Strawberry Syrup

Good thing this syrup taste so good, I could have made a lot of jam with that much fruit! This is my third recipe that I have done from my new cookbook on canning You Can Can. This syrup taste so good on pancakes and waffles, I have had it on both, now I need to buy some vanilla ice-cream so I can give it a try that way to.

Strawberry Syrup
12 cups strawberries
2 cups water
3 cups sugar

Wash berries; remove green caps. Place about half the berries in a large kettle. Use slotted spoon or potato masher to crush berries in the kettle; add remaining berries and crush again. Add water. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cook, uncovered, over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Line a strainer or colander with a double layer of cheese sloth; set over a bowl. Pour mixture into strainer. Press to drain all juice. Discard berry pulp. Measure 6 cups juice.
In a 3- or 4-quart saucepan or kettle heat the juice to a rolling boil; stir in the sugar. Continue boiling about 30 minutes or until mixture is slightly thickened, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
Pour syrup into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a ¼-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids. Process filled jars in boiling-water canner for 5 minutes (start timing when water returns to boil). Remove jars from canner; cool on wire racks. Makes 4 half-pints.

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Hamburger Dill Pickles

Canning your own food is making a comeback! It not as hard as you think it is, most cookbooks come with a canning section, or you buy yourself a book on canning there are many on the market. I have also found many web-sites on the subject of canning. This recipe came from my newest canning cookbook You Can Can.

These pickles are not just for hamburgers, as you can see I like to eat dill pickles with my grilled cheese sandwiches.

Hamburger Dill Pickles
3 pounds 4-inch pickling cucumbers (about 36)
3 cups water
3 cups white vinegar
¼ cup pickling salt
¼ cup sugar
6 to 9 heads fresh dill or 6 tablespoons dill seeds

Thoroughly rinse cucumbers. Remove stems and slice into 1/4-inch slices; set aside. In a large stainless steel, enameled, or nonstick saucepan combine water, vinegar, pickling salt, and sugar. Bring to boiling.
Pack sliced cucumbers loosely into hot, sterilized pint canning jars, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Add 2 to 3 heads of dill or 1 tablespoon dill seeds to each jar. Pour hot vinegar mixture over cucumbers, leaving a ½-ich headspace. Discard any remaining hot vinegar mixture. Whip jar rims; adjust lids. Process in a boiling-water canner for 10 minutes (begin timing when water returns to boiling). Remove jars; cool on racks. Let stand for one week to develop flavors before serving. Makes 6 pintsPin It

Sweet Pickle Relish

This is the first time that I have made relish. I found this recipe in the Better Homes and Garden You Can Can cookbook. I used my food processor instead of chopping the vegetables by hand this made for a finer copped relish.
 A better name for this relish should be; The Disappearing Hotdog Relish or better yet “What happen to my hotdog”. Everyone knows that I’m not a big fan of hotdogs, I usually have to eat them with chili and cheese and I will only eat one, but not with this relish. The first time I put this relish on my hotdog I ate it so fast I didn’t realize what happen to it so I had to eat another one; and had to stop myself from eating a third!

Sweet Pickle Relish
6 medium un-waxed cucumbers
3 green and / or red sweet peppers
6 medium onions
¼ cup pickling salt
3 cups sugar
2 cups cider vinegar
2 ½ teaspoons celery seeds
2 ½ teaspoons mustard seeds
½ teaspoon turmeric
Wash cucumbers and peppers. Chop; discard pepper stems, membranes, and seeds. If desired, seed cucumbers. Measure 6 cups cucumber and 3 cups sweet peppers. Peel and chop onions; measure 3 cups chopped onions. Combine vegetable in a large bowl. Sprinkle with pickling salt; add cold water to cover. Let stand, covered, at room temperature for 2 hours.

Pour vegetable mixture into colander set in sink. Rinse with fresh water and drain well.

In a 4-quart kettle or pot combine sugar, vinegar, celery seeds, mustard seeds, and turmeric. Heat to boiling. Add drained vegetable mixture; return to boiling. Cook, uncovered, over medium-high heat about 10 minutes or until most of the excess liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally.

Ladle relish into hot, sterilized half-pint canning jars, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Whipe the jar rim; adjust lids. Process filled jars in a boiling-water canner 10 minutes (start timing when water returns to boil). Remove the jars from canner; cool on wire racks.Pin It

Crispy Sweet Pickles

It’s been a long time since I last made these pickles, about 10 years. My family has asked me over the years if I would make them again I just never got around to making them. Ariel says she can remember coming home from school and eating them out of the refrigerator. My memories for these pickles are also from when I was a little girl. I use the same recipe today that my stepmom Gen would also use to make hers all those years ago. I remember the pots of sliced cucumber soaking in lime sitting on the washing machine in the garage and the smell of the cucumbers cooking in the brine days later. I first learned how to can from  my stepmom; she would also can string beans and tomatoes. The canner that I use today is the same one that I bought 26 years ago when Richard and I were married; I believe I just might be using the same jars too.

Crispy Sweet Pickles
25 to 30 small cucumbers
2 cups lime (calcium hydroxide)
2 gallons water
2 quarts white vinegar
8 cups sugar
2 teaspoons whole cloves
1 teaspoon salt

Slice cucumbers about 1/8-inch thick. Dissolve lime in water and cover cucumber slices. Let stand 24 hours.
Rinse well. Let stand 3 hours in clear water. Drain. Mix the vinegar, sugar, cloves and salt and pour over cucumbers. Let stand overnight. In the morning bring to a boil and boil 35 to 40 minutes. Fill sterilized Kerr jars to within ½ inch of top with cucumbers and syrup. Put on cap, screw band firmly tight. Process jars in a boiling water bath canner; 10 minutes for pints, or 15 minutes for quarts. Yield: 10 pints or 5 quarts

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Peach Jam

I have made many different jams and jellies over the past 25 years but I believe that peach has got to be my favorite! If you have never made homemade jam before you need to give it a try. The taste of homemade jam is so much better than the store bought. Don’t be intimidated with the canning process it is easier than you might think. Just buy yourself a book on canning and give it a try!

Peach Jam
2 quarts crushed peeled, pitted peaches
½ cup water
6 cups sugar

Combine peaches and water in a large saucepot. Cook gently 10 minutes. Add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Bring slowly to a boil. Cook rapidly to gelling point, about 15 minutes. As mixture thickens, stir to prevent sticking. Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. Ladle jam into hot jars, leaving ¼ -inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner. Yield: about 4 pints.

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