Saturday, June 23, 2012

My first canning party!!! 64 jars + 200 ears of corn

My oh my oh my!!! If you follow my blog you may recall me talking about forming a canning club. If not, you can read about it here.

So today was our innagural meeting. We are still trying to think of a name.... Anyways today it was just me and my friend E.

We started out with pickles. Bread and butter, dill, kosher dill and spicy dill.
We did spears, coins and whole small pickles.
I got my daughters involved.
It's great to be able to teach them skills and know how. Here is my oldest helping to pack the jars before we pour the liquid on it.


Totals:
Bread and Butter: 9
Dill: 10
Kosher Dill:9
Spicy Dill:8

Then we did some jars of pickled jalepenos. These are great as we use them on EVERYTHING. Lots of mexican inspired dishes, and even on salads and in omelettes.
Jalepenos: 10

Then on to the Blueberry jam...Yum. Thats all I can say about that.
Blueberry Jam: 10



Then we did Pepper jelly. This is very thick and  almost a chutney and is great to use on cream cheese as an appetizer type dish, or on beans, or even just on plain toast. Delicious.
Look at how beautiful they are. Great for gift giving also. These puppies are spicy!!
Pepper Jelly: 8

Then if that weren't enough, we each put up 100 ears of corn. That means we shucked and silked 200 ears this morning....


Corn: 200 ears

I must say that I'm exhausted. I mean really tired. It is so worth it though. Great company and knowing that I'll have great food for my family in upcoming days.

Total for our first canning party 64 jars and 200 ears of corn. Not too shabby I would think for our first meeting:)



Until next time, Happy Homesteading!!

Linked up to The Morris Tribe, Homesteading Barn Hop,Carnival of Home Preserving,Preparedness Challenge

28 comments:

  1. How cool is that? What a great idea to share the workload. Wonderful that you have your lil' helpers too.

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    1. It was so fun, we played music, brought homeade yummies to snack on during the day and the kids could either help us or play outside.

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  2. WOW! You have been very productive!

    Inviting you to the Carnival of Home Preserving that happens on my blog every Friday.

    The current edition is still live at http://laurawilliamsmusings.blogspot.com/2012/06/carnival-of-home-preserving-16-come.html

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    1. Great, thank you I just checked it out. Looks fun!

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  3. That AMAZING! I really need to find someone to can with.

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    1. I'm sure you could find someone if you just looked around your group of friends/family. Start small, maybe one batch of jelly or something.

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  4. Pepper Jelly ... hmm ... sounds like something we would like .... do you have a recipe?

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    1. Yes I do have a recipe. I'll try to post that for you soon. Thanks. PS I follow your blog and love it!

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  5. FUN!!!! Most harvesting doesn't start around here for another couple of weeks...I am so ready.

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    1. We've been harvesting here for a while. The bulk of it is just about to start though. When it is so hot and dry of course...

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  6. This sounds so awesome! Congrats on a job well done!!

    Missy @ http://gracefullittlehoneybee.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks for stopping by. Stopping by your blog now.

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  7. Wow! That is a lot of work! I know you are so glad to have all that done. Great job!

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  8. It is so much easier and more fun with a friend! I want to make pepper jelly this year!

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    1. Pepper Jelly is something I never make enough of. It's the item specifically asked for by friends and neighbors. Let me know how it turns out!

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  9. Wow, what an undertaking! Glad to hear you had a friend to share all of that with. :)

    Thanks for sharing this over at Fill Those Jars Friday. Hope to see you again later this week!

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  10. WOW! like everyone else, i am astounded. haha. this kind of preserving takes commitment - i'm so excited and proud for you. look at all those jars!!

    today is the Wednesday Fresh Foods Blog Hop – I was hoping, if you feel up for it, that you’d link up this fabulous post (and any future fabulous, seasonal and/or real food posts) with us :) Everyone is welcome so feel free to stop by. take care! xo, kristy

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  11. thank you for taking the time to share with us at The Wednesday Fresh Foods Blog Hop - we hope to see you again this week with more incredible posts! xo, kristy

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  12. Awesome! I want to learn to can. (TALU)

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    1. Hang around here for a bit, I'm always canning :)

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  13. I forgot it was an archive link, so I was wondering where you got all that corn this time of year LOL. It would never even occur to me to freeze corn for some reason. The funny thing is that I'm completely surrounded by corn fields, so it's everywhere around here. You would think that would have come up in conversation at some point if I didn't think to do it myself. I love to make pickles, but I usually just make small batches to keep in the fridge. I really need to look into canning so I can do it properly! My Mom used to make tons of jams and jellies, when I was a kid, so I definitely miss that!! [#TALU]

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    1. It would be nice to have fresh corn right now. I freeze corn every year. My mom cuts it off the cob and freezes it, but my family likes it on the cob. Next year I hope to do even more, as a family of 5 we eat a LOT of it and really enjoy it. Thanks for stopping by.

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  14. How fun! Love this post. This was my year for tomatoes, jalapenos, green chilies and pickles pickles pickles. The smell of fresh tomatoes cooking always brings me back to the first days of school, when Mom was taking her turn at canning.

    One year, we put up over a hundred quarts of peaches and apples. My hands were stained brown for weeks! It's a badge of honor. :D

    TALU!

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    1. Yummy peaches and apples. I wish we lived closer, I would love to have a canning party with you!

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    2. Have you ever tried using a steam canner instead of the boiling water bath? NOT a pressure canner, mind you...steam! It's way cool. Uses much less water, lighter and easier to handle, and cuts down the time because of using so much less water. Love love love.

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  15. Wow, Rachel, I am totally and thoroughly impressed! I've always been intimidated by canning and have yet to try it. Thanks for linking up with the TALU!

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    1. Don't be intimidated, it is probably easier than you think. Thanks for stopping by!

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