Can Do Jam
Happy weekend gang! So glad you dropped by today. I haven't done a weekend post for a while so thought I would check in with you! Grab your coffee as I share my love of canning with you.
I grew up in a big family where large gardens and canning were the norm. My grandparents were dairy farmers and they grew everything they ate. They had grapevines, peach trees and just about anything you could think of. We all ate very well when visiting them.
I learned to can all these things from my grandmother and my mom. They would get together in the summer for huge canning days. Everything from green beans, tomatoes to apples were fair came in their canning kitchens! I loved to see the giant crock at my grandmother's farm on the covered front porch full of pickles! I made my first batch of bread and butter pickles at the age of 20. And they turned out perfectly. Anyway at this point in my life I can almost like it is a hobby. I mostly like to do pickles and jams. My favorite jam is huckleberry. I go out and find and pick wild huckleberries and make amazing jams with them. I have lots of gooseberry bushes and am always looking for ways to preserved them or use them so if anyone has ideas for me, please share!
Above are pictures that I took after a day of canning a couple of summers ago. They didn't turn out good enough for a full post but I still remember the satisfaction I felt at the end of the day. My kitchen was a mess and I had jam all over me but I celebrated by relaxing with a glass of wine!
Here are peaches, pears, and tomatoes for tomato jams. I make onion jams and another favorite is fig jam. I think my favorite favorite is the Spiced Pumpkin and Pecan Butter. I also make pickled green beans, bread and butter pickles and spicy dill pickles. I really need to get busy as I am out of everything right now. Here are some of my favorite recipes.
The first thing I do when I can, is make sure my kitchen and tools are all set out and ready. It is an orchestration of effort and you can't stop to look for something.
If you haven't tried to make jams or pickles you should! It is so fun and worth the effort when you have homemade jams for your toast in the mornings or pickled green beans for your Bloody Mary! Ha ha!
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