Canning and Preserving For Dummies by Amelia Jeanroy Page A

reserve to a boil.
    4 Ladle the hot berries and liquid into your prepared jars, adding boiling water if there isn’t enough liquid to fill the jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more berries and water as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.
    5 Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 15 minutes (pints) or 20 minutes (quarts) from the point of boiling.
    6 Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (see Chapter 4). If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two weeks.
    Vary It! For sweeter canned berries, use medium syrup.
    Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories 124 (From fat 3); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 2mg; Carbohydrates 32g (Dietary fiber 6g); Protein 1g.

    Pears
    All varieties of pears can well, so use your favorite variety. After cutting and peeling the pears, treat your fruit with an antioxidant to prevent discoloring (refer to the “Deterring discoloration” section of this chapter).
    Canned Pears
    Pears are great fun to have on the pantry shelf. Try canned pears in place of apples in any recipe calling for cooked fruit.
    Preparation time: 15 minutes
    Processing time : Pints, 20 minutes; quarts, 25 minutes
    Yield : 8 pints or 4 quarts
    12 pounds pears
    Sugar syrup, light
    1 Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)
    2 Wash, peel, and core the pears. Slice the pears into 1/4-inch pieces or cut them into even-sized chunks. Bring your sugar syrup to a boil.
    3 Pack the pears firmly into the hot jars and pour the boiling hot sugar syrup over them, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more sugar syrup as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.
    4 Process the filled jars in a water-bath canner for 20 minutes (pints) or 25 minutes (quarts) from the point of boiling.
    5 Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (see Chapter 4). If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two weeks.
    Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories 79 (From fat 0); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 2mg; Carbohydrates 21g (Dietary fiber 1g); Protein 0g.

    Rhubarb
    Rhubarb looks like red celery but isn’t related to celery. It can be mixed with strawberries for a pie filling and is delectable when combined with tart apples. Because of its tart taste, rhubarb is always canned with sugar and makes a great pie filling.
    Rhubarb leaves are toxic. Always remove and discard any leaves from the stalks before preparing your rhubarb.
    Rhubarb Pie Filling
    Everyone loves rhubarb pie. If you make the filling ahead of time, in the winter you can just open a jar and fill your pie crust. Delicious!
    Preparation time: 15 minutes plus 4 hours standing time
    Processing time: 15 minutes
    Yield: 6 quarts
    12 pounds rhubarb
    6 cups sugar, or to taste
    1 Wash, trim, and remove the leaves from the rhubarb. Cut the stalks into 1/2-inch pieces. Place the rhubarb pieces in a 6-quart pan. Add sugar to the cut pieces and let them stand for 4 hours to draw out the juice. Taste the mixture with a clean spoon to check that it is sweet enough. If not, add more suger, to taste.
    2 Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter