Zesty Pickled Cauliflower

Spicy Pickled Cauliflower
makes about eight pints

3 lbs cauliflower, divided into small florets (about two heads)
4 C. Water
4 C. White Vinegar
1/4 C. Pickling Salt
2 Bell Peppers, sliced and divided into eight portions
5 Jalapenos, sliced and divided into eight portions
8 Garlic Cloves
4 tsp. Mustard Seed
2 tsp. Peppercorns
2 tsp. Ground Cumin

Prepare canner, jars, and lids. Combine water, vinegar, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt. Reduce heat to low and keep hot until ready to use. Into each jar put one clove of garlic, 1/2 tsp. mustard seed, 1/4 tsp. peppercorns, and 1/4 tsp. ground cumin. Pack cauliflower and a portion each of jalapenos and bell peppers into each jar, remove air bubbles, wipe rim. Center lid on jars and screw down bands to fingertip tight. Process jars for fifteen minutes. Turn off heat, remove lid, and allow jars to sit in the water for an additional five minutes. Cool, label, and store.

Pickled Okra

My husband can easily eat two pints of pickled okra in one sitting. He loves the stuff. I had never even heard of pickled okra before he and I got together. The first time I tried pickled okra was during Christmas dinner at his grandma's house. At first I was unsure. It was so different from the only other way I'd ever had okra - fried. I like to try things at least twice before I decide whether I like it or not, so I ate another crunchy little pickled okra pod. That was all it took for my taste buds to decide these things are seriously awesome.

Pickled Okra
makes about eight pints

7 lbs small okra pods, trimmed
4 C. Water
4 C. White Vinegar
4 Tbsp. Pickling Salt
4 tsp. Dill Seed
8 Garlic Cloves
2 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp. Ball Pickle Crisp

Prepare canner, jars, and lids. Combine water, vinegar, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt. Reduce heat to low and keep hot until ready to use. Into each jar put one clove of garlic, 1/2 tsp. dill seed, 1/4 tsp. Red Pepper Flakes, and 1/8 tsp. Ball Pickle Crisp. Pack okra pods into jars, remove air bubbles, wipe rim. Center lid on jars and screw down bands to fingertip tight. Process jars for fifteen minutes. Turn off heat, remove lid, and allow jars to sit in the water for an additional five minutes. Cool, label, and store.

Mulberry Jam & Goat Milk

I need to get a move on things. I realized this morning that by this time last year, my canning adventures were well under way. I had already canned Blueberry Muffin Jam, Strawberry Jam, Strawberry Black Pepper Jam, Strawberry Mint Black Pepper Jam, and Peach Jam. I've pretty much had blinders on the last couple of weeks as we've been finishing up various projects here on the farm. We moved and expanded the goat yard (putting up fencing is really hard work in case anyone was wondering), converting one of our two barn overhangs into the new chicken coop, and gutting the old chicken coop to serve as the new goat house. It may not sound like much, but with just the two of us to do the work, my husband and I have been working our tails off. We had to get everything done by last Saturday night, as we were picking up three new dairy goats bright and early Sunday morning. I am SO pleased with these three new goats. They come from excellent milk lines, are stand trained (they're ever so patient with my newby milk maid hands), and well mannered. They are incredibly sweet, and snuggly.

Gingerbread (left), Butterscotch (Center), and Moon Pie (right).

Two of the new goats just freshened and are giving a quart to a quart and a half a day, and the third is a two month old doeling. We've never such a young doeling before, and I'm about to die of all the cute.

Two weeks ago, we drove two hours to pick up a goat in milk that we found on craigslist. We didn't find out until we got there that she had been running with several bucks, and may or may not be pregnant. Against my better judgement (and not wanting to waste such a long time on the road), we brought her home. She was almost impossible to milk. We didn't have a milk stand at the time (obviously a huge mistake that I'm laughing at myself for), and she wasn't familiar with the whole milking process (contrary to what we had been told by the previous owners, grrr). She kicked, and screamed, and kicked some more. After half an hour of struggling with her, we finally got about half a cup of milk out of her. Sigh. The milk was okay, but had a bit of a goaty taste to it. I can eat or drink just about anything, especially if its something I've worked so hard to obtain, so you better believe I used it!

Until we brought these girls home yesterday, I thought that was just how goat milk tasted; okay, but not up to snuff with cow milk. It turns out that goat milk sans buck scent is seriously incredible. I just polished off a pint of the stuff while writing this post. It's sweet, creamy heaven in a glass.

