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.

A Jarring Experience!

I love canning jars... I admit it.. I am sure from my last couple posts about canning it may not be that big of a surprise. There are so many interesting ones out there.. the old ones are my favourite. I tend to like old things.. they have history behind them. You wonder about the family they belonged too. Who worked hard filling them. The comfort and celebrations that the food in them were part of. I can picture people from days gone by spending hot summer afternoons harvesting and preserving their families bounty for the coming winter. Something quite comforting about that.
When I was in Arizona, I found the coloured Ball brand canning jars. I was determined to bring some home. Here the only stores I could find them in were craft stores, and they wanted WAY too much for them. So I found the cases of the pint size jars.. now the decision.. blue or green??? Initially I decided on the blue... but before I went home I went back and got a case of the green as well.

I packed them in my carry on and carried them through two airports.. more than one border patrol inspector looked twice when it went through the x-ray machine. I also had to unpack my bag at both airports to show them that they were empty *sigh* .. by the time I got home, my arms were tired from carrying the bag, but I was glad I had bought them.

I also bought the top accessory to turn them into a drinking cup. I thought they were kind of fun.

 

The blue and green coloured jars were brought out on Ball's anniversary. Many people love the old vintage blue Ball jars. The original blue was caused from a mineral in the sand that the Ball company used to make them. It was very unique to the area it came from and I think it is safe to say was a trade mark.

I was shopping at a local second hand store and found some wonderful glass top canning jars.. these have the vintage zinc rings. While I wont use these for actually canning, I will use them to store things in.

I only paid .50 a piece for them. Somehow the jars we have now, pale in comparison to these lovely old jars. But they still look pretty good when they are filled and stacked up on a shelf.

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 :)