Tag: Water Bath Canning

Canned Orange Juice
Homesteading · Preserving · Recipes

Canned Orange Juice

Sarah

Canning citrus juice is an open ended recipe. Squeeze as much as you wish, and strain as much of the pulp out to your preference. I used 12 cups juice, which produced 6 pints worth. My smaller canning kettle holds 7 pints, but I ran out of navel oranges to squeeze.

Is canning OJ worth your time? Maybe. Maybe not. I had gotten a deal on navel oranges and the supplies to do it. I like having juice around for the rare times I serve it (often when a kid is sick). I find if I buy a big container at the store, it gets sucked down. And none of us need that much sugar. A pint is enough for the two boys with no leftovers. And more so, I know what is in it. 100% juice and no sketchy “flavor packets” that commercial orange juice has added. And well….it gives you shelf stable juice, in glass!

Canned Orange Juice

Ingredients:

  • Freshly squeezed orange juice
  • Pint mason jars, new lids and rings

Directions:

Add rings and lids to a small saucepan and fill ¾ with water. Bring the small pot to a simmer, take off heat.

Place clean canning mason jars in a canning kettle, fill jars with water, and the pot about half full. Bring to a boil.

Add orange juice to a tall saucepan or stockpot. Heat over medium until it registers 190°, watch it so it doesn’t boil.

Lay out a clean kitchen towel on counter, drain jars and place on towel. Dip funnel and ladle into boiling water to sterilize.

Pour hot orange juice into jars, leaving ½″ head space. Take a new damp paper towel, wipe the rim of each jar. Place a lid on top, then a ring, hand tightening on. Place jars in canning rack, lower into canning pot. Turn heat up to high, bring to a rolling boil (make sure the jars are fully covered with water – if not, add in some of the reserved hot water from the pan used for the lids). Once boiling, process for 10 minutes for pints. Remove from pot, let cool on a dry towel overnight, listening for the ping sound as they cool.

Test lids by pressing gently and making sure they are flat and do not bounce back up. If any do not seal, consume soon and keep refrigerated. For best long-term storage, take rings off jars, keep jars in a cool, dry and dark place, and use within a year. The juice will separate during storage. This does not affect it.

Chill and shake well before serving.

~Sarah

Spicy! Sweet! Salty! Thai Style Sweet Chili Sauce
Preserving · Recipes

Spicy! Sweet! Salty! Thai Style Sweet Chili Sauce

Sarah

I had wanted to make my own Sweet Chili Sauce for a long time, to can and put up in the pantry. Thai sweet chili sauce is not cheap, especially if you buy a good brand (and there are plenty of bad brands in the Asian aisle). But more than that….it is pretty darn sugary. I had found a recipe via Ball that called for 7 cups of sugar. That is basically pourable sugar jam.

I approached Pomona’s Pectin and asked if they had a recipe. They got back to me and gave me a working recipe (Pomona Pectin has guidelines to follow in how much you need to set up a jam, so I just needed that). They cut the sugar back to 2¾ cups for a whole batch! The base recipe they gave me called for 3 to 4 tsp of the pectin. I opted for the lower amount so that it would not gel fully, and be spoonable.

Thai Style Sweet Chili Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp pickling salt or kosher salt*
  • ½ cup minced garlic
  • ¼ to ½ cup red pepper flakes**
  • 6 cups apple cider vinegar
  • 4 tsp calcium water***
  • 2¾ cups granulated sugar
  • 3 tsp Pomona’s Pectin

Directions:

Add mason canning jars into a water bath canner. Fill jars with water and the pot about halfway. Bring to a boil.

Add the bands and new lids to a small saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a simmer, turn off.

Measure the sugar into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into the sugar. Set aside.

In a large non reactive pot, add the salt, garlic, pepper flakes, vinegar and calcium water. Bring to a boil.

Add pectin-sugar mix, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin.

Return to a full boil, stirring often. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.

Drain canning jars, place on a clean kitchen towel. Sterilize ladle and funnel.

Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean with a new damp paper towel. Place a drained lid on each jar, screw band on finger tight.

Place filled jars in canning pot, lower rack in. Make sure the jars are covered with water. Bring to a boil, and maintain boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level).

Remove jars from water. Let jars cool on a clean kitchen towel. Remove bands and wash, check seals on jars; lids should be sucked down.

Jelly should sit for a few days/week before eating, as Pomona jelly/jam can take a bit longer to fully set up. If the pepper flakes/garlic sink, gently shake the jars while it is cooling, to help it float. It can also be mixed back in once opening.

Consume within 1 year, once opened eat within 3 weeks.

Note:

You can use whatever size mason jars you have on hand. Makes about 9 cups.

I used jarred minced garlic to save time. Make sure it is not packed in oil.

*Only use pickling salt or kosher salt. You want a pure salt that has no impurities, particularly iodine, which can cause discoloring.

**½ cup red pepper flakes produces a nice hot and spicy sauce. If your taste to spice is less, a ¼ cup will be your friend. Find in bulk spice sections for the best price.

***Calcium water is made from the second packet in the Pomona’s box. It is mixed with water. The leftover water can be stored for months for further projects.

~Sarah

Lower Sugar Lemonade Jelly
Preserving · Recipes

Lower Sugar Lemonade Jelly

Sarah

Sunshine in a mason jar.

The tartness of a cold glass of lemonade, in jelly form. If you love lemon curd, you will love this lighter texture spread!

Lower Sugar Lemonade Jelly

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups fresh squeezed lemon juice (8 to 10 large heavy lemons)
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 tsp calcium water*
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 4 tsp Pomona’s Pectin

Directions:

Add 6 12-ounce mason canning into a water bath canner. Fill jars with water and the pot about halfway. Bring to a boil.

Add the bands and new lids to a small saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a simmer, turn off.

Measure the sugar into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into the sugar. Set aside.

Bring the lemon juice, water and calcium water to a boil in a large stainless steel or non reactive pot.

Add pectin-sugar mix, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin.

Stir well and return to a full boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.

Drain canning jars, place on a clean kitchen towel. Sterilize ladle and funnel.

Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean with a new damp paper towel. Place a drained lid on each jar, screw band on finger tight.

Place filled jars in canning pot, lower rack in. Make sure the jars are covered with water. Bring to a boil, and maintain boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level).

Remove jars from water. Let jars cool on a clean kitchen towel. Remove bands and wash, check seals on jars; lids should be sucked down.

Consume within 1 year, once opened eat within 3 weeks. Jelly should sit for a few days/week before eating, as Pomona jelly/jam can take a bit longer to fully set up.

Note:

You can use whatever size mason jars you have on hand. I had about 4 cups jam to can.

*To make the calcium water, follow the directions in the Pomona package. It is the smaller of the two packets in the box. It keep nearly forever once mixed with water in your refrigerator.

~Sarah

Lower Sugar Cinnamon Blueberry Jam
Preserving · Recipes

Lower Sugar Cinnamon Blueberry Jam

Sarah

There is nothing quite like homemade jam. Nothing from a store will ever be as good. And the bonus is….you can create a jam that has considerably less sugar than normal. You can go as low as ¾ cup of sugar, but I find 2 cups to be about perfect (if making jam with other pectin brands, it often calls for as much as 7 cups sugar for the same size batch!). You can use 1 cup honey instead of the sugar, if desired. And another bonus? You can use thawed frozen blueberries. I pick and freeze our berries, and make jam in the late fall when I won’t feel overwhelmed by all the heat in the kitchen.

Lower Sugar Cinnamon Blueberry Jam

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups mashed blueberries, measured after (about 6 to 8 cups before)
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice (1 large heavy lemon)
  • 2 tsp calcium water*
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 2 tsp Pomona’s Pectin

Directions:

Add 7 12-ounce mason canning into a water bath canner. Fill jars with water and the pot about halfway. Bring to a boil.

