Very Basic Canning Basics

Some things about canning are to have fresh fruit of good quality. Your foods quality will not be improved in the canning process so you must have good produce to start with.
Make sure all your equipment is clean and ready to use before you get your fruit, vegetables, etc ready. That way you are insured the jars and other equipment is ready.
Only use canning jars made for canning. Don’t use old mayonnaise jars or other jars not designed for canning. The lids don’t always fit exactly right which means they may not seal properly which can potentially put your family at risk.
Use the correct canning method. If you put all the work and creativity into preparing your foods, you want to make sure they will be preserved for when you need them.
Know the correct amount of time to can for your area. Most canning books give you the time to process your foods at sea level with a conversion chart for other elevations. I live in Utah so I need to process things a little longer because we are so much higher than sea level.
Can what you will use. You won’t want to spend so much time prepping things and processing just to find out no one will eat it. I canned a few things that my family will not touch. That being said its fun to experiment.
Most of all, have fun. I usually make applesauce, apricots, tomatoes and peaches. I missed the peaches this year which make me sad. This year was still fun though. I canned pink pears, apple butter, and spaghetti sauce for the first time ever.

Applesauce

We have been making applesauce. I thought I would post how we do it. Its actually much simpler than my mother used to do it which is how most people make applesauce. I have a steam juicer. Rather than add water to my applesauce, I use the steam juicer. When the juice starts to flow, I know they are soft enough. After they have stoftened, I put them through the food strainer-that gets rid of the peelings and any seeds I may hacve missed. Then we put them in pints because my children don't eat applesauce-we substitute it for oil in our recipes. (In case you were wondering, no one has noticed.) Luckily my parents and we have apple trees so our apples were free. I love free!

Homemade Applebutter

I have always wanted to make homemade applebutter. My mother said it was hard so I have never even attempted it. I read a blog called Cents to get Debt Free. She posted a recipe for Crockpot Applebutter. I admit that I have actually burned things in the crockpot but I am willing to try again. I will only do half pints becuase I'm running out of pints and quarts and I'm not sure if my family will eat it. If not, I'll give away some and keep the rest for me. If you would like to try the crockpot applebutter, you can get the recipe by clicking here.

Refi Update

We are getting an appraisal done on our house. In anticipation of this, we have been getting rid of items that we don't need/want/love. I am an admitted pack rat. I wish I could say I don't hold on to anything but I can't. I always think I'll need it right after I have given something away. Sometimes I am right but most of the time and am not and I ususally find I didn't really need it after all. I am happy to be getting rid of as much as we are. This picture is half of what we ended up getting rid of. It took my husband two trips to the donation center with a full van to get rid of what we did. I do admit that there is more "stuff" around that I can get rid of, I just need to be ruthless and do it. It is so freeing (is that a word?) to have that "stuff" out of our lives.

Tis the Season

For canning that is. Since the apricots were ripe last month, I feel like I've done little else. So far, we've done apricots, applesauce, grape juice, tomatoes, salsa, green beans, pink pears and zucchini. I'm still harvesting tomatoes, apples and zucchini. I would love it if my neighbors would bring over some more pears but I am blessed with what I've done so far. I hurt my arm a few weeks back and that will hamper my applesauce efforts. I am so grateful my husband is willing to help and even do the canning himself if need be.

Fall Family Fun

I love going to the Children's Treehouse Museum in Ogden, Utah. They have what they call "Enchanted Woods". They pick a fairy tale and tell they story while you go around a designated path through the museum. We've learned things about different cultures. They give out a little candy, you make a craft and usually end up at the stage. They go every 15 minutes. Its $6.00 for children but adults are free. It gets expensive if you have a big family but it is so fun.

The other thing we really like doing is Boo at the Zoo. Trick or Treating at the zoo, hmm, long lines, no animals doesn't really sound fun. If you get there at the right time, the lines are short and you will have time to see some animals. Even if you don't go to Boo at the Zoo, you should go to Hogle Zoo to see the baby elephant, baby giraffe and baby tiger cubs. Obviously, in this picture, my youngest hadn't gotten into the dress-up part of Halloween. She was supposed to be Dora and wanted the costume off as soon as I took the picture.

George S. Eccles Dinosaur Park also in Ogden, Utah has a trick or treat thing they do after dark too. They have carved pumpkins done in all sorts of designs. There are park employees at different parts of the park and you walk around and trick or treat there. There is someone who sells glow in the dark sticks. I suggest stopping at the dollar store and picking some up there for a fraction of the price they charge at the park.

What are your fall traditions?

Menu Planning Monday

Monday: Pork Spare Ribs, Baked Potatoes, Fresh Vegetable
Tuesday: Meat Loaf, Baked Potato, Steamed Vegetables
Wednesday: Grilled Chicken Breast, Baked Potatoes, Fresh Steamed Vegetables
Thursday: Spaghetti,Fresh Salad,Fresh Steamed Vegetable
Friday: Date night
Saturday: crock pot chicken
Sunday: Fend for yourself/leftovers

for more great menu ideas, click here.