Strawberry Jam

I decided to try out my new canning skillz on some strawberries.

First, I mashed them up:

leftovers

Then I added the pectin and sugar and heated it up:

I skimmed off the foam, don't worry

Then I used my fancy canning funnel and filled the jars with jam:

Into the canner they went:

15 minutes later:

Strawberry jam!

The recipe made 5.5 jars of jam. The half-full jar is in my fridge. Since we don't eat a ton of jam in our house, this might last us all year. Go me!

Canning House Party

Have you heard of House Party? I just learned about the site a couple of months ago. Here's what they say on their site: A House Party^™ is thousands of parties across the country, hosted by people like you. Each event is sponsored by a leading brand and focuses on something cool that the sponsor wants its best fans to experience firsthand and share with their friends.

I applied for and was accepted to host a House Party for Ball (canning). I was so excited. I have wanted to learn how to can for awhile, but I didn't know how to get started and I didn't want to invest in a canner until I knew whether or not I would actually do it. Ball sent me a canner, coupons for free jars, a Blue Book Guide to Preserving with directions and recipes, a Home Canning Discovery Kit, and stuff for my party guests to take home. It was awesome!

At the party we canned salsa and pepper jelly. I canned a batch of salsa on my own earlier in the week to try it out. It was so much simpler than I thought!

Here's my party:

Home Canning Discovery Kit and Utensil Set

If you don't want to invest the money (and space) in a canner, this is what you want. The Home Canning Discovery Kit comes with a plastic rack that fits in a standard stock pot, three pint size jars with lids and bands, and a pamphlet with directions and recipes.

The utensil set isn't necessary, but the tools made the canning process so simple.

The Blue Book Guide to Preserving.

I received two of these books, one for me and one to give away. I had my guests guess how many noodles were in the jar, the closest person won the book.

Design a label for your jars

I cut out circles to fit on the two different sized lids and had guests make labels.

The food!

I kept it simple since we were going to be chopping and canning. I made chicken salad croissant sandwiches, Parisian salad (from Costco), chips, and salsa (that I canned a few days earlier).

I forgot to take pictures until the very end, so I only have a few "action shots".

Denise putting pepper jelly into jars.

Carly and Angela snacking on some delicious salsa.

The finished salsa and pepper jelly!

Thank you Ball and House Party!

I have a new hobby! I love canning! It is so easy, it doesn't take a lot of time, it's healthy, you know what's in the food, it's cheaper than store bought, you can do a little or a lot... I could go on. It's great for food storage. I've already canned some strawberry jam (post to come). I want to can some applesauce and some peaches.

Let me know if you want to come over and can with me. It's more fun with friends!