How to Sew a Button: And Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew by Erin Bried Read Free Book Online Page B

top off each jar with more syrup, leaving ½ inch space at the top. (To preserve berries without sugar, replace syrup with boiling water.) Seal and boil for 20 minutes.

More Nifty Tips
To prevent fruit from browning after cutting, soak in 1 gallon of water mixed with a teaspoon of ascorbic acid or spritz with lemon juice.
To remove skins from tomatoes and peaches easily, first submerge them in boiling water for 45 seconds and then plunge them into ice water. The skin’ll slide right off!
All the fruit here is packed in light syrup. To make the syrup less sweet, add 1¼ cups sugar to 10½ cups water. To make it even sweeter, add 3¾ cups sugar to 8¼ cups water.
All boiling times are good at sea level. If you’re above 1,000 feet, add 5 minutes to your boil. Above 3,000 feet, add 10. Above 6,000 feet, add 15.
For recipes, how-tos, and basically everything you could ever want to know about canning, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation at www.uga.edu/nchfp/ .

Sweeten Your Day

    “I’d go to the briar patch, pick blackberries, and make jam. We’d eat it on pancakes, buns, and biscuits. You don’t even have to can it, because you’ll eat it so fast.”
    —M ILDRED K ALISH
H OW TO M AKE (AND C AN ) s TRAWBERRY J AM
    Step 1:
Pick your own berries. You’ll need about 4½ pints’ worth (or 9 cups) for every batch of jam you make. It’s okay if a few of them are underripe. They’ll help your jam set.
    Step 2:
Gather your supplies and other ingredients. You’ll need: 2 large lemons, 4 cups sugar, a large pot, a wooden spoon, a small plate, and, if you don’t plan on finishing off your jam immediately, all the usual canning supplies, including a canner (aka a ginormous pot), a wire jar-rack (to help prevent breakage), a jar-grabber (or tongs), a ladle, and four ½-pint canning jars with new lids and rings.
    Step 3:
Put your little plate in the freezer. You’ll need it later for something very interesting. Cue the up-and-down eyebrows.
    Step 4:
To sterilize your jars, fill your canner with hot water. Place your empty jars in your jar rack, submerge them in the water, and boil for 10 minutes. Prepare your lids and rings according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Turn off the heat but leave your jars submerged in the hot water for now.
    Step 5:
Wash your strawberries, and remove their caps.
    Step 6:
Toss your berries into a large pot and gently (or depending on your mood, not so gently) crush them with your wooden spoon, leaving some berries smushed but fairly recognizable. Simmer over low to medium heat for 10 minutes.
    Step 7:
Add the sugar, plus 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves.
    Step 8:
Crank up the heat to bring your berry mixture to a boil. Keep it bubbling for about 20 minutes, or until it starts to thicken. Don’t worry. This part is not as boring as it sounds, because you’ve got two big jobs: Stir frequently to save those unlucky berries on the bottom from burning, and scoop off any foam that collects on top.
    Step 9:
Retrieve your plate from the freezer, and test the thickness of your jam by dropping a teaspoon of jam onto it. Count to 30, hold your breath, and then tip the plate. If the mixture gels and moves only slightly, proceed to step 10. If it runs down the plate, re-freeze your plate, say a few choice curse words, boil your jam for another 1 to 2 minutes, and test again. Repeat as necessary.
    Step 10:
Remove the jam from heat. Using tongs, remove your sterilized jars from the hot water and shake to empty them. Using a ladle, fill your jars, leaving ¼ inch of headroom. Wipe off any drips from the rim, using a clean, damp paper towel, to get a good seal. Add the lid, and screw on the ring to secure. Repeat until all the jars are full.
    Step 11:
Now you need to preserve your jam. Double-check the water level in your canner; it must be deep enough to fully cover the upright jars by at least 2 inches. Bring the water to a boil. Using