Recipes to can,,,,,,,,,

Greetings!!

One of the things I have not made in a long time is Blueberry Syrup and I plan on making some this year for sure.  It is great on pancakes, ice cream or even cake.  You can make a little or a lot.  I plan on making a lot this year and I have even decided to splurge and buy the syrup bottles to can them in.  Just for fun I want to make a cute label to put on the bottles.  :-)

This is a very basic formula, for every cup of blueberries you will need 1/4 cup of water and 1/4 cup of sugar.  I typically strain mine but you can leave the chunks of blueberries and skin in if you want.  Place blueberries in a sauce pan with the water and boil.  If you are not going to strain the berries go ahead and add your sugar.  After it has boiled 3 or 4 minutes start mashing the blueberries, stirring often.  You can either use an old fashioned potato masher or the back of a spoon to get the berries mashed good.

If you plan on straining them don't add the sugar until after you have strained the berries and put the juice back in your sauce pan.  I push mine through a mesh sieve getting as much juice as possible then return it too the pot and add my sugar.  Boil a couple of more minutes until it thickens.

Once cup of berries is just the perfect amount for pancakes of a family of 4 and can be used immediately.  To can the syrup, use clean sterile jars or bottles.  Use a funnel if need be and ladle the hot syrup into the jars/bottles.  Secure the lids in place and put in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes.

You can make strawberry syrup in the same manner or try some peaches for something a little different!!

I found a recipe for BBQ Sauce online that I want to try this year and of course plan on making plenty to can.  You can double or triple the recipe and also adjust it to your own personal taste.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups of ketchup                       2 cups of tomato sauce           1 1/4 cups of brown sugar
1 1/4 cups of red wine vinegar     1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
4 teas. hickory- flavored liquid smoke      2 tabls. butter           1/2 teas. garlic powder
1/2 teas onion powder                 1 teas. paprika                   1/2 teas. celery seed
1/4 teas. ground cinnamon         1 teas. salt                   1/2 teas. coarsely ground pepper

DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, mix together all the ingredients.  Reduce heat to low and simmer about 20 minutes until the desired thickness.

To can, add the sauce to clean sterile jars, secure lids, and process in a boiling water bath 20 minutes for pints and 25 minutes for quarts.

To use, brush sauce onto any kind of meat for the last 10 minutes of cooking.  You can also use this as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets and the like.

Just a footnote for my diabetic friends.  You can substitute an equal amount of splenda for the sugar in the syrups.  It might not thicken as much but it will still taste awesome!!  You can also try substituting the brown sugar with splenda brown sugar to cut back on the sugar in the BBQ sauce.  You can adjust the BBQ sauce to taste.  Add a little chili powder or cayenne pepper if you like it spicy.

Until next time,,,,,,,,,Blessings!!