The Easiest Way to Can Pepper Jelly: Ball Jam & Jelly Maker and AutoCanner Version

With all those peppers out in the garden, I had to find some use for them. So, it was time to break out the canner and my jam & jelly maker to give you another new video on an old recipe.

Ball Recipes used in this video:

Pepper Jelly Ball FreshTech Auto Canner Instructions:
https://www.freshpreserving.com/pepper-jelly---ball-auto-canner-recipes-br1438.html#q=pepper%2Bjelly&start=6

Traditional Pepper Jelly Ball FreshTech Jam & Jelly Maker Instructions:
https://www.freshpreserving.com/pepper-jelly-%7C-pepper-jelly-recipe---ball-fresh-preserving-br1308.html#q=pepper%2Bjelly&start=4

Reduced Sugar Pepper Jelly Ball FreshTech Jam & Jelly Maker Instructions:
https://www.freshpreserving.com/reduced-sugar-pepper-jelly---ball-auto-canner-recipes-br1439.html#q=pepper%2Bjelly&start=11

Ball Canning Apple Butter Recipe - Traditional Method

Here is the link to the Ball recipe: https://www.freshpreserving.com/apple-butter---ball-recipes-br3446.html

Current Jelly - How to make it in the Ball Freshtech Jam & Jelly Maker

This recipe comes from the Ball Back to the Basics Cookbook. I adapted it to be cooked in the Ball FreshTech Jam & Jelly Maker. I also canned it in the Ball FreshTech Automatic Canner.

Disclaimer:

It is the viewer’s responsibility to determine the value and quality of any recipe or instructions provided for food preparation and to determine the nutritional value, if any, and safety of the preparation instructions. The recipes presented are intended for entertainment and/or informational purposes and for use by persons having appropriate technical skill, at their own discretion and risk.

IN OTHER WORDS…

While I prepare the recipes at my own risk, I assume that should you desire to follow the recipes on this channel, you are doing so “at your own risk”. I am not liable, not responsible and do not assume obligation for:

1. Adverse reactions to food consumed such as food poisoning and any kind of food-borne disease
2. Misinterpreted recipe
3. Domestic accidents, including but not limited to fires in your kitchen, a cut finger or an electrical surge.

I make no warranties for the outcome of your food experiments. What you decide to do with the recipes here is your responsibility. I indicate where I found it, so you can go and try it yourself. If you decide to try the recipes yourself, you will do so at your own risk.

Roma Food Strainer Pumpkin Squash Screen Review: How to Freeze Winter Sq...

Here is the link to the Roma Food Strainer: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Roma-Food-Vegetable-Strainer-Weston-Brand-Model-200P/619038883

Here is the link to the Roma Food Strainer attachments including the pumpkin/squash screen: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Prago-4-Piece-Sauce-Maker-Kit/14223933

Finally, here is a link on the correct way to freeze winter squash from the National Center for Home Food Preservation: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/freeze/squash_winter.html

APPLESAUCE - BALL FRESHTECH AUTO CANNER RECIPE

Using a slow cooker is a great way to soften apples even though it is not specified in the recipe by Ball.

To get a printed version of Ball's Auto Canner Applesauce recipe, please visit this link: http://www.freshpreserving.com/applesauce---ball-auto-canner-recipes-br1374.html

There is also a 3 quart recipe variation if you want to use something bigger than pint jars.

HONEY SPICED PEACHES - AUTO CANNER RECIPE

I just love, love, love summer when the crates of different fruits come into the local grocery store. And, it seems that everyone loves when the peaches arrive. My local grocer doesn't even have to place an ad in the local newspaper. You can even skip the sign on the front door. As, when the peaches come in, they are gone in one day. I am not kidding you! You have to be really lucky to get your hands on a crate of peaches where I live and we got super lucky as we got the last box this year. Of course, I would have grabbed two crates if I could!

As soon as I get home I grab my canning books to find all the recipes I use to can the peaches. Mostly, we can the fruit in halves with different syrups dependent on the family's tastes or make a few jars of peach jam. But, this year I decided to experiment farther than that. I wanted to spice up my peaches as you can see in this video.



