I know that the season for county fairs may be coming to a close for the year but I wanted to reflect on the three that I did this year and what I learned from

Old-fashioned strawberry jam is a delightful spring treat that comes together with just a few simple ingredients (no added boxed pectin required).

6 - 7 x quarter-litre jars (1/2 pint)

Canning is just one step beyond cooking. Before you can, you may want to refresh yourself on basic canning procedures. Ball Blue Books are less than $10 and give a good overview of the basics. Home Canning – Getting a good seal There are a couple of areas of the home canning process that give new and even experienced canners seal failures if the procedure isn’t followed. You may skip or fudge on these procedures and still get a good seal, but if you follow them carefully, you will not have many failures at all. Remember, unsealed jars should be used immediately or refrigerated and used fairly quickly. Measuring headspace Headspace is the space in the jar between the food and the inside of the lid. The general rule is 1” headspace for low acid foods that are pressure canned, like vegetables and meats; ½” headspace for fruits and tomatoes in the boiling water bath canner, and ¼” for juices, jams, jellies, pickles and relishes in the boiling water bath canner. If you don’t allow enough headspace, there may not be enough room for a vacuum to form, and food may boil out of the jars as well, causing the seal to fail. I keep a 6" ruler with my canning supplies. Removing air bubbles Air bubbles must be removed, using a skewer, wooden chopstick or a plastic picnic knife. Don’t use a metal tool, as it may scratch and weaken the glass jar. Even though you may not be able to see the bubbles, they must be removed from between pieces of the food. Cleaning jar rims The rim of the jar must be clean. I use very hot water on a paper towel, turning it to a clean spot often, and if I am canning meat, I use vinegar to cut any fat that might be on the rim preventing a good seal. Preparing the lids New boxes of Ball lids are now not recommending heating the lids in simmering water 10 minutes before using. I would do whatever your particular lids call for on the box in the way of preparation, as older lids may still need the older procedure. Extra precautions with a pressure canner: Allowing enough time to exhaust your pressure canner I have had my canner "burp" after I have been getting what I thought was a steady flow of steam before I put on the petcock or jiggler gauge. Allow the recommended time for exhausting your canner -usually 10 minutes- especially if it is a large one fully loaded. Adjusting the heat under your canner It's best to only adjust the heat down on your canner after it has been pressurized; in slow increments until it is maintaining pressure steadily. Moving the heat up and down to try to keep a perfect pressure will cause the liquid to siphon out of the jars and often cause seal failures. Releasing the pressure prematurely Let you canner pressure release on it's own; on a big canner fully loaded, that may take as much as an hour. Don't try to cool your canner with water on the outside, or by jiggling the weight. Do not leave the jars in the closed canner to cool. Many jars like this will look sealed but fail later, and the food may spoil. Do not tighten the lids (if you are using Tattler type lids, follow the manufacturer's directions.) Allow the jars to cool, untouched for 12 to 24 hours. Check your recipe for correct head space and processing method and time.

Cottage At The Crossroads website shares a dill pickle relish canning recipe. Lea and Jane created this recipe from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. Click here to read recipe: http://cottageatthecrossroads.com/homemade-dill-relish/ . . Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving Back to Basics 286 5-Piece Home Canning Kit Granite Ware…

Here is Lisa's beautiful jar of heaven and the recipe for Maple Walnut Syrup and a bonus recipe of the Praline Syrup as well!

I love a good barbecue sauce, and while I’ve made many over the years just for the meal I was making, I’ve only canned it once many years ago. As the tomatoes are starting to go crazy i…

The unopened buds of common daylilies make a tasty pickle. Add them to salads or use them as a cocktail garnish.

Water bath canning, step-by-step beginner-friendly tutorial. Printable checklist to help you learn. It doesn't have to be hard or confusing.

This easy recipe will be your new staple salsa!

I prefer to eat my asparagus fresh in the spring, but it’s always nice to have some available for other times of the year. So let's start canning asparagus!

The Ball Blue Book is one of the main books in the accepted American canon of home canning.

Apple jam is the perfect fall preserve, and the intense flavor of apples will warm your heart as it dresses up your morning toast. It comes together quickly, with just a few ingredients and no added pectin.

Food canning is a great way to preserve seasonal vegetables and fruits. Think about all the pumpkin you have available after Halloween deco...

There is a huge amount of bad canning advice on the internet these days. I'll help you navigate the sea of information so you can avoid these common canning mistakes.

This easy and old fashioned recipe for strawberry jam without pectin is simple to make and requires just 2 ingredients! The perfect way to preserve fresh, seasonal strawberries.

Easy recipe for canning the best homemade salsa.

Pressure-canned sloppy joe filling is an easy ground beef canning recipe with a lot of flavor. A jar on your pantry shelf means a quick heat-and-eat meal on a busy weeknight.

Every Sunday evening, I take a break from showing off my preserves and give the rest of you a chance to shine by featuring a few photos from the Food in Jars Flickr group. Here

Here's an easy method for canning your favorite quick breads that will keep them as fresh as the day you made them for up to one year! Wouldn't you love to learn how to can bread, too?

Easy step-by-step recipe for canning strawberry jelly from fresh strawberries.

