Catch-Up Canning

Recently, I was able to witness the hubby and my 10-year old prepare and set out to hunt for deer on our OWN property. In the past, they had to travel to the in-laws and I never got to see the preparation. This is the child that can barely sit still long enough to complete a math worksheet but is reported to do well sitting in the cold woods for hours waiting for a deer. I guess it is all about our individual priorities!

I had to convince him that he was not allowed to use his good sweater for one of the "layers of warmth". He was eventually satisfied with my substitution of one of my old sweatshirts and he was ready to go with his crossbow in hand. 

They didn't bring home any deer meat but the morning was fun for them both as they recalled how close "Bucky", an eight point buck that we have captured on camera, came to their site. 

When they left, I started thinking about what we would do if they were successful in bringing home deer meat and realized that I could put it off no longer. I must clean out the freezer. I normally can jams, jellies and other items as the season produces the fruit but this year we were in the process of moving into our new home. I harvested the fruit, washed them and threw them into freezer bags to be dealt with by Future-Pamela. Now, it was time for Future-Pamela to step up. Why does Past-Pamela always think that Future-Pamela will magically have more time on her hands? 

Anyway, I started unloading the freezer and here are the results:

I made and canned several half-pints of grape jelly. These grapes were harvested from a grapevine on my parent's property. This vine has been there for at least 30 years and the fruit is great! I crushed the grapes, drained the juice and used Pomona's pectin to reduce the amount of sugar needed in my jelly. I have discovered this pectin and even though it does require an additional step, I prefer it over the other pectins that I have used in the past. I processed them using the water-bath method. 

Over the summer, there was a great sale on pineapples. Pineapple is one of my favorite fruits so I loaded up my cart and brought home a lot. We ate what we could but I cut up and froze the rest. I used the frozen pineapple to make and can several half-pints of pineapple jam. I processed them using the water-bath method. We haven't tried this yet, but they look amazing!

During my freezer clean-out, I discovered a frozen chicken. Since this chicken was sourced from a local farm, I felt comfortable using the bones to make broth. I defrosted and cooked the chicken. We had a great meal.

Afterwards, I removed all of the meat from the bones and threw them into a crockpot. I added a splash of apple cider vinegar to help convince the bones to release all of their great properties, filled the remainder of the crockpot with water and set it on low. I leave my bone broth to simmer for at least 24 hours but have been known to leave it much longer if I have underestimated my available time. This one was no exception and simmered in the crockpot for about 72 hours before I strained it and pressure-canned several pints. Some people add seasoning to their broth but I prefer to add the seasonings when I am using it, which allows me to vary the flavors depending on the dish being cooked. 

While I was waiting on the other items to process, I prepared fire cider. I know that it looks awful but it really isn't as bad as it looks and contains items with great healing properties. We take a swig of this during the winter to help give us boost when we feel sluggish or if we become sick. 

There are many fire cider recipes available. I choose to fill a quart-sized mason jar with approximately 3/4 solid ingredients. The recipe that I follow calls for five ingredients but I really hate onions so I omitted them from my recipe. I use approximately one part each of sliced jalapeño peppers, ginger, horseradish and chopped garlic. Since this is used for health purposes, I try to use the best quality ingredients that I can find for this recipe.

After the jar is full of the dry ingredients, I fill the remaining part of the jar with raw apple cider vinegar, cover and shake it well. This jar will remain in a dark corner of my counter for anywhere between two weeks to two months with occasional mixing. When ready to use, I drain the liquid into another mason jar and place into the refrigerator. We simply take a quick drink of this when we are feeling less-than-stellar.

The best case scenario is that it prevents us from getting sick by boosting our natural immune system. The worst case scenario is that it does nothing and we take a drink of infused apple cider vinegar every once in a while. The possible benefit is worth the very low risk and slightly unpleasant taste. 

Well, I would like to say that I am all caught up with my canning but I am not. I still have frozen blackberries, tomatoes and we are almost out of our elderberry syrup. It looks like I should quit typing and get back to work! 

What have you canned this year? Please share any recipes or stories with us in the comments.