Orange pineapple raspberrie spread

What a wonderful day it was spent in the kitchen, making a simple recipe in preparation for our canning class. One of the easier recipes calls for the use of concentrate and i decided to jazz it up a little by adding a few raspberries. Well, it turned out wonderful and the flavor is marvelous. I usually never like to make a spread or jelly as they are so bland to me. But, never say never...
  Had a wonderful time today with my friend Megan,CoOperative extension agent.  She is so excited about the series of canning classes we are preparing for. The dates will enable the lucky participants to take their wonderful canned items to enter the Agriculture Fair. There will be a series of three classes and loads of information as well as hands on experience.
  Really looking forward to sharing and best of all involving others that have a passion for canning and preserving foods.
  Well gotta run, remember our youth and until next time..Remember..What " Can " you do..
 

Condiments or Recipes

I was sitting here thinkin what is my favorite; recipe's or condiments. Well that is a very difficult subject for me to ponder on.
  First off you need a tried and true recipe to make a great condiment.
  Second  you need a tried and true condiment to sometimes make a recipe.
  Hmmmm...how about this..give a cook a condiment to share in a recipe..
  Oh i know..make a delicious recipe for your condiment needs bottling..
  uh oh..your condiments are showing..
  Please recipe me with your condiments..
  Don't condiment me..
  Just recipe me and we will remain friends..
  Knock Knock..who's there..condiment..condiment who..condiment the stupid door open..

  Here's a picture of me and the kids enjoying our winning Blue ribbon that the group received from the State fair.
  Rmember our youth..and remember..What " Can " you do..

Canning and preserving

I know this journey in the process of proper canning techniques is a little boring, but i promise it will get better. There are a few steps that are crucial, boring and may make you nod off. Please try and hang with me as later on i will be actually making, photographing and taste sampling loads of canned fruits, pickled items, and sharing my experiences.
  Today's topic is Molds and Yeast: Molds are fungi that grow as silked threads and appear as fuzz on food. Some mold can produce mycotoxins which are harmful to eat. Molds thrive on the acids that are a protection against bacteria. Yeasts, which are also fungi, cause food to ferment, making it nasty or unfit to eat. Thank goodness, the acids in foods protect against the growth of bacteria; remember tho molds and yeasts are always present. Molds and yeast are easily destroyed at temperatures between 140 and 190F. boiling water processing heats food to 212F, more than enough to destroy the molds and yeast without destroying the quality of the product.
  So now we have covered two completely different topics and the simple version is this, always wash everything, and take the time to properly heat as temperature will be a key in not only the killing of bad food contaminates, but will also be crucial in many of the canning processes that i will share to ensure quality foods and proper sealing of the jars.
  Until tomorrow, keep thinking, what " Can " you do..