Ball Canning Recipes for Fruits & Vegetables
Ball Canning Recipes for Fruits & Vegetables
In this article about Ball Canning Recipes we will cover several of the High Acid Foods associated with canning. These are mostly going to be the fruits, juices and tomatoes
Fruits and tomatoes are classics for the canner. They have and no doubt will always be the favorites!
From the time the tomatoes get ripe on the vine and the apples, peaches, pears, etc start ripening on the tree, we begin to anticipate those cold winter days full of chili’s and pies!
There are a few items you will need before getting started canning these wonderful Ball Recipes.
Fruits
First you are going to need the finest fruit ripened to it peak. Don’t purchase of get over ripe fruit for your canning.
You will want to can these in a couple of ways in order to have options as you cook later.
Fruits can be canned in their own juice, sweetened syrup, water or flavored liquors. You can also can fruits together in more than one variety. Some may need peeled while others may not.
Fruit sauces can be added to pies, baked recipes, or served with entrees.
Juices, these can be sweetened or unsweetened.
Table of Contents
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Ball Canning Jars
Tomatoes
Many may not know but tomatoes are classified as fruit! Yes, fruit! If you search, you will find recipes for tomatoes of all kinds! Recipes for juices, pickles, sauces, relishes and even preserves! Acid in tomatoes vary depending on the variety of tomato, the growing condition and handling of them. When canning tomatoes you will need a bottle of lemon juice, not fresh but bottled labeled 5 percent acidity. (recommended by Ball Canning Recipes)
Sweeteners
Fruits can be canned without without sweeteners.
Syrups
You will need a sugar syrup for canning fruits. You can prepare light, to heavy syrups depending on what you are canning. Honey an corn syrup can be used as substitutes for part of the sugar in needed. Unsweetened fruit juice or water can also be used for a substitute for a sugar syrup. If you can fruits without adding sugar the hot pack method will have to be used.
The Syrup Chart below will help you in preparing your Syrups.
Chart below is from Ball Blue Book of Preserving.
Your equipment and utensils include but are not confined to the following. Lets remember the supplies we mentioned in our other article on Equipment for Ball Canning Recipes. We will recommend a few other items to go along with these.
Pitting Spoon for peaches and nectarines .
Zester for cutting small slivers
Pear Corer
Apple Corer
Jelly Bag for straining juices
Spice bag for infusing spice flavors
First things first, you need to get the jars ready, so you won’t be rushed later. You can use the dishwasher if it has a “sanitize” cycle, the water bath processing will sanitize them as well as the contents! If you don’t have a dishwasher with a sanitize cycle, you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then sanitize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot water until they are used.
The following diagrams are fond in the Ball Blue Book of Preserving.
Following are some very good Ball Canning Recipes.
Apples
Ingredients:
2 ½ – 3 pounds of apples per quart for canning.
Sugar
Water
Always wash your fruit well.
Peel your apples and cut into ¼ inch slices, quarter or half depending on what and how you want to use them later.
Treat so they will not darken.
Make a light syrup or medium referring to the chart above and keep hot.
Drain your apples and place in syrup and boil gently for 5 minutes.
Next pack the hot apples into hot jars leaving ½ inch of headspace.
Ladle the hot syrup over the apples leaving ½ inch head space.
Remove the air bubbles using your Bubble Freer Spatula.
Adjust the two piece caps.
Boil quarts and pints for 20 minutes in a Boiling Water Canner.
Note. You can use a variety of apples in this to help with firmness and texture.
Note. When canning apples for baking, use an extra light syrup or water.
Applesauce
2 ½ – 3 pounds of Apples per quart desired
Water
Sugar is optional.
Wash, drain, core, peel and quarter the apples.
Cook in in a large covered sauce pan with just enough water to prevent sticking until soft.
Using a food mill or food processor puree’.
Add puree’ back into pot.
Add ½ cup sugar per pound of apples or until taste is desired.
Bring to a boil while stirring to prevent sticking.
Maintain a temperature of 212 degrees while filling hot jars.
Use a ladle to fill the jars and leave ½ inch of head space.
Remove air bubbles with your Bubble “Freer” Spatula.
Add two piece caps.
Process quarts and pints for 20 minutes in a boiling water canner.
Note: Spiced Applesauce can be made by adding your favorite spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
For chunky applesauce, puree’ half the apples and coarsely mash the other half and mix together. Proceed with the same recipe above for applesauce.
Peaches
2 – 3 lb of Peaches per quart canned.
Water
Sugar
For the Raw Pack:
Wash, drain and peel peaches. See NOTE below.
Cut in half and pit with Pitting Tool
Treat to prevent them from darkening with your Fruit Fresh Produce Protector referred to in our article on Equipment for Ball Canning Recipes
Prepare a light or medium syrup; keep the syrup hot.
