jam and beans
dilly beans
A couple of notes about the process of water bath canning. It took FOREVER to get my big pot to come to a rolling boil. I really need to write out a list to take me through the steps individually so that I don't forget anything. I think on one jar of jam I forgot to wipe the top ( I went back and fixed it before I put it in the pot) and on one of the jars of beans I forgot to get the air bubbles out. Also, I need to have all the fruits and veggies cut up and ready to go before I start the jars heating up. They only need to heat for ten minutes and I found myself trying to do three things at once. Next time I will have the produce ready to process and then sit and wait for ten minutes while the jars heat up.
So, basically here are the steps I need to follow next time:
1. get fruit/veggies all washed and cut and cooked.
2. put clean jars in water to heat up for ten minutes
3. put lids in hot water for ten minutes to warm the wax
4. when jars are hot, funnel food into jars
5. slide spatula into jar to get out air bubbles
6. wipe the lip of the jar off
7. put down wax seal
8. spin the lid on
9. put jars back in water and boil for desired time.
I was shocked with the amount of sugar called for in the cherry jam. I made it to recipe and used what it called for but I will look for other recipes that use less in the future. Heh, and one of the jars of dilly beans will be extra spicy because instead of putting the 1/4 tsp of cayenne in it like called for, I inadvertently put in a 1/2 tsp. Oops. I'm not going to stress out about it though. All in all I'm happy that it took about three hours from start to finish. Start being pitting all the cherries and finish being the kitchen is clean and jars are cooling. Oh, and I want to look up how to cram beans better into a jar. I don't think I got enough in the jars but I couldn't stuff any more into the jars.
In other news, much to Connor's dismay, look what showed up at the house yesterday:
Those would be his grade three curriculum with his grade 4 math. He was less than thrilled. It's cool too because the books are all brand new. Never been cracked open. I love the smell of new books. I was flipping through the lesson plans and started freaking out because it seems so advanced. I freaked out last year when I got the curriculum and thought he would tank, but he ended the year with a 98% average for all of his classes. We'll just take it as it comes and I know he's insanely smart and will do fine. I think it's more me that I'm worried about. This year I will be teaching Aidan as well. His books haven't shown up yet and he told me the other day that as soon as they were here, he wanted to start. I think I will do that because I can get a month ahead with him and it will free up some time during the official school year.
It's a gorgeous day here today. I was thinking to myself the other day how it kind of felt like fall was in the air up here. The sun has shifted ever so slightly and this week the highs have been in the 70's and 80's. I thought I was imagining it, but I was talking with Debbie this morning and she said she felt the same way. I love fall and can't wait for it to be here. I have a lot to do before fall gets here, but I look forward to it.
Well, I'm off to go do some knitting while the rest of the family battles it out on the wii. Have a great day!
2 comments:
Wow, look at all your canning loveliness! Way to go! As a total newbie myself I have to say I was a little nervous at first but it seemed to have worked out. Have you sampled the jam yet?
I just started canning too, and agree that it took forever to heat up the water to boiling! I kept feeling guilty for wasting energy. Still, at least the jars can be used many times and the food did not have to be shipped from anywhere.
Post a Comment