This morning as I was letting the chickens out of their new coop to free range around the farm, I looked over to see one of our many mulberry trees loaded with black, shiny berries. Oh my word. I grabbed a bucket, and began picking. While I was picking, the chickens discovered I had picked an entire bowlful of mulberries 'just for them'. 

I picked what I could reach, then laid down an old king sized sheet underneath the tree, and shook the branches like a mad woman! Good thing I don't have any neighbors... it looked a little like I was humping the air, and hanging onto the branches for balance.

The ducks got wind that there were mulberries to be had, and left their beloved pond to come get some.

 

Otis was very impressed with my harvest. He's pretty much the best cat ever. 

I ended up with five and a half cups of delicious berries destined for jam.

This recipe was adapted from the Ball Book of Home Preserving.

Mulberry Jam
makes 4 half pints

3 C. Crushed Mulberries (I leave the little stems on, but feel free to take them out)
2 C. Granulated Sugar
1/2 C. Lemon Juice
3 T. Ball Low Sugar Pectin
1/4 tsp. Butter (optional, it reduces foaming while the jam is cooking).

Prepare jars, and lids. Combine mulberries, lemon juice, and butter in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Whisk in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Remove lid and let stand in canner for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

Rhubarb Strawberry Jam

It's gorgeous outside. A little on the hot side dare I say, but I'm not complaining - I'll take eighty five degrees over thirty degrees any day.

We put the majority of the garden in over the last two weekends. We had planned on having a 60'x100' garden, but due to this being our first spring here and not knowing the quality of the ground, we ended up having to move the garden from the original plotted spot to a slightly smaller area in the pasture. The people that lived here before us kept horses, so the pasture closest to the barn is nice and fertilized. We put in seventy-two heirloom tomatoes, thirty heirloom peppers, a fifty foot row of summer squash, a fifty foot row of green beans, and a fifty food row of cucumbers. We use t-posts, and twine to support the tomatoes, and climbing vines. It's worked wonders for us so far. Sometime in the next week I need to plant the pumpkins, winter squash, watermelon, eggplant, corn, and garden berries. This will be my first year growing garden berries (garden huckleberries, and ground cherries), and I'm pretty excited to grow something that will give me fruit the first year. Eventually I'll add on to our little orchard, but I'm so darn impatient when it comes to fruit trees. I like quick results!

As a young 'un, I remember my granny and grandpa growing rhubarb in their garden. As an adult, I faintly remembered the smell of the freshly picked rhubarb, but the taste has been long gone. From what I gather, my granny was a pro when it came to strawberry rhubarb pies. She passed away when I was eight, and that was the last I saw or heard of rhubarb until this spring. I kinda forgot about it to be honest. I love gardening and growing new things, but never thought about planting my own rhubarb. I'm always more focused on tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and green beans when spring rolls around. You can imagine how delightfully surprised I was to find a rhubarb plant emerging from the ground when spring finally sprung a few weeks ago. Not wanting that beautiful red stalked veggie/fruit to go to waste, I knew it'd be my first canning project of the year.

Once I cut the stalks, and got a whiff of that sweet, apple-y, citrus-y aroma, I was totally bummed that I just had the one plant - though I should consider myself lucky! I ended up with three cups of chopped rhubarb, and knew that'd be just enough for a batch of tasty jam. Though the Ball Book of Home Preserving has a rhubarb BBQ sauce that I can't wait to try, should someone be sweet enough to throw some more rhubarb my way.

This recipe is adapted from the Ball Book of Home Preserving as I prefer using Ball's Low Sugar Pectin.

Rhubarb Strawberry Jam
makes 4 to 5 half pints

3 C. Chopped Rhubarb
3 C. Chopped Strawberries
2 1/2 C. Granulated Sugar
1/3 C. Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp. Butter
1 pkg. or 3 Tbsp. Ball Low Sugar Pectin

Prepare jars, and lids. Combine rhubarb, strawberries, butter, and lemon juice in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Over high heat, bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, stirring constantly. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute. Remove from heat. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Remove lid and let stand in canner for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

It's so good. I can't believe I lost so many precious years with rhubarb. Never again, sweet, delicious, rhubarb.... never again.

