Quality: Use tender, tight-tipped spears, 4 to 6 inches long. Procedure: Wash asparagus and trim off tough scales. Break off tough stems and wash again. Cut into 1-inch pieces or can whole. Hot pack–Cover asparagus with boiling water. Boil 2 or 3 minutes. Loosely fill jars with hot asparagus, leaving 1-inch headspace. Raw pack–Fill jars […]

Quality: Choose unripe, tight-skinned, preferably green seedless grapes harvested 2 weeks before they reach optimum eating quality. Procedure: Stem, wash, and drain grapes. Prepare very light, or light syrup. Hot pack — Blanch grapes in boiling water for 30 seconds. Drain, and proceed as for raw pack. Raw pack — Fill jars with grapes and […]

Yield: 6 to 7 pints Procedure: Wash tomatoes. Dip in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split. Dip in cold water Slip off skins and remove cores. Quarter tomatoes into 4-gallon stock pot or a large kettle. Add onions and red pepper. Bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes, uncovered. Combine […]

Yield: About 8 to 9 pints Procedure: Peel zucchini and either cut into 1/2-inch cubes or shred. Mix zucchini with other ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes. Fill jars with hot mixture and cooking liquid, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process. Table 1. Recommended process time for […]

Procedure: Refrigerate juice for 24 to 48 hours. Without mixing, carefully pour off clear liquid and discard sediment. Strain clear liquid through a paper coffee filter or double layers of damp cheesecloth. Heat quickly, stirring occasionally, until juice begins to boil. Fill immediately into sterile pint or quart jars or fill into clean half-gallon jars, […]

FOR 7 QUARTS FILLING 6 qt Sliced fresh peaches 7 c Granulated sugar 2 c Clear Jel(tm); plus… 3 tb Clear Jel(tm) 5 1/4 c Cold water 1 ts Cinnamon (optional) 1 ts Almond extract (opt.) 1 3/4 c Bottled lemon juice Quality: Select ripe, but firm fresh peaches. Red Haven, Redskin, Sun High, and […]

Quality: Pumpkins and squash should have a hard rind and stringless, mature pulp of ideal quality for cooking fresh. Small size pumpkins (sugar or pie varieties) make better products. Procedure: Wash, remove seeds, cut into 1-inch-wide slices, and peel. Cut flesh into 1-inch cubes. Boil 2 minutes in water. Caution: Do not mash or puree. […]

Optional mix–You may change the suggested proportions or substitute other favorite vegetables except leafy greens, dried beans, cream-style corn, winter squash and sweet potatoes. Yield: 7 quarts Procedure: Except for zucchini, wash and prepare vegetables as described for carrots, corn, lima beans, snap beans, Italian beans or tomatoes. Wash, trim, and slice or cube zucchini; […]

There are a variety of foods that are available in stores that most home canners may want to process. Understanding the acidity level of the food you are preparing is very important for longevity in storage and for safety. Normally standard boiling in a water bath for canning requires that you use either a high […]