Small Batch Canning

this week's pickle relish

I used to enjoy canning large batches of anything. We had a larger garden so had more produce. I had friends who enjoyed canning too so every summer we would get together and put up food for the winter - salsa and spaghetti sauce with Laurie T., applesauce and peaches with Linda S., Then I got busy - I guess working or something, and canning sort of fell by the wayside. When I found myself with a little more free time and the surge of farmer's markets and CSA picked up I also found that I no longer had the right equipment. My new fangled glass top stove couldn't handle my "antique" hot water bath canner, I had given most of my plethora of jars away. I WANTED to can - I just didn't want to make the investment all over again with much fewer people at home to eat the results. I tried freezing but my freezer always seems to be full of treats from my boyfriend - I mean the Schwan's man, and I don't think far enough out to thaw things. (We do love frozen applesauce though!)

Then I discovered this - aptly named the Ball Discovery kit - and this summer I have fallen in love with small batch canning.
The schnazzy green plastic basket fits in my stock pot - flat bottom I might add, and I "can" do 4 jars at a time or just one if I want. It fits small half pints and large quarts so I can do whatever size jar works for my needs. It plus three jars cost me about $20 bucks at Southern States and I've seen it elsewhere recently so it must be catching on.

To date I have made rhubarb jam, peach jam, peach butter, salsa, and this weekend pickle relish. I love to listen to the ping, ping, ping as the jars settle on the counter. I love the bright jewel colors glistening in the sunshine. I love that I can stick them in the closet and not take up valuable freezer or pantry space. And I especially love the fresh taste of sweet summer each time I open a jar.

2 qts of veggie sauce nicknamed "Clean out the frig" sauce
ready for canning

peach extras from the farmer's market