Autumn Jam with an Instant Pot Shortcut

This jam is amazing!  I love all homemade jam, but this one really stands out.  We don't eat a lot of jam at our house and I make several batches a year, which means I always have tons of extras.   I whipped up a batch of this jam a couple of days ago and we've already gone through two jars, so I made my second batch today!  I have apple, plum and pear trees all ready to be picked at the same time and who knew mixing the fruits all together would be so yummy??

Do you have an Instant Pot?  I use mine every single day... usually multiple times a day!  I decided to use the Instant Pot to shortcut my jam making and it did a great job!  It saved time, saved dirty dishes, saved space on my stove AND allowed me to make jam without standing over a hot stove right next to a boiling canner in August!

 Autumn Jam

tiny apple chunks compared
to the size of the other fruits

6 c. mixed apples, pears & plums
(Apples peeled, cored and finely chopped. Pears peeled and cored. Plums, pits removed, no need to peel.)

1/2 c. apple juice
2 TBSP lemon juice

1 pkg powdered pectin
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
6 c. sugar

Instant Pot Directions:

(traditional directions follow)

ready to pressurize
I used more pears & plums
than apples

Chop your fruit directly into the IP liner, filling it to the six cup mark.  Add apple juice and lemon juice.  Press manual and choose high pressure for 1 minute. Once the timer beeps do a quick release of pressure.  Remove lid.  Turn IP to saute on high heat.  Stir in pectin and pumpkin pie spice.  Use a potato masher if there are any big chunks of fruit to mash up.  Once mixture reaches a boil, which should be right away, add sugar.  Cook and stir until mixture comes back to a boil and time for 1 minute.  Remove liner from pot.  Fill hot jars and process for 15 minutes.

Traditional Stove Top Directions:

Mix fruit, apple juice and lemon juice in a large pot.  Simmer for about 10 minutes or until fruit is soft.  Use a potato masher if needed to mash up the hot fruit.  Stir in pectin and pumpkin pie spice and bring to a rolling boil.   Once mixture reaches a boil, add sugar.  Cook and stir until mixture returns to a boil and time for 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Fill hot jars and process for 15 minutes.

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Beet It!

These two recipes go together.  I'm a firm believer in using up everything while canning!  When working with beets I chop and cook the greens and freeze them for use in dip later on.  You can use beet greens in place of spinach for dip and it comes out amazing!  A little pink... but amazing.

Beet jelly is made using the beet water drained off of boiling beets for pickled beets.  The jelly is one of our favorites!  Peeling the beets before boiling them is a little bit of a pain, but it makes for a better tasting jelly.

Beet Jelly

4 c. beet water 

1/2 c. lemon juice 

1 package dry pectin 

6 c. sugar 

Mix 4 cups of beet juice, lemon juice and pectin in a large pot. Bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Stir in sugar all at once and return to a full, rolling boil.  Boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and ladle into clean hot jars leaving 1/4" headspace.  Process jelly for 10 minutes in a water bath canner.

Pickled Beets

2 c. sugar 

1 c. water 

1 c. vinegar 

beets, washed & peeled

Boil beets in water until tender. Reserve water for jelly.  If beets are small, leave whole, otherwise quarter, half, slice or dice as desired. Place beets in clean pint jars. Bring brine ingredients to a boil and pour over beets in half-pint jars leaving 1/2" headspace.  Process 30 minutes in a water bath canner.

Sweet & Sour Pepper Relish

This is one of our favorite canning recipes!  We eat this stuff on pork chops, chicken, meatballs w/rice or right out of the jar!

Sweet & Sour Relish

8 c. chopped green peppers

6 c. chopped green apples

4 c. chopped green cabbage

2 c. banana peppers

1/4 c. salt

6 c. sugar

1/2 tsp powdered mustard

6 c. cider vinegar

1 hot red pepper (if desired)

Combine green peppers, apples, cabbage, banana peppers and salt in a large bowl.  Let sit 2 hours and drain.  Combine sugar, mustard powder and vinegar in a large stock pot.  If using a hot red pepper, cut two small slits in the pepper and add it to the vinegar mix.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat, add veggies and simmer 10 minutes.  Remove the hot red pepper.  Fill clean jars with hot mixture, leaving 1/4" headspace.  Process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.  Makes about 7 pints.

