Preserve It

As the cold weather slowly creeps upon us, assuring us fall is around the corner I find myself wondering what I will do with all the left over summer produce. Being pregnant I find myself wondering if I will ever eat enough pickle related edibles. Huzzah! Plan of action: CAN IT.
As an extremely co-dependent blogger, I can only do fun things such as pickling and jamming with a house full of people. So, I threw a Pickle Party (which I highly suggest you try,) to appease my cravings and neediness.
I enlisted our favorite bloggers Coedith, Solanah, Team Jessup, and Toma as well as a few other bright stars, er, I mean friends. We set forth on a decadent mission of mixed berry jam and dill pickles. (Recipes at bottom!)


Tip! Buy farm fresh whenever possible! The freshest fruits can the best.
Tip! check local thrift stores and yard sales, you can almost always find super cheap Jars, lids and other canning supplies and books on the CHEAP.













Tip! Make the men folk stand around looking tough to guard your jars of deliciousness!


Whats amazing, is you can can (HA!) almost anything that grows from the ground. My next mission is a yummy tomato sauce to use in pastas over the winter. So, there... Have you been inspired? If so, quickly invite all of your friends over. Get your hands on a Ball Canning Book, and get canning.

I used This lovely pickle recipe from the Ball Blue Book. We of course had it assembly line style with all sorts of extra ingredients to throw in each jar like hot peppers, onions, pepper corns, and lots of garlic.

Dill pickles (from Ball Blue Book of Preserving)
(Yield: about 7 pints or 3 quarts)

8 pounds 4-6 inch cucumbers, cut length-wise into halves
¾ cup sugar
½ cup canning salt
1 quart vinegar (white or cider vinegar, 5% acidity)
1 quart water
3 tablespoons mixed pickling spices
Green or dry dill (1 head per jar)

Wash cucumbers; drain. Combine sugar, salt, vinegar and water in a large saucepot. Tie spices in a spice bag; add spice bag to vinegar mixture; simmer 15 minutes. Pack cucumbers into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace; put one head of dill in each jar. Ladle hot liquid over cucumbers, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Price pints and quarts 15 minutes in a boiling water canner. (note: start counting from the minute jars hit the boiling water canner).

Recipe variation: For Kosher-style dill Pickles add 1 bay leaf, 1 clove garlic, 1 piece hot red pepper and ½ teaspoon mustard seed to each jar. Process in hot water bath as recommended.

The Jam was even easier than the pickles! Our local bakery owner, Claire is also a master freezer jam maker. With the help of Coedith's lovely daughters squishing hands we were squared away with a tasty treat.

Freezer Blueberry Jam
* 3 cups blueberries, rinsed well
* 5 1/4 cups granulated sugar
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 package powdered pectin
* 3/4 cup water

Preparation:
Crush berries in a large bowl; add lemon juice. Stir in sugar and let stand for 10 minutes. In a saucepan, mix pectin and water; bring to a full boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Mix pectin mixture into fruit; stir for 3 minutes. Pour fruit mixture into freezer containers or small canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Cover immediately and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store in the freezer.


There you have it... long story long, you now know how to make and can your own Pickles and Jam! Magic!