Sweet Pickled Peppers

In December we went to the farmer’s market and were able to pick up quite a bit of produce for really cheap! I ended up with a bushel of green, red, and orange bell peppers.

1/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. white vinegar
2 tbsp. pickling spice

Wash peppers. Remove tops, white ribs and seeds. Cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide strips. Place in boiling water for 2 minutes. Pack peppers in hot, sterilized jars. Boil sugar, vinegar and spices for 5 minutes. Pour over peppers to fill jars. Seal with hot lids. Process for 15 minutes in a hot water bath. Makes three 8 oz. jars.

Strawberry Jam

Photo Credit: Jesse K.

We recently went to a local “pick your own” strawberry farm and had the most wonderful time!  But, the real work began when we got home.  Three baskets of strawberries doesn’t seem like a lot – until you’re washing, trimming and canning them.  With the help of my wonderful family, we were able to can three batches within a few hours.

I first started canning in 2007.  I have the mentality of “I can make that!” when I see something in the store.  So, I made a mental determination that I would conquer my fear of canning and learn how.  It’s really not as hard as it seems and my fears (although real) were unnecessary and a hindrance.  I figured if my grandma could do it, so could I.

I borrowed my mother-in-law’s mega water bath canner (just a big ol’ pot with an inner rack for lifting the jars up and down), read a lot of websites on how to can and just went at it.  The first thing I tried was strawberry jam.

I use the recipe in the pectin box (Sur-Jell) and it turns out good every time.  Other than the strawberries, there are a few other ingredients that are in jam, including sugar, pectin and sometimes lemon juice.  Pectin can come as either “no sugar added” or the regular pectin.  If you use the “no sugar added” recipe, this would probably be good for diabetics.

Here’s the recipe for the plain ol’ strawberry jam:

• 5 cups crushed strawberries
• 1 package of pectin
• ½ tsp. butter (helps to reduce the foaming)
• 7 cups of sugar

Materials needed:

• Waterbath canner (or a tall stock pot)
• large-mouth funnel
• canning tongs (for adding & removing the jars from the boiling water)
• regular tongs (for removing the lids & rings from the hot water)
• Glass measuring cup
• Ball, Kerr or Mason jars (4 oz. jars, ½ pints or pints)
• Lids, rings

Here are the steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (to keep your jars warm).
2. Fill the canner with water (so that it’ll cover the jars by one inch) & turn it on high so that it can start heating to boiling. (This takes awhile).
3. Fill a large pot with water (for the lids and rings)
4. Wash the jars, lids and rings in hot soapy water and rinse.  Add the rings & lids to the pot of water (in #3) and bring to a simmer, turn the heat down but keep them hot.
5. Put your clean jars into the pre-heated oven so that they stay clean and hot (they will also sterilize at that temperature).
6. Prepare your strawberries, crushing one cup at a time using a potato masher for best results.  Or, you may use a food processor, pulse to chop.
7. Measure the exact amount of fruit into the dutch oven.
8. Measure the exact amount of sugar into a separate bowl.
9. Stir the box of pectin into the crushed fruit.   Add ½ teaspoon butter to reduce foaming, if desired.
10. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (a boil that doesn’t stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly.
11. Stir in sugar quickly.  Return to a full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.  Skim off any foam.
12. Remove your jars from the oven (preferably with tongs so you don’t burn yourself) and place them on a towel on your counter.  Quickly (and safely)  ladle the hot jam into the prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch from the top.  Wipe jar rims and threads with a clean, warm, wet cloth.  Cover with two-piece lids.  Screw bands tightly.
13. Place jars in the boiling/simmering water bath (use the canning tongs and be very careful).  Water must cover jars by 1-2 inches; add boiling water if needed.  Cover.
14. Process jams for 10 minutes; jelly 5 minutes.  If you live at a higher altitude, you’ll need to adjust the processing time.
15. Remove the jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely.  After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger.  The lid should not spring back.  If it does, then refrigerate the jam and use it first.