 

The American Homemaker's Zucchini Recipes and Ideas

I taught a Relief Society class last week on using up your garden zucchini.  We eat zucchini and/or squash every day at our house this time of year.  Every.  Single.  Day.  Here's the info from my class.  Enjoy!

Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake

4 eggs
2/3 c. sugar
2/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. oil
1 T vanilla
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2/3 c. cocoa 1 tsp Pero powder (or coffee)
3 c. flour
4 heaping cups grated zucchini
2 c. mini chocolate chips

Mix everything well and pour into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperate with butter or frosting on top.

Zucchini Relish 

Shredded zucchini
Ball Brand Dill Pickle Mix
Vinegar called for in mix

This is a hodge-podge method that my family loves. Add required vinegar & mix. Mix to shredded zucchini in a pot. I don’t add water since zucchini has so much water in it already. Heat until hot. Process pints for 20 minutes.

Zucchini Parmesan

Slice zucchini. Dip the slices in flour, then milk or eggs mixed with water and finally Panko crumbs. Panko is sold in the Asian or breadcrumb aisle of the grocery store. Fry in hot oil until golden brown and crisp on each side. Place on a paper towel lined pan when done. Top hot cooked spaghetti noodles with the fried zucchini in a 9x13 pan. Pour your favorite spaghetti sauce over the top. Top with shredded mozzarella or Italian mix cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until sauce is hot and cheese is melted.

Fried Zucchini

Peel zucchini. Take out the seedy part if it’s a big huge zucchini. Cut the meaty part into “french fries”. Dip the fries in flour with some pepper added, then milk or eggs mixed with water and finally Panko crumbs. Panko is sold in the Asian or breadcrumb aisle of the grocery store. Fry in hot oil until golden brown and crisp on each side. Remove from oil to a paper towel lined plate or tray. Serve hot with ranch dressing for dipping.  

Sweet Cooked Zucchini

zucchini or yellow squash
onion
butter
salt
pepper
brown sugar

Slice the squash into 1/2-inch rounds, cutting large ones in half. Add the butter to a frying pan that has a lid and melt over medium heat. When the butter has melted, add the onions and cook until soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add zucchini/squash, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Stir, then cover and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook until squash is very soft. Remove the lid and cook for a couple more minutes until some of the liquid is evaporated and thickened a bit.

Zucchini Skillet

1 lb hamburger
Zucchini or squash, diced
2 cans diced seasoned tomatoes
Shredded cheese

Fry hamburger and zucchini together until hamburger is done. Drain, if needed. Add tomatoes and stir well. Top with cheese and let melt.

Zucchini Funeral “Potatoes”

Use fresh shredded zucchini in place of frozen hash browns in your favorite funeral potato recipe! It’s delicious!  

Freezing Zucchini 

Zucchini freezes well, both cubed and shredded. Remove the peels before freezing because they become tough and bitter once frozen. I use frozen zucchini in cookies, cakes, brownies, chilies, soups, pastas and casseroles. If you put frozen diced zucchini into a crockpot meal it will break down and your family won’t even know it’s there, but it will stretch the meal further!

If you plan to serve your frozen zucchini in a way that you want it to still look like zucchini, leave the peel on, cut into half inch slices and blanch for three minutes, then drain and freeze. If you are unfamiliar with blanching, you boil the slices for three minutes then remove the squash from the boiling water and place it directly into ice water. Once cool you drain and freeze. These same freezing ideas work for summer squash and eggplant as well! I like to freeze eggplant, squash, zucchini and spinach together in the same bag to add to winter crockpot meals! I cook the spinach just for a minute before freezing.

Other Ideas for Using up Zucchini, Eggplant & Squash 

Add diced zucchini, eggplant or squash into:

Scrambled eggs
Hashbrowns
Spaghetti & other pastas
Casseroles Soups & chilies
Bbq beans
Enchiladas & burritos
Rice dishes

Cherry Jam (No Pectin)

I love cherries!  I happen to have a cherry tree in my yard, and this year I was also given some cherries from some neighbors.  I had never even tasted cherry jam before I made it but I thought it must be delightful!  I wasn't disappointed and now I make this every single year!.  This recipe came from a 1979 canning book I picked up at a yard sale over the weekend.  I love that it doesn't use pectin.

Cherry Jam

4 c. pitted cherries
3 c. sugar
2 TBSP lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt

Gently mix together in a large deep pan. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly. Turn to med-high and boil for 15 minutes stirring frequently until slightly thickened (will thicken when cool). Process in a water bath canner 5 minutes. Yields: 3 half pints or 6 small jelly jars.

NOTE- Jam/jelly recipes don't usually double well. To double this batch I made the batches in two separate pans at the same time.

Apple Canning Recipes

I'm so proud of my apple tree!  I thought the apples were all wormy and gross, but they aren't!  I have big beautiful crisp apples!  I left the wormy ones on the tree for the birds and picked a whole box a pretty apples!  I don't know what kind of apples they are, but they're tart so I'm thinking maybe granny smith?

Here are two of the apple canning recipes I've done this year:

Apple Pie Filling

Per Quart:

5 apples

1 c. sugar
1/4 c. corn starch
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 c. water
3/4 c. apple juice
2 TBSP lemon juice

Core, peel and slice apples. Place in boiling water for 1 minute. Set aside and keep hot. Boil remaining ingredients until desired thickness. I barely let mine reach a full boil. Fill hot sterilized quart jars alternating apples and syrup until it is almost full. Run a knife down the side to remove air bubbles. Add more apples and syrup. Process 25 minutes.

I've been making this recipe for a couple of years now and I absolutely love it!  It makes the best apple crisp!

Apple Crisp

1 qt apple pie filling

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. oats
1/4 c. butter, melted

Pour the pie filling into a pan. Mix remaining ingredients well and sprinkle over the top of filling. Bake at 375 for 20-30 minutes until golden.

 

Pretty Pink Apples in Red Hot Syrup

About 20 good-sized apples

1 c. red hots candies

2 c. sugar

1 tsp ginger

3 c. apple juice

1 1/2 c. white vinegar

2/3 c. corn syrup

Core, peel and slice apples. Place in boiling water for 1 minute. Set aside and keep hot. Heat remaining ingredients until red hots melt (seems to be about the same time it reaches a boil).  Fill hot sterilized jars with apples and top with syrup until it is almost full. Run a knife down the side to remove air bubbles. Add more apples and syrup until full. Process 15 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts.  I ended up with 8 pints of apples (although it was in varying sized jars).

I've always wanted to try a red hots syrup since it's a 1950s recipe and I love vintage recipes.  I was not disappointed!  I altered the recipe quite a bit to be yummier, but used the basic idea.  These would make fabulous gifts!

 

Homemade Turkey Stock & Turkey-Cranberry-Stuffing Casserole Recipe

I started making my own turkey stock a while back and I'll NEVER go back to canned broth.  Turkey stock is pretty much amazing for making homemade chicken and dumplings  or chicken noodle soup... I even used it in my homemade stuffing (recipe will come tomorrow!).  If you still have a turkey carcass in your fridge from Thanksgiving, don't waste it!  It makes amazing broth!

