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Maybe I should be asking whether or not it's worth the extra trouble and/or energy output. Will the oven, on low heat, create an effect similar to a slow cooker, which as I understand it, creates a thicker consistency in fruit butters?

I'm just wondering... have any of you had experience cooking apple butter in the oven? I don't have a slow cooker and haven't had much luck getting my fruit butters to thicken into a nice, spread-like texture on the stovetop, and I seem to remember my grandmother talking about cooking her fruit...

Sure, I just used the recipe from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving: Salsa Verde *Makes about six half pints or three pints 7 cups chopped cored peeled green tomatoes 5-10 jalepeno, habenero, or Scotch bonnet peppers, seeded and finely chopped 2 cups finely chopped red onions 2 cloves...

It's probably not any more time consuming than processing ripe tomatoes, but yesterday it felt that way! Then again, my double batch turned into a double plus a few pints batch, so maybe that's why it seemed to take so long. It feels really nice to not have buckets full of green tomatoes go to...

Well, so far I've made two batches, the first smaller than the second. Is it just me, or does it take a long time to process green tomatoes, even without blanching them? I shudder to think of how much time this would be taking if I blanched them all... yikes. The first batch has our homegrown...

I'd like to use the green tomatoes I have for salsa verde before they get blight from all this rain we're getting, and I have a quick question about peeling them. I have a recipe in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving that calls for peeled green tomatoes, and I understand that I can blanch...

Thanks for all of the helpful advice. :) So now I'm actually staring at my first flat of tomatoes that I harvest from the hoop house today. I'm using the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, and based on what's been said in this thread, I'm thinking of following the recipe on page 356 for Raw...

Okay, I think I'll try cold packing them. I will probably peel them, since I like to buy and use them that way. Do I have to add water or anything else when I can them? I often buy no salt added, but might add a little bit? And should I be worried about the seeds? Would anyone be willing to...

Hi all! We had pretty good success with our onions this year, though our garlic crop is dismal at best. We planted some white and yellow (not sweet) varieties, and the garlic is pretty standard. The onions did well, but a lot of them were smaller. Anyway, I'm hoping for some opinions for next...

So it's been established that cold packing works the best to maintain the integrity of the tomatoes?

For these parts, that's an excellent price, and unheard of for organic peaches. Hope you stocked up! Ours are about $1.29/ lb for organic yellow peaches, and that's a very limited time offer bargain.

That does sound fabulous. I probably wouldn't add the chai powder, but I much prefer brown sugar, and adding cinnamon sounds divine. I might add a bit of nutmeg for some spice too, now that my imagination is whirling. About how much cinnamon might you add per pound of peaches? I know that it's...

Thank you all for the advice! I will be extra vigilant when cooking my beans... I learned the hard way that my stove plus stainless steel equals a lower than usual temperature needed to get the job done. If I only have to stand over them for 30 minutes, it should be fine. :)

Costco has organic peaches for a killer deal (yes, okay, I know, but I live in town and can't have my own orchard!), so I am planning to take advantage. I'd like to make Peach Butter, and I'm using the recipe in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. It calls for 4 1/2 lbs of peaches to 4...

Do you find that you get less tomatoes in each jar by cold packing them? I'm not really sold on either method, but I'd like someone to sell me one or the other. ;) Do the diced tomatoes retain their shape decently?

Does anyone have a good recipe for diced tomatoes? I'm having a hard time finding a recipe specifically for them. Some things I've read say to follow the crushed tomato recipes, but I'm really new to canning, and when the directions to say to start crushing the tomatoes and cooking them down, I...

Hi Lesa - It's incredibly easy to store them in dry form, it's just not so easy to actually use them, which kind of defeats the purpose of my food storage, or, more aptly named, my "extended pantry." I like the idea of remembering to soak multiple pounds of beans overnight once in my large...

Hi all - just wondering how many of you successfully can dried beans. I'd like to add some significant quantities to my food storage, and cooking large batches and then using the new pressure canner (yikes!) seems like the best way to make the storage accessible. Plus it will help my grocery...

This sounds absolutely fantastic! It's on my "Canning for Christmas" list now (I have more time than money). Best thing is I already have cardamom in my cupboard, since I use it for my Jule Kaga (Scandinavian Christmas Bread) every year. Yum! :drool

Don't worry, the water bath method is super easy. As a newbie myself, I can say that. ;) I really recommend beginning with applesauce, since you don't even need a recipe. Just peel and core your apples, fill a large, preferably stainless steel, stock pot, add about an inch of water to the pot...