Quick Tip: Canning Label

 The labeling of canning jars can be somewhat of a struggle when you consider the price of commercial canning labels and the hard to remove icky glue to remove when cleaning jars. For me it has been anyway.

With that said, I finally came up with a cute, economical, purposeful, quick and easy  labeling solution.

Did I mention it's so easy?

All you need is coffee filters (I love the unbleached), Avery, or other brand, file folder labels, and your lovely canned goods.

1. While you wait for jars to cool, write out labels.
2. Fit coffee filters to lid size. (Full coffee filters fit perfect on wide mouth, but will need to be fit for regular by simply using a small plate or bowl to marking a circle about 1 inch diameter shorter and cutting.
Hint: Mark the top filter of a small stack and you can cut all of them at once with a pair of kitchen/utility scissors.
3. Remove bands from jars. (remember not to labels until completely cool and sealed).
4. Clean band and jar with warm soapy water and dry thoroughly.
5. Center coffee filter on top of lid.
6. Center written label on top of filter.
7. Loosely screw band back on over filter and label. According to Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, you can store jars with bands loosely screwed on.

Yes, I have heard:

• The bands are only necessary to hold the lids in place during processing.
• Bands may harbor moisture or food residue, leading to rust, mold, and vermin.
• Bands may give the false impression that the lids are still sealed properly.

I'm not here to dispute any of these statements because, truth is, if you leave the band on immediately after canning, it could rust from residual moisture, or a tight band can cause a false impression. However, with proper technique, bands can be stored on jars if bands are replaced loosely as stated in Ball Complete Book of Home Preservation (Kindry & Devine, 2012).

If you still feel removal of bands is necessary, by all means. I am only recommending an alternative to band-on storage, which, done properly, is also safe.

The Benefits:

•  You can now store rings on jars which helps maintain ring shape.
• There is no icky glue to remove when washing emptied jars. 
• The coffee filter creates somewhat of a barrier between the lid and environment. Less Dusting!
• The filter creates a barrier between the jar threads and ring. Less Rusting! 
• You can use white but natural (unbleached) is another color option. And, they are cute!
• If, if, a seal comes break free, the ring is there to hopefully reduce the mess and it will be clearly visible on filter. 
• Most importantly, you have a magnificent, unobstructed,  view of your lovely canned goods. 

Happy Canning and Labeling!

¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·’*~ Simply Samatha

Butter Pecan Syrup!

"Lately I have been undergoing some injection therapy (OUCH!) for chronic low back/ hip pain apparently due to Hyper-mobile SI Joint Dysfunction since childhood. Maybe that is why I have been crying out about hip and leg pain since I was about 11 years. (So, it only took 30 years for someone to hear me). HAHA! Anyway, I am still undergoing procedures but I finally feel I can put more concentration into caring for home and writing on my blog".  :)

I have been doing quite a bit more canning this year, spring time jams and jellies, and summer vegetables. But with the lower temperatures of fall, as we begin to crave the warmer comfort foods, canning takes on a whole new direction and requires some canning creativity.

I happened to have a brown bag full of cracked pecans in my freezer that I looted from my sister's house last fall. So I have been working all weekend on picking out all these bits of nutty goodness.

 Some of the jars will be vacuumed sealed and put in the refrigerator to be used for holiday pies, but today I am using some to make Butter Pecan Syrup!

Now I could use the recipe for Praline Syrup in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving (Kingry and Devine), but I don't want to spend all day over a hot stove, making a syrup! So, two ingredients, Bam!!!

Yep, that's it! Butter Flavored Syrup and Pecans.

 Please, before we get all Kung Fu on safe canning... The National Center of Home Preservation says "Yes, if processing recommendations for recipes containing nuts have been properly developed and tested as a safe canned product, there is no reason to worry about them containing nuts as one ingredient". And, again, I'm only skipping one step, cooking up the syrup, in Ball's Praline Syrup recipe. 

The rest of the process is as followed:

1. Prepare everything you will need, including your hot jars, rings, and lids. If you are new to canning Here is helpful link that covers proper preparedness for the Water Process.

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Welcome to my small kitchen. Some day I will have a large one....someday :)

2. Stirring constantly, bring syrup to a rolling boil on medium heat. Reduce heat to low-medium and stir in pecans. Gently boil, stirring constantly for an additional 5 minutes.

Okay! So, it's not so easy to do photo the remainder of the process with one hand :(

3. Fill hot jars with syrup mixture. Wipe rims of jars (I always use a paper towel dipped in vinegar), place lids on jars, and put screw bands on finger tight.

4. Place jars in water bath canner making sure jars are covered with 1-2 inches of water. Heat water to boiling and process for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and wait 5 minutes before removing jars.

5. Place jars in a location where they can sit untouched for 12-24 hours allowing the jars to cool and seal.  :)

Now my choice of jars for this recipe is where I went all "Rebel" but aren't they cute, and yes, they all sealed!

Now cook up a batch of pancakes!
 I also suspect it would be a delicious heated topping for vanilla icecream.

Enjoy!
 (¸.·´ (¸.·’*~ Simply Samatha


Works Cited
Ball. "Water Bath Canning." Step-by-step Guides. N.p., 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. <http://www.freshpreserving.com/tools/waterbath-canning>.
Kingry, Judi E, and Lauren E. Devine. "Fabulous Fruits." Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving: 400 Delicious and Creative Recipes for Today. Toronto: Robert Rose, Inc, 2006. 200. Print.
ational Center for Home Food Preservation. "Jellied FAQs." National Center for Home Food Preservation. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Sept. 2015. <http://nchfp.uga.edu/questions/FAQ_jellied.html>.