Dark Chocolate Strawberry Sauce

Good day to you! I haven't canned anything in roughly two months. Life has been hectic. Ya know how life can do that pesky thing it does where you're so busy all the time that when you finally go to bed at night you just kinda collapse, pass out, and wake up in a puddle of drool? I'm there right now. Painting, taking care of a zoo, laundry, work, etc., oh yeah and the swiftly approaching HOLIDAY. Can you believe its almost Christmas already??

Anywho, the weekend before last I bought five fresh pineapple with the intention of making pineapple jam. This morning I took them out of the cabinet and gasped in horror - lots and lots of mold. I guess leaving fresh fruit in a dark cabinet for over a week will do that. So I grabbed my canning bible, The Ball Book of Home Preserving, and found a recipe for Chocolate Raspberry Sundae topper that I've been wanting to try. Except I didn't have any raspberries. BUT, I did have plenty of strawberries! 

The end result of this adaptation is DIVINE. This sauce would be delectable on ice cream, pancakes, waffles, fruit, as a cheesecake topping, and uh pretty much anywhere else that you can think of. As always, I use Ball Low Sugar Pectin and reduce the amount of sugar to one third that the original recipe calls for. It created a perfect balance of sweet, and tart. 

This sauce would make a fantastic gift for the upcoming holidays!

Dark Chocolate Strawberry Sauce

yields 6 half-pints

4 1/2 C. Pureed Strawberries
1/2 C. Water
1/2 C. Sifted Unsweetened Dark Cocoa Powder
1 Pkg. (OR 3 Tbsp) Ball Low Sugar Pectin 
2 1/4 C. White Sugar
4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1/4 tsp Butter (to reduce foaming)

Prepare jars and lids. Combine strawberries, water, lemon juice, and butter in a large pot. In a small bowl, mix cocoa powder and pectin. Whisk cocoa powder/pectin mixture into the strawberry/lemon mixture. Bring to a boil. Add sugar all at once. Whisk until thoroughly combined. Bring back to a boil, and boil hard for one minute. Remove from heat. Ladle hot sauce into jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace, remove air bubbles, and add more sauce if necessary. Attach lid and band. Process jars for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, and let jars sit in canner for an additional 5 minutes. Remove, cool, and store.

Sweet Cider Apple Butter

In the middle of sewing a bag one afternoon, an unexpected vehicle pulled in the drive. It's my father-in-law. He hops out and starts stacking near-bursting bags onto the back porch. They're all full of apples. What a pleasant surprise! I dumped them all in a laundry basket for sorting, and stared in awe at their beauty.

Right away I knew where these apples and I were headed - apple butter city. I loved apple butter as a kid, and haven't had any in years. Where to turn? Where does the best apple butter recipe hide in waiting? In classic fashion, the Ball Book of Home Preservation didn't let me down. I've given away several jars of this apple butter and I've gotten RAVE reviews on it - some even saying its the best apple butter they've EVER had. That's a pretty big compliment for a novice canner if ya ask me. Of course, I was merely the vessel of the time tested awesomeness of my always spot on canning bible. 

It took me three days and a ton of elbow grease to get through all of those gorgeous apples. Thank heavens I had so many wonderful furry assistants! I ended up with thirty pints of apple butter, and a house, driveway, and yard that smelled of sweet, spiced, appley goodness. Uh, can you say awesome Christmas gifts? :)

Hope you enjoy it!

Sweet Cider Apple Butter

makes 10 half pints or 5 pints

6lbs apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
2 c. apple cider
3 c. granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Combine apples and apple cider in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until apples are soft, about 30 minutes. Transfer apple mixture to a food mill or a food processor fitted with a metal blade, working in batches, and purée just until a uniform texture is achieved. Do not liquefy. Measure 12 cups of apple purée. Combine apple purée, sugar, cinnamon, and cloves in a clean large stainless steel saucepan. Stir until sugar dissolves. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, until mixture thickens and holds its shape on a spoon (about 45 minutes).  Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside. Ladle hot butter into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn burner off, remove lid, and let sit in water bath for an additional 5 minutes. Remove, cool, label, and store.

Garlic Dill Cucumber Spears

Bumper crop is a good term for the cucumbers in my garden this year, though that may not even cover it. I've been a cucumber pickling maniac the last few weeks. I pick armfuls of pickling cucumbers every other day. It's insane. A good insane, but insane none the less. I'm very grateful. After all, I planted a garden hoping to get a lot of good canning experience this summer and to stock my cabinets full of colorful jars of fruits and vegetables. 

