Sunday Canning

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Being that it was BRUTALLY hot on Sunday. What better way to cool down then to have several boiling pots on the stove..​

Spent a great deal of time canning on Sunday.​

Figs were on sale so I started by canning a batch of fig jam for the first time.​

GEEEEZE! those little things are a pain to peel! Peeling them took the better part of an hour, but the results were great. Fig jam is great on crackers as part of an antipasto. Yum!​

After cleaning up everything from making jam, I turned my attention to the cucumbers that were just picked.​

The mandolin that I have slices the pickles too thin, so I like to hand slice them. Although a little more time consuming, I prefer the results.
I use MRS Wages bread and butter mix. All you do is add sugar and vinegar, and heat. I have been using it for several years and simply love them.​

After cleaning (AGAIN) I noticed that my cherry pepper plants had several nice, ripe peppers. I ended up making 2 quarts of pickled peppers.​

After cleaning yet again, I turned my attention toward dinner. Here is a pic...​

IMG_20160814_162422_808.jpg
 
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Mrs. Wages mixes are the way to go. We like the Kosher Dill, use the instructions, add one super chili sliced in half. Seems like most everybody likes them. A jar just disappears. Green Beans have been canned for a couple of weeks already. The tomatoes are finally turning red. Planted cantalope this spring. They have produced the sweetest melons I have ever eaten. Sure wish there was a way to keep them for later. Others around town enjoyed the fact that many of them ripened at the same time. First day picked one, two days later there were 11 ready. Still have to pull the onions. Will make what we calls onion balls out of them. Chop them up really fine, put them in a plastic ice cube tray. Now in a zip lock bag to hold the oder in and stick them in the freezer. When frozen, out of the tray and into another zip lock. Back in the freezer, when you want onion for cooking grab a couple of the cubes and throw em in. Onions last all year that way. Arne.
 
I have never really grew onions before. I have heard that you can dry them in the sun, braid the dried leaves, and hang them in a cool/dry place. Does this work?
 
That is what I do with my garlic, should work with onions. When i grew onions I would dry them GOOD in the sun for a few weeks then cut off the stock and roots, place them in net bags and hang them in the garage. Would keep till early spring.
 
I have never had much luck with hanging them. Maybe I didn't get them dry enough. Seems like around the first of the year they would just wind up dry shells. Best luck we have had with them is like I posted above. Works about any place you want some onion flavor, except if you want a slice or two. But you can thaw them out and use them on a burger or whatever. Arne.
 
Sunday (and yesterday) were rain days here with a nice breeze, temp never got above 80. South Texas in August and under 100 degrees? It was so nice we sat on the porch and read until we nodded off and napped. Cool, the sound of rain on the tin roof, and comfy lounge chairs, it was perfect. Best mid August day ever. We did nothing, but we did it so well!

Canning...maybe next week!
 
Well,

I did some canning again on Sunday. I made up a single batch of peach/blueberry, 2 pints of hot pepper rings (love them on tuna), and a double batch of dill pickle chips.

So far, in case you have not been keeping score, I have made ...

2 batches of strawberry jam,
1 batch of blueberry jam
1 batch of fig jam
1 batch of peach/blueberry jam
3 batches of dill pickle chips
1 batch of bread and butter pickles
5 quarts of pickled hot cherry peppers
2 pints of hot pepper rings

Most of the above will go to the Chester Garden club for their annual craft fair. They sell a lot of home made canned goods and use the money for sprucing up the town.

Next week: The free stone peaches are in season so it's peach jam!

IMG_20160821_165139_413.jpg
 
Looking good, John!

All I've done this year is some mead jelly, tomato jam, strawberry jam, some peach, and our bread and butter onions.
I have zero desire to do anything else right now, though I've got a freezer full of figs, peaches, plums, mustang grapes, and jujubes just waiting to be made into something!
 
Most of this will go toward the Chester Craft Fair (supporting the Chester Garden Club). I do take my cut off the top first before sending it all off.
 
I started yesterday, got two batches of salsa done, couple dozen of corn blanched, cut and frozen. Tomorrow I am making another batch of salsa and freeze some more corn. Then it will be on to green beans, if I can find any that is, and peaches.
 
I've dehydrated about 3 lbs of jujubes so far.

And frozen another 6 lbs. This weekend I'll be going out one last time and I'm hoping I can get another 15 lbs worth.
 
Tomorrow we are canning 20 bushels of tomatoes, I'll have pictures as we go.
The last few years I would also smoke a brisket for dinner, but this year it's a big bowl of fresh pasta and gravy!( that's tomato sauce) :h
 
Do you "canners" prefer a water bath for sealing lids or do you invert them?
 

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