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Canned Tomato Sauce Recipe (+ Water-bath & Pressure Canning)

by 96 Comments

Home-canned tomato sauce from vine-ripened tomatoes may as well be an entirely new product as there is no comparison to store-bought. It's incredibly easy to make and you can water bath or pressure can it for long-term food storage.

Vertical view of an open jar of tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes on the counter and a teaspoon of dried basil.

Follow this easy step-by-step tutorial for my favorite canned tomato sauce recipe and enjoy it spiced up as pizza or spaghetti sauce, use it in chili, for tomato soup, barbecue sauce, cabbage rolls, and so much more.

Learning how to can tomato sauce is life-changing. No, seriously, with a single jar you can create pretty much anything your heart desires with tomato sauce as the base.

Using my principles for growing a year's worth of tomatoes (and then saving the seeds for the following year's garden), I am able to can our entire years worth of tomato sauce. Never having to purchase tomato, pizza, or spaghetti sauce from the store is pretty amazing. In fact, I dare say this may be the most versatile item in my home food storage.

And let me tell ya, if you've never had homemade tomato sauce before made from vine-ripened tomatoes, then you've never had tomato sauce before. All else is an imitation, my friend.

If you're struggling to grow enough tomatoes to put up for sauce, you can always buy them from the farmer's market. But you may also be interested in how to prune tomatoes for a better harvest, or even my 10 tomato growing tips for a disease-free harvest.

Be sure to also check out these 129+ canning recipes to put up this year!

How Do You Can Tomato Sauce?

The best part about canning homemade tomato sauce is that you've got options! (A girl can never have too many options for canning recipes, right?)

You can use both water bath and pressure canning methods for this canned tomato sauce recipe. So keep reading below to see which option best suits your needs.

If you feel like you could use a bit more hand-holding for canning tomato sauce, you may be interested in my Tomato Canning eCourse! (It's only $19 and includes how to can salsa and other sauces as well!)

What Tomatoes Make the Best Sauce?

First off, you can use any tomato, but truly, paste tomatoes are the best for making sauces.

Why you ask? (I love it when you ask questions, I truly do!)

Paste tomatoes have less water inside and are fleshier. This results in a thicker sauce without so much reduction time.

I'm all about saving time in the kitchen!

Some good paste tomato options are Roma tomatoes and, of course, the mother of all paste tomatoes (and possibly, quite possibly, the best paste tomato of the bunch) is the heirloom San Marzano Lungo No. 2.

A white colander filled with fresh tomatoes.

This also happens to be one of the varieties I grew this year and ripened first. We liked the flavor diced and tossed onto pizza, but it really shines in sauces and pastes.How Many Tomatoes Do I Need To Make Tomato Sauce?

You need a lot of tomatoes at once to make tomato sauce. This may be difficult if you don't have a large number of tomato plants and your tomatoes are ripening over a long span of time.

I've heard some folks blanch and freeze their tomatoes until they get enough for a big batch. While others will just buy a flat or two at the local farmer's market. It's up to you how you source them, but for this canned tomato sauce recipe, you'll want at least 20 pounds of tomatoes to make about 7 pints of sauce.

Ingredients

  • Tomatoes (about 20 pounds makes 7 pints of sauce), I recommend San Marzano, Roma or another paste tomato, but remember, any tomato will do!
  • Bottled lemon juice (1 Tablespoon per pint jar and 2 Tablespoons per quart jar). 
  • Salt (1/4 teaspoon per pint jar and 1/2 teaspoon per quart jar)
  • Dried basil, optional (1/2 teaspoon per pint jar, 1 teaspoon per quart jar)
  • Canning jars, lids, and bands
  • Either a water bath or pressure canner

Making This Tomato Sauce Recipe

Sliced tomatoes on a blue cutting board with a knife.

1. The first step, pick yourself some tomatoes! I don't have a food scale so I harvested what was ripe. I had about 45 ripe tomatoes which I'm guessing was about 10 pounds of tomatoes, it yielded three pint jars in the end.

2. Take out a big old stockpot and chop up 6 tomatoes. I chopped mine into thirds.

Tomatoes on the bottom of a large stockpot and a potato masher mashing the tomatoes.

3. Cover the bottom of the stockpot with one layer of chopped tomatoes. Take a potato masher and squish them to get their juices running. Turn the pot on medium-high.

4. Once the tomatoes begin to boil, add 6 more chopped tomatoes. Stir frequently to prevent scorching, but also make sure the tomatoes continue to boil.

~ It was kind of like a square dance in my kitchen… chop tomatoes, turn to the pot, dip and dump tomatoes, stir, and twirl back to the island, repeat. (Can you tell I just love canning?)

A stockpot filled with boiling tomato sauce.

5. Continue adding chopped tomatoes, one layer at a time, until you've added all your tomatoes or you're in danger of overflowing your pot. If you're working with a larger batch, you can use two large pots.

6. Mash each layer well as you continue to stir and allow tomatoes to boil.

7. Continue to boil for approximately 10 minutes. You want all the tomatoes cooked and mushy, with their glorious juices released.

Tomatoes being pureed through a fine mesh sieve.

8. Remove cooked tomatoes from heat. Put mixture through a fine sieve (which is my preference) or a food mill positioned over a large mixing bowl, preferably with measurements so you know how many cups of sauce you end up with.

9. Now that you know how many cups of sauce you have, you can gather the appropriate number and size jars for canning.

By the way, do you see that sieve? It was my great-grandmother's! I hope one day it will be my daughter's.

I get a little bit sentimental every time I use it. Yes, kitchen gadgets can do that to a girl. (Here's a similar canning sieve on Amazon.)

TIP: You can dehydrate the leftover skins for a tomato powder (or feed them to the pigs as I did!).

10. Put the strained tomato mixture back into the stockpot and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and allow it to reduce down to the desired thickness. I reduced mine for about 40 minutes and let about an inch of the liquid evaporate.

Empty pint jars with a tablespoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of salt sitting on the counter.

11. Meanwhile, prepare your jars, gather your lids, and either your water bath canner or your pressure canner.

12. Add bottled lemon juice, salt, and optional herbs into each jar (see ingredients above for amounts).

NOTE: Lemon juice, salt, and herbs should be added to each individual jar, not the pot of tomato sauce. And you must add the bottled lemon juice for safe shelf stability.

A pint jar filled with tomato sauce and a canning tool measuring 1/2 inch head-space in the jar.

13. Fill jars with tomato sauce up to a 1/2-inch headspace for water bath canning and 1-inch headspace for pressure canning. I did a water bath due to the smaller size of the run…. only 3 jars.

14. Run a spatula around the jar circumference to remove air bubbles. Add more tomato sauce if needed to keep 1/2-inch or 1-inch headspace depending upon your method of canning.

