Notes about Recipes in this book

• Red pepper jelly

  • averythingcooks on December 11, 2023

    I am thrilled with the results of my 1st attempt at a pectin based pepper jelly. I topped my sweet red peppers up with 2 Fresnos & next time I would use a higher ratio of the hot guys. This is also one of the few times that I got the exact yield predicted (1/2 recipe = 3 x 250 mL jars exactly). A scrape through the empty pot for a quick taste established that I think this stuff is delicious.

• Hot dog relish

  • averythingcooks on December 11, 2023

    A 1/2 recipe resulted in 3 x 250 mL jars of the vinegary, mustardy tart relish that I wanted. A great use of garden cucumbers that I did chose to peel and seed 1st - perhaps that why my yield was a little smaller than expected.

• Zucchini sweet relish

  • averythingcooks on December 11, 2023

    This is a nice, not too sweet, not too acidic relish. Mine might be a bit paler than the pic as I used a mix of yellow & green peppers in place of the full amount of green. The yield was 4 x 250 mL jars plus around 1/3 of a 5th jar that went straight to the fridge.

• Tomato red onion relish

  • averythingcooks on December 11, 2023

    This relish hits all the flavour notes that I like in a condiment....I might have called this a tomato jam rather than a relish. A 1/2 recipe resulted in 4 x 250 mL jars plus some leftover that went straight into the fridge. For me, this is a perfect burger condiment.

• Chipotle cherry tomato relish

  • averythingcooks on December 11, 2023

    I used a mix of red grape, red cherry & a few yellow cherry tomatoes to make a 1/2 batch of this and I got 4 x 250 mL jars + around 1/2 a 5th jar heading straight to the fridge. An early taste had me thinking that I wanted more heat but then I realized you actually get it at the end & it leaves you with a pleasant hum rather than a burning sensation. These little jars will make lots of appearances while they last and this recipe will be yearly "must make".

• Southwest corn relish

  • averythingcooks on August 28, 2025

    A 1/2 recipe produced 6 x 250 ml jars (the predicted yield) + a little extra that made it onto last night's fajitas. Rather than green bells (we are not fans), I used a mix of other green peppers from the garden and my volume of "red pepper" was actually made up of sweet red, yellow banana, sweet orange + Fresnos. We really like "pickly"/spicy corn relishes and this is definitely a good one.

• Sweet chili barbecue sauce

  • averythingcooks on December 11, 2023

    This sauce hits all the flavour points that we love & I will now keep malt vinegar on hand all the time. I used a mix of tomatoes (as opposed to all Roma) so that may have caused my yield to come up just short (1/2 recipe = 1 x 500 mL jar + 1 x 250 mL jar into the canner and then a partial 250 mL jar for the fridge). This recipe is now on the yearly canning "must makes".

• Chipotle apple barbecue sauce

  • averythingcooks on August 26, 2024

    After the initial simmer to soften the apples (Royal Galas), onions & tomatoes in the vinegar and then the run through the blender, I was skeptical! But I carried on (granted adding 2'ce the chiptole powder) and after the hour long simmer to thicken & darken (it did both), I had a lovely dark, spicy hot BBQ sauce with the apples clearly in the background. A 1/2 recipe yielded exactly 2 1/2 pints for the canner and I am very happy to have this stashed in my pantry.

  • averythingcooks on November 29, 2024

    UPDATE: We finally opened a jar of this sauce and now it seems to have a bigger hit of apple vs heat….not exactly what I was after. I will use it up this year, probably adding chipotle (or other) hot sauce each time but I’m unlikely to make this one again.

• Zesty pizza sauce

  • averythingcooks on December 11, 2023

    This is the 1st real miss for us from this book. I get that pH is key when canning tomatoes but the amount of cider vinegar simply results in a sauce that tastes like cider vinegar. Lots of doctoring... passata, tomato paste, salt, sugar, pesto....has resulted in a larger quantity of a pretty good sauce that is now destined to be stored in the freezer. I'm very relieved to have NOT ultimately wasted 4 lbs of garden tomatoes!

• Tomato ketchup

  • averythingcooks on August 24, 2025

    A quick taste from the pot confirms that this is (as promised) less sweet than store bought ketchup with a good kick of vinegar....we'll see if that "quietens down" once we open a jar. I opted to simply 1/2 the peeled tomatoes to use the "2 thumb method" to deseed as her "gently squeezing the seeds through the stemmed end" of a whole tomato didn't seem to work for me. My yield was slightly higher so I guess I could have reduced it more.

• Tangy tomatillo salsa verde

  • averythingcooks on December 11, 2023

    This is now my gold standard tomatillo salsa. A 1/2 recipe of this salsa typically yields 4 x 250 ml sealed jars + a half jar straight for the fridge. I run the immersion blender through it at the end to break up the bigger chunks of tomatillo for a smoother product and I sometimes add jalapeno powder for more heat. I grow my own tomatillos (no local source) and this recipe is tagged as "make every year for sure".

• Canned tomatoes

  • averythingcooks on December 11, 2023

    Very straight forward instructions on how to can whole peeled tomatoes.

• Diced tomatoes seasoned three ways

  • averythingcooks on September 17, 2024

    This recipe gives options for seasoning pints of tomatoes (Italian, Spanish or Mexican) and a quick heads up - the EYB note is giving herb choices for the Italian option. I appreciate the use of "any variety" of tomatoes as opposed to always calling for Roma & a 1/2 recipe yielded 2 pints with extra tomatoes that I simply froze unseasoned. I made the Mexican option & the plan is to make the other 2 options this week...of course the real test is opening/using the jars.

• Pickled garlic

  • averythingcooks on July 22, 2024

    I scaled this to get 2 x 125 mL jars using garlic fresh from the garden. The amount of brine was exactly enough and so far (granted, it's only been a few days) the cloves have stayed beautifully white so no oxidation/colour change (yet). We are happy to have these on hand.

• Apple butter

  • averythingcooks on December 11, 2023

    I made a small batch (just 2 x 8 oz jars for the pantry and a 3/4 full jar for the fridge) using a mix of McIntosh, Spartan and Gala apples and it is lovely. It cooks down to a thick, rich butter full of the warming flavours of cinnamon, cloves and fresh nutmeg. This one will be made again in larger quantities.

• Food in Jars

  Written by Canadian blogger Amy Bronee, this lovely little book contains both classic preserves and really nice twists on traditional recipes. The chutney section is particularly inspired.

  Full review

• Food in Jars

  Short description of this book (and 3 others) by fellow canning expert.

  Full review