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June 23, 2011 at 6:00 am
I’d like to talk to you about the most harrowing day of my life.
It was a nice, hot summer day, sort of like today. We woke up early and went strawberry picking.
And then we came home, and I lost my mind. While trying to can jam for the first time.
I realize now that I made some rookie errors. First — I tried doing this whole thing alone with two little kids who desperately wanted to help.
Frankly, I was scared they just weren’t sterile enough.
I think that was my second problem. I was very, very worried about giving my whole family a horrendous illness.
I realize now that people have been canning for a very long time, and it was way before dishwashers, or special tongs or soap that smells like apricots.
But it wasn’t until I heard that nice little ping that I felt the stress headache start to dissipate. And it was weeks later before I felt like maybe I had been a little bit nutty about the boiling and clean towels. The 9 clean towels.
My final issue was the recipe. When I saw the insane amount of sugar, I almost gave up all together.
It was like a great snowy mountain of diabetes and tooth decay.
So next time, I am going to take a deep breath, worry a lot less about the possible microbes lurking in the slots in my spoon, and just have a little fun. I’m also picking a much healthier recipe like this one.
Although all that sugar and fear sure made some tasty first-timer jam.
Do you do any canning? What are your favorite recipes for preserving?
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I made over 20 jars of strawberry jam this week. My mom is diabetic so I attempted a batch with stevia, which failed miserably. So I decided to try agave nectar – it is so amazing. Pomona’s Pectin is the best! 4 cups of berries to 1/2 c of agave per batch. It smells like summer. Keep trying, this is my third year. Follow the directions in the packet. Make sure your canning pot is boiling by the time you fill hot jars with jam. Put vinegar in the canning pot if you have hard water
It is very rewarding, just don’t be afraid to fail!
Comment by Mindy — June 23, 2011 @ 2:55 pm
We just started canning last summer — my husband’s family has more of a tradition of preserving, so he takes the lead and I assist. And we always can after the kids go to bed. You are much more brave!
We also use Pomona’s Pectin and jam with honey — and much, much less than your standard recipe. Like a cup of honey per batch. That helps to lessen the guilt when I send my daughter to school with a PB&J.
Comment by Tamara — June 24, 2011 @ 9:35 am
Hi Mindy! I love the agave recipe idea. It sounds perfect!
I was amazed that even with everything I did “wrong” the jam still turned out. It gave me a headache from all the sugar, but it was delicious and did gel.
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. And I agree Pomona’s is the best! Anything that doesn’t require 4 cups of sugar per batch is awesome!!
Comment by Kara — June 24, 2011 @ 9:38 am
I canned for the first time yesterday…bread and butter pickles since I got 18 cucumbers from our CSA. I have to say I was excited until I really got to reading about it, and then terrified. What, this can actually kill us? Yikes, I don’t know if I can handle the responsibility! But the jars seem to have sealed properly, and I know that I am not less capable than others who have done this before, just less experienced, and that has to start somewhere! I’m going to do cherries today..they are on sale.
Just came across your blog, and am enjoying it this morning.
Comment by Lori — July 8, 2011 @ 8:43 am