Yesterday and today my mom and I canned peaches… millions of peaches! Actually, only about 60 lbs. We grossed about 33 quarts and two batches of jam from local BC Okanagen peaches and honey because organic has been too expensive to can. It took us a while to get a system down, but by this morning we were very efficient and tidy. Now that we have figured out the process, I can’t wait for beets and pears to ripen!!!
I’m lucky because my mom canned for quite a few years when I was younger, and my grandma was quite the homemaker as well. My mom has passed on dozens of quart and pint jars and all her canning tools to me, which makes getting into the game easy. Its interesting to see how the instruments have evolved through the generations by looking at some of my grandmas canning jars, with parafin wax sealing for preserves, rubber rings and glass lids to our rubber rimmed lids and rims that we use today.
This round we tried to seal the preserves with wax, but realized shortly after that it is no longer recomended due to the improper seal the wax tends to make. Obviously we did it wrong when we noticed the juice seaping out the top of the wax! Oh well, I guess we will just have to eat it!
We used a preserve recipe that called for honey instead of sugar, but unfortunately it didn’t set - we will continue our search for a local way to make jam!
Alan McKay
November 7, 2008 | 12:36 am1
Oh my, don’t use wax! And no disrespect, but you should never learn canning from a previous generation, either. Take their recipes and modernize them by all means. But do so with a good modern book. Here is a good free book on canning from the USDA