I think one of the best things about becoming more self-sufficient has been the fact that we have a much greater variety of foods in our diet. I now can make things that that I never thought about making before- would have had no idea how to make in fact. I want to share some recipes for canning that we really like.

Boston-Style Beans

2 lbs. Dry navy beans (4 cups)
3 qts. Cold water
2 tsp. Salt
2/3 C. Molasses
2/3 C. packed brown sugar
4 T. vinegar
2 tsp. Dry mustard
1 tsp. Salt
¼ lb. Salt pork, cut in pieces

Rinse beans. Place in kettle with the 3 qts. water. Let set overnight. Drain reserving 6 cups of liquid. Rinse beans. In large saucepan combine the reserved liquid, molasses, brown sugar, vinegar, dry mustard, and the tsp. Salt. Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer 5-10 minutes.

Add salt pork to drained beans. Pack hot mixture into hot jars, filling the jars to ¾ full. Fill with hot molasses sauce; leave 1-inch headspace. Pressure can at 10 lbs pressure pints 80 minutes; quarts 100 minutes. Makes 6 pints.

Crockpot Apple Butter

Apples, peeled, cored and sliced
4 C. sugar
4 tsp. Cinnamon
¼ tsp. Cloves
¼ tsp. Salt

Fill crockpot with sliced apples. Add sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt over apples. Cover and cook on high for an hour. Turn down to LOW and cook all day stirring occasionally until thick and dark in color. Ladle hot butter into hot jars leaving ½ inch headspace. Process in boiling water bath – half-pints 10 minutes, pints 15 minutes.

Chow Chow

2 qts. Shredded cabbage (about one medium)
½ C. onions chopped fine
½ C. chopped green or red bell peppers
2 T. Salt

In a large bowl sprinkle shredded cabbage with salt. Let set in the refrigerator 4-6 hours.

In pan large enough to fit cabbage later combine:

C. vinegar
1 ½ C. sugar
2 tsp. Dry mustard
1 tsp. Turmeric
½ tsp. Ground ginger
½ tsp celery seed
2 tsp mustard seed

Simmer 10 minutes. Add cabbage. Simmer another 10 minutes. Pack in hot jars leaving 1/8-inch headspace. Process in boiling water bath 15 minutes (pints).

Chow Chow is great on hotdogs or sausage dogs!

Ketchup

1 C. corn syrup
1 C. White vinegar
½ C. water
Two 6-ounce cans tomato paste
2 T. sugar
2 tsp. Salt
½ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp. Garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring frequently until mixture starts to thicken. Ladle into hot jars leaving ½ inch headspace. Process in a boiling water bath 15 minutes. Makes approx. 3 pints.

Quick Dill Pickles

4 lb. Cucumbers (unpeeled)
6 T. salt
3 C. vinegar
3 C. water
1 T. pickling spice
18 whole black peppers
9 heads fresh dill or 3 T. dill seed

Use cucumbers whole or slice quarter or halve them.

In large kettle combine salt, vinegar and water. Bring to boil.

Pack cucumbers into clean, hot jars. For each quart jar add 1 tsp pickling spice, 6 whole black peppercorns and 3 heads fresh dill or 1 T. dill seed.

If using pink jars cut these amounts in half.

Fill jars with boiling vinegar salt solution leaving ½ inch headspace. Process in boiling water bath 20 minutes for quarts and 10 minutes for pints. Process smaller cucumbers (halves, quarters or slices) for 7 minutes quarts; 5 minutes pints.

You may also add 2 cloves to each jar. This recipe is great because just by adjusting the recipe amounts you can make just one or many jars.

Rebecca Whitford