Drain the peaches and pack them cavity side down in hot jars overlapping them. Leave ½” head space.
Ladle hot syrup over the peaches, again leaving ½” head space.
Remove the air bubbles using your Bubble “Freer”” Spatula.
Adjust your two piece caps and process.
Pints 25 minutes and Quarts 30 minutes in your Boiling Water Canner.
Note from Ball Canning Recipes: To peel your peaches, dip in boiling water for 30 – 60 seconds, drain and immediately place In cold water and peel. cut in half, pit and scrape the fiber out of pit.
For the Hot Pack:
Wash, drain and peel peaches. See NOTE below.
Cut in half and pit with Pitting Tool
Treat to prevent them from darkening with your Fruit Fresh Produce Protector referred to in our article on “Equipment for Ball Canning Recipes”
Make a medium or heavy syrup.
Drain peaches and cook one layer at a time in the syrup until peaches are hot all the way through.
Pack cavity side down in hot jars overlapping peaches leaving ½” head space.
Ladle in syrup leaving ½” head space.
Remove air bubbles using your Bubble “Freer” Spatula.
Adjust your two piece caps.
Process Quarts 25 minutes and Pints 20 minutes in your Boiling Water Canner.
Note from Ball Canning Recipes: To peel your peaches, dip in boiling water for 30 – 60 seconds, drain and immediately place In cold water and peel. cut in half, pit and scrape the fiber out of pit.
Pears
2 – 3 pounds per quart
Water
Sugar
Hot Pack:
Wash, drain and peel pears. (See NOTE below.)
Cut in half, core and peel.
Treat to prevent them from darkening with your Fruit Fresh Produce Protector referred to in our article on Equipment for Ball Canning Recipes
Make a light syrup and keep it hot..
Drain pears and cook one layer at a time in the syrup until they are hot all the way through.
Pack in hot jars leaving ½” head space.
Ladle in syrup leaving ½” head space.
Remove air bubbles using your Bubble “Freer” Spatula.
Adjust your two piece caps.
Process Quarts 25 minutes and Pints 20 minutes in your Boiling Water Canner.
NOTE from Ball Canning Recipes: For best results pears should be picked when full grown and stored in a cool place with preferred temperatures 60 – 65 degrees until ripened but not too soft. Bartlett pears are recommended as the best variety for canning. Other varieties can be used if ripened correctly and cooked in water until almost tender.
Plums or Fresh Prunes
1 ½ – 2 ½ pound per quart canned
Water
Sugar
For the Raw Pack:
Wash and drain Plums.
Prick whole plums in several spots.
Make a light or medium syrup and keep hot.
Pack plums firmly into hot jars.
Ladle syrup over plums leaving ½” head space.
Remove air bubbles with your Bubble “Freer” Spatula.
Adjust caps
Process Quarts 25 minutes and Pints 20 minutes in your Boiling Water Canner.
For the Hot Pack:
Wash and drain Plums.
Prick whole plums in several spots.
Make a light or medium syrup and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, simmer for 5 minutes.
Cook plums in syrup one layer at a time until heated through.
Remove plums and keep hot.
After cooking all plums remove syrup from heat.
Place plums back in syrup and let set for 30 minutes.
Remove plums and heat syrup back to a simmer.
Pack the hot plums into your hot jars leave ½” head space.
Ladle syrup over plums, leave ½” head space.
Remove air bubbles using your Bubble “Freer” Spatula.
Add caps.
Process Quarts 25 minutes and pints 20 minutes in your Boiling Water Canner.
NOTE from Ball Canning Recipes: Meaty varieties of plums are better suited for canning than the juicy ones. Ball canning recipes recommends the Green Gage and other meaty varieties for canning. You can blanche your plums to peel them if desired but most folks can them with the skin left on or unpeeled. You can cut them in half or leave them whole when canning. Pricking the plums help prevent them from bursting but the peel will still crack during the canning process.
Strawberries
2 ½ – 3 pounds per quart
Water
Sugar
Wash, drain and remove caps from the strawberries.
Measure out the amount you need and put in a large Sauce Pot.
For each quart of strawberries you are using add ½ – ¾ cup of sugar.
Stir, mix gently to evenly cover strawberries with sugar.
Allow to set in a cool place for 5 – 6 hours.
Cook slow until the sugar is dissolved and strawberries are hot through and through.
Pack the strawberries along with the juice into the jars. Leave ½” head space.
Remove the air bubbles with your Bubble “Freer” Spatula
Add caps.
Process Quarts 15 minutes and pints 10 minutes in your Boiling Water Canner.
NOTE: Always use firm ripe strawberries wit no white flesh and no hollow centers. Strawberries have a tendency to fade and their flavor as they are canned.
All diagrams in this or our other articles pertaining to the Ball Canning Recipes or Charts were obtained from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Canning.
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