Of course, I made it look easy on how to slip the skins right off, didn't I? I can tell you I have had a lot of practice. But, I think the trick of using a melon baller to remove the red part from the cavity is my favorite trick when it comes to working with peaches. However you do it, there seems to be no way to get your hands from getting all slimy and sticky. But, I guess that is the joy of canning fruits.

What I can tell you is that my kitchen smelled amazing during the entire process. Who doesn't like the sweet smell from ripe fruits, the warm tones from the cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, and the summer like aroma of honey? I think it is amazing to combine all these flavors and senses into a canning recipe.

I still haven't tasted the peaches yet being you want to leave them canned for awhile for the peaches to absorb the spices. It is kind of like when you can pickles. You don't open the jar to eat them in a matter of days, you wait weeks or months before you dig in. So, that is what I intend to do here. But, I know they are going to be absolutely delicious!

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It's Cucumber Season!

The dog days of summer are upon us and the weather is hot, hot, hot! My garden is growing so quickly and we have now begun the harvest season. One of the first items to pick were the cucumbers.

Last year, we had accidentally planted a bush variety of pickling cukes. This was problematic for us as we had a trellis set in place for them to climb on. This year, we found the right seed variety and the vines climbed up their wall. Look at how well they turned out!

What I really like about this method is how the fruits hang straight down so they are not prone to curl. This is especially important for me because I love canning pickles and want my cucumbers to be as straight as possible so they can fit in my canning jars easily. They also stay above the ground so when it rains, they are not sitting in the mud getting dirty. When a cucumber lays on the ground they a prone to rot and disease. With the vines crawling up the fence, they have more air circulation, too, to help lesson the chances of mildew setting in.

The pollinators easily find the flowers and the big leaves shade the fruit from the sun. There are so many benefits! I highly recommend trying a trellis system for your cucumber plants if you don't have one already. Just lessening the space they take up in the garden with vertical gardening is a big plus in my book!

Now, about the pickles. We can all types in our home. We have made bread & butter, sweet, and dill pickles. We have made quick pickles and fermented pickles. We generally like the quick pickles as you can use the new Ball Pickle Crisp product. It has worked very well for me to keep the pickles crunchy. I have been using this in the batches and batches of sweet icicle pickles we have been making.

These are my family's all time favorite! Who cannot resist having a pickle with their sandwich at a BBQ? And, these are so easy because all you need to do is make the brine, pack the cucumbers in the jars, and pop them into the Auto Canner. (I promise I will make a video in the future showing this recipe.)

My only issue is entering them at our county fair. You see we have a pickles division, but there are many classes to enter pickles in. And, you can only pick one for each recipe. The premium list hasn't changed for decades. So, they reflect many of the old recipes people used to pickle. For example, these pickles pictured and fit easily into five classes:

1.  Mustard, because mustard seed is used in the recipe.
2. Turmeric, because there is turmeric in the recipe too.
3. Sweet, they are not dill but a sweet pickle according to the Ball Canning Blue Book.
4. Spears, that is how they are shaped.
5. Quick, because they are not fermented but canned the same day they are picked.

Some days I would like to just enter a jar in each class and see how well I do. But, I usually enter them in the turmeric category as this is the only recipe I make with that spice. I usually make other pickle recipes that fit into the rest of the categories.

Happy pickling!

Danish Cherry Sauce Canning Recipe - Ball Complete Guide to Home Preserving

I have so many cherries in this house that I had to come up with another canning recipe to preserve them all. I hate for anything in my house to go to waste, especially when I have purchased these items from the store. When I throw food from the supermarket in the compost bin, or worse yet, in the trash, it would be equivalent to throwing my dollar bills away. And, I honestly cannot afford to do that!

So, I went back to my Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and found a recipe I have wanted to try for years... Danish Cherry Sauce! I love cherry sauce on cheesecakes, with angel food cake, over ice cream. You can even thicken this sauce with some cornstarch (not during the canning process) and make a nice homemade cherry pie. Talk about versatile! Plus, it is ready to use right out of the jar, which is my favorite because in the winter when I want to bake something, I can just pop the lid off and enjoy a delicious sweet concoction without much effort.

