Zesty Blueberries???

Blueberries.. yum. Who can resist plump ripe blueberries? Of course their season goes all too fast and unless you preserve them in someway you are waiting a long time to enjoy them again. This year I decided to make some blueberry jam... I did not think this would be a hit with my kids.. they tend to be a bit picky and have their favourites that they rigidly stick by. I remind them often, when trying to get them to try something new, that it might be their new favourite thing..

Anyway, the appeal of this recipe was that it also had lime in it. I like zing.. sweet is ok, but with an added zing, it seems to have the right amount of kick. Having seen some rave reviews for it, I jumped in and tried it myself.  I was so happy I did. Not only is this jam low in sugar, it is also pectin free. I love recipes that don't call for a lot of ingredients!

The lime enhances the flavour so much. Everyone in the house had a spoonful to lick... even hubby. It received a resounding thumbs up from them all. This recipe is a keeper.

Here is the ingredients:
4 cups blueberries
1 1/4 cups sugar
zest of two limes
1/4 lime juice (this should be store bought to make sure it has the right acidity)

Combine in a pot all the ingredients.. Stirring often and making sure the berries are mashing to your liking ... simmer for about 20 minutes or till it sets.
Water bath for 10 min.

It made 2 and a half pints for me.. and we happily ate the half pint over the next few days.  I will definitely double or triple this recipe next year.

More Canning!

My family loves pickles. Really loves pickles. I used to be able to buy these amazing and huge dill pickles at a grocery store, bulk. They were so big you could fit maybe 3 in a container. They always sold out quickly, and unfortunately now they don't carry them. When I would bring them home, the kids would dive into it.
I decided to make some yummy extra extra garlicky dill pickles. I went shopping at the local farms and got the dill and pickling cukes.. I had no idea how much the recipe would make.. frankly I put as many as I could possibly fit into the jars. I put the cukes in a bowl and sprinkled sea salt on them.. then added water until it was just covering them. I placed a dinner plate over top to keep them under the water and let them soak for more than 12 hours.. I didn't time it, but you can soak them from 12-24 hours.

At the same times as I got this part going, I did a sea salt bath for my dill. Hanging them upside down in a salt water mixture will ensure you don't have any added surprises in your jar.. and yes there were a few in my water afterwards.
I got my pickling mix ready.. and boy does it make the house smell of pickling! Heated my jars.. and got my canner boiling. Peeled my garlic and cut it into quarters and then once the jars were sterilized and hot I packed them with the garlic, dill and cucumbers. Then poured the pickling mix into the jars and wipe.. lids and rings.. and into the canner they go.

 

 

This was the first time I ever had a jar break on me when canning. I was given the jars and there may have been a small crack that I didn't notice. I was sad, because I didn't want to waste any of the pickles. I didn't notice that it was cracked until the water bath was done, and some of the liquid was gone. I took that jar and emptied the contents into another jar.. thankfully I had enough of the pickling liquid to cover it and I put that jar to ripen in the fridge. Water bathing it again to seal it would of meant some very mushy pickles .. so we will see how it turns out.

Next year I plan on growing my own pickling cukes.. The cheapest I could find was $1 lb and that adds up quickly. Those little cukes are heavy.
On with the domestic fun!! Wonder what will be next...???? stay tuned :)

Jammin

I was oh so fortunate to be able to pick raspberries at a friend of mine's Mom's place.. plump juicy berries.. with nothing yucky sprayed on them.
My girls love raspberry jam. well lets be honest. .who doesn't love raspberry jam!?!
My friends Mom told me how she was making her jam.. with no pectin. Sounds good to me, so I gave it a try this round and was very pleased with the results.

• 8 cups berries
• 6 cups sugar (I have seen online there are recipes calling for equal amounts of fruit to sugar, I didn't think it needed that)

How easy can that be?? Seriously!

Get your jars sterilizing and the lids and rings in a pot heating.

Heat your berries and give them a good mashing.

Add your sugar and bring the whole mixture up to 220 degrees.

Fill your jars.. then put them in to the canner for their water bath. 5 Min after the water starts to boil (time from the point of boiling)

and voila

 

What to make next?... hmm stay tuned to find out :)