I've made several batches of cucumber spears. I've tried a few different recipes I found in the Ball Book of Complete Home Preserving. None really did it for me as I'm not a fan of even slightly sweetened pickles and it seems most dill pickle recipes contain sugar. So I tried the recipe for the Dilly Beans I love so much. Bingo! This one is mine and my families favorite. Vinegar, salt, garlic, and dill - the basic ingredients necessary to make one heck of a tasty pickle to accompany your favorite sandwich. This afternoon I enjoyed them alongside a fresh-egg and avocado salad sandwich. A perfect lunch if ya ask me!

This same recipe can be used to make Garlic Dill Cucumber Sandwich Slices. Instead of spears, slice into 1/4 inch slices and pack tightly into jars.

Garlic Dill Cucumber Spears

makes 8 pints

8 lbs 4-6 inch Pickling Cucumbers, cut lengthwise into spears

4 C. White Vinegar

4 C. Water

4 T. Pickling Salt

8 Cloves Garlic

4 tsp. Dill Seed

32 Peppercorns

1 tsp. Pickle Crisp

Prepare jars, bands, and lids. Combine salt, vinegar, and water in a large sauce pan. Bring to boil. To each jar add 1/2 tsp. dill seed, 1 garlic clove (I split mine lengthwise to release more flavor), 4 whole peppercorns, and 1/8 tsp. of Pickle Crisp, then pack in cucumber spears. Ladle hot pickling liquid into each jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, add more pickling liquid if necessary, wipe rim of jar, and affix lid. Process jars for 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit in canner for additional 5 minutes before removing. Cool, label and store.

Blackberry Basil Jam

My goal in picking nine pounds of blackberries of course was jam, but I knew I wouldn't want to make three batches of standard blackberry jam. Don't get me wrong, blackberry jam is divine and it seems to be a favorite of everyone I know - my dad could eat a whole jar in one sitting. I like to experiment with food, and blackberry would be good with just about anything. I checked my favorite blog to see if the author had a creative blackberry jam recipe I could try. This woman never lets me down. She's my hero; I hope to be like her someday.

Blackberry Basil Jam

makes 7 half-pints

5 C. Crushed Blackberries

1 C. Whole Basil Leaves

2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

2 1/4 C. Sugar

1 pkg. OR 3 Tbsp. Ball Low-Sugar Powdered Fruit Pectin

1/4 tsp. Butter or Margarine (to reduce foaming)

Prepare jars, and lids. Finely chop the basil leaves. Combine blackberries, basil, butter, and lemon juice in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Remove lid and let stand in canner for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

Blackberry Jam and a Canning Fiesta

Jordan and I went blackberry picking over the weekend. Blackberry season had just opened in the orchard we visited. At first I didn't see too may ripe berries and got rather discouraged. While walking through the rows of under ripe berries a couple of girls that work at the orchard walked past me, carrying cartons full of ripe blackberries. They pointed me in the right direction. Jackpot. 

We ended up with almost nine pounds of juicy blackberries. There were definitely more ready for the picking but the temperatures were sizzling on Saturday and the thirty minutes we were out there were a little rough. We cooled down with an apple cider slushie from the orchard general store, had a nice afternoon chat with a couple of goats in the orchard, had a stand-off with a very scary turkey, and headed home to start on the jam. 

This jam has been adapted from the Ball Book of Home Preservation. 

Blackberry Jam

makes 7 half pints

5 C. Crushed Blackberries

2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

2 1/4 C. Sugar

1 pkg. OR 3 Tbsp. Ball Low-Sugar Powdered Fruit Pectin

1/4 tsp. Butter or Margarine (to reduce foaming)

Prepare jars, and lids. Combine blackberries, butter, and lemon juice in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Remove lid and let stand in canner for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

I didn't just stop at jam, oh no! My garden cucumbers have been out of control. I'm canning 8 pints of pickles every two to three days! This year I also discovered my love for dilly beans. I've frozen about ten pounds of green beans from the garden since they began producing, so the two pounds I picked the day before blackberry picking were definitely going towards more dilly beans. Crunch, crunch. Yum. They are amazing. I could easily eat a whole jar in one sitting.

I ended up with nineteen half-pints of various types of blackberry jam, eight pints of cucumber pickles, and four pints of dilly beans. Someday, I'll be a pro, making ten batches of pasta sauce in a single day. For now, I'm a proud novice! 