 

And, the recipe is so easy to make. As long as you have the right tools. A cherry pitter does work wonders and I highly recommend that you use one if you are going to double or even triple this recipe. Making a single batch will yield 3 pint jars so they go fast!

See how easy that was! So if you are like me, and have a lot of cherries lying around the kitchen, give this recipe a try. I am sure you will enjoy it as much as I did. 

Cherry Jam - Ball FreshTech Jam

Went to the grocery store, and oh the cherries! They were selling them by the lug. But, I had never actually purchased cherries before. They always looked tempting, but my parents always had a cherry tree out in the orchard that we would pick off of. Well, that cherry tree is no longer producing abundantly like it did. And, cherries were needed to try out some new canning recipes!

I actually only purchased a few bags of cherries because I wasn't so sure how much energy I would have at the end of the workday to can them. But, surprisingly, it went faster than expected thanks to my jam/jelly maker, my autocanner, and of course, my new cherry pitter. 

In the video, my cherry pitter didn't quite work out as expected. Maybe because the cherries were on the small side? The next bag of cherries were bigger and that worked much better rolling them through the pitter. 

In all, I had four full jelly jars of scrumptious Cherry Jam. With a little bit leftover to spread on a piece of toast. Hmm Hmm delicious! Nothing better than to taste summer through red, juicy, sweet cherries!

If you are interested in making this recipe yourself, it can be found on the Ball FreshTech website here: https://www.freshpreserving.com/cherry-jam-%7C-cherry-jam-recipe---ball-fresh-preserving-br1313.html Note that this recipe is just for the jam & jelly maker step in the video. If you want to view the recipe for the autocanner you can click this link here: http://www.freshpreserving.com/traditional-sweet-cherry-jam---ball-auto-canner-recipes-br1421.html#q=cherry%2Bjam&start=19

If you are interested in learning more about the products I used in this video you may click on the following links:

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Gluten Free Sandwich Bread Machine Recipe with Bonus Breadcrumb How-To

 Here is how to make the bread using a bread machine:

 Gluten Free Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup white rice flour
1 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup potato starch
1/2 cup tapioca four
2 1/2 tsps. xanthan gum (you can also use guar gum)
2/3 cup powdered milk
1 1/2 tsps. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
1 2/3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 tbsp. dry yeast
4 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vinegar
3 eggs, beaten

Please consult your bread maker's manual for ingredient order placement in the bread pan. (Some place dry ingredients on bottom and liquids on top and others suggest the opposite.) I have a gluten free setting on my bread maker; otherwise, you can use the white bread setting. Just make sure it is a 3-4 hour setting.

Breadcrumbs:

Cut bread into 1 inch cubes. Dry the cubes uncovered overnight on a wire rack; or, you can bake them at 200 degrees in the oven for about 20 minutes until dry but not browned. I opted to use my dehydrator and dried the bread cubes at 135 degrees Fahrenheit for 3 - 4 hours. Store dried bread crumbs in mason jars with an oxygen pack.

Apricots in the Ball Jam & Jelly Maker - Epic or Fail?

I used the Ball Jam & Jelly Maker with the intentions of making Apricot Jam. No, this recipe doesn't come from Ball, it is my own creation. What did you think of my experiment?

Ball Jam and Jelly Maker: Plum Jam Recipe

The plum jam recipe I used was from the Ball Jam & Jelly Maker Cookbook I got with my machine. You can also find it on their website here: http://www.freshpreserving.com/plum-jam---jam-maker---ball-fresh-preserving-br1309.html

Happy jamming & canning!

How to Can Peach Jam with the Jam & Jelly Maker

To find out more about the Ball Auto Canner visit this link: https://www.amazon.com/Ball-FreshTECH-Automatic-Canning-System/dp/B00K30GRH2?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

To find out more about the Ball Jam & Jelly Maker visit this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007CRHPNY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you want a copy of the recipe I used please visit the Fresh Preserving Website sponsored by Ball Canning http://www.freshpreserving.com/peach-jam-recipe-%7C-peach-jam---ball-fresh-preserving-br1306.html

Happy Jammin!

