I would never say I have a green thumb, but boy, my garden was prolific this year. I had more tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, snap peas, jalapeno peppers, and onions than we could eat. And then we picked apples from a nearby orchard. I had drawn the line at growing zucchini again, and my daughters were more than happy to give me some of theirs. I still had green peppers in the freezer from last year. Even with these adjustments, I had more produce than I could handle.
It’s a good thing I love canning.
While I never tried my hand at pressure canning (necessary for low acid foods like meats, seafood, soups and stews, and some vegetables and fruits), I’ve been water bath canning since a young bride. When the babies started coming, I stepped back from it, but then the urge to garden returned, especially when we retired. I love that two of my daughters have followed in my footsteps on a much smaller scale, and for the two that don’t can, I’m very happy to share my jarred bounty. (Here are pics of most of what I’ve canned since I’d already given some away.)
With the passing of my mother, and later my aunt, I inherited lots of jars. I discovered the economy of ordering flats in bulk on ebay during Covid. I’ve canned for so long, I have my system down pat.
Up until the mid-1800’s, folks didn’t understand how poorly canned food and improperly sealed jars increased the chances of botulism, e-coli, and listeria. In 1858, John Landis Mason invented a resealable glass jar, modifying his design and the accompanying lids numerous times until his patent expired in 1879. Other manufacturers helped themselves to his work, and sadly, he never profited from his beloved Mason jars. He was forced into living a frugal life until his death in 1902.
In 1884, the Ball brothers, five in all, took up the glass jar manufacturing sensation, ultimately producing 245,000 jars per day in the early 1900s. Today, Ball is credited with producing 545,000 jars a day. That’s a lot of jars!
Canning jars have evolved from wire bailers and glass dome lids used with re-usable rubber rings to the flats and rings we’re familiar with today.
Canning jars are used many more ways than just preserving food. Drinking glasses, crafts, wedding table decorations, pack-n-go containers (like salads), and gifts–remember those cake and cookie ingredients in a jar? Soups and cocoa, too? Fun!–the possibilities are endless.
If you’re drowning in zucchini, here’s a jam recipe that calls for 6 CUPS. Since most recipes call for one or two cups, maybe three, but never six, this recipe caught my eye. It’s good! Even better, it’s easy.
Pina Colada Jam
6 cups sugar
6 cups shredded peeled zucchini
1 8oz can crushed pineapple, undrained
1/4 cup lime juice
2 – 3 oz pkgs pineapple Jello
1 tsp rum extract
- Combine sugar, zucchini, pineapple, and lime juice in Dutch oven. Bring to a boil.
- Boil for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Remove from heat. Stir in Jello and extract until gelatin is dissolved.
- Pour into jars or freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
- Cool completely before covering with lids. Refrigerate for up to three weeks or freeze up to one year.
Note: I did water bath these. The jam will be a bit runny but will thicken when it’s refrigerated. And yes, there’s specks of zucchini peel because my husband was grating too fast for me to hurry up and peel. Ha!
It doesn’t taste like the cocktail (there’s no alcohol in it) but it’s still good. Try with coconut shrimp or even as a cake filling. Delicious on toast!
Have you canned food before? Do you love to garden? What’s your favorite canned food?
