Bread-And-Butter Pickles

Aunt Lena's Bread-And-Butter Pickles

Ingredients: Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method Cooking Directions: -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 4 pounds unwaxed cucumbers - (3" to 4" long) 1/2 pound onions - (2 large) 1/2 cup coarse kosher salt = (or 6 tbsp uniodized table salt or pickling salt) Water 2 1/2 cups sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed 1 1/2 teaspoons mustard seed 1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric 2 1/2 cups cider vinegar To salt vegetables: Using mandolin or food processor, slice cucumbers and onions as thin as possible. In 4-quart bowl (not aluminum), layer prepared cucumbers and onions with salt. Cover with cold water. Refrigerate, covered, for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight. To heat vegetables: Drain vegetables. Rinse and drain again. Refrigerate in colander set in bowl. Meanwhile, place sugar, spices and vinegar in a 6- to 8-quart saucepan. Stir to dissolve sugar. Bring to a boil. Add well-drained vegetables all at once. Stir to encourage even heating. Heat just to a boil. To fill jars: Adjust heat to keep mixture hot, but not boiling. Using slotted spoon, fill hot, sterilized jars within 3/4- to 1-inch of top. Cover with boiling syrup to within 1/4-inch. Using tea strainer, remove spices remaining in pan, divide them among jars and seal. Discard leftover syrup. (Note: You may have as much as 2 cups leftover syrup, but it's too watered down by cucumbers to be reused.) To store pickles: Seal. Cool. Label. Store in refrigerator. Wait at least 1 month before using, to develop best flavor. But for best quality, consume pickles within 6 weeks. This recipe yields 4 pints.

Artichoke Relish Water Bath Canning

Artichoke Relish

Ingredients: Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method Cooking Directions: -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 2 pounds artichokes 1 cup salt 1 gallon water 6 red or green sweet peppers - (to 8) 6 large onions - (to 8) 1 pound sugar 1 quart vinegar 2 tablespoons mustard seed 1 tablespoon turmeric 1/2 teaspoon salt Select fresh, tender artichokes. Wash well and trim, if necessary. Dissolve 1 cup salt in water in a large pan. Add artichokes and let stand overnight. Drain well. Organize ingredients, equipment, and work area. Remove stems and seeds from peppers and peel onions. Grind peppers, onions, and artichokes, using coarse blade. Set aside. In a large preserving kettle, combine vinegar, sugar, and spices and heat to boiling. Add ground vegetables and heat to boiling. Ladle boiling mixture into hot jars to within 1/4-inch of the tops. Run a slim, non metal tool down along the insides of jars to release any air bubbles. Add additional relish, if necessary, to fill to within 1/4-inch of the tops of the jars. Wipe tops and thread of jars with damp clean cloth. Put on lids and screw bands as manufacturer directs. Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes. This recipe yields 10 half-pint jars. www.canning-recipes.com  *2008

Apricot Jalapeno Jelly Water Bath Canning

Apricot Jalapeno Jelly

Ingredients: Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method Cooking Directions: -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/2 cup stemmed seeded jalapeño peppers 1 large red bell pepper -- stemmed, seeded 2 cups cider vinegar 1 1/2 cups chopped dried apricots 6 cups sugar 3 ounces liquid pectin 4 drops red food color Put jalapeñnos, bell pepper, and vinegar in blender. Puree until coarsely ground and small chunks remain. Combine apricots, sugar, and jalapeno-pepper-vinegar mixture in large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil rapidly, 5 minutes. Remove from heat; skim off any foam that forms. Allow mixture to cool for 2 minutes. Then mix in pectin (and food coloring if you're going to use it). Pour into sterilized jars, seal, and processed in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. This recipe yields about 7 half-pint containers. www.canning-recipes.com *2008

