Canning Again

I've canned some more---two five pint batches of salsa.  It's medium heat and it taste great.  It actually made 11 pints altogether.  I have one in the fridge.  Hubby had some on his eggs this morning and loved it. 

 

I looked in my Blue Book and found out about what it means to boil to the gelling point.  I should have read the whole book before starting, I guess.

I think I will have to make some more of the salsa.  But first I want to make some apple butter.



Jam Candy

 

 Well.........I made some strawberry jam today, or...... I tried to make some.  These labels should say Strawberry Candy!

 

 

Here's what happened.....The recipe from the Ball Blue Book called for two quarts of strawberries, mashed up, then add 6 cups of sugar.  Boil that till it gels.  That isn't something I understand---maybe if I had been canning for a long time I would understand it.   Sooooooo, I boiled it till it lightly coated a spoon.  Well, I don't think that's what it meant, because it was suppose to make 2 quarts, and it only made a little more than half of that.  I did the boiling water bath on four of them, and put the fifth one in the fridge.

 When hubs came home I asked him if he wanted to taste it.  I could barely get a spoonful out of the jar---it was like candy--it stretched a long way when I finally did get some out.  Here are the pictures of the process.  (I need a medium sized pot, but I didn't want it to boil over.)

 

I was ready to fill 8 jelly jars, but only used 5. 

 

 

Here's the water bath part.



 

 

And the finished product.

I used to make grape jam all the time, but it called for pectin and you had to add water if  too much of it boiled away-----it always made the right amount, with the right consistency----Oh well.

I'm planning on making some salsa, and some apple butter.  I think I'll do a little research on the web first.  That Blue Book is not for amatures.

 

I took the rest of the jam in that jar, and added a little water and boiled it, then poured it back into the jar.  I suppose I'll have to do that each time I open a jar.







Studies

I can't believe it's the middle of September and I haven't posted yet this month--my bad.  There hasn't been much going on in the way of sewing, but I have started a new Bible Study.  I'm on week three of seven, and I love it.  The homework just draws me closer to God.  It's five hours per week of study time.  Class time is very good, too.  

 

 

This summer we completed a study about money with my hubby, and Erin at our church.  We met some wonderful people in our class, and one very sweet lady that has a blog also.  It's here.  The study was top of the line when it comes to budgets and debt.

 

 

It comes with the envelope system which I believe is the key to staying on budget.

 

 

I'm still trying to get the hang of it, but my free-spirit hubby doesn't care either way if we do it or not.  He's perfectly content with doing whatever I desire, which leaves me the job of keeping him on board.  I just need to hang in there and keep trying.  It would have been easier when we were dirt poor, but now it's so easy to slip back into old habits.  I know we could save more money by doing this, and I need to be more diligent and organized about it.

 

 

On another note, I'm taking my sister to the airport today so she can be with her kids and grand kids for a while.  Hubby is taking off earlier than usual to go with us, and do the driving

(which I love to let someone else do).  We will eat in Branson while we are there.  That will be nice.