To make homemade stock, place your turkey carcass in a large pot.  Cover with water.  Add celery carrots, onions, spices and anything else you'd like to add flavor.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer, cover and simmer for 4 hours, stirring occasionally.  Strain and place in a covered bowl in the fridge over night.  The next day the turkey stock should be a jelly-like consistency.  Scrape off any fat that has risen to the top.  Scoop into jars or plastic baggies to freeze. Leave lots of head space in your jars, lots.  Turkey stock is the only thing I've ever had expand enough in the freezer to break the jars.  I usually get 10-14 cups of stock from one turkey carcass.  To serve or use in recipes heat until it's liquid again.

It's my goal to get a pressure canner someday semi-soon so I can start canning my stock and other things that need a pressure canner.  It would be nice to not have to freeze everything.  I'm crossing my fingers that we'll be buying a house soon.  We could be moving as soon as January and there's a nice big storage room in the basement.  I'll for sure need to start canning more!  HOORAY.

And speaking of turkey leftovers...

This was something I threw together Sunday night... It's easy and delicious!

Turkey-Cranberry-Stuffing Casserole

10 1/2 oz can of gravy or leftover gravy
2 c. leftover turkey
stuffing
1/2 c. dried cranberries (if desired)
cranberry sauce

Mix the gravy and turkey together.  Place in the bottom of a casserole dish.  Make the stuffing as directed on package, adding cranberries if desired, or use leftover stuffing.  Spoon the stuffing evenly on top of the turkey/gravy mixture.  Top with cranberry sauce.  I used cranberry-apple sauce.  Cover, bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until hot.

Peach Sauce

I always have to can creative things... I feel like it's a waste of my precious time to bottle something like plain old peaches when I can just purchase them at the store. If I had a tree and had them coming out my ears that would be different. My aunt gave me a box of peaches from her tree, half were cling peaches and half were freestone.

We sliced up the majority of the cling peaches to freeze. We filled up a couple of gallon-sized ziplock bags. When freezing fruit, it's easiest to lay them on a wax paper lined cookie sheet (without them touching each other) and freeze them. Then fill the bags with the frozen fruit. That way they don't stick together and you can grab out just how many you need. We use frozen peaches in smoothies and in freezer jam throughout the winter.

After my coworkers, kids and kids' friends gobbed down peaches for a week I had one big bowl left for peach butter. I believe this is a 26 cup bowl.

I like to involve Nina when I cook something out of the norm; I think it's good for her to learn new skills, even if she swears she will never can as an adult. This day we had a lesson on peaches.

For easier peeling we dropped the washed peaches in boiling water for a minute.

The skin peels right off. If the skin doesn't peel off easily you can drop them back in the water, but that does start to cook them a bit which may be an issue depending on what you're doing with them. For peach sauce it doesn't matter, so I just tossed them back in their jacuzzi if they didn't peel.

The warm peaches can be sliced if you're doing something pretty with them, but for this I just squished them open with my fingers, pulled out the pit and tossed the skinless peaches in the blender. Nina learned the difference between cling peaches (we had a few that didn't fit on the cookie sheet) and freestone peaches during this process... She also learned to curse the cling ones!


Peach Sauce
15 c. peach puree (came from an overflowing 26 c. bowl of peaches)
1 c. brown sugar
1 T. lemon juice

To make the peach puree, just smash up ripe skinless peaches in the blender. Heat your peach puree and sugar in a large pot until hot (takes about 10 minutes). Ladle into sterilized jars and process for 15 minutes. Makes 6 1/2 pints. Eat like applesauce (my kids love it!) or put on pancakes, waffles, muffins, etc. Enjoy!

Tomato-Pineapple Jam

I had two different people leave ripe garden tomatoes on my porch! You all know if I'm gonna take the time to can, I'm going to can something you can't buy in the grocery store. I started to wonder if you could make jam out of tomatoes. I grew up on green tomato jam made by my grandma, but I'd never heard of using ripe tomatoes in jam. I came across a tomato-pineapple relish recipe and decided to combine those flavors into a jam. It came out SO good! I absolutely love it! I was really surprised at how yummy it is! It has a familiar flavor, but I'm not really sure what... I had a couple people at work taste-test it without knowing what it was and they both guessed apple cinnamon jam! Interesting and yummy! Apple flavor with no apples! This is a super simple canning recipe for beginners and it makes a very unique homemade gift.

