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The First Canning of the Year

June 22nd, 2010

Yesterday morning I pulled out the canning jars and starting stocking my pantry for this coming winter. I canned half of my maraschino cherries, today I’ll be canning the rest. It’s a great feeling to start stocking the pantry again for winter. I like the comfort of seeing all the jars lined up on the shelves in the basement, things were looking a bit sparse down there.

I followed this recipe for half the cherries and this recipe for the other half. I also made one quart with sour cherries instead of sweet cherries. I thought it was interesting that the cherries were brined with salt water for a day before canning, much like many of the pickles I make.

I ended up making 4 gallons of maraschino cherries because I ran out of time to pit and dry all those cherries I picked last week. I can’t wait to try these dipped in chocolate or perhaps mixed in with some ice cream. Most of the cherries were dried and tucked away in the pantry as well. I didn’t freeze any since I want to keep the freezer space free for other things like black raspberries and peas.

Have you started stocking the pantry for this coming winter? Anything canned up in jars?

21 Comments to “The First Canning of the Year”
  1. […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by mark mile, Susy Morris. Susy Morris said: The First #Canning of the Year http://goo.gl/fb/3TQwR #harvestkeeperschallenge #cherries […]

    Reply to Tweets that mention The First Canning of the Year | Chiot’s Run — Topsy.com's comment

  2. Dave on June 22, 2010 at 8:47 am

    Wow, you’ll definitely be stocked! Our first canning might begin when our local extension service begins selling the peaches they grow. They were delicious last year and we made some preserves. Of course the blackberries are coming in too so that might beat out the peaches.
    .-= Dave´s last blog ..Revisiting the Japanese Dappled Willow Sculpture =-.

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  3. Sense of Home on June 22, 2010 at 9:23 am

    I have froze a couple of things, but the only thing I have canned so far is rhubarb juice. More coming as the season heats up.

    -Brenda
    .-= Sense of Home´s last blog ..Prepare the Pantry and Freezer =-.

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  4. Amy on June 22, 2010 at 9:29 am

    The cherries are lovely and thank you for the recipe……we are canning sauerkraut……stinky but delicious in the long run…..

    Reply to Amy's comment

  5. Mrs. Mac on June 22, 2010 at 9:30 am

    We are so behind in the growing season due to near record rain this spring. So far I’ve canned wild rose jelly, pinto beans, and Boston baked beans. I have a very young sour cherry tree that must grow a few more years before we are treated with enough cherries to can .. waiting patiently!
    .-= Mrs. Mac´s last blog ..Rain =-.

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  6. dig this chick on June 22, 2010 at 9:57 am

    holy cow sister. We barely have spinach! That’s so exciting and inspiring. I can’t wait to eat and preserve!
    .-= dig this chick´s last blog ..the papa of my daughters =-.

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  7. kristin @ going country on June 22, 2010 at 10:07 am

    So far, only strawberry jam and strawberry rhubarb jam. Soon, mulberry juice. And then . . . the tomatoes. Dun dun DUN.
    .-= kristin @ going country´s last blog ..It’s Official =-.

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  8. MAYBELLINE on June 22, 2010 at 10:16 am

    I’ve only frozen strawberries and dried apricots so far. The canning will come as the tomatoes ripen.
    .-= MAYBELLINE´s last blog ..Wave Petunias / Magellan Zinnias =-.

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  9. Tommy on June 22, 2010 at 12:58 pm

    i wish i could grow cherries here in southern california. not enough cold, and not enough room!
    i’ve put pickled beets up so far, and i am in the process of picking all of my ripe apricots right now. those will be made into jams, syrups, and canning apricot halves this weekend.
    good times!
    my first tomatoes are also showing up on the vines right now. exciting times in the garden!

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  10. Conny on June 22, 2010 at 1:38 pm

    I’m one step closer to canning – I bought lids last weekend to be sure I’m ready when the fruit is. :>)

    Reply to Conny's comment

  11. Sustainable Eats on June 22, 2010 at 4:13 pm

    So far this year lemon marmalade, orange marmalade, apple rosemary jelly, caramelized onion rosemary jam, rhubarb preserves, pickled beets and making pickled asparagus and strawberry jam tonight. Those cherries look great I can’t wait for my neighbor’s tree t hurry up and get ready already! How long until you are doing your cherry taste test? Last year I made pickled cherries from a french recipe and they were yummy.
    .-= Sustainable Eats´s last blog ..Tea Giveaway Winner! =-.

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    • Susy on June 22, 2010 at 5:24 pm

      I’ll wait 3 months to try them, especially the ones made with Hennessy.

