Let me start this post off by telling you a little about our lives.
I work full time, though often from home. John works more than full time. We enjoy watching TV and probably watch more than average. We also regularly workout (we ran a marathon in June and we’re training for several more next year) and we live in a house with a yard and two cats.
Why is this important? Well, hopefully it gives you a sense of how much free time we usually have. The amount is pretty small. So when I tell you that this past weekend I canned blueberry jam, plum-rosemary jam, and sweet pickle relish (along with going to the movies, cleaning the house, watching TV, cooking two meals, going to the farmers markets, and having lunch at Joule), hopefully that will tell you that canning isn’t as daunting of a task as you might think.
We follow a number of great cooks (both home cooks and professional chefs) and so many of them have joined the Canvolution, a summer-long call to action to return to canning. I listened to their conversations with envy for so long, figuring that there was no way we had enough time to can this year. But then life stepped in. We were supposed to teach a locavore cooking class and had planned both a salad and dessert with blueberries for the class. So last weekend we bought a huge five pound bag of blueberries from Alm Hill. Then the class was cancelled and we were left with five pounds of blueberries. Oh no! What will we do?
Well, instead of throwing the blueberries into the compost pile, I decided to try to make jam. We’d bought the canning equipment (a large water bath pot and rack) earlier this year so I figured I’d try it and if it took too long, I’d just make freezer jam and give it away to all of my coworkers. 3 hours later, with only about 30 minutes of active work, I had 8 jars that had plinked appropriately and were completely sealed sitting on my counter.
We’ll share some recipes over the next few weeks, but if you’ve been avoiding canning because you’ve been worried about the time it takes or how hard it is, please run, don’t walk to your local store (Fred Meyer in Seattle is a good place to start) and get some canning equipment and get to work. You’ll be amazed how easy it is to make jam and how much better it tastes than what you can buy in the store.
Oh, and if you’re wondering if we have time to sleep, the answer is “yes, but not enough”.
A special water bath and rack isn’t necessary – I’ve been canning in my stockpot. I’m finally thinking of upgrading to a larger pot and rack, but if you’re just starting out and don’t know if you’ll stick with it, you can try without making a big investment in kitchen clutter.
Real jar grabbers are worth it, though.
Maria´s last blog ..How Gay Marriage Causes Earthquakes
Agree about not needing a canning pot with a canning rack. I use a big stock pot and a plain round cooling rack that I found in chinatown. It’s great for doing 1/2 pint jars which are too small for most standard canning racks. I’ve read that if you are worried about jars knocking against each other, you can wrap kitchen towels between jars.
I also agree about the real jar grabbers and the last thing I would add is a wide mouth funnel. It saves a lot of clean up time.
Kim (Edible/Usable)´s last blog ..Tomato Peach Salad
I totally agree about the funnel. We don’t have one and I’ve had lots of rims to clean up.
I love this post! I want to join the canvolution. Need to check them out. I made blueberry preserves this summer too, and am getting ready to gear up for canning homemade baked beans, ketchup and BBQ sauce. Also want to do pickles and maybe chutney in the near future! I also just use a big stock pot. Great, great post!
Jenn AKA The Leftover Queen´s last blog ..Concerned Consumer or Mentally Ill?
Great post, go Canvolution! I also just use a big stockpot, and I have some rubber coated tongs that I use instead of jar grabbers. I started canning a couple years ago just doing jam. This year we’re in our first CSA and so I’m canning and pickling a closet full of food! We are going to eat so well this winter.
Thanks so much for the hookup to Canning Across America.
If I might make another suggestion regarding canning equipment, keep in mind that you probably have a nearby friend or relative with a canner sitting around doing nothing. Ask to borrow it, or better, ask if they want to can with you. Same goes for jar tongs, funnel and that handy little magnet thing for lids.
However, I wound up buying my own tongs/funnel/magnet together in an inexpensive kit.
In this fashion I can using my mother’s canner, my friend’s mother-in-law’s pressure canner, many of my grandmother’s jars, and a humongous stash of lids and bands my friend brought because her mom doesn’t can anymore.
Amy´s last blog ..what to do with fresh blueberries
Plum rosemary sounds like an interesting combination, I’m hoping you’ll post the recipe. I haven’t been able to can as much as I was hoping this Summer, but it’s one of the most rewarding things when you open the jars months later.
I love the honesty in your posts, Patricia.
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