15. With a damp clean cloth, wipe the rim of the jar clean. Place on lids and screw down the bands until resistance is met, then to fingertip tight.

Water Bath Canning Instructions

1. Place jars on a rack inside your water bath canner.

2. Make sure at least 1 inch of water is covering the tops of the jars.

3. Once you've got rolling boiling water, process pint jars for 35 minutes or quart jars for 40 minutes.

NOTE: See recipe notes for altitude adjustments above 1,000 feet in elevation.

4. Turn off heat and remove the lid from the canner. Allow jars to rest inside the water bath for 5 minutes.

NOTE: If you remove jars immediately, you run the risk of cracking the jars or the siphoning of liquid, which can inhibit a proper seal.

5. Using a jar lifter, carefully lift jars out of the canner and place them in a draft-free area on a kitchen towel folded in thirds. Never place hot jars on a cold countertop.

6. Allow jars to rest, untouched for at least 12 hours, 24 hours if you have the counter space.

7. Remove bands and check seals then move to the pantry for storage. (If any jars didn't seal, store them in the refrigerator and use within a day or two.)

Pressure Canning Instructions

1. Add water to pressure canner, put in the rack, and load jars.

2. Lock the lid, bring to a boil, and allow the pressure canner to vent steam for 10 minutes.

3. Put the weight on and allow the canner to come up to 10 pounds of pressure (or use a weighted gauge, depending on your pressure canner).

NOTE: See recipe notes for altitude adjustments above 1,000 feet in elevation.

4. Start processing time after weight begins rocking and hissing, or dial gauge reads 10 pounds of pressure.

5. Process both pint and quart-size jars for 15 minutes.

6. Allow pressure canner to cool down naturally and for pressure to return to normal.

7. Carefully remove the hot lid and wait another 10 minutes before taking jars out of canner.

NOTE: If you remove jars immediately, you run the risk of cracking the jars or the siphoning of liquid, which can inhibit a proper seal.

8. Using a jar lifter, carefully lift jars out of the canner and place them in a draft-free area on a kitchen towel folded in thirds. Never place hot jars on a cold countertop.

9. Allow jars to rest, untouched for at least 12 hours, 24 hours if you have the counter space.

10. Remove bands and check seals then move to the pantry for storage. (If any jars didn't seal, store them in the refrigerator and use within a day or two.)

NOTE: If you have enough tomato sauce to fill all the jars needed for a run in the pressure canner, I'd use the pressure canner. Food may reach a hotter temperature in the pressure canner, but because it's processed for less time, it retains more of the nutrients. But, if you don't have enough jars or don't have a pressure canner, the water bath is completely safe with this recipe.

Vertical view of an open jar of tomato sauce with fresh tomatoes on the counter and a teaspoon of dried basil.

Now stand back and look at those gorgeous scarlet jars, just begging to be simmered all day for spaghetti, in chili, or in these slow cooker cabbage rolls. 

Seriously, does anyone else like to sit and stare at the rows of home-canned food, or am I the only one weird that way? I'm hoping now that you know how to can tomato sauce, you'll be staring at them, too.

Want to learn how to pressure can?

I have a FREE pressure canning video series here walking you through how to:

  • safely pressure can without fear of blowing it up or exploding
  • how to make sure you stay SAFE and avoid botulism
  • the science of canning so you always stay safe
  • what foods CANNOT be canned at home, even in a pressure canner
  • and more

It's completely free and I've taught hundreds of people how to pressure can, you're in good hands! Click here to snag your seat and get started pressure canning today.

Canned Tomato Sauce

Melissa Norris
Learn how to can tomato sauce at home with this easy recipe, safe for both water bath or pressure canning!
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 1 hr
Cook Time 1 hr
Canning Time 35 mins
Total Time 2 hrs 35 mins
Course Sauce
Cuisine Italian
Servings 14 cups
Calories 119 kcal

Equipment

  • Pressure Canner or Water Bath Canner
  • Canning Jars and Lids

Ingredients
  

  • 20 pounds tomatoes 20 pounds makes about 7 pints of sauce
  • 7 tbsp bottled lemon juice
  • 1.75 tsp salt
  • 3.5 tsp dried basil optional

Instructions
 

  • Pick your fresh tomatoes.
  • Take out a big old stockpot and chop up 6 tomatoes. I chopped mine into thirds.
  • Cover the bottom of the stockpot with one layer of chopped tomatoes. Take a potato masher and squish them to get their juices running. Turn the pot on medium-high.
  • Once the tomatoes begin to boil, add 6 more chopped tomatoes. Stir frequently to prevent scorching, but also make sure the tomatoes continue to boil.
  • Continue adding chopped tomatoes, one layer at a time, until you’ve added all your tomatoes or you’re in danger of overflowing your pot. If you’re working with a larger batch, you can use two large pots.
  • Mash each layer well as you continue to stir and allow tomatoes to boil.
  • Continue to boil for approximately 10 minutes. You want all the tomatoes cooked and mushy, with their glorious juices released.
  • Remove cooked tomatoes from heat. Put mixture through a fine sieve (which is my preference) or a food mill positioned over a large mixing bowl, preferably with measurements so you know how many cups of sauce you end up with.
  • Now that you know how many cups of sauce you have, you can gather the appropriate number and size jars for canning.
  • Put the strained tomato mixture back into the stockpot and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and allow it to reduce down to the desired thickness. I reduced mine for about 40 minutes and let about an inch of liquid evaporate.
  • Meanwhile, prepare your jars, gather your lids, and either your water bath canner or your pressure canner.
  • Add 1 Tablespoon bottled lemon juice to each pint jar, 2 Tablespoons lemon juice to each quart jar.
  • Add 1/4 teaspoon salt to each pint jar, 1/2 teaspoon salt to each quart jar.
  • Add 1/2 teaspoon dried basil to each pint jar, 1 teaspoon dried basil to each quart jar.
  • Fill jars with tomato sauce up to a 1/2-inch headspace for water bath canning and 1-inch headspace for pressure canning.
  • Run a spatula around the jar circumference to remove air bubbles. Add more tomato sauce if needed to keep 1/2-inch or 1-inch headspace depending upon your method of canning.
  • With a damp clean cloth, wipe the rim of the jar clean. Place on lids and screw down the bands until resistance is met, then to fingertip tight.

Water Bath Canning Instructions

  • Place jars on a rack inside your water bath canner.
  • Make sure at least 1 inch of water is covering the tops of the jars.
  • Once you’ve got rolling boiling water, process pint jars for 35 minutes or quart jars for 40 minutes. (See notes for high altitude canning instructions.)
  • Turn off heat and remove the lid from the canner. Allow jars to rest inside the water bath for 5 minutes.
  • Using a jar lifter, carefully lift jars out of the canner and place them in a draft-free area on a kitchen towel folded in thirds. Never place hot jars on a cold countertop.
  • Allow jars to rest, untouched for at least 12 hours, 24 hours if you have the counter space.
  • Remove bands and check seals then move to the pantry for storage. (If any jars didn’t seal, store them in the refrigerator and use within a day or two.)

