Home Canning- Preserving My Heritage

This year I am canning. It started with a few pints of tomatoes from my garden. Once I heard the lids "ping" I was hooked. I moved on to apples and peaches and then I bought a pressure canner. This photo shows the results a few days ago. I have since canned more.  It has given me a new respect for my ancestral grandmothers, I am happy to carry on the tradition. I feel like I am preserving my heritage- one jar at a time.

Yes, I am home canning !

About 15 years ago I decided to try my hand at home canning. After 6 hours in the kitchen scalding , peeling and, chopping tomatoes, processing them I got a yield of 6 quarts of tomatoes. I decided that for .59 a can I could by tomatoes and vowed never to can again!
Well this year my Pilgrim garden produced a multitude of tomatoes and after giving many of them away I ran across 4 wide mouth pint jars someone had given me. I knew my husband's grandmother's water bath canner was in the storage closet and with all of those tomatoes I caved in. I bought bands and lids, cleaned up the canner and canned 3 pints of tomatoes. Once the jar lids sealed properly I was hooked!

Once I canned those tomatoes 6more pints followed.

Then I decided canning apples would be nice . I went to the produce market and not only got apples but also a bushel of peaches. So the next few days were filled making canned peaches, apple and peach pie filling. Then I remembered Cinnamon applesauce made with cinnamon red hot candy. I have always loved this when made by relatives now it was time to can my own! Here is the recipe:

wash jars and lids in hot soapy water then keep the jars and lids warm in a pan of hot water. Peel. core and slice or chop 24 medium apples, cook apples in 3 cups of water, Simmer for 15-20 minutes until apples are tender. Add tree cups sugar and 3/4 cup of Cinnamon Red Hots candy. Continue to cook uintil sugar and candy is melted. Fill hot jars and process in a water bath canner for 25 minutes, Yields 4-6 pints depending on the size of the apples.

I then decided it was time to branch out and do vegetables and meat dishes so I bought a pressure canner. Today I used it to make stewed tomatoes ( 2 pints). 2 quarts for beef stew and 2 quarts of vegetable beef soup and , of course 4 more pints of the cinnamon applesauce. I think my ancestral grandmothers and my Mom would be proud!