Dill Pickles-

Fall canning classes are a great way to meet new friends, share canning experiences or create new ones, and put away great food for the family to enjoy over the winter months.  Big bonus- you know exactly what went into each jar- no chemicals or ingredients you can't pronounce.  Dill pickles are always on the annual pickling menu.

Pickles: dill, onions, spices and a brine.  Let sit for a few weeks and enjoy!

To make 6 x 500 ml jars

Peach Jam- A Taste of Summer All Year Long...

I love leading a canning class!  It's great to share my passion for great food, fresh and in season.  What better way to ensure a steady supply of local produce through the winter than to can it yourself. Oh, and you'll make a lot of friends who will love you for sharing.

My canning classes feature three recipes: a jam, a jelly or a chutney and a salsa or pickles.  We prepared this peach jam at the end of August class.  This recipe is from the Bernardin Canning Book- a bible for canners.


Makes about 6 or 7 x 250 ml jars.

4 cups (1000 ml) crushed peaches, about (1.4 kg) or 9 medium

1/3 cups (85 ml) lemon juice

2 pouches (170 ml) BERNARDIN® Liquid Pectin

7- 1/2 cups (1875 ml) granulated sugar

• Place 6 to 7 clean 250 ml mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat to a simmer (180°F/82°C). Set screw bands aside. Heat SNAP LID® sealing discs in hot water, not boiling (180°F/82°C). Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.

• Peel, pit and finely chop or crush peaches, one layer at a time. Measure 4 cups (2 L).

• In a large, deep stainless steel saucepan, stir together prepared fruit, lemon juice, all of the sugar and 1/2 tsp (2 ml) butter or margarine (to reduce foaming). Over high heat, bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Add liquid pectin, squeezing entire contents from pouches. Return to boil; boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and skim off foam.

• Ladle hot jam into a hot jar to within 1/4 inch (0.5 cm) of top of jar (headspace). Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more jam. Wipe jar rim removing any food residue. Centre hot sealing disc on clean jar rim. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip tight. Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining jam.

• When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch (2.5 cm) of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1000 ft (305 m), process – boil filled jars – 10 minutes.

• When processing time is complete, turn stove off, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed 24 hours; DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.

• After cooling check jar seals. Sealed discs curve downward and do not move when pressed. Remove screw bands; wipe and dry bands and jars. Store screw bands separately or replace loosely on jars, as desired. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place. For best quality, use home canned foods within one year

Pickled Bean Salad- version 2

Continuing to experiment with pickled bean salad.  This will surely provide a touch of summer in the middle of Ottawa's cold winter.

This recipe begins on the scanning website.  It requires an overnight steep and it contains oil which, for me, takes it out of the realm of pickles.

This recipe makes approx. 4- 500 ml jars.