Canning and Preserving
Fruit Butter Basics
Fruit butters are so easy to make they are almost foolproof. You can be more creative with fruit butters than with jams or jellies since there is no worry about reaching the gelling point. If half way through the cooking process you decide to run an errand, you can just turn off the burner, cover […]
Great Mother’s Day Gift Ideas for Cooks and Canners
Mom’s Day is fast approaching, do you have her present yet? Sometimes it’s difficult to come up with just the right gift for Mom. Flowers are too impersonal unless mom loves flowers. Candy often isn’t appreciated by dieting moms! My first gift as a mother – a life jacket – is just…..no. The trick is […]
Amazing Custom Labels for Your Canning Projects
Today’s post is sponsored by the kind folks at StickerYou.com where if you dreamed it, you can get any kind of sticker. You may notice that I almost never label my canned goods with “stick-on” labels. Years ago, I used the sticker labels that come with canning jars. They worked great, if you never wanted […]
Lemony Pickled Carrots
Make a quick jar of pickled carrots for snacks and appetizers. The countdown is on. Soon, we will have fresh fruits and vegetables available for canning. But until then, we are filling our time making quick pickles. Pickled vegetables are a great way to jazz up your meals, especially in the late winter, early spring […]
Apple Kiwi Kirsch Jelly
How to make natural pectin jelly. Although I make cases of jam every year, I seldom make jelly. Jelly is made from juice and needs pectin to set. Not many fruits have enough pectin of their own and require adding boxed pectin. Boxed pectin sets up too firm for me and gives me an upset […]
Keep Herbs Fresh with Ultra-Violet Glass
Infinity Jars™ keep herbs fresh and flavorful. It’s time again to start planning this year’s herb garden. Herbs are the perfect plants if you don’t have much garden space or if you want a low-maintenance garden. Most herbs grow quickly, can be added to salads and entrées when fresh, and can be frozen or dried […]
Infinity Jars for Flavored Oils
Ultra-violet glass helps preserve high quality oils and vinegars. Recently the good folks over at Infinity Jars™ asked if I was interested in doing a product review. It was perfect timing as I was planning to make some flavored cooking oils, and needed an appropriate bottle for storage. They kindly shipped a couple of samples […]
All About Marmalade
Cure winter’s gloomy days with sunny citrus marmalade I fell in love with marmalade when very young. Probably because it combined two of my favorite things; oranges and English culture. That’s what happens when you are a child who reads too many stories about queens getting their heads lopped off and lovesick damsels roaming the […]
Kumquat Vanilla Marmalade
Snowed in? Make marmalade! Here in the Mid-Columbia we are suffering through the worst winter in decades. It started snowing in early December and hasn’t stopped. Let me rephrase that – it didn’t stop until the other day when it started showering down freezing rain instead! Monday brought another half-inch of fluffy, white snow. On […]
Gift Baskets for People Who Like to Can and Preserve
Making your own personalized gift baskets is like a fun treasure hunt. We pull together special items for each recipient, stuff them into a basket or other appropriate container, and wait for the kudos to roll in! Making a gift basket is like putting together a Christmas stocking; always the most fun (and the most […]
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