Canning Bonanza

This post is inspired by my grandmother; who just sent some pickles and jams for my family and I to enjoy! I’ll admit, because of my Grandmother I’ve been pretty spoiled with great Jam. It sounds lame, but I’ve never had to buy a jar of jam, or pickles!

I love homemade jams, they go well with anything, and they make a great housewarming gift. If you make the jam yourself, you can pick up jars that have fun designs and are a little bit fancier than ordinary jars you would put jam in for your own home.

I recently tried making some jams of my own, but the didn’t turn out the greatest. (Hence, the arrival of jams from grandma’s). One frantic phone call with Grandma later, I’m assured that there is an instinct component in making jam; one that I’ve been assured will come with time. That being said, I’m not looking forward to how many trial errors I’ll have to go through before I work it out.

Pickles, especially homemade pickles are my absolute favorite thing. Dill pickles can be time consuming, but well worth it if you ask me. What do you think, are pickles a food or just a condiment? That’s a debate that my bothers and I have been having for years.

Here the recipe that are my favorite. Try them out yourself!

Dill Pickles

1 qrt vinegar

2 qrt water

¼ to ½ cup pickling salt

2 cups sugar

1 clove garlic

Dill

Raspberry Jam

4 cups cleaned but not washed raspberries

4 cups boiling water

4 cups sugar

Juice of ½ a lemon

Pour boiling water over raspberries in colander and drain well. Put berries in a pot and add 2 cups and sugar. Bring to a rolling boil for two minutes, stirring constantly. Add the other 2 cups of sugar and the lemon juice. Ring to a full boil for another two minutes. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.

This Jam has a reputation as being an easier one to make, and I’ve heard it sets well. In my own attempt it didn’t go so well, but I wish you the best of luck!