Rockridge Press - The Preppers Cookbook

• 1¼ cups boiling water

• 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary, basil, thyme, or other herbs

• 3 cups granulated sugar

• ¼ cup white vinegar

• 1 (3-ounce) pouch liquid fruit pectin

• 2 drops green food coloring (if desired)

• 4 half-pint jars, lids, and bands

1. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars. Boil the water, reduce the heat to low, place the jars in the water, and simmer until ready to use. Prepare lids and bands by simmering them over low heat in a small saucepan.

2. In a large saucepan, combine the boiling water and herbs. Cover and let sit for approximately 15 minutes. You may strain the herbs out or leave them in—it’s entirely up to you. If the liquid does not yield 1¼ cups, add water until it does.

3. Add the sugar and vinegar. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly.

4. Add the pectin. Boil hard and stir for 1 minute.

5. Take the saucepan off the heat and remove any foam. Add food coloring if desired.

6. Pour the hot mixture into jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace.

7. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, center the lids, and screw on the bands and adjust until they are fingertip tight.

8. Place the jars in the canner and bring to a boil. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering the jars.

9. Process for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars from the canner and cool.

As the title says, you can use just about any fruit for this simple jam recipe, although you may have to experiment a bit with the pectin and sugar to get the equation just right. For the best flavor possible, it’s best to have a mix of semi-ripe and ripe fruit on hand.

• 4½ cups pitted, chopped fruit of your choice

• ½ cup water

• 7½ cups granulated sugar

• 1 (1¾-ounce) package powdered fruit pectin

• 8 half-pint canning jars with lids and bands

1. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars. Boil the water, reduce the heat to low, place the jars in the water, and simmer until ready to use. Prepare lids and bands by simmering them over low heat in a small saucepan.

2. Place the fruit and water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil.

3. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the sugar, and remove the foam if necessary.

4. Bring the mixture to a full boil over high heat, stirring constantly, and then mix in the pectin. Return the mixture to a full boil, and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, and skim off any foam.

5. Pour the hot mixture into jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace.

6. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, center the lids, and screw on the bands and adjust until they are fingertip tight.

7. Place the jars in the canner and bring to a boil. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering the jars.

8. Process for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars from the canner and cool.

In a survival situation, you want a source of protein, carbs, and fat. This is a delicious combination of all three and will liven up the flavor of stale bread or whatever else you may choose to eat it on.

• 1 cup chopped pecans

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• ¼ cup unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon brown sugar

• 1 tablespoon ground ginger

• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

• Pinch of salt

• 2 half-pint jars, lids, and bands

1. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars. Boil the water, reduce the heat to low, place the jars in the water, and simmer until ready to use. Prepare lids and bands by simmering them over low heat in a small saucepan.

2. In a large saucepan, combine all of the ingredients.

3. Cook over medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is blended. Do not let the mixture boil, or you’ll end up with pecan candy or worse yet, a gritty mess.

4. Pour the hot mixture into jars, leaving ¼ inch of headspace.

5. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, center the lids, and screw on the bands and adjust until they are fingertip tight.

6. Place the jars in the canner and bring to a boil. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering the jars.

7. Process for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars from the canner and cool.

Canning fruit is very easy and a great way for beginners to pick up canning. Since fruit is a high-acid food, the water-bath canning method is the only method you need to use.

When choosing fruit, it is best to use them in the peak of their seasons. Also important, fruit for canning needs to be picked just before they are truly ripe. That way, the canning process brings out all the flavors of that fruit and the fruit will hold their shape well.

There are two different ways to can your fresh fruit, or even your pickles or fresh vegetables: by hot packing them or by cold packing them. Hot packing involves heating or cooking the produce with the liquid and packing it all together into the jars for processing. Cold packing involves packing the raw produce tightly into the jars and then pouring the boiling liquid over them prior to processing. Between the two, hot packing creates richer, more blended flavors.

Hot packing is best for nice, firm fruits that won’t get mushy if you heat them, like blueberries, or if you’re making such mixes as apple pie filling. Cold packing (also known as raw packing) allows you to can soft produce like raspberries or peaches without ending up with preserves. Cold packing can be used for just about any fruit, but hot packing is good if you’d like them to cook a bit first. Directions for both methods follow.

1. Measure out the fruit and gather your ingredients. Place the fruit in a large saucepan with the correct amount of sugar and any other spices that you’re using.

2. Set the saucepan aside and let the fruit mixture marinate for about 2 hours.

3. Then heat the fruit mixture until the juices are flowing out of the fruit and everything is warm, similar to compote.

4. Fill the canning jars, leaving ½ inch of headspace. If you run out of liquid, add boiling water until all jars are full enough. Remove air bubbles and wipe the rims clean.

5. Secure the lids and bands, and process using the water-bath method. Don’t forget to let the jars cool, and don’t mess with the lids while the jars are cooling. Also, adjust cooking times to your altitude as needed.

1. First, make your syrup based on the following ratios:

• Very light (sugar water)—½ cup sugar to 5 cups water

• Light—1 cup sugar to 5 cups water

• Medium—1½ cups sugar to 5 cups water

• Heavy—2 cups sugar to 5 cups water

• Very heavy—2½ cups sugar to 5 cups water

This is a great way to adjust the sugar depending on what you’re canning or what you plan to use the syrup for. For instance, pie fillings will be thick, but canned fruits made to eat straight out of the jar are delicious with just a light syrup. For that matter, if you don’t want to add any sweetness, feel free to use only water and let the natural sugars of the fruit sweeten it. Regardless of which syrup you’re using, follow these steps to can your produce:

2. Peel, core, and clean your produce. Remove any damaged spots, and slice as necessary.