3 Secrets to Conquer Soggy Home Canned Dill Pickles

Home canning has been a part of our family traditions for as long as I can remember. Each year, when the harvest was complete and preserved in our family cellar I loved to be the one to give the final count on the fruit of our labors - peaches, pears, applesauce, beets, green beans, strawberry jam, and....PICKLES! I loved the pickles.

One particular day I wandered down to the cellar. I looked around the room, it was loaded with perfect home canned fruit and vegetables right out of our family garden and orchard. But...I had my mind set on one thing. I carefully scanned the shelves - Ah ha I found what I was looking for -- a bottle of dill pickles I had canned myself.

As the bottle came off the self, my mouth started to water. Those pickles looked so good, I could hardly wait to get the lid off the bottle.

I finally made it to the kitchen and popped off the lid - immediately the smell of those home canned pickles wafted through the room - I couldn't wait any longer. Out came the biggest pickle and I sunk my teeth into it.

Surprise! My joy quickly turned to despair when my teeth squished into a soggy dill pickle - not even worth eating! Almost weeping I ran to mother. What bad thing had happened to my pickles?

With a twinkle in her eye and a half smile, she started quizzing me down: "How long did the cucumbers wait before you pickled them?" "What size were the cucumbers that you used?" "Did you get them right out of the hot water bath when it started to boil?" Etc.

After playing detective for a couple of minutes, she laughed and gave me these important keys:

3 Family Secrets for Crispy Home Canned Pickles:

1. Harvest your cucumbers early in the morning and pickle them within 24 hours. The quicker the better. If you start with fresh, crisp, firm cucumbers you will have a better pickling experience.

2. Don't let the cucumbers get too big. Smaller cucumbers become better pickles.

3. When you process the bottles of pickles - make sure you DON'T over cook them. The less they are cooked, the more crisp and crunchy they will be.

Believe me, I learned a valuable lesson - one I never forgot! Next time I canned my dill pickles I followed these guidelines religiously. My dream came true - to bite down into a crispy, crunchy, mouth-watering home canned baby dill pickle

I wanted to share these family secrets with you so your pickling experience can be a successful and happy one. Good luck fellow pickle lovers!

Canning - How To Make Homemade Apple Chutney

During the fall season, we love to visit our local fruit orchard and pick our own apples so that we can make some homemade apple chutney.

We enjoy using this chutney as a sandwich spread or as an addition to our homemade chicken, turkey and tuna salads. If you are using it as a salad spread, cut your mayonnaise or salad dressing in half and replace the other half with the chutney.

This recipe requires the basic home canning equipment: half-pint or pint-sized mason jars, water bath canner, jar lifter, seals and rings, ladle and a funnel.

Apple Chutney Recipe

2 quarts apples
2 teaspoons lemon juice
2 lbs. seedless raisins

Canning - How To Make Homemade Pear Marmalade

When it comes to home canning, one of the easiest recipes you can make is some type of fruit marmalade and this pear marmalade recipe is no exception.

You will need your basic home canning supplies: water bath canner, half-pint or pint-sized mason jars, seals and rings, jar lifter, ladle, silicone nonstick spatula and a funnel.

If you enjoy giving homemade food gifts during the holiday season, this is a nice one to make and give as a gift. If you seal your mason jars correctly, this marmalade should last for up to 1 year.

Pear Marmalade Recipe

4 lbs. fresh pears
8 cups granulated sugar
2 cups tap water
4 fresh oranges
1 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated orange rind

Wash and remove stems and leaves from pears. Peel off the skins and chop the flesh up into small pieces. Peel the skin off the oranges and discard the seeds and membranes. Reserve one small piece of the orange rind and finely grate it until you have 1 1/2 teaspoons of finely grated orange rind. Chop the flesh of the oranges into small pieces.

In a large stock pot, combine all of the above ingredients and bring to a rapid boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for approximately 45 minutes or until the mixture thickens. You will need to stir the mixture every 8 to 10 minutes using a nonstick silicone spatula to keep it from sticking to the pot.

Wash and clean your half-pint or pint-sized mason jars. You will want to warm up your jars using your oven set at 200 degrees F. Remove jars from the oven, one at a time. Ladle the hot mixture into clean warm jars leaving a 1/2" head space. Wipe the jar rim clean with a soft cotton towel. Place ring and seal onto the jar.

Process jars in your water bath canner for 10 minutes or according to manufacturers instructions.

This recipe will make approximately 4 to 5 half-pint jars of marmalade.

Homemade Canning Jar Labels - Make Cheap, Professional, Short Run & Custom Jar Labels

If you€re giving a jar of your best summer produce as a gift, you want a professional looking personalized label. These DIY custom label making instructions will show you how to make the perfect label for any occasion.

Here is the beauty of this custom label making process:

Multiple yet individual custom labels. For example you could setup your word processor to print 10 labels per page and print a unique jar number on each custom label (6 of 24). The base label material can be any color or texture you printer can handle. Cut your jar label to any shape or use specialty scissors for a decorative border. Use photos, artwork, birthday or greeting cards as custom labels. Hand or machine stitch cloth labels for special gift jars.