Pressure Canning Instructions

  • Add water to pressure canner, put in the rack, and load jars.
  • Lock the lid, bring to a boil, and allow the pressure canner to vent steam for 10 minutes.
  • Put the weight on and allow the canner to come up to 10 pounds of pressure (or use a weighted gauge, depending on your pressure canner). See notes for high-altitude canning instructions.
  • Start processing time after weight begins rocking and hissing, or dial gauge reads 10 pounds of pressure.
  • Process both pint and quart-size jars for 15 minutes.
  • Allow pressure canner to cool down naturally and for pressure to return to normal.
  • Carefully remove the hot lid and wait another 10 minutes before taking jars out of canner.
  • Using a jar lifter, carefully lift jars out of the canner and place them in a draft-free area on a kitchen towel folded in thirds. Never place hot jars on a cold countertop.
  • Allow jars to rest, untouched for at least 12 hours, 24 hours if you have the counter space.
  • Remove bands and check seals then move to the pantry for storage. (If any jars didn’t seal, store them in the refrigerator and use within a day or two.)

Notes

  • If you have enough tomato sauce to fill all the jars needed for a run in the pressure canner, I'd use the pressure canner. Food may reach a hotter temperature in the pressure canner, but because it's processed for less time, it retains more of the nutrients.
  • If you don't have enough jars to fill a pressure canner, or you don't have one, the water bath is completely fine with this recipe.
  • Even if you are pressure canning the tomato sauce, you still need to use the bottled lemon juice.
If you're 1,001 feet above sea level, you must make processing adjustments.
  • For water bath canning 1,001 to 3,000 feet is 40 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for quarts, 3,0001 to 6,000 is 45 minutes for pints and 50 minutes for quarts. For altitudes above 6,001 feet increase by an additional 5 minutes.  
  • For pressure canning, 1,001 + feet use 15 pounds of pressure.

Nutrition

Calories: 119kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 6gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 323mgPotassium: 1550mgFiber: 8gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 5398IUVitamin C: 92mgCalcium: 70mgIron: 2mg
Keyword Canned Tomato Sauce, pressure canning, Tomato, Tomato Sauce, Water Bath Canning
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Easy Blackberry Jam Recipe Low Sugar with Canning Instructions

by 28 Comments

This no sugar blackberry jam recipe, that's low sugar and high on taste, is something no home should be without. Especially when I share how you can make this without any sugar.

Yes, no added sugar, just one secret ingredient to replace all those white granules, and it can be grown on your homestead, if you so desire. Am I the only one who gets excited about this stuff?

blackberry jam recipe

Blackberries signify the end of summer in our neck of the woods. It is definitely a bitter/sweet goodbye. We love them. LOVE them. They make the most incredible jam. Ever. Syrup? Oh yeah. Pie Filling? Winner! Even humbly flash frozen, they are a favorite.

And dumplings, oh yes, dumplings are not only for your chicken dishes, they're delightful with berries and you can use this 1940's recipe for Blueberry Dumplings  (swap out the blueberries for blackberries) better be happening at your house soon. It’s a sad day when the last of them goes down. August is an eternity, when you’re in December.

If you can get a hold of fresh picked, summer ending blackberries (I’d even make it with some good organic frozen berries too!) I encourage you to try this jam, you will not regret it.

Tip: Frozen berries that are thawed release their juice easier than fresh berries. Which is a plus during the busy hot harvest months. If you're pressed for time, freeze your berries until things calm down.

Melissa

The first time I heard of adding grape juice in place of all that white sugar in traditional summer jam recipes? I was, to say the least, pretty skeptical. However, I was willing to try, if it got rid of some of that sugar load!

Surprisingly, we noticed immediately how much more of the ‘fruit’ we tasted. (Amazing what happens when you don’t add a 5 lb bag of white sugar!) Now sometimes, I will toss in a 1/4 C of organic sugar here. It is totally optional, it just adds a hint of sweet. If you prefer a more tart jam, leave this out. Either way– it is delicious. Best part, even if you don't have a ton of berries you can make this small batch blackberry jam!

Resources 

Ever have a failed batch of jam or jelly? Nothing is more frustrating than having runny syrup when what you really want is a spreadable jam or jelly. Grab my free Jam & Jelly Troubleshooting Guide here  and learn my easy tips for a sure set… p.s. there's a bonus involved.

Blackberry Jam Recipe Low Sugar

4 Cups Freshly picked and washed berries (or frozen and thawed)

1 box of No Sugar PectinNote from Melissa: (the only store bought pectin I use is Pomona's Pectin, it's a natural pectin without added sugar or GMO ingredients and allows you to make no sugar added jams and jellies. You won't need to use the whole box when using Pomona's, just follow the instructions that come with it)

1/4 cup lemon juice if using sweet blackberries

1 Cup Grape Juice (undiluted)

  1. To get started, get out your canning equipment. We will water bath process this jam; you'll need your canning pot, lids, jars in your choice of size (I like smaller jars for jam), rings, etc. — you know the drill. Get yourself set up to can before starting to make your jam, because the jam doesn't take long, at all, to make.
  2. Prepare your water bath canner by turning the heat to medium. Make sure the water level is deep enough to completely cover your filled jars of jam by at least 1 inch.
  3. You’ll want to use a large stainless or enamelware pot for cooking up your jam, and put it on low heat. Dump in your clean/washed berries, I slightly crush mine with a potato masher. Optional.Easy Blackberry Jam with No Sugar
  4. Turn heat up to medium. Dump in grape juice and stir.
  5. Add pectin per instructions on the box.
  6. Ladle the jam into jars to 1/4 inch headspace, remove air bubbles and add more jam if needed to stay at the 1/4 inch headspace, make sure jar rims are wiped clean, put lid in place, fasten the ring down and set in the canner rack. Repeat.
  7. Bring water to a full boil in canner and then process for 15 minutes. When my timer goes off, I turn off the burner and remove the lid for 5 minutes or so. Then carefully (with a jar lifter) remove jars and set them on a towel to cool for 24 hours
  8. After 24 hours, check seals, remove bands, wipe down the jars, label lids and put them on the pantry shelf.

This jam is a very special treat! Beautiful on the shelf and a very appreciated gift! Capture a little summertime in a jar with this easy blackberry jam recipe!

