Monday, August 18, 2008

And So It Begins...

Canning season is upon the Bag Lady's house.

Here is a little pictorial tutorial:

Clean jars:



Assembled ingredients:


(Yes, that IS a huge bowl of sugar.)

Cook jelly:


Ladle into sterilized jars, seal:



Raspberry jelly and blueberry jam:



And that is the winter supply of jelly and jam. Of course, some of these will be given away, because the Bag Lady always makes more than she and the Rancher can use.

Some of her peppers are quickly ripening, so she may make some hot pepper jelly next. The tomatoes are also starting to ripen, but there aren't enough ripe yet for any of the recipes she has planned. Soon, though.

25 comments:

Leah J. Utas said...

Good photo story and very tasty-looking, too.
What kinds did you make?

Crabby McSlacker said...

Mmmm...

So are you making extra for the bear? Perhaps a bribe to hit the road and hibernate a bit early.

I learned from all the educational tv watching I did as a kid that bears like their treats best when they come in picnic baskets, so you may want to plan accordingly.

Anonymous said...

I love it.

new thingstidbits about the BL every day.

canning? who knew?

seriously--whens your book coming out?

the Bag Lady said...

dfLeah - raspberry, from all those berries we picked, and blueberry, from berries hubby's cousin brought from BC.

Crabby - If I thought for a minute that it would work...
Oh, and bears have evolved right along with humans and they now like their treats best from those insulated bear coolers....
I forgot to put THAT story in my blog post... but have to save something for another day, right?

Mizfit - Canning season starts now and extends sometimes until October, depending on what is available from the garden.

Might need a ghost-writer for the book...so darned busy around here!

the Bag Lady said...

Oops, Freudian slip - meant to say insulated BEER coolers.... :)

Missicat said...

yummmm....do you have freshly made bread to spread the jam on? Am I making anyone else hungry?

Sarah said...

Oh I LOVE hot pepper jelly! And blueberry jam...

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Looks great! My father does some canning but I don't. Then again, I don't have fresh fruit growing on my property, so there you go!

the Bag Lady said...

Missicat - yum - fresh home-made bread with home-made jelly or jam is the best! (hmm, must fire up the bread-maker...would use the outdoor oven, because that bread would send her onto an even higher plane, but it is raining a little today...)

Sarah - I was putting off making the hot pepper jelly because I thought I didn't have any liquid pectin, but dug deep into the back of the pantry and lo and behold! Found a package!! Yippee. Hot pepper jelly with home-grown peppers next on the list!

BG - Do you eat jelly and jam? All that white sugar gave the Bag Lady pause this year -- see what blogging has done to her? She never gave it a thought in previous years!! Even her recipe for hot pepper jelly has some sugar in it!

Anonymous said...

Looks good....looking forward to the peppers! :)

the Bag Lady said...

Thanks, Mark.....pepper jelly soon!

Maggie said...

I'll take two please! :)

Melissa said...

*sniff* I so love your blog! *sniff* It reminds me of my childhood. SOMEDAY I'm going to live on a farm again.

Anonymous said...

I don't need to make crabapple jelly! (Which I would then have to pack and move.) I need to concentrate on packing up two houses if we finally get to move this fall! Stop tempting me! (Raspberries are on the "to plant someday after all the plants that I'm going to move have gotten nicely settled" list.)

Mary Anne in Kentucky

Emily said...

ohhhhh, I love hot pepper jelly, you can send some down here if you have extra : )

Reb said...

Gosh Sis, from the sounds of your comments, you might have to make more for you & the cow whisperer. ;)

Geosomin said...

It's good to share...:)

Have you ever made peach jam before??
I just came back with a few dozen peaches and want to do something with them...now I'm thinking jam would be good...there's only so much pie I can eat.

Terrie Farley Moran said...

df Bag Lady,

Long ago, when the kids were little and I still thought I would be able to make a decent pie crust eventually. I bought some canning jars at a garage sale. I kept them for years and finally put them in the recycling bin.

This post makes me wonder again--could I have made jelly? jam? a decent pie crust???

Probably not!!

Fortunately I have friends like you who can share all the razzle dazzle with me!

Terrie

new*me said...

love it ;) I would love to put some of that on some toast for breakfast ;)

Hilary said...

Oh yum! That looks berry, berry good.

the Bag Lady said...

Maggie - one of each? :)

Melissa - I'm glad you love my blog, but I'm sorry it makes you sad...well, okay, nostalgic is a better word, right?

Mary Anne - I'm sorry. I used to have a crabapple tree when I lived in town and LOVED crabapple jelly. Almost as much as I love raspberry.

Emily - you never know, something might appear someday on your doorstep (actually, if the package is really big, it might be me!!)

Reb - it is beginning to sound that way, isn't it?

Geo - peach jam is really good! Buy a package of Certo - there's a recipe in the package for peach jam! (and then we can execute a trade!!:))

dfTerrie - I have no doubt that you could make a decent jelly or jam! Too bad you don't have the jars anymore!

new*me - it is really good - especially on home-made bread.

Hilary - thanks - I just hope the bears never get a chance to try it!

Christine said...

Essentially, you're living the life I want.

also, I'm so totally imagining you hovering over your trembling tomato plants as you rub your hands together and cackle "soon my pretties... soooooon!"

the Bag Lady said...

Christine - have you been spying on me? :)
Hehehehehe

P.O.M. said...

You are uber talented.
Hot pepper jelly is my fav thing in the universe. Well, perhaps I exaggerate, but I love the stuff.

the Bag Lady said...

Aw, thanks, POM. If I ever finish painting....I'll see how the jelly turns out. :)