Category Archives: Canning

This jam is something a little different, but I knew I really wanted to try it. I had seen a few recipes here and there, and decided to put together a few ingredients that appeal to me, and see how it went from there. This jam has the same sweetness that your favorite strawberry jam might have, but it also has the hidden kick of balsamic vinegar and black pepper. I love it. It is perfect on a cracker topped with a slice of cheese.  

Now, usually when I make jam, I make plain, regular strawberry jam. My kids LOVE strawberry jam, and we go through it very quickly, and so I try to make quite a bit in summer, when the field fresh berries are ripe & ready. But this time, I saw a case of mangoes at the store and thought…I can do something with that! I had an idea of what kind of jam I wanted to make, and began writing up my recipe, taking bits from here, and bits from there, and some out of thin air, and I have to … Continue reading →

Last week my Mother-in-law & I went to a family member’s garden to pick rhubarb. We weren’t sure how much we were going to get, or how big these plants were going to be yet. But, after getting there, we knew that we could pick to our hearts content. Not only were these plants about 4 feet tall, there were also about 50 or so plants (I’m sure there was more, that was just a rough count). They were planted all the way around the outside of the garden. Quite amazing to see. After coming home with the bounty of … Continue reading →

I made this pear butter a while ago but just never blogged it. It is really tasty on your toast in the morning, or even over some ice cream in the evening. You could still make this now to put into gift baskets for Christmas. Something that is homemade and can be used up make the perfect gift for friends, neighbors, co-workers, teachers…and the list goes on…  

Since I gave you some new bread recipes last week, I figured you’d need something to put on your bread. This recipe is one that my Mom submitted, but since she has, I’ve made it myself, and it is so delicious! It can be as chunky as you’d like, and has a great citrus flavour to it, but it’s not as strong as store bought marmalade. It is also not as sweet as regular jam either. My Mom freezes her marmalade, but I canned mine, and it worked fine. It tastes great in the morning on top of some toasted … Continue reading →

I have never even tried jalapeno pepper jelly before, but this was on my list of things to attempt to make. I have no idea how the store bought stuff tastes, but I know that this homemade version that I did, which gets it’s pectin and colour from natural sources, is one that I will be using again & again. It was easy to make, didn’t take very long, and the end result is fantastic! The perfect addition to cheese & crackers. We really enjoy this, and I’m sure we’ll think up some more ways to eat this (anyone have … Continue reading →