Easy Blackberry Jam Recipe Low Sugar with Canning Instructions

MelissaKNorris
Easy blackberry jam recipe with no added sugar
0 from 0 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 35 mins

Ingredients
  

  • 4 Cups Freshly picked and washed berries or frozen and thawed
  • 1 box of No Sugar PectinNote from Melissa: the only store bought pectin I use is Pomona's Pectin, it's a natural pectin without added sugar or GMO ingredients and allows you to make no sugar added jams and jellies. You won't need to use the whole box when using Pomona's, just follow the instructions that come with it
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice if using sweet blackberries
  • 1 Cup Grape Juice unsweetened concentrate in full form

Instructions
 

  • To get started, get out your canning equipment. We will water bath process this jam; you'll need your canning pot, lids, jars in your choice of size (I like smaller jars for jam), rings, etc. — you know the drill. Get yourself set up to can before starting to make your jam, because the jam doesn't take long, at all, to make.
  • Prepare your water bath canner by turning the heat to medium. Make sure the water level is deep enough to completely cover your filled jars of jam by at least 1 inch.
  • You’ll want to use a large stainless or enamelware pot for cooking up your jam, and put it on low heat. Dump in your clean/washed berries, I slightly crush mine with a potato masher. Optional.
  • Turn heat up to medium. Dump in grape juice and stir.
  • Add pectin per instructions on the box.
  • Ladle the jam into jars to 1/4 inch headspace, remove air bubbles and add more jam if needed to stay at the 1/4 inch headspace, make sure jar rims are wiped clean, put lid in place, fasten the ring down and set in the canner rack. Repeat.
  • Bring water to a full boil in canner and then process for 15 minutes. When my timer goes off, I turn off the burner and remove the lid for 5 minutes or so. Then carefully (with a jar lifter) remove jars and set them on a towel to cool for 24 hours
  • After 24 hours, check seals, remove bands, wipe down the jars, label lids and put them on the pantry shelf.
Keyword blackberry jam recipe
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Jar of blackberry jam sitting on a table with blackberries in the background. Text overlay says, "No Sugar Blackberry Jam"

How to Can Apricots- Easy Canned Apricots Recipe

by 19 Comments

Learning how to can apricots was the first canning I ever did. It was a fantastic introduction. Quick. Easy.
Get our FREE Fruit Canning Chart on how to make super light sugar, honey syrup, on up to medium sugar syrups for canning your fruit!This is a link click here to get your FREE Fruit Syrup Canning Chart

how to can apricots

Not to mention it yielded great results and a huge smile from my husband. That was all it took; I've been canning ever since. Basic fruit canning is very simple and a great jumping off point into water bath canning. Plus, the jars look beautiful lining the pantry shelf.

Plus, there's something incredibly soul satisfying about filling up your pantry with home canned foods, a satisfaction you can't get from store bought items.

Gather up your Apricots, your water bath canning gear and let's get at it! 

Resources to Hot Water Bath Apricots :

  • Canning jars
  • Deep kettle with jar rack (Water Bath Canner)
  • Canning jar lids and rings
  • Lots of old kitchen/ hand towels & hot pads
  • Canning Jar Lifter & Chop Stick or Wooden Spoon

There are two ways to can fruit, using either the raw pack or the hot pack method. The raw pack method is my choice (aka way less work), though some sources say a raw pack makes poor quality apricots, I find it tends to yield a firmer end result, and what this recipe uses.

how to can fresh apricots

The hot pack method means you bring the apricots to a boil with the syrup, and also decreases the processing time by 5 minutes.  The choice is up to you, but I find it easier to pack the jars, and less hands on work on my end, using the raw pack method.
Get our FREE Fruit Canning Chart on how to make super light sugar, honey syrup, on up to medium sugar syrups for canning your fruit! This is a link click here to get your FREE Fruit Syrup Canning Chart

How to Can Apricots

(makes 4 quarts)

Apricots (approximately 2 and 1/4 pounds per quart jar)

6 cups Water

2 Cups Sugar

  1. Prepare hot water bath canner by filling 1/2 way with warm water, placing rack inside, and setting on medium heat.
  2. Have jars washed and rinsed in hot soapy water, wide mouth are the easiest to pack your apricots in.
  3. In a large sauce pan bring 6 cups water and 2 cups sugar to a boil.(I cover and turn it off since Apricot canning goes so fast)
  4. Rinse apricots well and peel if desired (peeling is optional)
  5. Cut in half and pop out the pit.
  6. Place apricots in the jar, cut side down, and fill to a 1/2 inch headspace (not that how you pack them matters in the overall canning process, it just works best to fit more per jar).
  7. Pour hot syrup over apricots to a 1/2 inch headspace.
  8. Remove air bubble by taking a chopstick, knife, or ruler and running it between the outside of the fruit and the inside of the jar. Re-check headspace and add more syrup if needed.
  9. Wipe down the rim of the jar, place lid and band on, and tighten to fingertip tight.
  10. Place jars in hot water bath canner. Lower jars into water and make sure the water level comes 1 inch above the top of the jars. Add more boiling water if necessary.
  11. Bring water to a boil and begin processing time only after water has reached a full boil, cover, and process pints for 25 minutes and quarts for 30 minutes. (If using hot pack method, pints are 20 minutes and quarts are 25 minutes).
  12. Turn off burner and remove lid. Wait 5 minutes and using a jar lifter, remove jars from canner and place on a folded towel. Allow to cool for 12 to 24 hours undisturbed.
  13. Check seals, remove bands, wipe down jars to remove any sticky residue, and store in your pantry!

How to Can Apricots- Easy Canned Apricots Recipe

MelissaKNorris
0 from 0 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 50 mins
Servings 16 cups

Ingredients
  

  • Apricots approximately 2 and 1/4 pounds per quart jar
  • 6 cups Water
  • 2 Cups Sugar

Instructions
 

  • Prepare hot water bath canner by filling 1/2 way with warm water, placing rack inside, and setting on medium heat.
  • Have jars washed and rinsed in hot soapy water, wide mouth are the easiest to pack your apricots in.
  • In a large sauce pan bring 6 cups water and 2 cups sugar to a boil.(I cover and turn it off since Apricot canning goes so fast)
  • Rinse apricots well and peel if desired (peeling is optional)
  • Cut in half and pop out the pit.
  • Place apricots in the jar, cut side down, and fill to a 1/2 inch headspace (not that how you pack them matters in the overall canning process, it just works best to fit more per jar).
  • Pour hot syrup over apricots to a 1/2 inch headspace.
  • Remove air bubble by taking a chopstick, knife, or ruler and running it between the outside of the fruit and the inside of the jar. Re-check headspace and add more syrup if needed.
  • Wipe down the rim of the jar, place lid and band on, and tighten to fingertip tight.
  • Place jars in hot water bath canner. Lower jars into water and make sure the water level comes 1 inch above the top of the jars. Add more boiling water if necessary.
  • Bring water to a boil and begin processing time only after water has reached a full boil, cover, and process pints for 25 minutes and quarts for 30 minutes. (If using hot pack method, pints are 20 minutes and quarts are 25 minutes).
  • Turn off burner and remove lid. Wait 5 minutes and using a jar lifter, remove jars from canner and place on a folded towel. Allow to cool for 12 to 24 hours undisturbed.
  • Check seals, remove bands, wipe down jars to remove any sticky residue, and store in your pantry!
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

There you have it my friends, how to can apricots.

