When I snagged a bag of perfectly ripe peaches at the local farmers market, I knew just what to do: invite my fellow MOTHER EARTH NEWS editors over to try out the new Ball freshTECH electric water ...

Master canner Lisa Fulk began canning with her grandmother when she was young, but she admits it took her a while to master the process. “I took my kids strawberry picking and decided to make jam,” ...

Making jam is the accessible starting point for food resilience, connecting a simple kitchen practice to a deep history of economic stability and personal empowerment. If you're a home preserver, ...

For the second test, known as the sheet or spoon test, dip a cool metal spoon into the boiling jelly mixture, and then raise the spoon about a foot above the pan (out of the steam). Turn the spoon so ...

This is a straightforward plum jam that can be flavored as you like. I add winter spices such as star anise and a cinnamon stick, thinking ahead to lean days with no summer fruit in the trees. Purple ...

I had finally accepted that among my many shortcomings, I would never join the proud ranks of the home-canning community. To me, the process of canning sounded anything but relaxing: the giant pot, ...

September 25, 2009 Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google Getting started with canning isn't as hard as you might think, but boiling jars in a stove might be a tad too ...

Sometimes it's good to cook by feel, tasting things as you go, throwing in a "why not" ingredient here, a dash of something else there. But canning is not one of those times. Hand-holding is highly ...

How is it that the first fruit of summer turns out to be the star of one of the more difficult jams to make? Doesn't seem fair. Even experienced home food preservers will admit to wrestling with ...