Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Daring Cooks: Food Preservation

The September 2010 Daring Cooks’ challenge was hosted by John of Eat4Fun. John chose to challenge The Daring Cooks to learn about food preservation, mainly in the form of canning and freezing. He challenged everyone to make a recipe and preserve it. John’s source for food preservation information was from The National Center for Home Food Preservation.




It all began about 30 years ago or so. I had just bought my very first house, and the backyard came with fruit trees: apple, nectarine, and apricot. How I loved that apricot tree! And it produced tons of apricots most every summer. To enjoy the fruit all year long, I learned how to can.


I haven't stopped since, lugging all my canning supplies with me where ever I moved. Over the years, I have canned jams and chutneys and fruit and pickles and stewed tomatoes. I have entered them in state and county fairs. ( I sure do love those blue ribbons!)


Last summer, I made a boysenberry-lime jam.






This month, for the Daring Cooks challenge, I made apple butter, one of my favorites. I did choose, this time, to freeze the results rather than can them, since I was trying a new recipe. When apples become more seasonal, I will make the recipe again and actually can it. Somehow, I don't think the frozen apple butter will last very long.





Over at the Daring Kitchen, you can see what kinds of yummy things everyone canned or froze. I'll be looking forward to the October challenge.

4 comments:

Shandy said...

Gorgeous! I love apple butter and bake my Grandma's recipe in the oven, stirring often. The whole house smells of spices and apples for days after. I can only imagine how fast your applebutter will get eaten. Looks absolutely delicious!

Mary said...

Your apple butter looks great, but I'd love to get my hands on some of that boysenberry-lime jam! I think I'll make apple butter too, now that local apples are ready and it's gotten very chilly here. Suddenly a boiling water bath seems like a good thing to have going in the kitchen!

Heather said...

How perfect with all the wonderful summer fruit we have had! You have done wonderfully well with this canning skill.

Leslie said...

Homemade apple butter wouldn't last for an hour around here. This looks sooo yummy!