How to Dehydrate Fruit – Blueberries, Cherries, Grapes, Raspberries & Blackberries

by 19 Comments

Learn how to dehydrate fruit to keep your summer harvest all year long. This method works especially well for dehydrating blueberries or any berry or fruit with an outer skin like cherries or grapes that can take DAYS to dehydrate without it. You can also use it to dehydrate raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries where you're dehydrating the whole berry.

Learn how to dehydrate fruit at home to save money and build up your food storage. This simple tip will cut hours off your dehydrating time. Grab this now to preserve the summer berry and fruit harvest.

The one thing as sure as sun in the summer time is ripe berries, and berry juice stained fingers, mouths, and tongues. Because no matter how hard I try, I can't seem to eat berries without leaving some kind of evidence behind… and I can always tell when my kids have helped themselves to a snack or two straight from the bush.

We're blessed on our homestead to have raspberries, blueberries, and a plethora of blackberries. Blackberries are actually listed as a noxious weed here because they grow that well. They line our roads and fences, creep and crawl over logs, and make themselves a nuisance anywhere they can. But we put up with them because they're sweet fruit is just about as good as you can get. And a free food source is something to be taken advantage of, can I get an amen?

You guys know my love of canning. I might be addicted putting things into Mason jars. Might be. Maybe, okay, yes, totally. I love to make blueberry jam (no pectin, low sugar varieties), freeze those darlings for muffins, pies, or just an ice cold treat on a hot day. I adore that canning leaves me with shelf-stable food.

Canned berries don't travel so good in lunch boxes or hikes, and frozen and then thawed berries aren't friendly to just munching on. In comes dehydration. I confess, I didn't dehydrate at all until a couple of years ago.

I tried dehydrating blueberries about 10 years ago. After three days straight, I still had half shriveled, but not dehydrated berries. I gave up for a few years, but a homesteader, we're a determined lot and I came back around, knowing there had to be an easier way. Good thing for me (and you), I found it!

Dehydration is an excellent way to preserve your fruit, especially berries for year round use. It's shelf stable and can be eaten as is. It's light, meaning easy to pack and shove into pockets. And you can use it to make delicious candies, treats, cakes, and breads. My baking side just got all kinds of excited! Oh, and dehydration, when done at a low temperature, makes it a raw food, retaining almost all of the nutrients. Super cool, huh?

Resources to dehydrate fruit

If you plan on doing much dehydrating, I recommend getting an actual dehydrator. Can you use your oven with the door propped open? Yes, but you can't control the temperature and then you can't cook in your oven. Plus, if you have little ones, leaving your oven door open isn't probably the safest thing.

I have a Nesco square dehydrator I purchased two years ago. It's quiet and gets the job done. I haven't had any problems with it and have run it close to a week straight when doing cherries and then a batch of blueberries. This is the more economical option and I highly recommend getting these screens for sticky fruit and fruit leather. 

If you plan on doing a lot of dehydrating, you'll want to consider the Excalibur dehydrators. My readers have told me it is the workhorse of dehydrators and well worth the investment. But, it is more expensive than the Nesco. However, the air blows from the back of the unit, instead of the top, making it more efficient. This is the cheapest deal I've found for an Excalibur dehydrator under $100. 

How to Dehydrate Fruit

When you're dehydrating berries, you need to use one simple trick to cut hours and days off your dehydrating time. You need to check your berries. Do what to my berries? Checking is merely piercing the skin so that the moisture can evaporate more quickly. Berries are mostly water, after all. Checking should be used with blueberries, cranberries, and grapes, or any other similar type fruit. I pit my cherries before dehydrating, so I'm technically checking them when I pit them.

3 Ways to Check Your Berries Before Dehydrating

1. Poke each berry with a pin. Take a safety pin or sewing pin and poke a hole in each berry. If you're doing a small amount this might not take very much time, but if you're doing tray fulls, this is going to take forevva.

2. Boil/steam your berries. Briefly boil or steam your berries until they've split their skins, but not enough to actually cook them.

3. Freeze your berries. Simply toss your berries into the freezer for a few hours. It will rupture the cells and make you good to go. Middle of summer and no work on my part (okay, besides the harvesting) making this my pick! And yours right?

How to Dehydrate Blueberries

Learn how to dehydrate fruit at home to save money and build up your food storage. This simple tip will cut hours off your dehydrating time. Grab this now to preserve the summer berry and fruit harvest.

After you've checked your berries, spread them out on your dehydrating trays. For sticky berries or fruit, I highly recommend the silicone mats for easy clean up. You want to the berries or fruit to be evenly spaced so they dehydrate at the same rate.

With our blueberries we have several different varieties, which means different sizes of berries. I recommend putting the smaller berries on one tray and the larger ones on another. Which I didn't the first time and had to manually separate them out as the smaller ones were done before the bigger ones, so save yourself some time here.

Turn on your dehydrator and let it do its thing. The fruit setting on mine is 135 degrees.

Even with checking, berries take quite a while to fully dehydrate. My cherries took 28  hours. My small blueberries were done at about 24 hours, where as the larger ones took 36 hours.

Learn how to dehydrate fruit at home to save money and build up your food storage. This simple tip will cut hours off your dehydrating time. Grab this now to preserve the summer berry and fruit harvest.

Check your berries or fruit after 12 hours and rotate your trays. My top tray dehydrates a tad faster than the bottom one, especially when I've got all four stacked at once.

If you're not sure if your fruit is fully dehydrated, you can sample a few. If you feel liquid, then put them back in. Some of my smaller berries got hard, so I knew they were fully done. You want chewy berries, but not overly sticky or wet. Otherwise, they”ll start to mold.

Store dehydrated berries in an air tight container in a dark cool place for optimal shelf life. Use in homemade breads, muffins, granola, candy, or just plain old eating! Be warned, they're kind of addicting.