TIP: To prevent hard water deposits on your jars, add a splash of vinegar to the canning water and your jars will come out crystal clean.

Apple Spice Marmalade

This is one my family’s favorite jams! Unfortunately it was one of the first ones to disappear, so I really need to make some more! You will love this recipe and it is especially good served on a buttered and toasted slice of my Sweet Sourdough Bread! And since it is apple canning season again, I thought I would share my original recipe….

Apple Spice Marmalade

3 (2-inch) cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 fresh orange, unpeeled, quartered, seeds removed, thinly sliced
6 medium apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped (6 cups)
2 cups water
1/4 cup orange juice
5 cups sugar

In an 8- to 10-quart kettle, combine spices, orange slices, apples, water and orange juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until apples are tender, about 10 minutes.

Add sugar. Boil for 15 minutes, until the mixture is thick and clear, or until it sheets when poured from a metal spoon. Remove from heat and skim off foam. Pour at once into hot, sterile jars. Wipe jar rims clean and seal. Makes 3 pints.

YUM!

Strawberry Kiwi Jam

This past winter, we were given about 200 lb.s of kiwi from my husband’s Aunt Evelyn who lives in Cleveland, GA. I had to find lots of ways to use up those delicious little fruits! By far, this was my favorite concoction – and the family agrees! I couldn’t find a recipe for Strawberry Kiwi Jam, so I made my own and it really turned out amazing!

Melissa’s Amazing Strawberry Kiwi Jam

4 cups crushed strawberries
1 cup crushed kiwi
7 cups sugar
1 pkg. fruit pectin powder

Sterilize 8 half-pint jars. Place lids in a small pot, cover with water and simmer until ready to use. Bring boiling water canner to a simmer. Measure out sugar into a large measuring cup or bowl.

Use a potato masher to crush your fruit in another large bowl. Be sure to measure correctly. (The total cups needed are after cushing, not while fruit is whole.) In a large pot, add fruit. Stir in 1 box of pectin. You may want to add a pat of butter to help reduce the amount of foam that will form on top.

Bring the fruit and pectin mixture to a full rolling boil. This means that when you stir, the bubbling does not stop. You should be stirring constantly as you wait for the fruit to boil to keep from scorching the fruit.

Stir in sugar all at once, quickly. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil and boil for exactly one minute. You will probably want to set your timer for this. Over boiling will result in a jam that is tough. Under boiling will result in a jam that is runny. Please be careful – this mixture is very, very hot and can cause serious burns. Keep your little ones away from the stove!

After 1 minute, remove the jam from heat. Skim off any foam. You can put the foam in a bowl and microwave later, allow to cool and then use it as you would your jam – on a piece of toast.

Spread a thick towel on the counter next to the stove and place your hot, sterile jars on top of the towel. Use a wide mouth canning funnel to help make ladling easier. Ladle jam into jars, leaving about 1/4 inch of space from the top. Wipe jars rims with a clean damp cloth. Cover with lids and rings. Screw bands finger tight – you don’t want them too tight or the jars could bread during processing – too loose and your jam will bubble out during the processing.

Place jars on an elevated rack in your water bath canner, or on top of loose canning rings placed in the bottom of your pot. It is best to use a special jar lifter to place the jars in and remove from the pot. Add water if needed to cover the jars by about an inch. Cover the pot and bring the water up to a full boil. After the water starts to boil, you can begin timing your jars. For half-pint jars, you will need to process for 5 minutes. If you used pint jars, 10 minutes. If you live in the mountains like I do (or at a higher elevation), you will need to add more time according to your elevation:

1,000 – 3,000 feet – add 5 minutes
3,000 – 6,000 feet – add 10 minutes
6,000 – 8,000 feet – add 15 minutes
8,000 – 10,000 feet – add 20 minutes

The jam is out of this world good and sooo pretty! It is good on toast and especially my Sweet Sourdough Bread and Tea Towel Biscuits. You can see in the picture above the jam spread on a biscuit. I almost forgot to take the picture!