So far this month I have canned salsa, tomatoes and blackberry jam.
 

I plan to do more tomatoes, when I pick them at my aunt's house this week.


I really want to do raspberry jam as it's my husband's favorite, but I have no friends or neighbors with raspberries.  I plan to plant some next year. However, there were vendors with raspberries at the farmer's market this week, and hopefully they will be back with more next week.


Local farmers sell corn at roadside stands here and I froze 96 ears of corn last year.  It still tastes as fresh as the day I preserved it. So yummy. I still have some, but not enough to get us through this winter.  So, I will pick up more.


I also plan to do onions.  There are some onion fields nearby where the farmers allow people to come in and glean after the harvest.  I haven't purchased an onion in a couple of years.  I chop and freeze most of it, but also keep some whole and in a cool place.  They last all winter.


I also plan on freezing peppers again this year.  I might try roasting some red ones first and then freezing.  We'll see what happens.

What about you?  Do you can/preserve food?  What have you canned this summer?

Printable Recipe

4 qts. tomatoes, skinned
2 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped green peppers
3/4 cup chopped green Anaheim chiles (I use a mix of Anaheim/Poblano/those skinny ones)
2 t. salt (be cautious)
2 T. paprika
2 T. garlic powder
5 T. lemon juice
2 T. seasoned salt
jalapeno peppers, chopped to taste (remove seeds, if desired)

Mix it together and cook for ~2 hours at a low boil. Stir to prevent scalding.

Prepare pint jars for canning. Ladle hot salsa into jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Process in boiling water canner for 15 minutes.

Makes 8 to 10 pints of salsa.

Holly's Note:
Obviously you need to adjust this to your own personal tastes.  I've gotten to the point where I don't really measure spices or peppers any more.  I don't even take out a lot of seeds.  If I'm making it for my aunt and uncle, I leave in every last seed and put in every possible pepper!

Add some tomato paste if you think it's too spicy. 

I'm not going to do a canning tutorial here. Check out this site or others for information on how to can.

5 cups crushed raspberries
7 cups sugar
1 box dry pectin

Bring your boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. (I leave my jars in the canner until I need them.) Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain jars well before filling.

Wash and crush raspberries. Mash one cup at a time, using a potato masher. Dump prepared fruit into 6- or 8-qt. sauce pot.

Stir pectin into prepared fruit in sauce pot. Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to a full rolling boil and boil 1 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam.

Immediately ladle into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10-15 min. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

Holly's Note:
I usually just follow the recipe that is inside the box of pectin. They vary just slightly from brand to brand, but the basic is like this one.

Printable Recipe

3 cups prepared fruit (I use 3 1/2 cups)
1 can (20 oz.) crushed pineapple in juice, undrained
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 box dry pectin
1/4 tsp. butter or margarine (optional)
7 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

Bring your boiling-water canner, half full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. (I leave my jars in the canner until I need them.) Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain jars well before filling.

Chop finely or crush peeled and pitted apricots. Measure exactly cups prepared fruit into 6- or 8-qt. sauce pot. Add crushed pineapple and lemon juice.

Stir pectin into prepared fruit in sauce pot. Add butter, if you'd like, to reduce foaming. (I don't.) Bring mixture to full rolling boil (a boil that doesn't stop bubbling when stirred) on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar. Return to a full rolling boil and boil exactly 4 min., stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam.

Immediately ladle into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on elevated rack in canner. Lower rack into canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil. Process 10-15 min. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middles of lids with finger. (If lids spring back, lids are not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.)

Holly's Note:
I found the original recipe for this jam at Kraft. The original recipe called for 8 cups of sugar, but I use 7. I've seen variations that used less sugar and the pineapple is plenty sweet on its own. You basically want about 5 cups of fruit total. Most recipes tell you not to peel the apricots, but I prefer mine peeled. I dump the apricots into a pan of boiling water for about a minute. Remove and immediately immerse them in cold water. The skin slides off, just like with tomatoes.

I usually get about 10 half-pints (8 oz) jars of jam from this recipe.