Carnival of Home Preserving, Week of August 11th

As I put together this week's carnival, I so enjoyed the creativity and personal stories shared by many of the submitters.

Here's my small contribution - two pieces of canning equipment that have made my canning easier in the last three years. First of all, three years ago, I asked my mom to get me a steam canner for Christmas. It has been one of the best Christmas presents ever! A steam canner only needs a few inches of water in the bottom, unlike the several gallons required by the traditional water bath canner. I'm able to use less water and the water takes less time to heat up, making the entire canning process shorter.

The other piece that I acquired two years ago is the steam juicer. We have concord grapes and raspberries growing in our yard. In order to turn them into jelly, they need to be juiced first. Using the steam juicer allows me to juice anywhere from 8 - 10 quart bags of fruit at one time. I've never had a problem with seeds falling into the juice. Since I frequently don't have time to make jelly after making the juice, I use the steam canner to can the juice for later.

Let me present my fellow enthusiasts:

Canning

mixed vegatable kimchi - According to Joseph, Kimchi is a great way to preserve extra cabbage, root vegetables and even eggplant!

Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar - Laura Williams shares with us her easy and delicious Homemade Apple Cider Vinegar.

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Pickling Spice - Another helpful tip for pickling comes from Michele of Frugal Granola.

Dishpan Dribble: Canning and freezing - From Mrs. Darling: "Summer and fall collide as I freeze the last of the berries and can the seasons first bread and butter pickles. "

A good day's work - Jennifer shares her memories as she makes a batch of pickles.

Is it Worth Canning Berries? - Amy of My Daily Dollars delves into the dollars and cents side of canning.

Zesty Red Onion Jelly - Rose Denson of Grandma Rosie's Texas Home says that "canning summers bounty can be a full time job. But it is so worth the effort."

Freezing

Pesto for Now and Later Too! - Kathy of Chow Spice reveals that she "may have an unnatural attraction to basil. I can’t get enough of it! I have 4 kinds of basil this year. I have Italian, lemon, Thai, and cinnamon basil growing in my garden."

Adventures in Freezing Corn - Stephanie presents Adventures in Freezing Corn posted at Stop the Ride!.

Dehydrating (drying)

Chocolate-covered Blueberries and Raspberries - Lalaine of the Cook Mobile is making chocolate-covered blueberries and raspberries (previously dried to keep longer).

Root Cellaring of Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs

Be sure to submit something for next week's carnival which will be hosted at Measure Twice, Cut Once. (http://measuretwicecutonce.com/) Click on the button on the right hand side to submit posts.