Cranberry-Pear Compote!

Who: Amy Elizabeth Mucken
What: Canning Seasonal Pears with Fresh Cranberries into a delicious paste!
Where: Our home
When: 11/12/11 - that means it is magical.
Why: Preparing to host a Thanksgiving event at our home, as well as prepare small gifts for special people in our lives
How (& More):


I just finished working 350 hours in one month.  Don't get me started, and I KNOW!  So the first thing I wanted to do after sleeping for three days straight - was get back to crafting.   


Luckily my hankering timed beautifully with the release of SkyRim so my handsome husband, Tiger Reel, was happily occupied on the nearby sofa.   


Fresh pears were still to be found at the Farmer's Market and I bought 12 pounds and had plans to triple the recipe I found on the Simple Bites site.   I still love this site, and have found it to be an amazing source of inspiration.   

I made batch one on 11/12 - I prefer to do it without white sugar, so did a 1 to 1 replacement with honey for the sugar required in the Simple Bites recipe.  It leaves a delicate tanginess to the recipe, but I like it.   I also doubled the cinnamon just to give it a good Holiday Kick!  

Kitchen shot:  Cranberry Pear Compote, Canning Handle, Mitts & Le Creuset utensil holder.  

Cranberry Compote Cooling before the jar-boiling process.  

Into the bath!  

Batch two came out even better - and I look forward to playing with the third batch tomorrow night when my friend Maggie Hollinbeck is in town.    Canning is more fun with friends.  :) 

Strawberry Honey Jam

Who: Amy Elizabeth Mucken
What: Made canned jam for the first time in her life:  Honey Strawberry Jam
Where: Our home
When: 9/18/2011
Why: Oh please
How (& More):

I have been wanting to can for as long as I can remember.  I had a very clear vision of my adult life as a child, and canning, walking the dog and wearing an apron during cocktail parties were a solid part of it.  We have a cat that is like a dog, I have 3 aprons, but none seem very practical or efficient and I have never ever ever canned anything - until today.

I found a great recipe on this delicious site called Simple Bites.    I bought some pint sized ball canning jars a couple months ago once our last show opened, but never got around to actually doing it.  This last week I woke up thinking:  NOTHING IS IN SEASON NOW.  Then I laughed because I live in Southern California, where many things ARE in season year round.   I did some searching, found the Simple Bites site and hunted for the perfect recipe to dip into my new hobby:  CANNING.

As an adult I am trying to not fall into the same crafty-traps I had as a younger woman.  Deciding I loved biking and buying $600 worth of gear only to realize I only liked biking and didn't use it much.  So my first task was to use what I actually had on hand until I knew if this canning hobby practically resonated with me.

I chose the Honey Strawberry Jam as I have always loved my mom's strawberry freezer jam.  It is a comfort food, and what better thing to pull off the shelf than something you know will soothe you.  I am also trying to stay away from sugars and additives, so this simple recipe also fit the bill.

I woke up at 8am, went to the Hollywood Farmer's Market and bought 6 pints of delicious tasting fresh strawberries.  I also picked up a jar of Feta Stuffed Olives for my husband.  But that doesn't matter here.

The mashed strawberries during their first boiling

I prepped it using a hot water bath.  And read all the "Canning 101" information on the Simple Bites site as a helpful guide.  I didn't have a "jar puller outer" or a magnet stick, or a pressure cooker, so the finished jars were pulled out (frantically) using spaghetti tones.  I am sure you won't be able to tell with the finished product.  

With the 6 pints of strawberries, 4 boxes of pectin and 3 cups of honey I made 12 280ml of jam + 3 pints.  We'll be tasting them soon!   Fingers crossed.