Goodness of summer produce prepared for winter tables

Canning and preserving season is well underway in many homes, capturing the warm-weather harvest for the cold-weather months.
While methods for canning have changed over the years, successful recipes have been shared by family members throughout the decades.
Some of those recipes of early years are contained in the 1949 Friendly Circle Cook Book published by the Friendly Circle of Craik United Church.
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Quick Grape Jelly
1 basket grapes
Place grapes in a large kettle. Cover with water and cook well. Strain through a jelly bag.
To five cups of juice add 7 cups sugar.
Put juice back into kettle and place on back of stove and heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Put into jars and seal.
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Peach Marmalade
30 peaches
8 cups sugar
6 oranges
juice and grated rind
Peel and cut peaches into small pieces. Add sugar. Grate rind from oranges, chop oranges and add, along with juice. Simmer until thick. Place in jars and seal.
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Canned Cocktail Salad
12 peaches
12 pears
2 medium cantaloupe
1 fresh pineapple
Cut all fruit, peeled, into little cubes. Pack in hot sterilized sealers. Add green and red cherries for colour. Add any other fresh fruit in season. Seal and process for 20 minutes.
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Candied Cranberries
2 cups bright red cranberries
2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
Cook the sugar and water together for five minutes.
Prick each cranberry with a needle and add to syrup. Cover and cook gently until the fruit is transparent. Allow berries to remain in syrup overnight, then drain.
Roll in granulated sugar and dry very slowly in a cool oven, 250-275 degrees F,
Cranberries prepared in this way are an acceptable substitute for crystalized cherries.
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Apricot Conserve
30 apricots
1 can pineapple
1/4 lb. blanched almonds
6 cups sugar
Heat pineapple juice, add sugar and when this boils, add shredded or cubed pineapple and apricots. Cook until quite thick. Add chopped almonds and cook five minutes longer. Coloured cherries may be added. Pour into sterilized jars and seal.
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Boiled Dressing
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry mustard
2 tbsps. flour
2 tbsps. sugar
1 egg (or 2 yolks)
3/4 cup milk
1 tbsp. butter
1/4 cup mild vinegar
Combine salt, mustard, flour and sugar and mix well.
Beat the egg or yolks and add to the dry ingredients. Add the milk.
Place in the top of a double boiler and cook over boiling water until the mixture thickens, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and add the butter, stirring until this is well-blended into it. Cool slightly and gradually add the vinegar. Place in a clean jar, cover and store in a cool place until needed.
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Modern Apple or Crabapple Jelly
5 1/2 lbs. apples or crabapples
5 cups water
3 tbsps. lemon juice
7 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch liquid pectin
Place 8 clean small mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner; cover jars with water and heat to a simmer. Set screw bands aside. Heat snap lids in hot water. Keep jars and sealing discs hot until ready to use.
Wash and remove stem and blossom ends from apples (do not peel); coarsely chop. Combine with water in a stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and boil gently 10 minutes, crushing intermittently. Remove from heat.
Pour prepared mixture into dampened jelly bag or cheese cloth-lined sieve suspended over a deep container. Let juice drip undisturbed, at least 2 hours or overnight. For quicker results, squeeze bag; juice may be cloudy.
Measure 5 cups prepared juice into a large, deep stainless steel saucepan. Stir in lemon juice and all the sugar. To reduce foaming, add 1/2 tsp. butter or margarine.
Over high heat, bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down. Add liquid pectin, squeezing entire contents from pouch. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam, if necessary.
Quickly ladle hot jelly into a hot jar to within 1/4 inch of top of jar. Using nonmetallic utensil, remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if required, by adding more jelly. 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 jelly.
When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. At altitudes up to 1,000 ft process filled jars for 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 for 24 hours; Do not retighten screw bands.
After cooling check jar seals. Label and store jars in a cool, dark place.
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Thought for the day: " And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." - Anais Nin

Joyce Walter can be reached at 691-1259 or jwalter@mjtimes.sk.ca