Canning Instructions
Roasted Tomato Salsa
Peaches with Honey, Brandy and Vanilla
Peach Jam (low sugar)
Green Tomato and Corn Relish


STERILIZING JARS AND EQUIPMENT
Begin by washing jars, lids and equipment in warm soapy water - rinse well and drain. A dishwasher is very handy for this!
Place the jars and seals and any equipment such as spatulas, funnels and ladles that may touch the food in a pot of water and process in180˚F boiling water for 5 minutes then turn off the heat and leave them in the hot water until you are ready for them. If you need to sterilize more than one batch of jars remove them using the canning tongs and drain them on clean dishtowels spread on the counter. The screw tops need only be washed well in hot soapy water.
 
Alternatively I will sterilize jars in the oven – mainly to save pot space.
Roasting pans that will fit jars without touching
Thick rubber gloves to keep you from burning yourself
Line the roasting pans with newspaper or kitchen towels. Arrange the jars in the pans. The jars should not touch so separate them with newspaper or towels if necessary. Place the pans in a cold oven and turn the heat up to 200˚F. Once the oven has come up to temperature leave the jars in there for 5 minutes then remove. In a small pot sterilize the seals and equipment such as spatulas, funnels and ladles in simmering water for 5 minutes then turn off the heat and leave them in the hot water until you are ready for them.
The screw tops need only be washed well in hot soapy water.

BOILING WATER BATH CANNING FOR HIGH ACID FOODS
High acid foods are acid treated (or acidulated) tomatoes, fruits, pickles, and relishes. Acid treated simply means an acid (usually lemon juice or vinegar) has been added to the mixture to be canned. 

Bring the pot of water up to the boil, place the jars in a canning rack or wrap in towels and arrange as many as will comfortably fit in the pot. Jars must not touch each other or the bottom of the pot or they may crack – which is very messy and disturbing! The water should cover the jars by 2 inches. Cover the pot, bring the water back to the boil and process the jars, for required amount of time.

For hot packed foods the water should be boiling vigorously – at least 180˚F. For cold packed food just simmer the water – 140˚F. N.B. Hot packing is generally preferable – as it reduces processing time, drives air out of the food so prevents shrinkage, inactivates enzymes and sets color.

 Spread a towel on the counter and remove the processed jars to the counter leaving an inch or so between them. Leave them to cool for 24 hours. The seals should pop down within 15-20 minutes. Once the jars are sealed and cool the screw tops can be removed for storage. Store in a dark, cool, and dry environment.

ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE
This is a very simple tomato sauce that is perfect for an overwhelming tomato harvest. If you have the time you can peel the tomatoes first but it isn’t necessary. (N.B. An easy trick for peeling tomatoes is to remove the core with a small sharp knife, slice them in half, lay them cut side down on cookie sheets and place them under the broiler until the skins start to scorch and contract. The skins will slip off very easily. If you prefer a smooth sauce you can purée it when you use later in the year. Roasting the tomatoes intensifies their flavor and sweetness. You can add peppers, squash, chilies, onions, carrots or anything else that takes your fancy, or just keep it simple.

5 LB tomatoes, washed, core removed and cut in wedges
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/2 cup roughly chopped basil
1 tablespoon sea salt
plenty of fresh ground pepper
6 pint or 3 quart size canning jars

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Combine all the ingredients in a shallow roasting pan and toss gently. Place the pan in the oven uncovered and roast until boiling hot and lightly browned on top. While the tomatoes are still hot fill the pint or quart jars leaving sufficient head space - 1/2 inch for pint jars and 1 inch for quarts. Slide a spatula down the inside of the jars to remove air bubbles, clean the rims of the jars and screw on the seals and lids. Process in a boiling water bath – 10 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts – time the processing from the point when the water comes up to the boil.

