The Amish Canning Cookbook (6 page)
Read The Amish Canning Cookbook Online
Authors: Georgia Varozza
So I researched some more. I called the helpful folks at Tattler and I got online and read blog posts about other people’s experiences. After a lot of input, I decided to try using Tattlers again. But for the next several loads, I only did half the load with Tattlers and half the usual way with the two-piece rings and seals. I had success, and I’m growing to like reusables very much.
Tips for Success
Basically you’ll either be using Tattlers correctly, or not. And there is a learning curve, so don’t get frustrated if you experience sealing failures in the beginning like I did. Keep tweaking your procedure and you’ll eventually figure out what works for your personal canning style. The crux of canning with Tattlers seems to come when tightening the lids on the jars before processing, so that is the step you should think about and change up slightly if you have problems. To help you get a feel for this step, here are different ways to say the same thing—that is, how to successfully tighten the band in order to produce a seal when using a Tattler:
• Put the lid on the jar and hold it in place with your finger while tightening the metal screw band finger-tip tight. Don’t overtighten as the food in the jar needs to vent during processing.
• Place the lid and screw band on the jar and screw it in place just like you do your regular two-piece lids. Then back off and loosen the screw band about a quarter of an inch so the food can vent during processing.
• Place the lid and screw band on the jar and tighten the band just until the grooves catch on the ridges of the jar. Don’t screw on tight because the food needs to vent during processing.
Hopefully one of these descriptions will resonate and you won’t have a rocky beginning like I had.
You might want to consider canning half your load with Tattlers and half your load with regular two-piece lids and bands until you’re comfortable using them. That way, if you experience seal failure while you’re learning you won’t have multiple jars of unsealed food to eat in a hurry.
You can also practice using Tattlers by filling them with water and simply canning a few trial loads to see what your success rate is. That way you won’t be wasting food if the jars don’t seal. Keep at it until you have successfully canned several complete canner loads with all the jars sealed.
Removing Lids
When opening jars of food that have been canned with the regular two-piece rings and seals, it’s a simple matter to grab a bottle opener and pop the lid off the jar. But with Tattlers, you’ll need to do things a bit differently once again.
Because you want to save and reuse the plastic lids and gaskets, you must exercise care when opening your jars. Here’s how Tattler describes the process: “When removing lid, gently insert table knife between rubber and jar to release seal—
do not use sharp knife
.”
I tried this and it wasn’t too easy because I couldn’t get a sturdy purchase between the lid and the seal—there’s just no room. And when I finally managed to open the lid, the liquid inside the jar splashed out. I tried opening the jar with a bottle opener and that worked, but I was concerned about using a semi-sharp metal tool due to Tattler’s warning of “do not use sharp knife.” So I went to the store and found a plastic bottle opener which was advertised as being useful for people who have arthritis in their hands. It’s made of thick plastic instead of metal and is wider and thicker than its metal counterpart. It also has a plastic pry area, and I thought that would open my jars without the threat of breaking or warping the plastic lids or tearing the gasket. So far, so good—it seems to work well, and I will continue to use it.
So are Tattler reusable lids something you should consider? I think they definitely have their place in the canning kitchen. The fact that you can buy a quantity and then use them again and again is definitely a plus. Your budget will take a hit only once and then you’ll always have your supplies at hand—no running to the store at the last minute to buy more lids when you run low. Being prepared is always good. I have Tattlers and I use them.
But I also keep a large supply of the Ball and Kerr two-piece lids and bands on hand, and I use those regularly. I love them for their ease of use and their ready availability in most stores.
Experiment and decide for yourself if Tattlers have a place in your own kitchen. You may be pleased with the results.
A
mish women can numerous jars of butters, jams, jellies, and preserves during the harvest months. Fruit is most often grown on their property, and preserving the abundance in season makes good sense. When the winter snow flies those jars of jellied goodness will enhance many a meal, and families will delight in the lingering taste of summer.
In days gone by, before commercially packaged pectin was available, jellied food was made by extracting the juice or crushing the fruit and then adding sugar and cooking the syrup down until it was done. But results could vary widely: the riper the fruit used, the less pectin was present; and overcooking (easy to do) meant that the jam or jelly tasted burnt. And sometimes a farmwife might overcook her fruit and end up with syrup instead of jam or jelly without meaning to. You can still make jams and jellies this way, but using packaged pectin is easier—the process doesn’t take as long and your results, while still occasionally surprising, are much better. (I’ll tell you how to use the long-cook, no added pectin method in the Jams and Jellies sections below.)
Fruit butters are an old-fashioned delight. They use less sugar than jams and jellies and the fruit is cooked without adding in pectin. Rather, the naturally occurring pectin that is found in fruits is what allows the butters to thicken and jell. As a result, fruit butters are generally more spreadable than jams or jellies. Another plus is that fruit butters can be made using less than perfect fruit such as windfall apples and pears that haven’t started to rot. You will, however, want to cut out any bruised spots or rotten areas.
The process for making fruit butter is to first cook the fruit to make pulp. Then you will add sugar and spices to the pulp and continue to cook until it’s ready to can. Fruit butter is easy to prepare, but it does take time to complete the cooking process.
Preparing the Fruit Pulp
Apple is probably the most common fruit butter, but you can also make excellent butters from apricots, grapes, peaches, pears, and plums. When making fruit butters you will want to use ripe fruit that has been washed thoroughly and had any bruising removed.
