Why I don't can quart jars anymore. I bought some new ones in Twisp for pickled garlic scapes and brought them back to use on plums, since we have so many. But quarts are heavy work compared to pint jars, just getting them sterilized, filled, then safely in and out of the boiling water bath.
Of course, this is just a hobby for me. I kept thinking about our mother, who canned dozens of quarts filled with fruit and vegetables for the winter, out of necessity. In a small old farm kitchen with kids underfoot. She would rather have bought her canned peaches at the A&P! Most housewives of her generation loved the new processed convenience foods. Who could blame them?
Anyway, the reward is seeing all those pretty jars lined up on the shelf. This afternoon, I'm trying a batch of Asian plum sauce. Tomorrow, our standby plum chutney recipe. John likes to do all the precision chopping on that one. And then, if I'm not completely plummed out, spiced halves canned in syrup with star anise and cinnamon sticks. Sounds good on ice cream.
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