Yule presents/Home Preserving/Bacteria etc

[celynny]

For Yule this year I want to give homemade/home preserved/homebaked gifts. One thing I want to do is make baskets of a few different things, like homemade jams and jellies, home preserved peaches, and make some infused oils etc

Comments

[jacylrin]

The safest way to make sure canned stuff seals properly is to buy new lids every time. You can reuse rings - the part that screws onto a canning jar - but are supposed to buy new lids every time - the flat part that actually seals against the lip of the jar and covers the opening. Jars and rings you can buy used (thrift stores and garage sales are marvelous for this), or buy new. We usually ran all the jars and rings - new or otherwise - through the dishwasher just before using, and did the dunk in boiling water to sterilize. I've heard from lots and lots of people that your best bet is to use the Ball Blue Book to learn about canning and some other forms of preservation. You'll need the right kind of set up - I think a really deep pot and a basket to hold the jars works for jams, but some other types of things really need pressure canning, which is a more complicated setup from what I understand.

I've made lots and lots of jam (usually peach, because that's what we always wound up with extra bushels of), and have pretty good luck using the usual pectin you get at the grocery or discount store and following the directions that come in the package. I actually prefer the reduced sugar types - I think they're like 1/3 less sugar or something. You get more fruit flavor and less just overwhelming sweetness. If you are going to do anything with peaches, bring a pot of water to a boil and dip each peach in it briefly. This makes the skin really easy to slip off without losing any of the fruit. Peach jam is my favorite thing to make in huge quantities and give as gifts - in part because of availability of the peaches (we used to sell plants at farmers' markets, and still know some of the vendors, so get good deals on really ripe peaches - and bruises don't hurt your jam *grin*). Also because it frankly isn't that challenging to do. And especially midwinter, that summery flavor and warm color is marvelous to give. While I don't know the recommended storage length on peach jam, I know some was opened a few years later and none the worse for the wear (other than needing the lid dusted before opening *snrk*).

There are a lot of sources within the SCA on cordials and other alcoholic infusions. A lot of people won't do infused oils at all, or insist if they make them that they be used within a few days, but there are directions out there, too. I suggest one place to start is http://moas.atlantia.sca.org/wsnlinks/ (don't be put off that it's medieval-based)

For teas, mint is an easy thing to dry and use for teas (or whatever).\

Hmm. Now I'm feeling inspired. We have that huge turkey frying pot I could use for a hot water canning bath.... Hmmmm..... But I won't have time for weeks *sigh*. Maybe we could have a "jam session" after I organize my kitchen ;-)

Oh, I also have a good friend who is very into various ways of preserving food - http://www.gallowglass.org/jadwiga/

Looks like a lot of the Ball Blue Book info us up on http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/home/1.php (jams and whatnot are covered under "high acid," which means you can use hot water bath canning and not pressure cooker canning.

Have fun!

[celynny]

Wow thank you so much for all the information!!!!!

I'd love to have someone come and help me and show me how to do some of this. I'm worried about..you know. Doing it wrong or whatever XDD It sounds easy in the book, but when time comes for me to actually DO it? Well completely different story.

I wanted to try to make some peach jam, peach preserved in syrup, and some maybe strawberry jam preserves well in advance and then store them until yule.
I wanted to try to make some infused vinegar too, like rasperry vinegar, before the raspberries are absolutely rediculously hard to find. ^_^

I want to go to a farmers market sometime soon and get some peachies and do peachies. If you have a canning party/kitchen reorganization and don't mind me coming...well..>> You know where I'm going with this! :-D

Help from someone who's done it before is unrivaled.