I needed a break from taking photos of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, eggplant, tomatillos, and squash. So...I decided to show you what I have been up to. It has been so darn hot I have been neglecting the garden (and it shows).
I have still kept plenty busy. Canning. Yep, you read that right. Canning. I got over my irrational fear of canning and have started to put up our surplus. Here is what I have put up so far!
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| Pepper Jelly |
I made 6 1/2 pints of pepper jelly. I think this may be the main reason I am invited to potlucks! People often ask if I will be bringing this. I use the recipe in the box of Sure Jell for hot pepper relish (though it is really pepper jelly).
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| Ellie Topp's chunky basil pasta sauce |
I also made 9 pints of Ellie Topp's chunky basil pasta sauce. I find that while the recipe says it makes 6 pints, I get 3+ pints. Probably because I am using heirloom tomatoes (instead of paste). That would mean my 8 cups of heirlooms have more liquid, which cooks down more.
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| Annie's salsa |
The first thing I canned was Annie's salsa, which seems to be the gold standard for canned salsa. I had made this before but we always ate it right away. So far I have made 15 pints. I leave out the cilantro, preferring to add it fresh when I open the jar. I will probably make one more batch this week.
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| Ball's sweet pickle relish |
I also tried my hand at pickle relish. I got 4 pints, when the recipe said 8. I ended up throwing out a lot of the brine. I would have had jars with 1/10th relish and 9/10ths brine. This batch was still very soupy. I think I still need a lot of practice making relish!
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| Linda Lou's kosher dill pickle |
I made 5 pints of Linda Lou's kosher dill pickles. I think the white rind looks kind of cool.
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| Salsa verde |
And finally I made some salsa verde today. I do not can this since almost every review I have read of canned salsa verde says it is too tart. We ate this batch with chips! Tomatillos freeze well so I just throw them in a bag with a few jalapeños and freeze it for when I want salsa verde in the winter.
This week I am going to try my hand at zucchini relish (hopefully it works out better than the cucumber relish) and tomato sauce!
Very nice! I'm just starting to can sauces so will have to try new ones with basil :)
ReplyDeleteI have found the Harvest Forum on GardenWeb very helpful as a newbie canner. That is where I found the pasta sauce recipe.
DeleteFantastic! I'm hoping to have plenty of tomatoes (soon hopefully) to can, and pepper jelly is on my list as well.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your canning.
DeleteDon't throw that excess syrup from the sweet pickle relish away! Keep it in a jar in the fridge, and add fresh cucumber slices to it for refrigerator pickles. They're ready to eat after a day or two, crisp and sweet and delicious. I never use all the liquid from that recipe. I find I have nearly a quart left over, because I don't want my hot dog relish "soupy".
ReplyDeleteI'm still waiting for enough tomatoes and jalapenos for Annie's Salsa. I never seem to make enough of that. I've never made the Chunky Basil Pasta Sauce, but it has such rave reviews I had to put red wine and red wine vinegar on my shopping list.
I feel a lt better knowing that a veteran canner like you has the same results with that recipe. I will definitely save the brine next time.
DeleteWhat an awesome idea Granny. I too have a lot of brine left after canning my relish. I normally throw it out and now I am regretting it. I have made A LOT of relish this year and a lot of brine has gone down the drain. I got another request from family today to make more so now I will hold on to that brine.
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Joelle
I am so glad you got over your fear of canning. It looks like you got over it in a big way. Everything looks great!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your encouragement in a previous post!
DeleteYou have been busy! It all looks so yummy, great job!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteWonderful! Can you share where you found the recipes? The Ball one is obvious... but I'd love to try the others.
ReplyDeleteThe pepper jelly is on the insert that comes in the box of Sure Jell. You can find all of the others on GardenWeb's Harvest Forum. Just use the search box on the bottom of the page. These recipes have been vetted and are safe for canning.
DeleteWow, you're canning up a storm! Looks great! We've canned salsa verde in the past and did not find it to be too tart, but we also used it mostly as a cooking sauce vs. a dip.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...may have to try it and see!
DeleteWhere do you find the time? Wow! And it all looks great too. Care to come over to MY house and start up?
ReplyDeleteThis is why I have had more than a few late nights. The salsa and pasta sauce take me forever to prep!
DeleteThat is quite a successful start to canning. I am impressed!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much.
DeleteWow! It looks delicious. Your photographs are also amazing!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much. Those actually were taken by my husband who has a real camera.
DeleteYou are on a roll! I love Annie's Salsa - it's a great recipe.
ReplyDeleteWe love it too. We have made it before. This is just the first year w canned it.
DeleteLooks like a lot of great work this week!! We are trying pickles for the first time this year, but so far I've only had enough cucumbers for refrigerator pickles. Every thing looks really good!!
ReplyDeleteThe pickles were the easiest of the bunch. I did not make a lot because I am not sure my family will eat that many pickles.
DeleteCongratulations! Quite an accomplishment, you sure will be eating well this winter. That sure was a lot of canning.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
DeleteI admire you have the patience to can. Too hot and too much work for me, I stick to refrigerator pickles. But I may try making dilly beans again. I like the idea of measuring out tomatillos and enough peppers to make a batch of salsa and freezing them together.
ReplyDeleteIt was either canning the excess or giving it away since the freezer and fridge are full. While I have given away quite a lot I did want some to enjoy in the winter.
DeleteWow, you have been very busy! For someone just starting canning you're doing great! Everything looks beautiful and tasty!
ReplyDeleteThanks.
DeleteGreat harvest and nice canning! I love to can different things, but it's always so darn hot this year I decided to can as little as possible and eat more seasonally. I don't eat much pickles or jelly, what I do put up I mostly give away at Christmas
ReplyDeleteI only did a few pickles because we also do not eat many pickles.
DeleteVery inspiring! This is just what I needed to see to help me decide to take a food preserving class.
ReplyDeleteGo for it!
DeleteI was going to ask where you got your recipes and saw the comment above asking the same thing. I looked at the Gardenweb Harvest Forum and there seems to be a lot of variations, could you post which one you used or provide a link? I would love to try the Annie's Salsa and the Ellie Topp's chunky basil pasta sauce.
ReplyDeleteI canned some tomatillo salsa (Salsa Verde) this year and my husband can not get enough. I got my recipe from the Ball Canning Book. I prefer it hotter but you can add more jalapeno's if needed.
Congrats on all your canning. I have loved canning this year! Have you ever checked out the following sites: http://www.sbcanning.com/ or http://hickeryhollerfarm.blogspot.com/ for canning recipes. I found some good stuff there.
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Joelle