In my opinion, the perfect jar label(s) should relay two messages to the recipient.

The jar contents, maker, year, storage requirements, expiration dates, etc. That information found on that piece of masking tape on the jar and the info in your head.

Facts of interest concerning this unique jar, e.g., strawberries from your garden, peaches from Happy Trails Ranch or canned for the 2008 Lane County Fair.

I prefer the two label approach. The first label passes along all the necessary information allowing full artistic license for the second label.

For example, you could make the second label a birthday card. Using our carpet tape label making method, you could attach a purchased birthday card to your jar. Or better yet make a homemade birthday message. If you are the creative artistic type, make your own custom label. It doesn€t even have to be paper, e.g., needlepoint or embroider your message on the jar. Use your computer and an internet card generator to make a personalized message.

The birthday example is just one idea for the second label. There are countless reasons why you would give your home canned produce as a gift. Now you have a method of customizing a label for that occasion. Use our imagination! It€s a Girl cigars lack imagination. How about, It€s a Girl! Cathy Jo, May 28, 2008 jar of blackberry preserves canned just for that occasion.

Home canning has become very popular in recent years. Giving a jar of your finest home canned produce as a gift is a very unique personalized gift. But that masking tape identifier label on the jar just won€t cut it. You need to make it more personal and add some class.

The whole process of making a canning jar label is quite simple.

Start with a page of printed custom labels or craft project to be used as a label. Apply double sided tape to the back to make a homemade label. If desired apply a clear acrylic coat for longevity. Cut the label to the desired shape and size. Peel the backing off your new jar label and place it on your canning jar.

That€s it! You€re done!

Here is an example of a simple nice looking canning jar label for Mom€s peaches. We used clipart and standard fonts font on most word processors.

How simple and cheap can a personalize canning jar label be for your home canned produce? The most difficult part of this project is designing the custom label.

I have several tips to aid you in making a professional looking custom label. The most important tip is that when making a long label for a curved surface; use several pieces of tape parallel to the curve to avoid buckling. Remember to experiment first on an old jar and unwanted or blank label material.

Homemade Canning - Where's the Beef? Canning Your Meat, Poultry, and More!

Why limit your home canning to produce? Scoop up a great seasonal deal on meat, poultry, or fish and experience the ease of meal preparation with canned meat. The best part is you know what is in the jar, there are no added flavors, no undisclosed spices, and no MSG.

The Art of Mince Meat

Mincemeat is really an overlooked delicacy and method of preserving meat our ancestors came up with. Originally, it was a mix of lean beef, suet, apples, citrus fruits, raisins, brandy or hard cider, and various spices. There is no need to stick with older recipes that call for a long list of ingredients that are exotic by today's standards. Unless your family has a taste for old-fashioned mincemeat, feel free to come up with your own version.

Simply use a roast beef recipe and cook as directed. Add such spices as garlic, onions, savory, marjoram, salt and pepper or use your favorite blend. When the meat can easily be pulled apart and chopped, allow it to cool and then chop it up. It will then be ready to slip into the freshly boiled and cooled jars and slipped into a homemade canning device.

Roast carrots, whole onion, garlic cloves, and potatoes or other vegetables like cauliflower and chop them up with the meat. Drain excess broth before canning the meat and vegetable mixture. Can the broth separately. Now you have jars of ready-to-go beef broth and jars of meat that are perfect for sandwiches or one-dish meals that are perfectly seasoned.

Poultry is Easily Preserved Too

Home-canned chicken and chicken broth can put the store-bought products to shame. Not only is it more cost-efficient, it is tastier and healthier too. Make low-sodium versions or salt-free versions delicately seasoned with your blend of seasonings such as poultry seasoning, garlic, onions, or even add chopped up vegetables to the broth and strain before canning it to add a healthy and tasty twist.

Canned chicken, once drained of the broth, makes an easy addition to salads, soups, one-dish meals, and meals heated up in less than 30 minutes. Leave the aforementioned vegetables in with the chicken or can them separately. Either way, all you need to do is add the two jars, chicken or broth, to a saucepan and some noodles for a nearly instant chicken noodle soup.

Don't Overlook Fish When Canning

If you live in an area where fresh fish is in season, such as salmon in coastal areas or pike around the great lakes, don't overlook homemade canning as a method of reserving the bounty.

Store-bought canned fish can have additives such as excess salt, or a funny fish taste if the fish was off-season or previously frozen when canned. Following your favorite plain canned poultry recipe, go ahead and can the season's catch. The best part is, it's one of the foods that doesn't need to be precooked, just add it to the boiled jars and pressure can it.

When homemade canning, do not overlook the possibilities of canning your own meat, poultry, or fish and preserving the seasonal bounty or fresh game. Canned meats are quick and easy meals and unlike freezing the meat, it won't get freezer burn. Canned beef, chicken, and even some fish can be made into salads, for sandwiches, potato toppers, or side dishes and are great additions to freshly boiled noodles for delicious and quick soups.