Apples:
Quarter apples. No need to core or peel them. (Much of an apple’s natural pectin is found in the core.) Add half as much apple juice or cider as you have fruit.
Apricots:
Remove pits and then crush the fruit. Add half as much water or juice as you have fruit.
Grapes:
Remove stems and then crush the fruit. No need to add additional liquid.
Peaches:
Peel by immersing peaches in boiling water for approximately 30–60 seconds or until the skin loosens easily. Remove pits and then crush the fruit. No need to add additional liquid.
Pears:
Remove stem and blossom ends. Peel if desired. Quarter and core the pears and then crush the fruit. No need to add additional liquid.
Plums:
Remove pits and then crush the fruit. No need to add additional liquid.
Cook your prepared fruit, stirring frequently so it doesn’t scorch or stick to the pan. The fruit needs to be cooked until it is very soft and seems thick. This can take an hour or more. Next, run the cooked fruit through a sieve or food mill to puree the pulp and remove the peelings, seeds, etc.
Basic Fruit Butter Recipe
Measure out your fruit pulp and add ½ cup sugar, more or less to taste, per cup of pulp.
Add ½ to 1 tsp. ground cinnamon per quart of pulp and ⅛ tsp. per quart of any other spices you wish to use, such as allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger.
Place the puree in a large, heavy kettle (a thin-walled pot will tend to scorch the butter as it cooks). The kettle must have high enough sides that the butter won’t boil over when cooking down, and the broader the base of the kettle, the more evaporation will be able to take place, thus producing a thick butter in less time.
Cook the butter over medium low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and the fruit begins to boil. Continue cooking, stirring very frequently, until the butter thickens. The butter is ready when it rounds slightly on a spoon and has a glossy sheen.
When the butter is ready, you are now ready to can it. Pack the hot butter into sterilized hot pint jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. Place the lids and bands on and process in a boiling water-bath canner for 10 minutes.
Apple butter is probably the most often-made fruit butter, and cinnamon is the usual spice that is added. When making pear butter, try adding nutmeg or ginger for a tasty variation. And when you make grape, peach, or apricot, there’s no need to add any additional spices—they are good as is. Cook’s choice!
This is an interesting and tasty recipe I got years ago from a Plain woman at the church I attended. It offers a bit of a taste variation from the more usual butters.
8 cups applesauce
1 large package Jell-O (i.e., strawberry or raspberry)
1 small package unflavored gelatin (optional)
Dissolve Jell-O in ½ cup boiling water and dissolve unflavored gelatin in ½ cup cold water, if using. Mix together and then add the applesauce; heat to a simmer and then put the fruit/applesauce butter into pint jars and process them in a boiling water-bath for 10 minutes, following the Step-by-Step Guide.
Fruit jams make a wonderful addition to your menus, and in Amish kitchens you’ll often find bread and jam or jelly at most meals because they help to “fill in the corners” of big appetites. Jams also make great toppings for pancakes, biscuits, angel food cake, and even ice cream.
Whereas jelly is made from fruit juice, jam is made using crushed fruit. Jam is generally softer than jelly, and while it will more or less hold its shape when spooned onto a piece of bread, it can be easily spread, even on a delicate item. Plus, you won’t need as much fruit to make a batch of jam because you will be using the fruit meat instead of just the juice. Also, you can use frozen fruit that has been thawed, so your options are even greater.
Making Jam Without Added Pectin
There are a number of ways to test for doneness when cooking jam, but to my way of thinking, the most reliable method is this:
• Using a candy thermometer, first boil a pot of plain water. Insert the thermometer into the boiling water to determine the actual temperature. Water boils at slightly different temperatures depending on your elevation and the current atmospheric conditions. So, to be as accurate as possible, it’s a good idea to take the temperature of boiling water each time you are planning to make jam.
• In a very large pot, mix together the crushed fruit and sugar according to the recipes below and then bring the mixture to a boil, stirring very frequently. Keep the heat fairly low until the sugar has completely dissolved and then turn the heat up to cook the jam rapidly. When the temperature of the jam has risen 9 degrees higher than the temperature at which the plain water boiled, it has reached its jelling point and is now ready to be processed. Immediately take the pot off the heat.
• Let the jam sit for 4 to 5 minutes, gently stirring frequently so you won’t create air bubbles in the jam. This will help the bits of fruit to suspend throughout the jam instead of collecting at the top.
• Ladle jam into hot sterilized pint or half-pint jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace. Screw on the lids and bands and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water-bath canner. (Refer to the Step-by-Step Guide for water-bath canning.)
Jam Recipes Using No Added Pectin
The following recipes are for making jam without adding packaged pectin. When you are selecting your fruit, try to have about a quarter of the amount needed a bit under-ripe. Slightly under-ripe fruit has more natural pectin than fully ripened fruit, and your jams will be thicker as a result.
If you don’t mind some surprises along the way, you can try your hand at any fruit (or combinations of fruit) you have available. Keep notes on what worked and what didn’t and develop your own recipes.
2 quarts peeled, pitted, and crushed apricots
¼ cup lemon juice
6 cups sugar
In a large pot, combine crushed apricots and lemon juice and stir to mix. Add sugar and stir to mix and dissolve. Follow the directions for “Making Jam Without Added Pectin.”
Berry Jam
(blackberry, blueberry, boysenberry, raspberry, etc.)
9 cups crushed berries
6 cups sugar
Follow the directions for “Making Jam Without Added Pectin.”
