Canning is an old art that was once a way of life for many. Until recent years, it became a more recreational activity. There’s been a resurgence in canning and other forms of food preservation, as people have become more concerned about food shortages. Other aspects of the economy that make people’s futures more uncertain has also led to more people taking up canning. Place the sliced cucumbers into the jars, as tightly as you can. Keep in mind that if you don’t have enough cucumbers in the jars, your brine won’t go all the way up to the top. So get them in there! This is just ONE day of harvesting our cucumber bed. From 3 plants we get this many cucumbers every day, from May through November!

Its second-largest application is to suppress the formation of dust on dirt roads because it adds and keeps a liquid layer on the surface preventing the wind from blowing away the dust particles. Get all your jars ready. Boil them and then stuff them with cucumbers. Whole, sliced, two day old…whatever. Pour your boiling vinegar concoction recipe into the jars. You probably do this anyway. Seal them like always. Note that it’s possible to water bath can (full method instructions in link) this recipe – processing it for 10 minutes. If you do so, the pumpkin preserves will last for 12 months (at least!). Process 20 minutes in a water bath canner. Remove the jars from the canner and place on a folded towel. Allow the jars to cool completely before storing.If good quality ingredients are used and up-to-date methods are followed, firming agents are not needed. Vanilla:I recommend using around ½ a vanilla bean, scraping out the seeds, and throwing the entire pod in while cooking (then remove the pod at the end). Alternatively, use some vanilla extract. Next, cover the cucumbers with the warm vinegar mix. Be sure to leave a 1/4" headspace. Step Three: In the quantities used in home canning, calcium chloride will not impact your pH. You’d need to use enough to turn your cucumbers into fossils to have an impact on pH. With milk: like the Mexican candied pumpkin, this version can be enjoyed in a bowl with milk (dairy or dairy-free) and a little drizzle of the syrup. Again, this can be enjoyed chilled or warm.

I kept thinking about the women who had that book through those ten decades, and it left me very nostalgic. One of the best ways to can peppers is by using a pressure canner. This will help to preserve the peppers and keep them fresh for a longer period of time. Bring 1 gallon of boiling water and 1/2 cup of kosher salt to a boil in a pot over medium heat. Remove the bell peppers from the brine and allow them to cool for 20 minutes. After the peppers have cooled, they should be refrigerated and brined for one to two days.

This straightforward process makes it an excellent choice for both experienced canners and those new to the art of preserving. Factors That Affect Crispness Blossom End Why do you need to use one of the above? If you simply boil the pumpkin in the syrup for hours, it will completely break down. Meaning you’ll end up with a disintegrated, mushy, pulpy mess -rather than individual pieces of pumpkin within a syrup. Any of the above ingredients will help us to avoid the “mush” stage.

Make sure you slice off and discard the blossom end of the cucumber. You can tell the blossom end from the stem end by using your sense of touch. The stem end will feel smooth with an indented or concaved dot. The blossom end, which you will want to remove, will feel like a rough, curved outward dot You can store this pumpkin pie jam in the fridge for up to three months. You may also be able to water-bath-can it, though refer to professional guidelines for advice. How to Store Pumpkin Preserves Calcium chloride (CaCl2) is a natural compound of calcium and chlorine derived from limestone. Mineral-wise, it’s technically a salt, though it’s not salt salt (sodium chloride.) The former has a case of gummy stem blight and the latter has a touch of powdery mildew. They both grow in the same bed up trellises, and it’s fascinating to see that the diseases have not passed to each other (yet).To remove excess lime, drain the lime-water solution, rinse and then re-soak the cucumbers in fresh water for 1 hour. Repeat the rinsing and soaking steps two more times. Calcium chloride (CaCl2) has many uses and is widely utilized as a deicing agent as it’s much more efficient at lower temperatures than sodium chloride (salt). Your local water supply might already have different metals in it. So the water will actually be more dense,. My tap water is 0.2% heavier than pure water. Most sources of Calcium Chloride, are also not pure, because it absorbs water from the air. Both of these things need to be tested to get an accurate concentration. Place the garlic cloves, dill, red pepper, and peppercorns in the jars. They can go underneath the cucumbers as well, either way is fine.