, magnetized stick, tongs, jar snatcher & stainless steel ladle)
fruit juice, sugar & spices
(L to R- back row: plum juice, sugar; front row: cinnamon sticks, crystallized ginger, cloves, nutmeg)
better picture of spices
pour 6 cups plum juice into pot & turn on heat to medium
add 3 cups of sugar
3 cinnamon sticks
one tablespoon crystallized ginger chopped fine
and 1/4 teaspoon cloves
stir!
bring to a boil
then reduce heat to a simmer
this will need to simmer for 30-45 minutes, depending on your stove.
it will reduce in volume by about half & it will get darker.
stir regularly to keep it from sticking
as it gets thicker you will need to stir more often.
every now & again taste your butter- careful it's HOT!
take out cinnamon sticks when you are satisfied with the flavour
when your butter starts to get thick put put your clean jars in your large pot (don't forget the metal thingey!) & fill with hot water. jars should be submersed. put on the top & turn on to boil
when butter is done it will "form up" on the spoon
pour boiling water over your lids
be sure they are not directly on top of each other so that they all have contact with boiling water.
using a stainless steel spoon skim foam from the top
and put on a plate
turn off heat & add in your nutmeg, stirring well
using tongs remove (& empty) jars from big pot
turn upside-down on a clean cloth
move butter pot next to jars
using the funnel & ladle fill your jars one at a time
leave one-half inch "head-space"
wipe your jar rim carefully with a damp cloth or papertowel
using your magnetic stick get a lid from the bowl
carefully place on jar & add ring. tighten just fingertip tight.
using your jar snatcher lower each jar into large pot (that still has hot water in!)
when all jars are in, make sure they are covered with one inch of water
put lid on and bring to a boil.
boil for 5 minutes.
using jar snatchers carefully lift jars out one at a time
barely tilt as you pull them out so water runs off the lid
place jars on a towel out of drafts.
use a towel to dab up any remaining water
shortly you will hear the lids 'ping' as they seal
this is the sound of a job well done!
leave jars for 24 hours. remove RINGSs, wipe jars with a damp cloth.
label with what is inside & date.
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