Tomato-Pineapple Jam

2 c. diced ripe tomatoes (around 4 medium)
1 box Pectin
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple
2 T apple cider vinegar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
5 1/2 c. sugar

Bring tomatoes to a boil; simmer and stir for 10 minutes. Mix in pectin, pineapple, vinegar and pumpkin pie spice. Bring to hard boil and add sugar. Bring to rolling boil and boil one minute. Pour into sterilized, hot jars. Process five minutes. This makes seven 1/2 pints, plus a little extra to sample.

Soda Pop Jelly

I love canning unique recipes and you can't get much more unique than Root Beer Jelly or Cherry Coke Jelly. Jelly is made of nothing more than juice and sugar so why not use soda pop? There's really no nutritional value in jelly and the kids love it! I've heard that Root Beer Jelly was first made during the depression days when you made do with whatever you had on hand... not sure if that's true, but it makes sense. The Cherry Coke Jelly is really different, but good. The Root Beer Jelly is my kids' favorite! These are fabulous on toast, muffins or a good old peanut butter and jelly sandwich!

A jar of Soda Pop jelly is a super fun gift idea! Time to start looking ahead to neighbor and teacher Christmas gifts!

Soda Pop Jelly
2 c. soda pop
6 c. sugar
1 c. water
3 oz liquid pectin


Combine all ingredients except pectin. Heat to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Once the mixture reaches a boil add pectin. Stir constantly to bring to a boil and boil hard for 30 seconds. Skim off foam, if needed*. Pour into sterile, hot jars and process for 5 minutes in a boiling water bath canner. I got 6 1/2 half pints.

*You can place the foam into a bowl and microwave it for 30-60 seconds (depending on how much you have). It turns back into jelly which is a great way to taste test!

How to Can Using a Water-Bath Canner

I thought I'd share the actually canning process with you. Canning isn't near as scary as it seems, but it can be very time-consuming.

Sterilize your jars either by running them through the dishwasher or by boiling them.  If your items will be processing more than 10 minutes, you don't need to sterilize them, just make sure they are clean.

Canners can be picked up at most stores or I see them at thrift stores, A LOT. They just look like a big lidded pot with a metal rack in it. Don't be scared if the rack is rusty. Mine is and it processes the jars just fine.  If you're really new to canning, you might just want to borrow a canner to start and see how you like it.

Fill your canner with water, place the lid on it and get it boiling while you prep your items to can.

Place your lids (make sure they are new) and your rings (don’t have to be new) in a small sauce pan of hot water. I usually bring my water to a boil, turn it off and place my lids and rings inside. That way they stay nice and hot.  You used to need to boil your lids to soften the seals.  This isn't something you need to do any more with modern lids.

To fill your jars, you want to work with hot product, hot jars, hot lids, etc. Keep everything clean and sterilized the best you can. Wash your hands a lot while canning.




A wide-mouth funnel is fabulous for canning. I usually use a 1 c. measuring cup to scoop my fruit into the hot jars. Fill the jars to the mouth and then use a knife or a special plastic canning tool to run inside your jar near the sides to work out any air bubbles. Add a bit more fruit to fill it to about ¼” below the rim.  Different canning recipes call for different "headspace" measurements, but 1/4" is pretty standard.

Another great canning tool is a magnet lid lifter which is used to get your flat lids out of the super hot water they’re sitting in. Before you place the lid on use a clean rag or paper towel to wipe the rim of the jar clean. Set the lid and the ring on the jar and tighten. Use a towel to hold the jar, because it will be hot.

Place all the jars in the canner rack using your canning tongs and lower the rack into the boiling water.  Replace the lid on the canner. My quart jar canner has a liftable rack. My smaller pint/half-pint canner doesn’t, so I just use my canning tongs to place the jars in one by one.



