Wedding Favors – Canned Jams and Jellys

Finding an inexpensive yet meaningful favor for wedding guests is a difficult task for most couples.  It’s hard because most weddings have guests of all ages and finding a gift that all guests can enjoy takes some thoughtful creativity.  One of my friends from college, Stephanie, asked me if I would help her with her wedding favors – canned homemade jams and jellies.  You can imagine my excitement, one, because I have a blog centered around food preservation, and two, because it was the best idea I’d ever heard.  I canned pomegranate jelly, strawberry jam, wine jelly, and peach jam for Stephanie’s wedding some of which were eaten at the reception and didn’t even make it home.

If you read this post, watch the video, and look at the pictures and are interested in doing this for your wedding, send me a message and we will talk about how to make it happen.

CONGRATULATIONS, Stephanie and Chris!

Do You Have What It Takes – Canning Competitions

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Every year, the State Fair of Texas in Dallas entertains families all over the nation with its fried foods, petting barns, cultural performances, antique car shows, and live music. One location at the fair, tucked away from most of the action, is the creative arts building.  From the time the gates of the fair open until they close, cooking competitions, showcases of arts and crafts from crocheting to scrapbooking, and, my favorite, displays of ribbon worthy canning items are  exhibited in this building.  The pictures shown above are from the 2010 State Fair, where yours truly won a blue ribbon for my Strawberry-Lemon Marmalade, a 2nd place ribbon for my Pickled Mix (cauliflower, carrots, peppers, and cucumbers), and an honorable mention for my Spicy Pickled Green Beans.

I will post more in the coming days about the process of entering in the fair, and to show you my pictures from the fair this year which starts this weekend!  I’m happy to boast winning 4 ribbons this year – a second place ribbon for Fig Preserves, Strawberry Preserves and Sugar-Free Peach Jam & a third place ribbon for Pomegranate Jelly!  Four ribbons out of six entries isn’t bad.  My other entries that did not place were Peach Butter and Pear Jam.

Sugar-Free Canning Recipe Tricks

One thing we discussed during my meeting with Edible San Marcos was a solution to sugar-free canning recipes.  The problem with jam/jelly/preserve recipes with no sugar and no pectin added is the long cooking time with the need for constant stirring. Fruit has natural pectin that can be activated by cooking it for 30-45 minutes.  Adding pectin to your recipe speeds up this natural process by jelling your product almost immediately.  So, if you want an all natural product and do not want to stir every 30 seconds, place your product in a large slow cooker on high.  You want to make sure your slow cooker is heated before you start your time, and use a liner on your cooker for an easy clean.  Use this trick when making fruit butters, as well.

Cooking Times for Sugar-Free Recipes

Jam/Jelly/Preserves – Slow Cooker on High – 2-4 hours

Fruit butters – Slow Cooker on Medium – 8-12 hours (or overnight)

Edible San Marcos Visit

I spent Monday evening at the San Marcos Public Library with the health conscience and eco-friendly members of Edible San Marcos – a group that promotes sustainable and green policies in San Marcos, TX (http://ediblesanmarcos.wordpress.com/about/).  We discussed the basics of canning, interesting new canning recipes, and discussed solutions to their canning problems/questions. I always enjoy the discussions/questions raised by this group, because each person brings an advanced knowledge of food that enhances the conversation.  Growing your own food, or shopping at farmer’s markets, is important  for food preservation because you, or the farmer, knows how the food was grown, when it was picked, and is invested in the overall quality of the product.  Ideally, you want to pick then preserve your food with as little waiting time in between.  Food is the freshest the moment it is picked with the nutrients, color, and shape derailing slowly once gathered.

I will post our class discussions separately so they are easy to search on this site.  Thank you, Suzie Fields, as always for the wonderful welcome to your group.

Let’s Do This

With so many ideas, recipes, stories, and tips about food preservation to share, I find myself at a loss for a starting point.  So, let’s journey to the beginning.  With all beginnings come excitement sparked by the unknown.  My grandparents were Depression babies.  They grew up in a generation of people who saved everything and lived modestly.  Therein lies the birth of food preservation in my family.

Canning is one of my favorite forms of food preservation due to the knowledge passed down from my grandparents many years ago. Turning 29 years old on Monday and looking at my beautiful and talented 9 month old baby girl, Ava, (yes, 9 month olds can be talented, and no I do not have much research to back that claim) causes me to pause and think about what I will pass down to her at age appropriate levels.  Teaching her to ride a bike, blow bubble gum, tie her shoes, etc. empowers me as a woman and as a mom to know that there are some things she will never learn if I don’t teach her.  Preserving food is becoming a lost art, although it has gained some recent momentum especially in my hometown of Austin, TX.  A generation of youth will be able to shop for all their groceries via the internet and have them delivered to their door and the cost will get cheaper and cheaper as more fruits, vegetables, and meats are being produced against their natural growing seasons and environments. We must adapt to the times in a way that is healthy for our family, but doesn’t erase our traditions and dry our thirst for knowledge.

Before I get ahead of myself, let me outline my expectations of this blog:

• I will post videos to show you a hands on approach to preserving food (baby food, canned foods of all sorts, freezing & drying methods, the list goes on…)
• I will post pictures of my friends and family who enjoy this wonderful pastime
• I will blog many interesting adventures (i.e. farmers market visits, canning competitions, my canning classes)
• Recipes, recipes, recipes!

With new beginnings comes confusion.  I am dedicated to challenge the master food preservers and encourage the novices who just made the decision to expand their knowledge and try a new adventure.  Whatever level you find yourself, hang on tight, or else you’ll get canned!