Add the bands and new lids to a small saucepan, cover with water. Bring to a simmer, turn off.

Measure the sugar into a bowl. Thoroughly mix pectin powder into the sugar. Set aside.

Bring the mashed blueberries, cinnamon, lemon juice and calcium water to a boil in a large stainless steel or non reactive pot.

Add pectin-sugar mix, stirring vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes to dissolve the pectin.

Stir well and return to a full boil. Once the jam returns to a full boil, remove it from the heat.

Drain canning jars, place on a clean kitchen towel. Sterilize ladle and funnel.

Fill hot jars to ¼” of top. Wipe rims clean with a new damp paper towel. Place a drained lid on each jar, screw band on finger tight.

Place filled jars in canning pot, lower rack in. Make sure the jars are covered with water. Bring to a boil, and maintain boil 10 minutes (add 1 minute more for every 1,000 ft. above sea level).

Remove jars from water. Let jars cool on a clean kitchen towel. Remove bands and wash, check seals on jars; lids should be sucked down.

Consume within 1 year, once opened eat within 3 weeks. Jelly should sit for a few days/week before eating, as Pomona jelly/jam can take a bit longer to fully set up.

Note:

You can use whatever size mason jars you have on hand. I had about 5 cups jam to can. Your amount may vary on how much your mixture cooks down while simmering and how juicy the berries are. You may get more/less.

*To make the calcium water, follow the directions in the Pomona package. It is the smaller of the two packets in the box. It keep nearly forever once mixed with water in your refrigerator.

~Sarah

Cold Pack Canned Blueberries
Homesteading · Preserving

Cold Pack Canned Blueberries

Sarah

This recipe is open ended to how many blueberries you have on hand. The syrup makes enough for 6 pints. Cold packed blueberries means you can can quickly, but also the berries don’t get “cooked” and shrink before you can. I find this recipe suits larger blueberries, such as Chandler (the huge ones bigger than a nickel in size).

Cold Pack Canned Blueberries

Ingredients:

  • ¾ to 1 pound fresh blueberries per pint jar, washed and drained gently on paper towels*
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 5¼ cups water

Directions:

Wash canning jars, with bands and new lids, in hot, soapy water. Rinse well, and drain on a clean kitchen towel.

Fill canning pot halfway with water, add in jars and submerge. Bring to a boil, then let simmer.

Make syrup by combining sugar and water in a tall saucepan, bring to a boil, either use immediately or keep warm on medium-low.

Drain jars using tongs, place on a clean kitchen towel.

Ladle ½ cup hot syrup into the bars, using a sterilized canning funnel. Add in berries, packing in gently to settle. Add more hot syrup as needed, then run a sterilized chopstick (or a plastic air bubble remover) around the inside of the jar. Top off with more syrup as needed. Leave a ½” headspace.

Dip a clean paper towel in hot water, then run around the top of each jar. Place a lid on each jar, then a band, screw on finger tight.

Turn canner up to high, place jars in water bath rack, lower rack into water. Water should cover by 1 – 2″, if not add a bit more (Keep a small pot of hot water on hand). Bring to a rolling boil, covered, process pint jars for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat, carefully remove jars, placing on a clean dry kitchen towel to cool.

Once cooled, check again that seals are down (you should hear the Ping! as each one seals). Gently remove bands (wash, dry and store for your next project. While they look nicer on, if they have water inside from processing, they can rust. If you are giving away your canned items, you can always slip one back on), wipe down jars if sticky at all, note on jar or lid what is in jar with a date. Store in a dry/cool/dark area and use within a year.

Notes:

The syrup makes about 6½ cups, and is considered a “light syrup”. When canning fruit and berries, you will need ½ to ¾ cup per pint jar. Leftover syrup can be cooled, and store in a tightly sealed jar in the fridge to sweeten with for weeks. Makes enough syrup for 6 pints.

*Add ½ cup apple cider vinegar to your rinse water, soak blueberries, then drain the berries and let dry on paper towels.