How to Dehydrate Fruit – Blueberries, Cherries, Grapes, Raspberries & Blackberries

Melissa Norris
This method will save you hours of time when dehydrating blueberries or other forms of fruit
0 from 0 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 1 d 2 hrs
Course fruit

Ingredients
  

  • Blueberries or fresh fruit of choice
  • Water for rinsing

Instructions
 

  • Rinse berries and remove any twigs, leaves, etc.
  • Check berries by either freezing for a few hours, poking each berry with a pin, needle or paperclip, or quickly blanching in hot water.
  • After you've checked your berries, spread them out on your dehydrating trays. Try to put berries of similar size on the same trays.
  • For sticky berries or fruit, I highly recommend the silicone mats for easy clean up. You want to the berries or fruit to be evenly spaced so they dehydrate at the same rate.
  • Turn on your dehydrator to 135 degrees Fahrenheit or the fruit setting if it has one.
  • Check your berries or fruit after 12 hours and rotate your trays. My top tray dehydrates a tad faster than the bottom one, especially when I've got all four stacked at once.
  • Even with checking, berries take quite a while to fully dehydrate. My cherries took 28  hours. My small blueberries were done at about 24 hours, where as the larger ones took 36 hours.
  • Your fruit is done when it's shriveled and slightly tacky/sticky. You don't want it to be rock hard but neither do you want it to have too much moisture that it could mold. A simple trick is to put a small test amount of still WARM fruit straight from the dehydrator in a sealed glass or plastic bag. If after a few minutes you see any condensation inside, put the fruit back and dehydrate longer.
  • Store dehydrated berries in an airtight container in a dark cool place for optimal shelf life. Use in homemade breads, muffins, granola, candy, or just plain old eating! Be warned, they're kind of addicting.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

There you have it, my favorite way to dehydrate fruit and my time saving tips when dehydrating blueberries, cherries, and grapes! Have you tried this method before?

How to Preserve Basil in Salt

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Want the fresh taste of basil for months on end? Use 3 ways to preserve basil in salt in minutes. I can't believe how easy this is!

Learning how to preserve basil in salt isn't something I knew I needed to know how to do until now. Seriously, where has this been all my life? Fresh basil and savory tinted salt, all in one jar, all ready to marry up with my meats and sauces. 

I had no idea you could preserve basil in salt, bacon and ham, yes, fresh herbs, never thought about it. My culinary side met my homesteading side and I knew this was a match made in heaven. In heaven ya'll. Because my southern roots come out when I'm really excited.

Shelle graciously agreed to write us up a post on how to preserve fresh herbs in salt, not one way, but 3!! Yes, triple time coolest thing ever.

Resources for How to Preserve Basil

Kosher or Sea Salt

Wide-mouth Mason Jar

Fresh Basil

How to Preserve Fresh Basil in Salt

Salt has been used for centuries to dry and preserve foods. It pulls out the moisture from herb leaves and preserves the original flavor. Salt also inhibits the growth of microorganisms by drawing water out of microbial cells through osmosis. Concentrations of salt up to 20% are required to kill most species of unwanted bacteria.

This preservation method works best on certain moist and tender herbs that are hard to dry. Herbs like basil and cilantro, that either mold before they are dry, or that dry to a flavorless leaf that does not resemble the freshness you are looking for.

In all cases, start this project with freshly picked herbs that have been cleaned and thoroughly dried. Store your finished herbal mixture in a clean glass container with a tight fitting lid. When using, always use a fresh, clean spoon to reduce introducing contaminates into your herbed salt.

What kind of salt?

I recommend either sea salt or kosher salt, but canning & pickling salt will work too. These are considered food grade and are courser than regular table salt. Using table salt is acceptable, but it should not contain iodine, which will darken the herb leaves.

Here’s the best answer I could find from the Penn State Extension office:

“Table salt is used for baking, cooking and normal table use. However, it is not recommended for canning recipes because the calcium silicate may cause clouding or settle to the bottom of jar. Furthermore, the iodide may discolor some foods. Neither of these effects makes the food harmful to eat. However, the visual quality of the product is adversely affected.

Canning and pickling salts do not contain potassium iodide, dextrose or calcium silicate and thus can be used for cooking, baking, canning, pickling as well as for the table. Because anti-caking agents are not added, it may form lumps in humid weather or if exposed to moisture and should be stored in an air-tight container or re-sealable plastic bag. Kosher salt is usually pure salt and thus is also appropriate for pickling and canning. However, check the label to make sure it does not contain additives.”

http://extension.psu.edu/food/preservation/faq/canning-and-pickling-salt

3 Ways to Preserve Fresh Herbs in Salt

These three methods are so east you will never need to buy herbed salt again!

Preserve fresh herbs in layers of salt
Preserve fresh herbs in layers of salt

1. Alternating layers of fresh herb leaves and salt

This is by far the easiest method. In a clean glass jar add a layer of salt to cover the bottom. Add herb leaves in layers, alternating with the salt, until the container is full. Refrigerate.

The leaves will stay surprisingly fresh and flavorful for months. To use, just remove a leaf and brush off the salt. As an added bonus, the salt will become flavored over time and can be used in cooking too.

http://preparednessmama.com/preserve-basil
Grind and dry method of preserving basil with salt
Grind and dry method of preserving basil with salt

2. Grind & Dry Method

Use a ratio of 1 part herbs to 4 parts salt for the grind and dry method. Clean and dry fresh herbs and chop them into small pieces until you have 1/4th of a cup. Place them in a blender or food processor and add 1 cup of salt. Process until they are completely incorporated.

Lay the mixture out on a baking sheet and cover with a cloth, keeping it out of direct sunlight. After a day, place the mixture into a clean glass jar and cap tightly. Keep in the refrigerator until needed. It will last for one year.

How to Preserve Homegrown Herbs with Sea Salt: In the Pantry
chop and stir method
chop and stir method

3. Chop & Stir Method

Use a ratio of 4 parts herbs to 1 part salt for the chop and stir method. Clean and dry fresh herbs and chop them into small pieces. You can add them to a food processor, coffee grinder, or glass bowl.

Add one part salt to the herbs, pulsing in the food processor for about 30 seconds. This will create a distinctly herb smelling salt that will take on the color of your herb. It is the most fragrant of the herbed salts we are making today.

Store your mix in the refrigerator and remove as needed. It will last for at least 6 months.

http://foodpreservation.about.com/od/Salting/r/Cilantro-coriander-Salt-Recipe.htm

Which herbs work well for this method?

  • Basil
  • Celery Leaf
  • Cilantro
  • Chives
  • Dill leaf
  • Lemon balm
  • Parsley
  • Rosemary

You can use it anywhere you would use herbs and salt, just replace the amount of salt required in the recipe. Consider using it in spaghetti sauce, stuffed fish, soup, savory baking, bread or rubs. Luckily, there are no hard and fast rules so experiment with your own herbal salt blends and enjoy!

PreparednessMama is Shelle Wells – busy mom, wife, preparedness enthusiast and blogger. She gave up her (boring) bookkeeping job for something better. She likes family history (when she has the time), action movies (which she should give up for family history), canning, preserving food, and gardening- she dreams about growing things!