The Easiest Way to Can Blueberry Jam

To find out more about the Ball Auto Canner visit this link: https://www.amazon.com/Ball-FreshTECH-Automatic-Canning-System/dp/B00K30GRH2?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

To find out more about the Ball Jam & Jelly Maker visit this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007CRHPNY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

If you want a copy of the recipe I used please visit the Fresh Preserving Website sponsored by Ball Canning http://www.freshpreserving.com/blueberry-jam---ball-jam-maker-recipes-br1915.html

Happy Jammin!

The Easiest Way to Can Strawberry Jam

To find out more about the Ball Auto Canner visit this link: https://www.amazon.com/Ball-FreshTECH-Automatic-Canning-System/dp/B00K30GRH2?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0

To find out more about the Ball Jam & Jelly Maker visit this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007CRHPNY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Happy Jammin!

How to Can Blueberry Syrup - USDA National Center for Home Food Preserva...

I love pouring berry syrup on waffles, pancakes, and even ice cream! But, the stuff in the store is so expensive and is full of high fructose corn syrup.

My Ball Canning Book does have a recipe for blueberry syrup. However... it has corn syrup listed as one of the ingredients. I decided at that point to do some searching on the Internet and went to my local extension's website to find a new recipe. They had one that can be used for all kinds of berries. And, it has no corn syrup!

Also, I trust the USDA as they have tested the recipes to comply with food safety guidelines. So, there is no worries that the recipe I found has been untested and is unsafe.

I love making syrup as it just involves juicing the fruit and adding sugar to thicken. It is so good on pancakes. So, you have to give this recipe a try!

See how easy it by watching the video below!



Another great thing about this recipe is you can use fresh or frozen berries. This is a huge bonus for me as berries are only in season for a short while and I make many batches in one year!

This recipe can be used to can blueberry, cherry, raspberry (black or red), and strawberry syrups, too. So, it is very versatile and you can get many flavors of syrup to delight your whole family with!

If you want a copy of this recipe, please go to this website to print your own copy from the USDA: http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/berry_syrup.html

In my video, I used a Roma food strainer to make the juicing process of the berries even easier. It goes much faster using this food strainer and the berry screen attachment than boiling the berries and extracting the juice through letting the mixture sit in a jelly bag or cheese cloth.

To order the Roma food strainer I used in this video visit this link: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Prago-Roma-Sauce-Maker-Food-Strain/14223927

To order additional screens for the strainer (such as the berry screen used in this video) please click on this link: http://www.walmart.com/ip/Prago-4-Piece-Sauce-Maker-Kit/14223933?action=product_interest&action_type=title&item_id=14223933&placement_id=irs-2-m2&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id&category=&client_guid=64f84ae4-84d7-4c79-8063-7cc0b4f96f24&customer_id_enc&config_id=2&parent_item_id=14223927&parent_anchor_item_id=14223927&guid=6d3bf981-c165-4089-98b1-ff5563edb4e7&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n

The only problem I have with this berry syrup is keeping enough jars of it stocked on my shelf! Yes, everyone in my family adores this syrup so I have to make many batches a year to keep up with the demand!

Well, time for me to head out to the garden and plant more blueberry bushes!

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. Thanks for watching, and have a great day!

Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving: Strawberry Sauce Recipe Tutorial

I love the fact that this strawberry sauce is so versatile! I can use it on pancakes, waffles, fruit salad, desserts, and my personal favorite, in yogurt parfaits! Actually, I use it mostly to flavor my greek yogurt when I want a quick snack.

The sauce was really quick and easy to make. It is actually easier than making strawberry jam! Watch how I do it in the video below.



There is a downside to this sauce, if you haven't guessed already, and that is the fact it uses corn syrup. If any of you know a safe, tested recipe for a strawberry sauce without corn syrup. Please let me know in the comments below!

Otherwise, I will keep using this recipe I have in order to have a nice strawberry sauce to perk up my breakfast, dinner, and dessert dishes.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Freezing Homemade Oven French Fries

Part of being self-sufficient is making items yourself that you would generally buy at a store. Frozen French fries is a huge part of my family's diet and I came up with a technique of making my own by combining a few recipes I found online.

For those of you who are like me and had a good crop of potatoes from your garden, this is a great way to preserve them for the coming months. If you still are looking for potatoes, I urge you to be on the lookout for sales this fall, especially around Thanksgiving/Holiday Baking season when you can by a sack of potatoes fairly cheap. I recommend purchasing multiple bags of potatoes during that time to multiply your savings.

