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View Full Version : Lesson learned about canning

WildOlive
07-10-2010, 09:27 AM
Today I am feeding pears and plums to the chickens. I canned them before Levi was born :bag I was on an eating healthier kick, and canned them all with honey instead of white sugar. There are probably 30 or so wasted quarts of food. :blush Nobody liked them, they had a funny taste, so we never ate them.

The moral? Try new things in small batches first. It makes me sick to throw this much food away, but it's time to face the fact that I made a mistake and need to move on.
GlacierLily
07-10-2010, 09:40 AM
:hug2
Sundance
07-10-2010, 09:51 AM
:hug I just did all of my strawberry jam with honey. So far, we like the taste, but it's not "regular jam". Good idea to try things in small batches, first. At least the chickens are eating them, so they're not totally going to waste!
momyshaver
07-10-2010, 10:51 AM
Argh... that is rough :hug2
WildOlive
07-10-2010, 11:37 AM
:hug I just did all of my strawberry jam with honey. So far, we like the taste, but it's not "regular jam". Good idea to try things in small batches, first. At least the chickens are eating them, so they're not totally going to waste!

Yes, the chickens are loving it! :D

I guess for us, I will just keep on using sugar, and tell myself it is better than the HFCS in most store bought things. I was too overwhelmed with life to can anything this year, or even put in a garden. :bag Hopefully next year will be going smoother.
homesteadmama
07-10-2010, 10:57 PM
Sorry to hear this!

I too have been looking for an alternative to the Jan recipes I have that call for more sugar than fruit!! I discovered that freezer jam has way less sugar. It's so easy to make too. But you have to have the room in your freezer to store it. Just thought I'd share that, in case it helps.
Sundance
07-11-2010, 05:25 AM
I used Pomona's Pectin this year. It doesn't require the addition of any sweetener if you don't want to use it. And if you do chose, you can put as much of whichever one you'd like. The recipes are very flexible. I water bath canned my strawberry jam, but could have put it in the freezer, too.
Two Little Birds
07-12-2010, 09:36 AM
Sorry to hear this!

I too have been looking for an alternative to the Jan recipes I have that call for more sugar than fruit!! I discovered that freezer jam has way less sugar. It's so easy to make too. But you have to have the room in your freezer to store it. Just thought I'd share that, in case it helps.

With those recipes I just cut the sugar. :shrug3 Worked great for me last year and there is no way you can tell. They all seemed to have a 1:1 ratio and I cut it to a 4:1 ratio. (My raspberry-peach jam was delish, if I may say so).
Garland
07-12-2010, 10:03 PM
That's a bummer. I wonder why they tasted funny. :think I was hoping to can some fruit this summer with honey or other sugar-alternatives.
WildOlive
07-13-2010, 03:16 AM
I don't think they tasted funny as in bad funny, just not what we were used to. I guess we're pickier than I thought. :-/ Also, the pears took on a dark color that was really not very appetizing.

On the bright side, now I have tons of canning jars and won't have to buy any for a long, long time. :D