Shelle recently traded her garden in the Pacific Northwest for one in Central Texas, where she's learning a whole new way of gardening. Find her gardening and canning adventures over at www.PreparednessMama.com

How to Choose the Best Pressure Canner

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How to choose the best pressure canner for you. Getting started with pressure canning doesn't have to be scary. Read now to make sure you choose the best pressure canner for your needs.

Knowing how to choose the best pressure canner for you and your family is one of the first step towards becoming more self-sustainable. A pressure canner will help you put up a greater variety of foods to stock your pantry and food storage. I warn you, once you begin to see how many things you can put up and how quickly homemade from scratch meals can be made from home pressure canned foods… well, you might become a canning addict like myself.

Many people will tell you a certain brand of pressure canner is the absolute best and the only way to go. I believe you have to take in several different factors to choose the best pressure canner for you and your family. No worries, we'll go over all of them!

I get this question a lot, “What is the best pressure canner to buy?”

That question gets me excited because it means someone is getting ready to enter the world of canning. I have a confession to make, I'm a canning addict… and I have no plans on quitting. This post will help you decide which pressure canner is best for you and your family. And I'm going to be doing a happy dance when you get it. (Yes, I plan on having more pressure canning posts, recipes, and a video or two for all of you joining the canning ranks this year)

Quick review, all non-acid foods must be canned with a pressure canner. That includes, beef, poultry, seafood, vegetables, and combination recipes. I also pressure can my tomato sauce (you can technically water bath or pressure can tomato sauce). I find a pressure canner to be faster than water bath canning and it uses less water.

How to Choose the Best Pressure Canner

There are five things to consider when buying a pressure canner

What size pressure canner do I need

1.Choosing which size pressure canner to buy. Pressure canners come in different sizes. If your children are little (will eat more as they grow), you have a large family, or plan on almost exclusively using home-canned foods, then a larger pressure canner would be your choice. If you're one person or a couple without plans of having many people to feed regularly at meals, then you'll want to choose a smaller pressure canner.

I always recommend choosing a pressure canner that will hold both pint and quart-sized jars. You don't want to limit yourself to pint-sized jars only. My smaller 8-quart pressure canner holds 7-pint jars or 4-quart jars.

If you're wavering between sizes, go with the larger pressure canner. It's just about the same amount of work to put up 7 jars of beans as it is 14 jars and if I can process them all at the same time instead of two separate runs (a run is the amount of time it takes to fully process/can the jars of food).

You'll see pressure canner sizes listed by quarts. For example, my All American 21.5-quart pressure canner holds 19-pint jars or 7-quart jars, not 21.5-quart sized jars (it's 21.5 quarts of water if you were to fill it with liquid). Make sure you read how many jars they hold for a more accurate idea of size.

If you're wanting to put up a whole lotta food at once, you'll want to look into a pressure canner that allows you to stack the jars more than one level deep. The All American 21.5 quart is the smallest canner that still allows for double stacking, the All American 41.5 quart is the largest home pressure canner and allows you to can 32 pints or 19 quarts, it's a big boy!


Pressure canners for glass top stoves

2. Consider your stovetop. If you have a glass stovetop, you cannot use the heavier pressure canners and are limited to pressure canners that specifically say they are safe for glass tops. This pressure canner states it is safe for glass top stove ranges.

I have an electric range and it works just fine for pressure canning. If you use a gas range, be sure not to heat it on too high of a setting.

For induction stovetops you need to use a stainless steel-clad base canner, this is the only one I'm aware of, 23-Quart Induction Compatible Pressure Canner.

What's the best pressure canner for the price

3. Price. Let's face it, the price of an item always comes into play. When I grow the food at home and only have the cost of the canning lid, I estimate the cost of the food is about $.12 a jar. Pretty economical. We put up around 300 jars of food in the summertime and continue to add to that throughout the winter months by canning our meat and using frozen berries to replenish our jam and jelly supply. That means even the more spendy pressure canner pays for itself in one year.

If you're just getting into canning and don't have the extra funds, then starting with a Presto pressure canner is the best choice. I used this economic pressure canner for almost 15 years old and it is still going strong though I'm passing it along to another canner.

If you only want to purchase one canner for your lifetime, then the All American canner will be the one you want to consider. As its name states the All Amercian canner is made in the in United States in Wisconsin. It's earned a reputation as being a premier pressure canner.

4. Replacing parts. A gasket based pressure canner like Presto requires replacing the gasket when it begins to wear out. I've replaced my gasket once in 15 years. You'll need to check your gasket regularly for cracks or fatigue and oil it occasionally. I recommend having a replacement on hand before you need it. The gaskets are less than $15.

Depending upon your model, you'll also want to have an extra pressure release value on hand. I've purchased both of these at our local hardware store. Again, I've only replaced each once in 15 years.

The metal on metal seal of the All-American means no replacement parts as far as the gasket is concerned.

Do I need to maintain a pressure canner

5. Maintenance care. A dial gauged pressure canner will require taking it in once a year (especially important when it is brand new and before your first use) and having it checked at your local county extension office. They'll make sure the dial is accurately showing the correct PSI (stands for per square inch of pressure).

A weighted gauge pressure canner does not require this. The weighted gauge is the control that jiggles, hisses, and rocks back and forth. This is the kind of pressure canner I use and prefer.

How to choose the best pressure canner for you. Learn which pressure is best for you and your needs.

Best economical choice for a pressure canner

If money is an issue, I'd go with the Presto pressure canner, if you have the funds and want to invest in a canner you'll use forever I'd go with the All American pressure canner. However, the truly most important thing is both of these pressure canners will get the job done and allow you to safely can food at home.

New to pressure canning and want to make sure you're doing it correctly? Take my free 4 part video series teaching you how to safely operate a pressure canner, including what you can and cannot safely can at home, even with a pressure canner.

Are you just starting with canning? Which pressure canner do you recommend?

8 Tips to Keep Sane when Preserving the Bounty

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Of all the things we do on our homestead, preserving the harvest is one of the most crucial parts to our self-sustainability and old-fashioned pioneer roots. It's also one of the ways we keep our food bill down. In the long run, it keeps our health bills down, too, because the food we put up at home is done at the peak of freshness and when grown by us, heirloom and organically.

8 tips to keep sane when preserving the bounty. During peak canning season I always feel behind, these are some great tips to remember. Plus, the food saver and canner giveaway would be awesome to win.

You might say I'm a little bit in love with preserving food at home. And my husband is totally okay with my other “love”. In fact, he encourages and even helps… yea, he's pretty awesome that way.