Also, if the potatoes start to grow on you, do not throw them out. You can sometimes nip off those nubs if they are small enough and use the potato. In addition, if the potato has begun to shrivel and there is excessive growth, do not fear. Place those in a paper bag with a towel covering them in a cool place like a root cellar or unfinished basement. You can use those as seed potatoes during spring planting season. I have potatoes that have grown on me and kept them for several months before I planted them in the garden. That way you will have fresh potatoes the next growing season to use.

Freezing Homemade French Fries (Oven Method):

Ingredients:
Potatoes
Olive Oil
Cooking Spray
Salt or Seasonings of Your Choice
Water
Ball Fresh Fruit Protector

Step 1: Scrub your potatoes with a small bristle brush under cool running water.

 

Step 2: Peel the potatoes with a vegetable peeler, knife, or if you have one of the Apple Master kitchen tools, you can use that too. (If you do not want to peel your potatoes, that is okay too. You can skip this step and move onto Step 3.) Place your peeled potatoes in a bowl of cool water with the Ball Fresh Fruit Protector to keep them from turning brown. You will want to use 1 tablespoon of Protector for every 2 quarts of water. You may also use Ice Water if you do not have the fruit protector on hand.

Step 3: Drain your potatoes if you completed Step 2. Now, you may slice the potatoes into whatever kind of fry you prefer from wedges, to matchsticks, to shoestrings. The choice is completely up to you. I used a knife and cutting board for my fries, but if you have a slicer or appliance with a French fry blade, now is the time to use it! You may also use an apple slicer/corer to create perfect wedges. Make sure to place all your fries back into the Protector solution to prevent browning.

Step 4: Drain your fries, rinse thoroughly under cool running water to remove access starch, and place between two clean dishtowels to dry. You want to make sure you get as much water mopped up so the oil in the next step will stick to the fries.

 

Step 5: Place fries into a large Ziploc bag, drizzle with just enough olive oil to coat the fries, and salt and season to taste. Close the bag tightly and shake to coat the fries. Once coated, arrange fries in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet.

Step 6: In a preheated 425 degree F oven, bake the fries for 20-50 minutes depending upon how thick you cut your fries. Make sure to flip the fries halfway between baking time. I cut my fries into matchsticks so they took about 25 minutes to bake. You know when your fries are done when a fork pierces through the fry easily. You do not want your fries to be golden brown, if they are, you cooked them too long and they are ready to eat!

Step 7: Let the baking sheets with the fries cool for about 10 minutes then place them in a freezer. Freeze for 1-2 hours and then they are ready to be bagged up. Make sure to label and write the date you made your fries on the bag. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) French fries will last in the freezer for 3-4 months. Make sure to check your fries periodically for freezer burn and do not use if you open the package and there is a fowl odor or discoloration.

Step 8: To bake your fries for eating, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and bake your fries for 10-15 minutes. Cooking time may vary depending on how many fries you are making and what size they are. Your fries are done when they have heated through and turned a golden-brown. Enjoy!

Canning

There is nothing like getting together with friends and neighbors. And, that is exactly what I did this evening when my church women's group got together to learn how to pressure can. Now I have done water bath canning, which I helped my mom do this summer. (I even got champion and reserve champion on my canned goods at this year's county fair to boot!) But, pressure canning is something new to me. I found it was something new to many of us women that attended the get-together.

The reason why I stay away from pressure canning is because it looks like you are creating a bomb. I mean, all those pounds of pressure recipes call for seems unsafe for the average cook. Yet, I need to overcome my fears as I want to can items that call for this method such as soups, vegetables, and stock. 

What I'd really like is an automatic pressure canner like the auto canner Ball came up with for steam canning to replace water-bath canning. You can learn more about this new gizmo here: http://www.freshpreservingstore.com/ball-freshtech-automatic-home-canning-system/shop/613560/. Isn't this system just devine? Of course, I would absolutely love it if it could can everything safely, but maybe in the future.

Until then, I did learn how to pressure can and nothing exploded. One more step taken to my ultimate goal of becoming more self-sufficient.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.