“Bottling Summer” – CCNV Workshop
RECIPES
Cardamom - Peach Jam (made in class) – makes 4-5 half pints
The basic recipe is directly from the Pomona’s Pectin box insert
4 cups chopped or mashed peaches
2 teaspoons pectin powder
¼ cup lemon juice
2 t calcium water
½ cup – 1 cup honey OR ¾ cup – 2 cups sugar
¾ teaspoon freshly ground cardamom
Follow the directions on the Pomona’s Pectin insert. Add cardamom after skimming foam.
The box has instructions and recipes to make jams and jellies from most fruits.
Basic Applesauce – about 7 quarts
Labor-intensive, but worth it!
21 lbs apples (I like to use a mix of tart and sweet)
Sugar or honey
Lemon juice
1. Wash apples. Cut out any blemishes, core, and quarter. Don’t peel. Put in heavy
kettle with 1-2” water or apple juice. I also splash in some lemon juice to prevent
browning.
2. Cover and cook until soft, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.
3. While apples cook, fill canner with jars, lids, and rings and cover with 2” water. Boil
for 15 minutes.
4. Pass softened apples through hand crank “squeezo” strainer or food mill. Add
sweetener to taste. Reheat sauce to boiling. Simmer uncovered until desired
thickness. If you like a chunky, “country” applesauce, just cut into smaller pieces
before cooking. Mash fruit and peels to desired consistency when soft.
5. Pack hot applesauce in hot, clean, jars. Leave ½ inch headspace. Clean rims;
adjust lids.
6. Process pints for 15 minutes; quarts for 20 minutes.
7. Remove jars from canner and cool on thick towel.
8. Check seals. Remove rings (after 24 hours). Label. Store in cool, dark place.
Apple Butter – for half-pint or pint jars
Prepare a double batch of apples and cook a portion down into apple butter.
1. After apples are strained, cook sauce on low heat until very thick. Watch constantly
at the end as the butter can easily scorch. You can add a cinnamon stick and a few
cloves and cardamom pods while the sauce is reducing. Remove spices before
bottling. Add sweetener to taste when the apple butter is as thick as you like (it may
not need any).
2. Prepare half pint or pint jars, lids and rings by boiling for 15 minutes.
3. Fill hot, sterilized jars with apple butter. Leave a ¼ inch headspace. Clean rims;
adjust lids.
4. Process half pints for 5 minutes (after water returns to boil), pints 10 minutes.
5. Remove jars from canner and cool for 24 hours.
6. Check seals. Remove rings. Label. Store.
General canning instructions for common stone fruits – about 7 quarts
1.
2.
3.
4.
Figure 16-18 pounds of high quality fruit will yield 7 quarts.
Choose ripe, mature fruit that is ready for eating. Overripe fruit will get mushy.
Wash fruit thoroughly and drain in colander.
Prepare antioxidant solution (to prevent browning while you prepare all the fruit):
5 Tablespoons lemon juice per 1 gallon cold water.
5. Prepare simple syrup and keep hot while preparing fruit:
Very light
10 ½ cups water
+
1 ¼ cups sugar
Light
9 cups water
+
2 ¼ cups sugar
Medium
8 ¼ cups water
+
3 ¾ cups sugar
(You can use commercial fruit juice or water to fill jars. Preheat and keep warm.)
6. Prepare clean and drained fruit as follows:
Raw-pack
Apricots & Peaches: Peel by briefly dipping fruit in boiling water, then plunging in
ice water. Slip off skins. Cut into halves or quarters and remove pits.
Place pieces in antioxidant solution.
Nectarines do not need peeling. Cut in half or quarters and remove pits.
Place in antioxidant solution.
Sweet or Sour cherries: stem and remove pits with cherry pitter.
Hot-pack
Pears: Peel. Cut in half and core (melon baller works well).
Place in simple syrup and boil for 5 minutes.
7. Sterilize jars, lids, and rings by boiling for 15 minutes.
8. Drain fruit and pack cut side down in hot jars. Leave ½ inch headspace.
9. Fill jars with hot syrup or fruit juice, leaving ½ inch headspace. (For cherries, start
with ½ cup syrup, add cherries and gently shake down, then add more syrup and
more cherries in layers until full.)
10. Expel air bubbles by running a non-metal utensil (plastic flat knife, bamboo
chopstick or skewer) gently down between fruit and jar, pressing fruit slightly and
tilting jar a little to allow bubbles to break the surface. Add more liquid to maintain
proper headspace.
11. Wipe jar rim with clean, damp cloth. Adjust lid and ring.
12. Process quarts for 30 minutes after water returns to boil. (Water should cover the
jars by 2 inches).
13. Remove jars and cool on heavy towel for 24 hours.
14. Check seals. Remove rings. Wipe jars, label, and store jars in cool, dark place
where they won’t freeze.
There are fabulous recipes for pie filling, chutneys, conserves, marmalades and other fruit
preserves. Have fun experimenting – but only water-bath can recipes that are designed
and tested for canning. Don’t forget to keep records!