What’s Old Is New Again: Canning With Ball®
This post is sponsored by Ball® Fresh Preserving Products by Newell Brands, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting brands that allow City Peach to run full-time.
I know it sounds crazy but with health conscious cooking and meal planning, there has been a huge rise in canning popularity! What is old is new again! Once popular ‘canning parties’ that were vintage hobbies and pastimes are back and I’m going to bring you into a little one of my own. You probably know the Ball(R) Brand very well, and maybe for other reasons than actual food storage. Even I have a few Ball® Mason jars around my house that serve strictly as decor… they are chalk painted, burlap tied, decor! I went to a wedding a few years ago that was very North Carolina Mountains themed, and the wedding favors were tiny Ball Jars of homemade jam that the mother of the bride had made. I thought it was the cutest thing ever and it really stuck with me because I would 100 times prefer to make my own jam or anything for that matter. Especially since we have adopted the Keto lifestyle that you probably have seen me document every moment over on IG stories, this fits right in. Right now is canning season and it’s seriously starting to go viral, check pinterest!
I wanted to cover this really special topic because of my latest health journey. I’ve become crazy in reading ingredients and of course a huge part of going clean/healthy/Keto is making sure meals and snacks are prepped at home. Something I have wanted to do for awhile was make our own jelly or jam, because the kids love ‘jelly toast’ and sunbutter and jelly sandwiches. And even the best jellies on the shelf still have more sugar that I would like them to have or that my kids actually need, so I would love to be in control of adding that myself. And with the canning process, I have that control. Today I am showing you a mixed berry jam recipe by Ball(R), tailored by me for my own family. Whatever ingredients you use yourself, you can modify for the needs of your family!
So Ball® has a cookbook that has a ton of recipes with amazing ideas that you can have for Ball® canning all summer! Canning and Pickling parties are a thing among households and you can literally can and preserve almost anything from jam, salsa, olives, to oils. This is right up our alley at the Beckwith household since I like to make fruit puree toppings and Robert loves to make his own sauces for an array of things. We store everything in Ball Mason Jars in our fridge and can grab them whenever we need something.
How to can? Well, there is a whole process of heating and boiling, I break it down for you in this recipe, and it’s also explained in the cookbook as well.
Here is the Mixed Fruit Jam recipe: {Makes about 6 (8 oz) half-pint jars}
Mix and match your favorite berries such as strawberries,
blueberries, blackberries and raspberries to create a quick and
delightful jam using Ball® RealFruit™ Classic Pectin.
– 4 cups crushed berries, mix and match your favorites such as
strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and/or raspberries
– 4 ½ tbsp Ball® RealFruit™ Classic Pectin**
– 3 cups sugar
Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.
Combine berries in an 8-quart saucepan. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.
Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim foam, if necessary.
Ladle hot jam into a hot jar leaving a ¼ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe jar rim. Center lid on jar and apply band, adjust to fingertip tight. Place jar in boiling water canner. Repeat until all jars are filled.
Process jars 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat, remove lid, let jars stand 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool 12-24 hours. Check lids for seal, they should not flex when center is pressed.
{**Pectin is a starch called a heteropolysaccharide, that occurs naturally in the cell walls of fruits and vegetables … Pectin, in fact, is what makes jams and jellies develop a semi-solid texture when they cool.}
I definitely encourage you to try canning, especially if you are adopting a new healthy lifestyle like us! Take those Ball® Mason Jars you use for decor, off the shelf and add some delicious berries! Jkjk, maybe just get a few new jars. You will definitely need the waterbath canner which you can easily get here on Amazon! Check out this canning movement on the Ball® canning website and get a few ideas for yourself!
I definitely encourage you to try canning, especially if you are adopting a new healthy lifestyle like us! Take those Ball® Mason Jars you use for decor, off the shelf and add some delicious berries! Jkjk, maybe just get a few new jars. You will definitely need the waterbath canner which you can easily get here on Amazon! Check out this canning movement on the Ball® canning website and get a few ideas for yourself!
Supplies you need:
I hope you can start a family tradition with this look into the world of canning, or at least make a few things from scratch because that is always delicious!
Photos by: Hannah Michelle Photography
