Canning meant a HOT, STEAMY kitchen though. Growing up in Seattle, we did not have air conditioning. SO, when Mom canned, we RAN. Yeah, my sister and I kinda sucked a little bit. As a result, I never learned how to can. What a shame. For the past several years I have been yearning to learn how to do this most basic kitchen skill that my Mom was so good at. Of course, just like the knitting that i never bothered to learn from her....the minute I decide that i want to learn it, Mom is thousands of miles away. Luckily, there are people willing to teach me things!
Enter my dear friend Mandy! Mandy cans anything and everything, and lucky for me, she was more than happy to show me her skills. This past Monday we did Strawberry Pepper Jelly. YUM!! We used strawberries that Mandy had frozen earlier in the season, jalapeños and serrano peppers.
If you have never canned before, it can be pretty intimidating. I have made freezer jam a couple of times, simply because you do not need to worry about sealing things properly, and scary things like botulism. You just pop the jam in the freezer, and thaw it when you are ready to eat it. I was SO thankful that Mandy walked me through all the steps. Had i tried this on my own, just reading from a cookbook, I probably would have freaked myself out and dumped the whole batch. Things pop and hiss a little when you lower them into the hot water bath to seal. The fact that they do not seal IMMEDIATELY would have baffled me, and triggered my botulism phobia. That's a good thing to have a phobia about though, right? Survival and all....
In the past, i have only eaten pepper jelly on crackers with cheddar. Mandy introduced me to using cream cheese. YUM! We are also thinking that it will be fantastic in Brie Baked in Pastry, too! Hurry and get here Fall Football Season! I need snack food pig out opportunities!
By the way, my Mom was super excited that I finally learned to can, and has already put in an order for some of my jelly.
Next up....applesauce!!