PEACHES WITH HONEY, BRANDY AND VANILLA
12LB large, firm (yet ripe) peaches
juice of two lemons
1 quart fruit juice
2 quarts water
2 cups honey
1 cup brandy
2 vanilla beans
pint or quart jars, screw tops and brand new seals
In a stainless steel pot bring the juice, water and juice of 1 lemon, honey and brandy to the boil with the vanilla bean and simmer for 30 minutes or until liquid is reduced by 1 quarter. Wash, halve and stone the peaches and toss with juice of the remaining lemon. Add the peaches to the syrup and bring up to the boil, then turn off the heat. Fill the jars with hot peaches and syrup leaving I/2 inch head-space. Wipe rims and screw on caps. Process quart jars for 20 minutes and pint jars process for 10 minutes.

N.B. If the peaches are very ripe you may need to remove the skins. You can use the blanching method (drop into boiling water for 1 minute then drain and peel) or the broiling method described in the tomato sauce recipe above.

PEACH JAM
6LB fresh peaches, peeled, pitted and roughly chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 cups organic cane sugar per 4 cups of fruit
3 teaspoons pectin Pomona pectin and 3 teaspoons calcium water per 4 cups of fruit calcium water- see directions in Pomona pectin box to make calcium water
(Pomona Pectin is for making low sugar preserves. If you use regular pectin just follow the instructions in the packet for fruit to sugar ratio – it’s usually 1cup sugar to 1 cup fruit)

To peel the peaches bring a large pot of water to the boil (approximately 6 quarts). Drop 5-6 peaches into the boiling water, leave them for a minute or two then remove to a colander with a slotted spoon or strainer.

Bring the water back to the boil and repeat with the remaining peaches. The peel should come off quite easily. Cut the flesh off the stone and chop roughly.

You can be quite rough with the peach flesh to break it up and get the juices flowing. Measure the peach pulp then transfer to a large pot. Mix in the lemon juice and the required amount of calcium water into the peaches and stir well. Bring this gently up to the boil. Measure sugar into a bowl. Add the correct amount of pectin and mix thoroughly. Add sweetener and pectin mixture to the fruit and stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes to dissolve the pectin. Return to the boil and simmer gently until sugar dissolved. Fill the sterilized jars with jam leaving 1/2” headroom. Wipe the rims clean. Screw on the 2 piece lids and place the filled jars in the boiling water bath. Process 8oz jars for 5 minutes and pint jars for 10 minutes.

GREEN TOMATO, CORN AND PEPPER RELISH
2 cinnamon sticks, broken up a little
5 cardamom pods
2 star anise
2 lemon grass stalks, sliced up small
2 cups onion in ½ inch dice
4 cups sweet peppers in ½ inch dice
1- 2 cups hot peppers in small dice (this amount is optional and will depend on your taste and the heat of the peppers. To get a really hot taste mix in a couple of habañeros or small Thai chilis)
18 ears of corn, kernels removed
10lb’s green tomatoes, cores removed and cut in large (1 inch) dice
2-3 cups apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups sugar or 1  cup honey
sea salt to taste – start with 3 teaspoons
5-6 thin slices of fresh ginger root (if the skin is clean and unblemished you don’t need to peel the root)
5-6 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
4 tablespoons mustard seeds

Make a spice bag with cheesecloth and string for the cinnamon sticks, cardamom, anise and lemon grass.
Mix all the ingredients in a large, heavy bottom pot. Tuck the spice bag in the middle. Cover the pot and bring the mixture up to the boil on a high heat. Then reduce the heat, remove the lid, and simmer for an hour.
Gently stir the mixture from time to time and, after simmering about 30 minutes, check the seasoning and add more salt or more hot chilis if needed.
If you want a more intense flavor after simmering for an hour bring the heat back up and reduce the liquid by boiling vigorously for 20 minutes of so. But you need to pay attention to the mixture to prevent it scorching. Just stir gently from time to time with a wooden spoon.
Remove the spice bag. Pack in sterilized 12oz or 8oz jars. Leave ¼ inch headroom. Seal and process in a boiling water bath. If the jars and the relish are still hot you only need to process for 5 minutes. If everything has cooled down process the jars for 10 minutes. It is not an exact science but this should make at least 1.5 dozen 12oz jars.