Canning Green Beans

I have finally mastered growing Green Beans!  It took me 3 years to get it right and I'm so excited to finally have a huge green bean harvest.  I love home canned green beans in the winter and have grown to hate the store bought stuff.  I know exactly what is going into my jars, and what kind of seeds I planted.  

Before Shot

Snap off the ends.

 Snap in half

 Save the ends for the chickens










Wash green beans.  

Pack into jars leaving 1 inch of head space. 
Add 1 teaspoon of Salt (optional).
Add water leaving 1 inch of head space. 
Wipe rim.
Add lid and ring.  Tighten fingertip tight.  
Process in a Pressure Canner.
25 minutes for Quarts 
20 minutes for Pints. 
Label with contents and date. 


Enjoy the fact that you know everything that went into your jar. 

It takes me about 2 hours to pick enough green beans for 6 quarts.  Another 2-3 hours to snap them all so that they are ready to pack in to jars.  This is a great activity to do while watching a movie or two.  

Blackberry Pie Filling

Blackberry Pie Filling

16 cups Blackberries
3 cups Water
3/4 cup Clear Jel
4 cups water
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon All Spice
1/2 cup Lemon Juice

 Add Sugar, Clear Jel, Cinnamon, All Spice to the pot.  Wisk it together.  Slowly add the water.  Bring to a bubble.  So not quite a full boil, but more then just steaming. 

Its going to look milky for a while.  It freaked me out the first time. 

Add Lemon Juice and boil for 1 minute.

At this point the Clear Jel is starting to thicken, just like in a gravy.  Keep going!

At the boiling point.  

 Fold in Blackberries.  Ladle into jars

Isn't this pretty!


I intended this to fit into 7 quart jars, but my math must be off.  I ended up with 4 quarts, 1 pint, and 1 1/2 pint.

 Wipe rims.  Add lids and rings.  Process for 45 minutes at 6000 ft.  If you are lower in elevation you will have to subtract some time. 

Out of the canner and cooling down.  Label, make sure you put the date. 






Use in between your favorite pie crust, or make cobbler.  Enjoy~

Canning Stew/Soup Veggies

I hope to be busy teaching classes for my local charter school this fall.  This means lesson plans, grading, and being out of the house.  I thought this would help with some quick meals.  Pop open a can, add some cooked meat and Viola! Dinner!  So here is what I did.
Cube potatoes 2 cups for each jar
Cut tops and tips off of carrots
Snap tops and tips off of green beans, snap into bite sizes
Fill jars with 2 cups potato, 1 cup carrots, and 1 cup green beans.
I though it would be fun fill them in layer.
Fill with water 1 inch to the top.
Wipe rims, add lid and ring.  Tighten till finger tight.  
Process for the longest veggie time.  In this case the potatoes at 40 minutes.  

~I can't wait to use these and give you the recipes I come up with!

Canning Carrots

 I went carrot picking crazy!  I started just thinning a few carrots, then I thought I would just finish thinning a patch.  I ended up thinning/harvesting the entire patch.  I did leave carrots, evenly spaced every 6 inches.  What I ended up with is 2~ 5 gallon buckets.  What to do with that many carrots?  Can them!
They started with a washing.
Then we cut the tops and the tips off. 
Next pack them in a jar. 
Add 1 tsp salt optional.  
Add water to the 1inch line.  

 Wipe jars.
Add lid and ring.
Load in Pressure Canner
Process for your altitude.  I had to can them for        30min.

After they set overnight I took off the ring and wiped down the ring, and the jar. 
Label.

Save for a few months and enjoy on a cold winters day

Enjoy~

Apricot Pineapple Jam

I hope this helps you in your quest for delicious homemade goods. ♥

Apricot Pineapple Jam~ Courtesy of Aunt Linda

4 cups mashed Apricots

1 cup Pineapple

1 Box of Pectin

Sugar, Butter, and Lemon Juice asked for in the Pectin instructions

Add fruit, pectin, butter, and lemon juice in to a stock pot. Bring to a rolling boil and add sugar.

Bring back to a rolling boil and boil typically for 1 minute. Ladle into sterilized canning jars and process for 10 minutes, adding time for altitude. I had to process mine for 25 (I'm at 6,100+ feet). Fetch jars our of the water bath canner and let sit for 24 hours.

Letting the jars sit for 24 hours has nothing to do with the jam its self, but the lids. Go ahead go get a lid, I'll wait. If you have the nice shinny side up flip it over. There should be the white bottom and a rubber ring. Letting the jars sit for 24 hours insures that the rubber ring, that was warm and sticky while your boiled it in the canner, sticks its self to the jar.