Yield: 9 x half-litre jars (1 US pint)

These safe canning recipes will help you preserve pickles, jams, applesauce, beans, and more, whether you're experienced or just getting started.

Fresh blueberry jam made with u pick blueberries.

I grew up in a family that canned everything... well almost everything. My mom used to can venison... do you know what that is??? I also have a father who grows an enormous garden. So, since I'm a school teacher and I have my summers off, I had some time to can. The first thing we had an abundance of was cucumbers. I LOVE cucumbers. I probably ate 8 cucumbers a day. Some just with salt. Some dipped in ranch and some with a delicious marinade. But there were way more than I could eat. So, I bottled some pickles. I used an old family recipe. I don't know if they turned out that great. I used fresh dill the first time and later found out you are supposed to use dried dill. The other batches have dried dill, but I haven't tried the pickles yet. If anyone has a good recipes for pickles, I'd love one!!! I also bottled a batch of our family's favorite relish. It's not dill relish, it's not sweet relish.. I'm not sure how to describe it. It's yellow and it's delicious. I also bottled some dill relish. I used this recipe on Tasty Kitchen. I think it turned out pretty good. I love these adorable free printable labels for the jar. They are much cuter than just writing on the lid with a permanent marker (which is what I normally do) Chili sauce is another family favorite. We have a family recipe that a lot of our family members love. It's sweet and it's so yummy on eggs. I bottled two batches of chili sauce. Then, I thought I'd try my hand at pickling some banana peppers. We had a lot of them and thought I'd give it a try. I used this recipe on the National Center for Home Food Preservation. I haven't tasted them yet... I figured they needed to cure. The last thing that I canned was salsa. I hadn't wanted to can salsa because I thought it would be too hard. But when I realized I could chop everything in the food processor... I figured I'd give it a try. I found this recipe on Get Off Your Butt and Bake. It is delicious!!! I made mine really mild... cuz that's how I love it. School has started and I'm not sure if I'm up for canning anything else.... but I'm looking forward to canning more salsa next year because we've already eaten 1 1/2 jars!!!

Easy recipe for canning the best homemade salsa.

Super easy overflow canning method for preserving stone fruit. Step by step instructions for beginners.

Canning homemade applesauce. How to make and can homemade applesauce from apples picked straight from the tree.

So, on a whim, I decided to make some Hot Sauce with the few tomatoes I had from our Kitchen Garden. I only had a small amount of tomatoes, so I knew they would only yield about a 1/2 pint jar of sauce. That's ok, I can always make more, and canning a small amount is fine with me. Recipe Ingredients 6 small to medium sized tomatoes 10 small Roma tomatoes 1/4 cup lime juice 3-4 tsp. chili powder 2 tsp. ground cumin 2-3 tsp. red pepper flakes 1 tsp. garlic salt 1 tsp. onion powder 1/4 cup honey Method Place tomatoes, cut into halves, into a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until soft. Process tomatoes through a food mill, discarding seeds and skins. Return tomato pulp to sauce pan and add all other ingredients.Simmer over medium to medium low heat approx. 30 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Pour sauce into 1/2 pint canning jar, cover with seal and ring, and process in boiling water bath 10 minutes. Store on pantry shelf up to 1 year. Recipe is easily doubled or even tripled. Just keep all ingredients proportionate. Enjoy, Mary

Strawberry, peach, blackberry, or even grape, microwave jam takes just 20 minutes.

Fresh and peppery, these quick pickled magnolia petals take the prettiness of Spring and turn it into a tasty condiment.

Rebel Canning We're talking rebel canning on this week's We Grow Ours show. Our guest is Ann of A Farm Girl in the Making who will be explaining rebel canning as she encourages our pursuits in homesteading. Canning can and should be part of your homesteading and prepping plans! See more a

The concept is canning grapes in water, whole grapes, and letting the heat of the water and water bath processing extract the juice from the fruit. Recipe is for each quart size jar

Preserve the taste of fall with these delicious apple canning recipes! These recipes will help you make the most of your apple harvest.

How did I preserve over 45 pounds of tomatoes? Here are some recipes and tips for preserving tomatoes.

This spicy pickle relish recipe combines the best of both worlds - adding a combination of sweetness with a little bit of heat. The perfect summer recipe!

Pressure canning beans is a simple and inexpensive way to stock your shelves Be prepared, have quality foods available, and save money!

Share the Homestead WAIT! Don’t throw away all of those peach peels and pits! They have a great future as flavorful, delicious Peach Jelly! If your homestead is like ours, we don’t like to waste anything. I am all for using every part of every item, and that comes to my peaches! After making […]

This is a great way to make jam because it's simple, lower in sugar, and lets the flavor of ripe fruit shine. Our method makes it a cinch to save the last of your favorite summer produce, like nectarines, plums, or berries. The key ingredient is pectin, which gives this jam the right consistency. The recipe is so easy, you might just need a second freezer!

This zucchini relish recipe has been passed down for generations, and now we’re sharing it with you. It’ll make you forget all about the store-bought stuff.

Easy delicious apple pie filling made with tart apples, cinnamon, and nutmeg, that works great canned or frozen.

Make your own Jalapeno Relish to can and enjoy all winter long!