This summer I became a food-preservative fanatic. I was mainly looking for something to keep me busy while I was at home, but once I started, I couldn’t stop looking for new things to pack into jars. One day I went blackberry picking with my sister and ended up with 12 jars of blackberry jam. One week, my dad and I made 24 jars of dilly beans (pickled green beans) and 12 jars of pickles with the extra produce from his garden. Originally I thought that they would be great Hannukah presents, if only they would last that long. But seriously, I brought six jars of dilly beans to school and all but one jar has already been devoured (ahem, housemates). Maybe my intrigue with canning dates back to my Little House on the Prairie days, reading about Laura shaking milk into butter and storing vegetables for winter. Or maybe because it is such a satisfactory experience and the jam tastes a lot sweeter than regular jam too, that is, if you add as much sugar as I do. Regardless, I had so much fun canning things this summer that I thought I would share with you some recipes for fall harvest preservation.

Although many people are often intimidated by canning food, it is actually a lot easier than you might think. Once you have the basic supplies and guidelines, it’s simple to preserve whatever type of food you are interested in. Fall is a great time for canning food because the autumn harvest produces a lot of vegetables and fruits that are easy to preserve. Here are a few recipes, some that I’ve tried and some that I’m planning to try out in the future. I started with the basics of canning just to make sure everyone is on the same page.

Supplies

-Ball jars, wide mouth (either quarts or half-quarts)
-A very large pot, one that the jars can fit in so they are completely submerged with one inch of water over them
-Tongs, to lift the jars out of the water

For every recipe listed, you must first sterilize the jars to prevent bacteria from entering. This is a fairly simple procedure.

Step 1. Boil water in a large pot.
Step 2. Once it is boiling, put the jars and lids in the water separately.
Step 3. Wait five minutes, take the jars out of the water and let them dry on a clean cloth.

Easy Pickles

This is a good first canning recipe to start with because you don’t have to boil anything, except the jars. Miraculously, the cucumbers ferment without the use of vinegar at all. Make sure your cucumbers are small enough to fit in the quart jars without having to slice.

Ingredients:
-1 tbsp. salt
-several cloves of garlic
-sprigs of dill
-a few peppercorns
-whole cucumbers (if you can, pick up the special pickling cucumbers. make sure to leave 1/2 inch of empty space at the top.)

Step 1: After you have sterilized the jars, stuff with ingredients.
Step 2: Fill the jar with water up to 1/2 inch from the top.
Step 3: Twist the lid on tight and shake the jar.
Step 4: Loosen the top just a bit.
Step 5: Leave the jars in dry storage for one week.
Step 6: Shake up once or twice over the week, and then tighten the lid and put it in the fridge for one week.
Step 7: Eat!

Pickled Beets

This is a recipe I’m going to try out this weekend because Long Lane Farm has tons of huge beets that we want to store for the winter. It’s a bit more involved than the last recipe because you have to put the jars in a hot water bath afterward, but definitely worth the trouble.

Ingredients:
3 pounds small beets
2 cups vinegar
1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. whole allspice
6 whole gloves
3 inches cinnamon

Step 1:  Wash the beets and leave the roots on and one inch of the tops. If you have larger beets, you can take the tops off. Submerge them in a pot of water. Bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and let simmer for about 25 minutes. Trim off the roots and stems and slip the skins off.

Step 2: In the now empty pot, combine vinegar, water, and sugar. Add allspice, cloves, and cinnamon in a tied cheesecloth. Heat to boiling and then let simmer for about five minutes.

Step 3: Pack the beets in half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.  Add the boiling pickling liquid (without the spice bag), leaving 1/2 inch head space. I suggest using a funnel for this step.

Step 4: Wipe clean jar rims and tighten lids. Place jars in a large pot of boiling water for 30 minutes. Remove the jars from the pot with tongs and let them cool on the rack.

Peach Jam

Lyman’s Orchard still has pick-your-own peaches, so for your last jamming session of the season, harvest some peaches and start canning. This recipe calls for pectin, which is an ingredient which helps fruit harden quicker. You can either find this at a grocery store, or just stir the jam extra long.

Ingredients:
-4 pounds peaches
-1 package pectin
-1/4 cup sugar
-1 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel
-2 tbs. lemon juice
-3 cups sugar

Step 1: Wash peaches, then peel, pit and chop.

Step 2: Combine pectin and 1/4 cup of sugar with the peaches, lemon peel, and lemon juice in a big pot. Bring to a big boil, stirring constantly. Stir in the three cups of sugar and return to a rolling boil. Boil hard for one minute, while continuing to stir constantly. Remove from heat and quickly skim off the foam with a metal spoon.

Step 3: Immediately ladle into hot half-pint jars leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe jar rims and tighten lids. Place in boiling water  for 10 minutes. Remove jars from pot and allow them to cool.