Apricot And Honey Jam Water Bath Canning

Apricot And Honey Jam

Ingredients: Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method Cooking Directions: -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 6 pounds apricots - (abt 50) -- see * Note 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup mild honey, orange blossom or clover = (or equal amount of sugar) 3 tablespoons lemon juice * Note: Soft, ripe apricots make jam with the most flavor, and they cook down and thicken faster. Taste the mixture before, during and after cooking to sweeten to your own liking. This jam will darken in the jar over time. Wash the apricots. Cut them in half through the natural indentation and remove the pits. Slice each half into 2 lengthwise strips. There should be approximately 4 quarts. In a large non aluminum bowl, gently combine the apricot slices, sugar, honey and lemon juice. Allow the mixture to stand at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, stirring several times to keep the fruit coated and to help the juices dissolve the sugar. Place the fruit mixture in a 6- to 8-quart shallow pan and bring to a boil over high heat. With a metal spoon or fine mesh skimmer, skim off any foam that collects on the surface and reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking and skimming, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thick with a few chunks left, 50 to 60 minutes, and the whole mass appears slightly glazed. To test whether jam is ready, remove 2 tablespoons to a small saucer and place it in the freezer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile turn off the heat under the pan. When the test amount is cool, it will wrinkle slightly when slowly pushed together with your finger. If it doesn't, continue cooking for another 5 minutes and test again. When ready, the jam will be thick but will still flow from a spoon. You can also test the jam by scooping some out in a metal spoon and then pouring it back into the pot. When the jam begins to pour out in a single sheet rather than in several different streams, it's done. Make sure you have clean jars and rims and fresh lids that have never been used (lids and rims can be purchased separate from jars). Dip every jar and lid (as well as any other implements that will touch the finished jam) into a large pot of boiling water for at least 3 minutes. Afterward, remove them to a baking sheet and keep them in a 250 degree oven until you are ready to use them. ***this blogger uses them right-away,thus avoiding this step. I leave the lids & rims in hot water***** When the jam is cooked, ladle it into the jars, coming within 1/4-inch of the top (a wide-mouthed canning funnel makes this easy). Wipe the threads of the jar clean and place the lid on top of the jar. Screw down the rim as tight as it will go. Place the sealed jars in boiling water to cover for 10 minutes.  Remove them to a sideboard and let them cool. You should hear a repeated "plink-plink" as the cooling jars form the vacuum that seals the lid. When the jars are cool, test each by pushing down in the center of the lid. There should be no flex in the lid. If there is, return the sealed jar to the boiling water for another round. Do not tighten the rims further. Store jams and jellies in a cool, dark place, such as a pantry. This recipe yields 9 (8-ounce) jars. www.canning-recipes.com *2008

Apple Jelly Without Added Pectin Water Bath Canning

Apple Jelly Without Added Pectin

Ingredients: Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method Cooking Directions: -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 4 cups apple juice (abt 3 lbs apples and 3 cups water) 2 tablespoons strained lemon juice -- if desired 3 cups sugar To prepare juice. Select about one-fourth underripe and three-fourths fully ripe tart apples. Sort, wash and remove stem and blossom ends; do not pare or core. Cut apples into small pieces. Add water, cover, and bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until apples are soft. Extract juice. To make jelly. Measure apple juice into a kettle. Add lemon juice and sugar and stir well. Boil over high heat to 8 degrees above the boiling point of water, or until jelly mixture sheets from a spoon. Remove from heat; skim off foam quickly. Pour jelly immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to 1/4 inch from top. Seal, and process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.  This recipe yields 4 to 5 half-pint jars.

EASY Apple Jelly

Apple Jelly

Ingredients: Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method Cooking Directions: -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1 can frozen apple juice - (6 oz) -- thawed 3 3/4 cups sugar 1 package powdered pectin 2 1/2 cups water 1/2 tablespoon butter or margarine Mix juice, pectin, butter, and water in a large pot. Stir constantly over high heat bringing it to a full boil. Add sugar all at once stirring to dissolve. Bring to a full boil again and let boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour into jars, seal, turn upside down for 5 minutes. Turn right-side up and let cool. This recipe yields 5 standard size jelly glasses. WWW.CANNING-RECIPES.COM  *2008

Apple Butter For Canning

Apple Butter For Canning

Ingredients: Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method Cooking Directions: -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 8 pounds apples -- see * Note 2 cups cider 2 cups vinegar, 5% acidity 2 1/4 cups white sugar 2 1/4 cups brown sugar - (packed) 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon ground cloves * Note: Use Jonathan, Winesap, Stayman, Golden Delicious, Macintosh or other tasty apple varieties for best results. Wash, remove stems, quarter and core fruit. Cook slowly in cider and vinegar until soft. Press fruit through a colander, food mill or strainer.***THIS BLOGGER USES FOOD PROCESSOR AFTER REMOVING SEEDS** Cook fruit pulp with sugar and spices, stirring frequently. To test for doneness, remove a spoonful and hold it away from steam for 2 minutes. It is done if the butter remains mounded on the spoon. Another way to determine when the butter is cooked adequately is to spoon a small quantity onto a plate. When a rim of liquid does not separate around the edge of the butter, it is ready for canning. Fill hot into hot sterile half-pint or pint jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Quart jars need not be pre-sterilized, but jars should be hot prior to filling. Adjust lids and process for 10 minutes in a boiling-water bath. To sterilize empty jars, place them right-side up on the rack in a boiling-water canner. Fill the canner and jars with hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Boil 10 minutes at altitudes of less than 1,000 feet. At higher elevations, boil 1 additional minute for each additional 1,000 feet elevation. Remove and drain hot sterilized jars one at a time as filled. This recipe yields 8 to 9 pints. www.canning-recipes.com *2008