Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

Apple Butter time at our house.

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

completed....grape jam, corn, peaches

in process of finishing up...spaghetti sauce, salsa, green beans

need to get started...apple sauce and pie filling. I might do some apple butter. I have four five gallon buckets, one cooler, and three totes full of apples.

I also just picked all of our sweet pumpkins. I am thinking bread and pie filling.

I also need to work up a full box of zucchini into bread.

I started canning in late July...you would think I would be "more finished". I just bought more jars and picked the apples today. OH, we also got some pears, but I think we will just eat those.

by the time I finish it should be hunting season.

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

Today is apple butter, tomatillo lime pepper jam (like a salsa verde but with a jam consistency), and a creation of my own that I'm calling Hummingbird Cake Jam (pineapple, coconut, banana, nuts - like a hummingbird cake but you can spread it on toast).

I also picked up some lavender sugar and will be doing some more Berry Lavender Honey Jam that I did upthread.

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

today is applesauce and apple pie filling

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

I was thinking about substituting honey for sugar in my next apple butter - does anyone have a general idea of the conversion for that? It calls for 2 cups of sugar. I was thinking 1/4 cup of honey :think

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

I personally would just taste it and see what you like. =) and slowly add more until you get it to where you like it.

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

You may need to reduce the amount of liquid to sub honey for sugar.

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

I've only used one reciepe and it just said apples, sugar and cinnamon :nails

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

Then you should be fine. You might have to cook it a bit longer for it to firm up.

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

Today is more lavender berry jam, more apple butter, and more pear persimmon jam if my persimmons will ever fully ripen. We were in the farmers market last week for the first time. I sold 20 jars of jellies, jams, and preserves! :woohoo My best sellers were Fig Blueberry Jam and Apple Butter, followed closely by Tomato Pepper Jam. I have plenty of tomato pepper jam already jarred up ready to go for this Saturday, but more apple butter is a must do. I can't make anymore fig blueberry jam because I'm out of frozen figs. :(

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

:rockon

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

Today, when I get home from work, I'm going to harvest cactus pears to make jam. I have never done this before and will report back on how it goes. The jelly I have seen is this amazing purple color and has a delicate floral taste I've been told.

I made 3 jars of beautyberry jelly with local honey and low sugar pectin. I don't really :heart the texture of low sugar pectin (it's a bit slimy, IMO :shifty). However, this jelly was something that I was doing on a wild-crafting/foraging kick that I've been on lately, and I picked the berries largely because they are supposed to be good for you (high in anti-oxidants, good for rheumatism, building up your immune system, etc.) but they have a very insipid flavor raw. So, I picked them specifically to make jelly with them and wanted to use minimal sugars and combine them with local honey both for the health benefits and to mask some of the less pleasing flavors of the berries themselves.

Using honey at a reduced amount meant that I had to use the low-sugar pectin. It's pretty good and the color is nice if I do say so myself. I just wish the jars didn't have sediment in the bottoms. I know it is nothing to worry about if I was eating them myself, but I like for everything we sell at market to be perfect. I'm thinking of calling it Bee Healthy Jelly..... get it? ;)

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

The cactus pears were picked, steamed, and juiced last night. Tonight, I make jelly. The color of the juice is GORGEOUS! It's purple and red - almost like beets. I think the jelly is going to be beautiful. I just hope it tastes great. I've got a batch of cactus pears on my property that aren't ripe yet, so if this goes well I should be able to do at least one more batch.

I'm also making more apple butter, lavender berry jam, and pear persimmon jam, I think I'm going to hold off on the beautyberry honey jelly until I perfect things. The batch I made day before yesterday tastes fine, but isn't as aesthetically pleasing as I would like.

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

Last night, I made and canned pear persimmon jam, blackberry lavender jam, and cactus pear jelly. They cactus pear jelly is beautiful, and the flavor is mild but pleasant. :yum

Re: Summer Canning 2014
 

We picked a basket and a half of pears from a tree at dh's office today. Now what? :shifty

1) do I have to peal them to make pear butter or something. They are small and it might not be worth it (I would pass them along to friends with chickens and goats, so they wouldn't go to waste)

2) do I need to consider adding something else to a butter to give some additional taste - I have access to frozen blueberries and that might taste good.