[Read more…]

Pioneering Today-Blueberry Basil Thyme Vinegar Recipe

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Blueberry Basil Thyme Vinegar www.MelissaKNorris.com Pioneering Today

Our blueberry bushes our producing wonderfully this year. In fact, it's our biggest crop yet. I love to eat blueberries straight from the bush, when they burst with sweet goodness, warmed from the sun, there's nothing better. We freeze them to use in homemade pancakes, waffles, muffins, pies, and cakes all year long.

But I've now discovered even another use for these wonderful power house, anti-oxidant packed berries. Plus, I get to use some of our fresh herbs.

[Read more…]

How to Make Apple Butter- Easy Canning Instructions

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Learn how to make apple butter like the pioneers of old… because can one get much more old-fashioned than jars of thick apple creaminess? I love the twist on this recipe to use apple cider in place of water for an even more apply experience.

How to make apple butter, easy canning instructions for old fashioned apple butter

Don't you love it when  you meet someone new and have an instant connection? That's how I felt when I first met Appalachian author Joanne Bischof and now here she is on my blog showing you how to make apple butter!

I was thrilled when she offered to share her tutorial and recipe, because everyone needs a quick and easy apple butter, but apple butter recipes for canning are where it's at! I know you'll adore Joanne as much as I do.

In her words:

As an author of Appalachian romance, I love doing research. But what’s even more fun than the research, are the hands-on activities that harken back to the early 1900’s, the days of my characters. I’m a country girl at heart but am still new to the world of simple living, so when I started blogging about two years ago, I decided to start a thread called the “Adventures of Country Living.” I really wanted to embrace the spirit that we don’t have to be an expert at something to give it a try.

It’s all about having fun and learning something new, right? Plus, embracing the pioneer spirit brings us closer to one another and closer to our own two hands resulting with that “I can’t believe I did it!” victory dance. Yes, I victory dance when projects turn out well.

One of those projects that I’ve been skirting around for a while is canning. I met Melissa and instantly fell in love with her pioneering ways and encouraging spirit, plus her tutorials are awesome! I tried her apple pie filling tutorial and it was fabulous. I still had ton of apples, and when she encouraged me to give canning a try, I did!

I called up my neighbor who had all the canning supplies and my mother-in-law had some cases of jars she wanted to use up, so…I was officially out of excuses. I made a few changes to the recipe, like cutting the sugar and using apple cider to replace some of the water and it turned out delicious. I’d love to share how to make apple butter from scratch with you today!

Old Fashioned Apple Butter Recipe (This made about 8 pints):

8 pounds of apples (about 32 medium)
4 cups of sugar (or more as needed, up to 8 cups)
2 cups liquid, water or apple cider
2 cups apple cider vinegar (5% acidity)
4 teaspoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon cloves

Wash apples, core, peel and quarter (or you can leave them whole and simply use a food mill). Combine apples with 4 cups of liquid, sugar, cinnamon and cloves (water or cider—the more cider ratio you use, the more apple-y it will be!) Simmer until apples are soft, then mash or puree to desired consistency. (I used a potato masher and wished I had a food mill to get it a little more fine.)

Continue to heat apple mixture on low, stirring frequently, until it thickens to desired consistency (I allowed mine to thicken for about an hour, though it could have gone a little longer). As it turns into apple butter, it will become darker and rich.

During this time, I had washed the jars, rings and lids in the dishwasher and everything was keeping warm. The canning kettle was filled to the right level and the water had begun to boil. I set the lids to heat on the stove in a little water and got all set up to begin the canning process.

Ladle hot apple butter into the hot jars (half pints or pints), leaving ¼ inch of head space, wipe the jar mouths with a clean, damp rag and gently screw the lids on.

Process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Remove lid from canner and let sit for 5 minutes. Then remove jars onto a towel and allow to cool for 12 to 24 hours. Check seals and move to your pantry shelves to enjoy all year long.

Note: if 1,000 feet above sea level process the jars for an extra ten minutes, 20 minutes total.

Let me just say, that pulling the jars out of the canner and hearing the lids pop into place filled this newbie with a sense of joy. I might have started doing the happy dance right then and there! We popped open a can the following day and spread it on our favorite pancakes and it was amazing. The kids loved it and my husband who adores all things apple was in heaven. So much that we started on our second jar before breakfast was even over.
***


About Joanne:
Married to her first sweetheart, Joanne lives in the mountains of Southern California where she keeps busy making messes with their home schooled children. When she’s not weaving Appalachian romance, she’s blogging about faith, writing, and the adventures of country living that bring her stories to life. The first book in her Appalachian Romance series, Be Still My Soul, released this October.

Be Still My Soul is one of the best books I've ever read. Yep, you read that right. One of the best.

I expected to like this book due to the setting. Raised in the mountains, I was excited to read this novel. Joanne blew me away from the first page. I instantly felt tied to Lonnie. Her pain was mine to the degree my throat ached with tears. This is not your average shot-gun wedding novel. The characters are excellent, the story complex, and the emotion high, with the whisper of God tugging at your soul.

What's your favorite way to preserve apples? What's the best book you've read this year?

How to Make Apple Butter- Easy Canning Instructions

MelissaKNorris
Easy apple butter recipe
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 1 hr 10 mins
Total Time 1 hr 40 mins
Servings 8 pints

Ingredients
  

  • 8 pounds of apples about 32 medium
  • 4 cups of sugar or more as needed, up to 8 cups
  • 2 cups of liquid water or cider
  • 2 cups vinegar 5% acidity
  • 4 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon cloves

Instructions
 

  • Wash apples, core, peel and quarter (or you can leave them whole and simply use a food mill). Combine apples with water (or cider if using), vinegar, sugar, cinnamon and cloves (water or cider—the more cider ratio you use, the more apple-y it will be!) Simmer until apples are soft, then mash or puree to desired consistency. (I used a potato masher and wished I had a food mill to get it a little more fine.)
  • Continue to heat apple mixture on low, stirring frequently, until it thickens to desired consistency (I allowed mine to thicken for about an hour, though it could have gone a little longer). As it turns into apple butter, it will become darker and rich.
  • During this time, I had washed the jars, rings and lids in the dishwasher and everything was keeping warm. The canning kettle was filled to the right level and the water had begun to boil. I set the lids to heat on the stove in a little water and got all set up to begin the canning process.
  • Ladle hot apple butter into the hot jars (half pints or pints), leaving ¼ inch of head space, wipe the jar mouths with a clean, damp rag and gently screw the lids on.
  • Process for 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Remove lid from canner and let sit for 5 minutes. Then remove jars onto a towel and allow to cool for 12 to 24 hours. Check seals and move to your pantry shelves to enjoy all year long.
  • Note: if 1,000 feet above sea level process the jars for an extra ten minutes, 20 minutes total.
Keyword apple butter canning recipe, how to make apple butter
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Now that you  know how to make apple butter, what's one of your favorite things to eat it on?