The Jam and Jelly Lady

The Warren County Herbal Guild enjoyed a bit of jam last night as they met in our cannery.  I gave basic canning guidelines, but most women were experienced canners and had great questions:

Q: Can you can with the store-bought pasta sauce jars that look like Mason jars?

A: Yes!  They are really canning jars.  But avoid other jars like mayo and pickle jars.  Their glass walls aren't strong enough to withstand high heat.

Q: What is the shelf-life of canned goods?

A: About 2 years.  Some say only one, but I find that the flavor is good until the 2 year mark.  However, some recipes won't hold long.  I open curds within 4 months, and juice within 1 year.  If the product is dark on top, the acid in the fruit has waned (like sliced apples that haven't been dipped in Fruit Fresh or lemon juice).  Still edible, but some flavor is lost.

Jan Carrier (our favorite Norwegian) gave background on the cheese I served.  Norwegian Gjetost cheese was thick, rich, and caramel in color.  Cheese with warm baguette and fresh jam was wonderful.  Jan said Gjetost is a Norwegian staple.

Not much clean-up because there was no food left!  Not one slice of baguette - and most of the jam jars were scraped dry!  My kind of foodies...  Thanks, ladies, I had a spectacular time...