Canning Season!

I've done two canning projects the last two weekends and I am itching to do more!  Last weekend we went cherry picking and I made jam.  I've made jam before but I used pectin and this year I wanted to try it without.  It was a little tougher with the cherries since they are low in pectin, but I added lemon juice, lemon zest and a handful of dried cranberries.  It worked since it set up, although it took a bit longer than I anticipated.  It turned out great and little j was licking the test plate.

Today at the farmers' market we came across pickling cucumbers so we bought 3.5 pounds and I made bread and butter pickles.  I'd never made pickles before, so it was a new process, but pretty easy.  One thing I realized is that I didn't pack the jars tight enough.  I don't think it is a major issue, but it's something to be mindful of.

We are headed to Oregon next week and I was thinking about my grandmother's pickle crock.  I loved making pickles when I was a girl and I would love to get the crock and show little j the process.  Bread and butter pickles are quick pickles and have few steps.  But really good sweet or dill pickles take time, and the results are oh so good!