If the boiling water isn’t at least one inch above your filled jars add boiling water to the pot. Start timing once all the jars are in the canner and it’s boiling. Once the time is up, remove the jars and place them right-side-up on a towel on your counter without touching each other. You can slightly tilt the jars as lifting to drain the water off the top, but don’t shake them around too much.

Once again, keep your kitchen draft-free to prevent breakage. Let the jars sit until they are all cooled and sealed. Give your jars 24 hours before you text the seals.  I rarely have non-sealers, but if I do I just put them in my fridge and use them.

You’ll hear a lot of pop-pop-pops as they seal and it’s the happiest sound on canning day. After 24 hours test the tops of all the jars by pressing down on the lids. If the lid pops up and down you’ll know it didn’t seal and you'll want to refrigerate and use soon.  Remove the rings of all the jars that did seal and wipe the jars well, especially where the ring had been.  Label and store without the rings.

Apple-Pear Raspberry Jam

 This jam is wonderful. The kids love it and it's a fantastic red color.  It's great for when you just have a few of each fruit to use up.

Apple-Pear Raspberry Jam

6 pears
6 apples
2 TBSP lemon juice
3 c. sugar
6 oz raspberry jello powder

Core, peel and chop fruit. Place lemon juice into a large pot and add your fruit chunks as you go, tossing occasionally. Place covered pot on stove over med-high heat. Cook covered for 5 minutes stirring often. Remove lid, add sugar and boil for 15 minutes, stirring often. Mix cooked fruit in a blender until mostly smooth. Add jello powder; cook and stir for a few minutes until dissolved. Place in sterilized half-pint or jelly jars and process for 15 minutes. Makes 6 half-pints or 12 jelly jars.

Pear Sauce

We tried some of this the other night with dinner and it was FABULOUS! This is definitely something I'll be making again and again.

Pear Sauce

9 lb pears
1 c. apple juice
2 TBSP lemon juice
1 c. sugar

Peel and core pears. Process in blender until smooth. Simmer until nice and hot (about 10 minutes). Pour into sterilized pint jars. Process 15 minutes. Makes 6 pints.

Crockpot Apple Butter

Last year I made no sugar apple butter, but this year my apples weren't quite as sweet, so in went the sugar. A little sugar never hurt anyone, right? Don't answer that!

Apple butter is great on biscuits, muffins, toast, corn bread, etc. It's a simple way to use up excess apples and it makes a fun hostess or neighbor gift.

Crockpot Apple Butter

24 apples
2 c. apple juice
3 TBSP pumpkin pie spice
2 c. brown sugar

Wash, peel, core and chop apples. I like to turn my crockpot on low and chop them directly into the warm pot. Add juice, pumpkin pie spice and sugar. Crockpot will be very full. I chop the apples up even more with a knife once in the crockpot to squeeze them all in. Cook on low overnight.

 In the morning stir well and crack lid. Cook on high 5-7 hours. Blend well in your blender until mostly smooth. Remove lid completely and leave on high while preparing the bottles, boiling the canner water, etc. Pour into hot sterilized half-pint jars. Process for 15 minutes. Makes 10 half-pints.

Apples, apples and more apples!!! As soon as the crockpot was full, it was time to start slicing more.

Cran-Apple Sauce

I love homemade cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving, but I had never really thought about bottling it... then as I was checking out some apple canning recipes I came across a recipe for apple cranberry sauce. Yum! It looks so pretty in the jars and tastes great.  It uses up apples and is great at Thanksgiving time!

The red color is so pretty in the jars!

Cran-Apple Sauce

20 apples
2 12 oz bags fresh cranberries
2 c. sugar
3 c. apple juice

Wash fruit. Sort berries. Peel, core and finely chop apples. Mix all ingredients in a large pot with lid. Cook for 5 minutes covered, stirring often. Remove lid and boil for 20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Keep hot while filling sterilized pint jars. Process 15 minutes. Makes 7 pints.