Apple Pie Jam

Warm apple pie. Yum. Though I must admit, I've never actually made apple pie. I've never made any kind of pie, really. I love apple pie, so I'm not really sure what the hold up is. Perhaps it's another one of those daunting tasks like canning seemed to be. I need to just dive in head first and make a pie! For now, this jam will more than suffice. Of all the jams I've made in the past few months (which has been a TON), this jam is my favorite so far. Stay posted though, I seem to have a new favorite every week. I can't help it, homemade jam is da bomb!

This recipe was adapted from the Mom's Apple Pie in a Jar in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. 

Apple Pie Jam

makes 5-6 half pints

6 C. Finely Chopped Apples

1 Lemon - grated zest and juice

1 1/3 C. Water

2 1/3 C. Sugar

1 T. Apple Pie Spice

1 pkg OR 3 Tbsp. Ball Low Sugar Powdered Pectin

Prepare canner, jars, and lids. In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, combine apples, lemon zest, lemon juice, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until apples begin to soften, about 10 minutes. Whisk in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove lid and let stand in canner for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

Dill Sandwich Slices

This recipe was taken from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, though I omitted the pickling spice and used white vinegar in place of cider vinegar. The cider vinegar will make a darker brine and darker pickles.

I planted FOURTEEN cucumber plants this year. What was I thinking?! I had intended to plant ten (which still probably would have been too many), but because of multiple plants in a few of the cucumber seedlings I purchased I ended up with more, and I just didn't have the heart to throw them away. So I planted the extra near my porch. Those four extra plants have crept their way up the trellis and are taking over. I must say though, I've learned something because of it - make use of whatever space you have! The idea to use our back porch trellis to grow food hadn't crossed my mind before trying to find a home for the little cukes. Next year (if we're still in this house) I plan on utilizing the space for green beans as well. That will clear up more garden space for non-climbing plants. Perhaps I'll try something new!

Dill Sandwich Slices

makes about 5 pints - makes plenty of brine for 8 pints if you have plenty cucumbers and spices available

3 Tbsp. Pickling Spice

4 C. Cider Vinegar or White Vinegar

4 C. Water

3/4 C. Granulated Sugar

1/2 C. Pickling or Canning Salt

5 Bay Leaves

5 Cloves Garlic

2 1/2 tsp. Mustard Seed

2 1/2 tsp. Dill Seed

13 1/2 C. Sliced Trimmed Pickling Cucumbers

Prepare jars, bands, and lids. Tie Pickling spice in a square of cheesecloth, creating a spice bag. Combine salt, vinegar, sugar, water, and spice bag in a large sauce pan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, and boil gently for 15 minutes. To each jar add 1/2 tsp. Dill Seed (or 1 Head of Dill), 1/2 tsp. Mustard Seed, 1 Garlic Clove, and one Bay Leaf. Pack cucumber slices into hot jars. Ladle hot pickling liquid into each jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, add more pickling liquid if necessary, wipe rim of jar, and affix lid. Process jars for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit in canner for additional 5 minutes before removing. Cool, label and store. 

Blueberry Sauce

This recipe is from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, aka my canning bible. This stuff is superb on pancakes, waffles, ice cream, and even in sweet tea! Have you ever had blueberry sweet tea? It's divine. Give it a try and thank me later.

Blueberry Sauce

makes six half-pint jars

7 C. Whole Blueberries
2 3/4 C. Unsweetened Apple Juice (or water)
1 Tbsp. Grated Lemon Zest
1 1/4 C. Granulated Sugar
2/3 C. Corn Syrup
1/4 C. Lemon Juice

Prepare canner, jars, and lids. Crush blueberries. Combine crushed blueberries, juice (or water), and lemon zest. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. While maintaining a constant but gentle boil, add sugar, stirring until completely dissolved. Continue boiling gently while stirring in corn syrup and lemon juice. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 15 minutes. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace, if necessary. Wipe rim, center lid on jar, and apply band to fingertip tightness. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove lid and let stand in canner for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

Fresh Peach Jam

makes 5 half-pints

4 C. Finely Diced/Crushed Peaches

1 1/2 C. Sugar

2 T. Lemon Juice

1/4 Tsp. Butter or Margarine (to keep foaming down)

1 Pkg Ball Low Sugar Pectin OR 3 Tbsp.

Prepare jars, and lids. Combine peaches, butter, and lemon juice in a large pot. Whisk in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Turn off heat, remove lid and let stand in canner for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

Mead (Honey Wine)

makes 6 gallons

9 lb Honey
12 c. White Grape Juice
12 c. White Granulated Sugar
6 tsp. Acid Blend
6 tsp. Yeast Nutrient
6 Campden Tablets, crushed
3 tsp. Pectic Enzyme
1 pkg Wine Yeast (I used Red Star Cote des Blanc)

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT wine yeast in primary fermentor. Specific gravity should be between 1.092-1.099, if below add sugar as necessary. Cover primary. After 24 hours, add yeast. Cover primary and attach airlock.

