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There are a wide range of fruits you may be able to produce at home. These are long term investments in your property which are able to round out your diet and improve your self reliance. I encourage everyone to grow as many different kinds of fruit as possible. You could be harvesting one or more every month from June through October or even later. Consider all the kinds of fruit suitable for your climate. Food you buy in the store will never taste as good as home grown. Growing... Read more →

I made and bottled a batch of mostly Concord grapes into grape juice. This is an easy way to prepare fruit to keep on the shelf. It was still harvest time so I was very busy. Just one of the quart jars is just enough to make a batch of grape jelly later when I will have more time and a hot stove is even more welcome in our kitchen. The night before, I put enough clean jars in the oven, and turned it on in the morning. The... Read more →

For many years I have relied on our MEHU-LIISA steam juicer to extract the liquid goodness from all kinds of fruit and tomatoes. It came from Lehman's Hardware, where I have been a customer for nearly 40 years. The hot steam inside the unit releases the juice with out any pressing, straining, peeling or grinding. Steam transfers heat very efficiently, and the fruit is heated less than being processed in a hot water bath canner. It should retain more vitamins, and it is easy to see and taste the difference.... Read more →

Our neighbor gave me a few dozen strawberry plants several years ago. I set out a single row, and they have been spreading over a wider area each year. Now I have a bed of strawberries 60 feet long and 15 feet wide. I pick gallons of these sweet berries, and many of them are made into jam. Bending over and picking so many berries near the ground is hard on your back, but all our children are eager to get jars of homemade strawberry jam. You don't need to... Read more →

When I was a young girl, Apricot Nectar was widely available in large cans at most grocery stores. It was a treat for us to get one to enjoy. Last year I very carefully canned many batches of peaches, and we still have plenty on the shelf. I was looking for something different to do with some of this years peach harvest. As I looked though my collection of old cooking and canning books, I found making Pear, Peach, and Apricot Nectars was popular many years ago. They were all... Read more →

All fruits may be canned at home. They do not require a pressure canner, a simple water bath unit will do, or you could even use a deep kettle to process jars in. Equipment designed for the task at hand is easier to use. In the case of water bath canners, it is hard to find many kettles which cost less than a canner the same size. The most common size is for processing seven quart jars at a time. If used to boil wash water, or for a... Read more →

There are many varieties of Gooseberries. The fruit of those grown in England can be much larger than our US varieties. They do well in our colder Northern states, and different kinds mature to be red, yellow or green. They tend to be rich in pectin, and a jelly recipe for half raspberries and half gooseberries needs no pectin added to set. By growing gooseberries, you can save on buying liquid pectin products. The fruit from each variety will all ripen about the same time. They are thorny bushes, so... Read more →

Raspberry juice is quick and easy to make with a steam juicer. The steam simply bursts the little cells of the berry, and out runs the precious juice. It is hot and ready to be sealed in sterile bottles, where it will keep on the shelf indefinitely. The lids and containers do need to be washed and then sterilized in boiling water, or use the oven for the jars or bottles. The juice from Raspberries will be extracted from a full juicer basket in the first hour after you... Read more →

I produce a fine tasting apple juice in my Mehu-Liisa steam extractor. It tastes more like cider, and is fairly thick and very rich in flavor. For drinking, I dilute it with an equal amount of water. It is also great to add when roasting pork, and can be added to baked goods for extra flavor and nutrition. It is bottled hot, and keeps indefinitely right on the shelf, like any other canned good. You can use apples which have blemishes, and would not keep in the root cellar. From... Read more →