Notes about Recipes in this book

• Cranberry ketchup

  • jumali on November 10, 2012

    Probably the best thing I've ever canned. Not too spicy, not too sweet. Nice and tangy. I got 9 half pint jars instead of the stated 6. I'll definitely be making this again.

  • Barb_N on September 20, 2014

    I made jars of this as gifts for the office- like Jumali I got a high yield. Of all the preserves I have gifted over the years this received the most rave reviews. Can be made with frozen cranberries which adds to the convenience.

• Vanilla-rhubarb jam with Earl Grey

  • zorra on August 04, 2014

    Tart & tasty. Sugar ratio is lower than other recipes, so rhubarb's flavor shines. Took a few extra minutes to gel.

  • breakthroughc on May 24, 2022

    I make this jam each year. I like the lower sugar content. The earl grey adds a nice note. This jam usually takes a day to set, so don’t panic when it doesn’t set right away. This time I got 7 half pint jars.

• Blueberry jam

  • zorra on August 04, 2014

    Easy for an inexperienced preserver like me. Less sugar than comparable recipes. One of us found the cinnamon overpowering, the other loved it. Second batch, subbed 2 teaspoons dried ginger + 3-inches fresh ginger cut in long strips & removed before bottling.

• Whole peeled tomatoes

  • monica107 on April 29, 2014

    Marisa's instructions are my go-to for canning whole tomatoes!

• Crunchy buckwheat granola

  • monica107 on January 08, 2014

    I usually choose the longer end of the range of baking times given in recipes because my oven tends to need that extra time. However, this got a little too cooked when I baked for the full 35 minutes - next time I will probably stop at 30. You may also be able to cut back just a bit on the liquid ingredients - there was a nice layer of "candy" on the bottom of the sheet of granola.

• Mimosa jelly

  • spharo00 on March 11, 2013

    This jelly was so much fun to make. It was easy and it turned out delicious. It took a good 15-16 oranges to get enough juice for one batch, but after the juicing was finished the rest was a breeze. The finished jelly is so bright and has such a beautiful color. The only mistake I made was that I forgot to skim the top of the jelly before putting it in the jars so I had unappetizing clumps of foam suspended in my jelly. I had to pull them out of each jar individually which took some time, but the jelly looked better for it.

• Concord grape jelly

  • spharo00 on March 11, 2013

    This jelly was incredibly easy to make. It may be considered cheating by some to use bottled grape juice, but since I live in a place where it is hard to find Concord grapes it was an easy decision to make. I used organic unsweetened grape juice and bought enough bottles to make three batches of jelly. The texture was a little different from batch to batch, with two of them being a bit firmer and the other a little runny. But every batch was entirely grape. After trying this recipe, I ate some storebought grape jelly that I had in the fridge. There was absolutely no comparison. This cheater's version was by far the better of the two.

• Strawberry vanilla jam

  • rosyannposy on September 27, 2014

    This recipe came out with too much of a lemon flavour, which I think clashes with the vanilla. If I were to make this again I would leave out the lemon zest.

  • inflytur on September 21, 2019

    The best strawberry jam I’ve ever tasted. My only regret is that I didn’t make multiple batches before strawberry season ended.

• Peach jam

  • clkandel on August 30, 2016

    Like this recipe since it uses less sugar than some jam recipes. Substitute maple syrup for some of the sugar (2 c maple syrup, 1 c sugar).

• Vanilla salt

  • bching on February 10, 2015

    disappointing flavor balance. I think finer grain salt would result in a better mix of vanilla and salt.

• Apple-pear chutney

  • kkillebrew on September 13, 2014

    I used 1 1/2 c. currants and 1 1/2 c. golden raisins, 1 cup cider vinegar + 1 c. apple juice, reduced brown sugar to 2 cups, used fresh hot pepper/s instead of pepper flakes, and no garlic (don't like it in chutney)

  • kkillebrew on September 12, 2020

    This makes more than the recipe indicates. Half a recipe made 5 1/2 half pints. I expected 4.

• Chunky fig jam

  • Barb_N on August 17, 2014

    My standby fig jam recipe. They had half price organic figs at Whole Foods today so I could not resist. I couldn't remember which type makes beautiful magenta jam and the produce guy didn't know either so I got half Brown Turkey and half Black Mission- I think the Brown Turkey are the pinkest but I will have something in between. I never use added pectin and it works fine as long as I cook it long enough for the gel test to work. Ah if only I could make enough to last through the winter.

• Amy's tomato jam

  • Barb_N on September 20, 2014

    This is a sweet spicy condiment- more smooth chutney than jam. A great complement to cheese in any form.

  • Sladea86 on October 01, 2022

    Lovely recipe can’t recommend it enough

• Cantaloupe jam with vanilla

  • clcorbi on July 28, 2017

    I made this last year while cantaloupes were in season because the idea was very intriguing to me. I followed the directions exactly as written, but unfortunately, I wasn't happy with the outcome. The jam set nicely, and canned just fine, but it had a sort of bitter, off flavor to it that I can't explain. The flavor definitely didn't come from the jars, which were both cleaned and boiled beforehand. I'm not sure which of the ingredients might have caused it--could my vanilla bean have spoiled, maybe? was it the pectin?--but I wouldn't bother repeating. It does seem like a fun idea for a jam though.

• Bread-and-butter pickles

  • clcorbi on July 28, 2017

    The perfect pickle. I never add the red bell peppers, but I do add the onions, and they are just as good as the cucumbers. It's very important not to simmer these veggies in the brine too long, or else they get a bit mushy. I always err on the side of less simmering than the author calls for since we like a crunchy pickle, but of course I do then process them in the water bath for the correct amount of time. At any rate, this brine is fabulous, and is the exact balance of sweet to salty that I like in a bread and butter pickle.

• 5 second rule

  If you've always wanted to master the fundamentals of canning, pickling, and preserving, but have felt intimidated (like I did), this book will ease your way with clear information...

  Full review