When ferment is complete (specific gravity has dropped to 1.000 - about 3 weeks) siphon into clean secondary. To aid clearing, siphon every two weeks for the next two months or until wine is clear. Bottle. Can be enjoyed immediately or aged to mellow.

*If preferred slightly sweetened, add 1/2 tsp. Stabilizer per gallon, followed by 1/2 c. sugar per gallon.

Formula for wine alcohol percentage:
(Starting SG - Ending SG)/0.8 = Alcohol Percentage!

Berry Wine

makes 6 gallons

15 (12oz) cans Berry Juice (I used a mixture of Blueberry and Triple Berry Blend)

10 c. White Granulated Sugar
6 tsp. Acid Blend
6 tsp. Yeast Nutrient
6 Campden Tablets, crushed
3 tsp. Pectic Enzyme
1 pkg Wine Yeast (I used Red Star Cote des Blanc)

Mix all ingredients EXCEPT wine yeast in primary fermentor. Specific gravity should be between 1.092-1.099, if below add sugar as necessary. Cover primary. After 24 hours, add yeast. Cover primary and attach airlock.

When ferment is complete (specific gravity has dropped to 1.000 - about 3 weeks) siphon into clean secondary. To aid clearing, siphon every two weeks for the next two months or until wine is clear. Bottle. Can be enjoyed immediately or aged to mellow.

*If preferred slightly sweetened, add 1/2 tsp. Stabilizer per gallon, followed by 1/2 c. sugar per gallon.

Formula for wine alcohol percentage:
(Starting SG - Ending SG)/0.8 = Alcohol Percentage!

Blueberry Muffin Jam

makes 6 half-pint jars

4 c. Crushed Blueberries

1 c. Finely Chopped Apples (roughly two apples)

2 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1 pkg (OR 3 Tbsp.) Ball Low Sugar Pectin
2 1/4 c. Sugar
4 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

Prepare jars, and lids. Combine blueberries, apple, cinnamon and lemon juice in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Remove lid and let stand in canner for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

Strawberry Mint Black Pepper Jam

Okay, so this jam may sound a little strange to you. It certainly sounded strange to me - but I'm typically drawn to the unusual. The pepper and mint give this strawberry jam a very complex (dare I say fancy?) flavor. You taste that something is different, but if you didn't know exactly what it was, you may not be able to quite put your finger on it. I had it this morning on homemade toasted bread I purchased at our local rendezvous yesterday. My husband and I look forward to the rendezvous every year. Patrons dress up as French Settlers and Indians, have reenactments, play music, and set up shops and tee-pees to sell and barter handmade goods. It's this nerdy girls dream come true. 

 "Rendezvous is a re-creation of the traditional French fur trapper’s holiday of the Eighteenth Century, and is one of the oldest and largest events of its kind in the United States. Join with the buckskinners, militiamen, artisans, and entertainers as they celebrate life in the shadows of the great fortress known as Fort De Chartres."

That quote is from the official Rendezvous at Fort De Chartres website, which you can visit here. If you happen to live in the Southern Illinois area and have never been to the Rendezvous at Fort De Chartres, GO! It's a very neat experience. Someday, I would love to be a part of it. Perhaps I can sell jam or honey (have I mentioned bee-keeping is on my list of to-do's? It seems to be pretty much all I talk about these days).

Back to the jam. It really is divine. IF you're a little hesitant about making an entire batch of this unusual (but very, very tasty) jam, remember you can always halve the recipe. It would make a wonderful birthday gift, Christmas gift, Tuesday gift, etc. 

