Classy and Opinionated Lifestyle Mom Blog
How many of you make your own homemade seasoned tomato sauce? I’ve been making my own sauce for the past 15 years! We have a backyard garden and always have plenty of tomatoes. What’s really cool about making it this way is that you can …
For the past 3 years we’ve been sharing with you some of our favorite home canning recipes. A lot of people think that canning is a difficult and time-consuming process. However, once you learn the basics, you can quickly can some of your favorite foods. …
How many of you have tried preserving your own jams, jellies, marmalades and chutneys? I first learned how to do home canning when I was 16 or 17 years old and have been preserving food for my family ever since. I first started out learning how to can fruit jams which are really easy to do.
* Complimentary Book Received for Review. This post contains affiliate links.
Title: 250 Home Preserving Favorites
Author: Yvonne Tremblay
Publisher: Robert Rose
ISBN: 978-0-7788-0237-2
Book Synopsis: By following a few simple steps & these mouth-watering recipes, you can enjoy the delicious rewards of canning soft spreads at home in your kitchen. This outstanding collection features all the original recipes from the bestselling Prizewinning Preserves, as well as over 125 brand-new delights. All are sure to please, whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned pro, because they feature reliable, easy-to-follow, up-to-date preserving instructions and information.
Example of Recipes:
Rhubarb Jam
Honey Pear & Vanilla Bean Jam
Spiced Peach Jam
Fig Jam
Red Fruit Jam
Peach Orange Marmalade
Three-Fruit Marmalade
Raspberry Blueberry Spread
Peach Blueberry No-Cook Jam
Cherry Profusion Conserve
Cran-Raspberry Jelly
Pomegranate Jelly
Peach Vanilla Jelly
Pineapple and Mint Jelly
Blueberry Maple Butter
Carrot Apple Butter
Spiced Pear Butter
Date Orange Chutney
+ Many, Many More!
If you’re new to preserving you’ll find a Primer on Preserving located in the front of the book. This is a great way to start or to refresh what you already know. The primer will educate you on food safety, the equipment you’ll need, how to get started with canning, labeling & storing your finished product plus a lot more! It’s a great primer and I learned a few things that I didn’t know and I’m an experienced home canner!
The book is broken down into chapters: Jams, Conserves, Marmalades, Jellies, Fruit Butters, Chutneys, Recipes Using Preserves and a Jam Glam section that gives you ideas on jar decorations and gift ideas.
As someone who does a lot of canning, I like the variety of recipes in the book. I can find several to use throughout the various seasons in the year. For me, home canning is a year-round activity, depending on which fruits & veggies are currently in season. The author gives you step-by-step instructions that are easy-to-follow along with her helpful tips along the way. I love, love, love this book and I look forward to using it often throughout the year.
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Disclaimer: Shelly received a complimentary product as featured in this blog post. No monetary compensation was received. Shelly’s thoughts and words are 100% her own unbiased opinion on the company & products being featured today. The Two Classy Chics are not responsible for prize shipment or fulfillment. This post may contain affiliate links. Thank you!
Twenty years ago my Father-in-Law introduced me to home canning and one of the very first things that I learned to process and can was pickled red beets. Once I had mastered the beets, we moved on to various veggies, then to fruits, jams & …
When it comes to backyard gardening, cucumbers are one of the easiest things to grow, at least for me. Every year I plant just a few plants and always end up with an over-abundance of fresh cucumbers which I happily enjoy! We like using fresh …
When it comes to a creamy, smooth and flavorful applesauce, my family is all about homemade. Sure, you can buy the jarred and canned versions at your local grocery store, but trust me…NOTHING is as good as homemade.
The easiest way to make your own apple sauce is by utilizing your slow cooker (crockpot) to make it. I don’t have actual measurements for my recipe, but I will give you a general idea on how to make it. You’ll want to do some taste-testing along the way to get the ground cinnamon and sugar to your own personal liking.
I use a large slow cooker when I make it and I add about 4 cups of hot water into my vessel. I then add 2-3 teaspoons of lemon juice. I peel, core and chop my apples, placing them into the vessel as I go along. I fill it up pretty full since I cook and bake in bulk. As the apples cook down…they make more fluid (water), so don’t over do it with water. If I had to guesstimate, I use a ratio of 3 to 1 (apples to water). Turn the slow cooker on high heat, cover and let the cooking process begin.
Every 40-45 minutes I remove the lid and give everything a good stir. Cover and let it continue to cook. You can cook everything over low heat which takes longer, so I do mine over high heat and it’s done in about 3 hours (max). During the last 15 minutes of the cooking process I add in my granulated sugar. I do this completely by taste-testing since my family likes a moderately-sweet apple sauce. Stir in your desired amount, cover and let cook for 15 minutes to dissolve the sugar. Remove the lid. Stir in the ground cinnamon. Again, I taste-test…but I normally add about 2 1/2 tablespoons.
I then spoon my cooked apples into a large blender container. Cover. Blend on low until smooth and creamy. Some people like theirs chunky, but my family prefers smooth. Once done, I use my wide-mouth funnel to ladle the freshly-made applesauce into glass mason jars (if I’m canning) or into plastic freezer containers (if I’m freezing it).
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Freezing Method: You’ll want to let it cool down to room temperature. Cover the container, label and then freeze.
Canning Method: I use a water bath canner and home-can it according to the processing instructions in my canning recipe handbook. You’ll need a waterbath canner, mason jars, rings, seals and some accessories to use this method.
Looking for a new slow cooker? I have three of them and use them all of the time. The last two that I got…I purchased from Amazon and love them!
* This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may or may not receive a small commission which helps to support this site. Thank you!
During the month of September I spend a LOT of time in my kitchen freezing food and home canning foods for the upcoming winter season. It’s a great way to preserve what’s left in my backyard garden. In addition, I like to visit some of …
Every year we plant a backyard garden and always get a lot of zucchini. For some reason, zucchini grows extremely well in my backyard. This year we planted only 4 plants and so far, we’ve gotten over 18 large zucchinis from them! So, what do …