      MMM, pickled cherries, did you post the recipe on your blog? I’m always looking for new & interesting ways to enjoy fruit. Since I’m not much of a sweet lover, I think pickled would suit me better!

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  12. melissa on June 22, 2010 at 4:41 pm

    I love your giant jars. I want some!

    I have lots of jam, some canned peaches, pickles, pickled carrots, tomatoes, and a bunch of stuff in the freezer as well (fruit). Some of it will be for me to eat and some will be for gifts. :)
    .-= melissa´s last blog ..reboot =-.

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    • Susy on June 22, 2010 at 5:25 pm

      I too love those jars (I’m assuming you mean the gallons barrel jars). I bought 8 of them last year for milk, but they ended up not working for that purpose. They do work wonderfully for making sauerkraut, vinegar and pickles, so I’m glad I have them (and they’re much cheaper than crocks).

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  13. Gretchen on June 22, 2010 at 7:17 pm

    I don’t get through jam very quickly, and I have a bit of back-stock right now, so I’ve been doing much more casual preserves where I put fresh fruit compotes (apricots and/or peaches with a little honey and lemon juice) into canning jars and then freeze them. They will be very welcome this winter! I’ve also put up a jar of cherries in cognac, which will hopefully be a great topping for ice cream or inclusion for muffins/cake. And I’ve been experimenting with infused simple syrup though I haven’t formally canned any of those; I’m keeping them in the fridge.

    I’ve found that eating with the seasons has made me a lot more interested in putting up foods for the winter, even if I’m cheating and using the freezer! I’ve frozen some strawberries in addition to the compotes and I intend to keep freezing fruits all summer long — one problem is freezer space and I actually want to get a chest freezer! This is less crazy than it sounds because I also want to start buying grass-fed beef by the quarter steer, so I need somewhere to put it. I also always make WAY too much soup and end up freezing an extra quart or two…. that’s really welcome for days when we’ve managed to run out of soup and I don’t feel like cooking new, but it’s pretty space-consuming.

    I also really want to can some of the sweet little Seckel pears that have a flash-season of a week or two here, later this year. And tomatoes are a must! Both roasted and whole, I think. I cheated last winter by using some from a local company that makes really fabulous canned tomatoes and other goodies, but they’ve moved to another city so it’s harder to get their goodies now.

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  14. Allison on June 22, 2010 at 10:05 pm

    Yep! Wild Violet Jelly and Strawberry Rhubarb Jam!

    Reply to Allison's comment

  15. Carrie on June 22, 2010 at 11:19 pm

    Your cherries look so pretty!!! So far this year I have frozen a bit of rhubarb – enough for 2 tart desserts over the fall or winter, canned 6 jars of strawberry rhubarb jam and made 6 jars of strawberry freezer jam. And just in the last few days our raspberries are starting to ripen so jam and jelly making will kick into high gear as those keep ripening. Yeah! My 3 year old is so excited!
    .-= Carrie´s last blog ..A Little Magic In Our Day =-.

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  16. Marlyn on June 23, 2010 at 2:55 am

    Nothing yet this year — we are off to a very late start as we didn’t get home from 6 months of travel until April. And late is not all of it — we just don’t have as much going on in the garden. But some new and exciting things, I hope!
    .-= Marlyn´s last blog ..Progress, maybe? =-.

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  17. Maureen on June 23, 2010 at 3:10 am

    I’ve canned blueberry syrup, 3 kinds of jam (apricot, blackberry and strawberry) and lots (and lots) of green beans :)

    …now if those tomatoes would just hurry up and TURN RED!!!
    .-= Maureen´s last blog ..Beans, Beans…. =-.

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  18. Teresa/Safira on June 23, 2010 at 8:37 am

    No canning yet, and minimal freezing. Mostly my early crops get devoured as soon as they’re ready because we’re so greedy for green after a long New England winter of potatoes, winter squash and whatever was in the freezer. But the black raspberries are coming on like gangbusters this year. Mostly I’ll freeze or dehydrate them to use in oatmeal and yogurt this winter (what I don’t eat on the spot, that is) but we’re getting so many I may do a batch of jam.
    .-= Teresa/Safira´s last blog ..It’s live! =-.

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  19. Jennifer is Always Sick on June 26, 2010 at 5:43 pm

    I have jars just sitting in my pantry. I’ve been meaning to start pickling veggies, but I just haven’t done it. I think I’m going to start my natural lifestyle by baking my own bread using a sourdough starter, though, and just keep buying frozen vegetables for the time being. I don’t want to overwhelm myself by trying to do too much too quickly.

    Those photos look great. I don’t really like cherries, but now I actually want some. :)
    .-= Jennifer is Always Sick´s last blog ..The Morning Calm – Boosting Mood -amp Energy =-.

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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