Strawberry Mint Black Pepper Jam

makes 6 half-pint jars

5 c. Crushed Strawberries
1 pkg (OR 3 Tbsp.) Ball Low Sugar Pectin
2 1/4 c. Sugar
4 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

20 cranks of black pepper corn (from a pepper corn grinder)

10 Large Mint Leaves, finely chopped (I used Sweet Mint)

Prepare jars, and lids. Combine strawberries and lemon juice in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Whisk in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Remove lid and let stand in canner for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

Strawberry Lavender Jam

Once again I caught strawberries on sale - $0.99 a pound, people! Blueberries happened to be at an all time low on price as well (blueberry cinnamon jam, anyone?), so I stacked several of those in my cart as well. Thirty pounds of berries hogged most of my cart space. I looked like a berry crazed fiend. Hulling twenty six pounds of strawberries isn't what I would call a wild Friday night, but it was certainly worth it. I started a six gallon batch of strawberry wine, made two batches of strawberry jam, and have a few pounds of crushed strawberries on reserve in the deep freezer should any strawberry emergencies arise. Score. 

I'm in love with my deep freezer. We just bought it a few weeks ago and until three days ago, it was all empty and sad. Then I harvested the broccoli from the garden, blanched it and divided it into bags (one pound each) and put it in the deep freezer. Such a beautiful sight. And now there are gorgeous crushed strawberries in there, too! Anyone else get a rush from harvesting, prepping and freezing food? Anyone? Surely I can't be alone in this! 

Strawberry Lavender Jam

makes 6 half-pint jars

5 c. Strawberries

1 pkg (or 3 Tbsp.) Ball Low Sugar Pectin

2 1/4 c. sugar

4 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

1 Tbsp. Dried Lavender Flowers (or 2 Tbsp. Fresh Lavender Flowers)

1/2 tsp. Butter or Margarine (optional - keeps foaming down)

Prepare jars, and lids. Combine strawberries, lavender, lemon juice, and butter (if using). in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Whisk in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly. Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Remove lid and let stand in canner for additional 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool, and store.

Dilly Beans

I confess, I'm a green bean addict - the fresher the better. Oddly enough, before this morning I had never in my life had a pickled green bean. Last night was filled with green bean trimming, gardening, and pickling. I couldn't wait to try one, but alas they were still too hot when I finally went to bed. Perhaps pickled green beans are not the ideal breakfast food, but I just couldn't wait to open a jar up this morning. They are so good! Crunchy, pickle-y, and green bean-y. Yummy. This recipe is almost identical to the Dilled Beans recipe in the Ball  Complete Book of Home Preservation. I did however increase the pickling liquid amount as I had roughly the four pounds of beans the original recipe called for, but instead of making 6 pints as the original recipe estimates, I had enough for 8 pints. Before you say anything, I packed those green beans in there good! Such is the life of a canner I suppose (if I can ever bestow that wonderful title upon my amateur self yet), I've come to realize you just have to go with the flow, and be thrilled when you are blessed with a few more half-pints/pints/quarts than you had planned.

Our neighbor has to be one of the nicest people I've ever met. He's a gardener like myself and we often chit chat through our dividing privacy fence - mostly about our gardens, and we also do a little complaining about the wacky weather in our neck of the woods. A high of 78 degrees one day and then bottoming out to 39 degrees three days later - c'mon! Today canning became the topic of conversation. Silly me, I guess I hadn't realized men like to can, too! Having never heard of dilly beans, he wanted to try some. I gave him a pint and they were a big hit. In return, there is now a stick of deer sausage in our refrigerator and he offered more if we liked it. It's nice to know that there are still nice and neighborly people in this often too-busy-to-be-nice kinda world. 

Dilly Beans

makes 8 pint jars

4 c. White Vinegar

4 c. Water

1/4 c. Pickling Salt

4 lbs Green Beans, trimmed to jar-size

3 Bell Peppers (I used yellow, red, and orange)

4 tsp. Dill Seed or 8 Heads of Dill

8 Garlic Cloves

32 Whole Peppercorns

Prepare jars, bands, and lids. Combine salt, vinegar, and water in a large sauce pan. Bring to boil. To each jar add 1/2 tsp. Dill Seed (or 1 Head of Dill), 1 Garlic Clove (I split mine lengthwise to release more flavor), 4 Whole Peppercorns, then pack in green beans and bell pepper mixture. Ladle hot pickling liquid into each jar, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, add more pickling liquid if necessary, wipe rim of jar, and affix lid. Process jars for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and let sit in canner for additional 5 minutes before removing. Cool, label and store.