Buttered, Jammed & Preserved - A Weekend of Canning in Photos

Saturday was National Can It Forward Day.  Although I didn't sign up to "officially" be a part of anything, there was a lot of canning going on in our kitchen.  And it didn't end on Saturday.  It seems as though I had more ambition than time.  I'm still not finished, but as of now I've made and canned peach infused white wine jelly, canned peaches in ginger syrup, made and canned peach butter, froze some peaches to use in jam (hopefully tomorrow if I get some housework done) and some peach puree for another pate de fruit attempt in the future, made and canned Rainier cherry preserves and Black Forest preserves (dark cherries, cocoa and brandy).  I really wanted to try and do some spicy carrot pickles, but time just got away from me.  As I go through and decipher my on-the-fly chicken scratches and get my recipes into an understandable format, I'll put them up.  Of course, I'd better do that soon while I still remember what those chicken scratches mean.  Until then, the pictures can tell the story.



Peach peels and pits steeping in Gewurztraminer for the Peach-Infused White Wine Jelly. 



The precariously balanced jelly bag and stand. 
I couldn't let it drip overnight in the refrigerator because it won't fit.

Watching juice drip from a jelly bag should not entrall me as much as it does.
Getting the perfect amount of juice for the recipe is the icing on the cake.

Juice, pectin and sugar.

When I first started making jelly, I didn't get "full, rolling boil" and never timed my one-minute
cooking time correctly.  I get it now and my jelly turns out much better than it used to.

Letting the jelly sit for about five minutes makes it easier to skim off the less than appealing "foam".

Jewel-like jars of jelly resting on my unfinished crossword puzzle.

Peaches in ginger syrup.  Do you see my fruit floating?  This is my first attempt at canning fruit not
in jam or jelly form.  I need a little practice packing my jars tightly.  I was too afraid of crushing the fruit.

Peach puree for another pate de fruit endeavor.

The beginning of peach butter.

The end of peach butter.  I wish there were some way to keep the beautiful color.
This tastes wonderful, but it's definitely not much to look at.

Starting the Rainier cherry preserves.  These ended up in a larger pot when I nearly boiled them over.

Two of the six pounds of cherries I pitted this weekend.  If I do cherries next year, I am so upgrading my pitter!

It seems like it takes FOR-EVER to get to 220 degrees!

Almost there.

Back row, left to right:  peach butter, (floating) peaches in ginger syrup, Black Forest preserves
Front row, left to right:  Rainier cherry preserves, peach-infused white wine jelly
Notice how I tried to hide the floating peaches in the back?