Addicted to Canning!

Category: canning

  • Pressure Canning – basic principles

    If you want to know how to preserve food by pressure canning, this article is what you need. You may want to check out my boiling water bath article as well. First, what foods must you pressure can? Low-acid foods. In this context, low acid is defined as “pH 4.7 or higher”. Vegetables, meat, fish,…

  • Boiling Water Bath Canning – basic principles

    This article should serve as a handy reference point for anyone who is unsure how to can by using the Boiling Water Bath, or Hot Water Bath, method. You might want to have a read of my article on setup costs as well. The technique I am describing here is only for products that can…

  • Pluot Jam

    I am in the lucky position where the farmer’s market comes to our office once a week. This is a great way to get people to eat more fruit and veg (put it right in front of them!) so I bought some pluots* and proceeded to make jam with them! 4 pints of sorted, scrubbed,…

  • Blueberry fruit butter

    Fruit butters are extremely easy to make in your slow cooker and you can use any fruit to make a butter. Use this recipe and technique to design your own – substitute your favourite fruit for blueberries.   Blueberries – 5 pints / 10 cups / 2.25 litres / about 3.5 lbs / about 1.75…

  • Blueberry pie filling

    Part 2 of my short series on blueberries – pie! 7 cups blueberries, washed and sorted 1 2/3 cups sugar 2/3 cup ClearJel 2tbsp lemon juice OPTIONAL 12 drops blue food colouring 4 drops red food colouring 1tsp grated lemon zest Prepare your jars and lids in the usual way. Half fill a large stainless…

  • Blueberry Syrup

    Blueberries are in season just now, so get out there and pick some yourself! Once you have a ridiculous amount of blueberries, what can you do with them? Well, I am here to help with a short series, starting with blueberry syrup. Prepare your jars and lids by thorough washing with soap and hot water.…

  • Easy canning dried beans

    Canning dry beans can seem like a real pain. The rinsing, sorting, soaking overnight, changing the water rigmarole. There’s the “quick cook” method – boil for 2 minutes, soak in the hot boil water for 1 hour, drain, fresh water, bring back to a boil – pfft, what a pain! So here’s the super easy…

  • Pressure canning – beans

    Beans are a powerful ally in living frugally. They have the best “bang for the buck” in terms of nutritional return for money: insoluble and soluble fiber, high in protein, complex carbohydrates, folate, and iron. Once you get a stockpile of dried and canned beans in your pantry you are opening up new vistas of…

  • Basic meat sauce – pressure canning

    I like having modular components as well as finished items. What I mean by a “modular component” is something which is not complete in and of itself, but that can very quickly become a tasty meal. In the case of this basic meat cause it can become chilli, curry, spaghetti sauce, or even a pizza…

  • Seasonal Eating – March

    Continuing my ongoing series on eating and canning seasonally, what’s new for March? As the weather is still treacherous, only robust stuff is coming into season. Thankfully there’s more to choose from this month: * New this month *Asparagus Green Cabbage Fingerling carrots Peas Scallions / green / spring onions *Spinach Turnip Greens – turnip…