Day 187.. Summer Canning Adventures

It has surprised me how tickled I was to get my canner back out this spring!  I retired it around Christmastime... and am back in the thick of produce overflow and the hunt for new and interesting recipes.

There is something immensely satisfying to me to see those pretty jars all lined up on the shelf.  And I do love the sound of the POP when the jar seals :-)

Phat Beets.... winding up the prepared beets in the fridge ... I HAD to try this recipe!  First off it uses cloves and allspice and cinnamon in the brine so will have a spicy flavor I love that fits in nicely with my Christmas giving.... and then fresh ginger and rosemary in the actual jars for more flavor and just plain pretty.  Of course.... with all that, I just can't get past the NAME :-)  I cannot WAIT to write PHAT BEETS on my label... just because.  I will smile every time I see it :-)

There was a little leftover brine that I put in the fridge hoping for inspiration...I hate waste!

I got more baby beets in my produce box and will share that last recipe and some prep tips in my next week's adventure post.

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      And I had so much fun with the first batch of blueberry jam (I had picked 2 quarts) that I went back to the farm and kind of went a little crazy.  I came home with 2 GALLONS of berries.  I just couldn't help myself.. the absolute ZEN of my and myself and the sunshine and the berries... well, it was a great way to spend a couple of hours (and $32 :-)

I thought about the natural pectin in apples and how I have trouble with store-bought products [honestly, I think it might be my stovetop].  Anyway I thought I'd hunt for a recipe that included apples.  And I found it at Food.com

Blueberry Apple Jam - my yield 9 half pints    The flavor is absolutely lovely.  Apples and pears seem to add a mildness to other fruits that makes an exquisitely rich jam flavor.  It's a great compliment to the berries..... or the berries are a great compliment to the apples?  Doesn't matter....  it's sublime on an English muffin with a little butter.

I'm afraid my little half-pint jars all look alike in photos....  I like the half-pint size.  First - for gift-giving... though I HAVE found a smaller size that I may use some of this year.   Second.. I am the only one in my house who eats either jams OR pickles... and sparingly at that... so a half-pint lasts me a month or more whatever is in it!  I do have some pint and quart jars that I will use for larger pickles and when I run out of half-pints.... and, yes.... for SALSA!  THAT we eat by the truckload :-)