It’s harvest season with lots of fruit, veggies and grains ripe for the picking. In order to not be wasteful and save that wonderful food we can use different methods of preservation. 

My preferred method is to put everything in jars since not only is it already portioned out for meals, sealed airtight and sterilized but it also looks aesthetic sitting on your shelf in the pantry. 

I am interested in the art of creating a kind of “meal in a jar” concept or something really unique and convenient for people to use. My type of canning is a discovery of what you can take to work for lunch without refrigeration or give as a long-time storage gift.

Here are some of my favorites and how to make them:

*All temperatures are in Fahrenheit.

Jams, Marmalade and Fruit Butters

Simple and delicious, they make a perfect present to anyone. To make these you just need a pound or so of some sort of fruit or berry, honey or a sweetener of your choice, water and pectin. 

The idea is to pit, wash and crush up your fruit with a cup of sweetener, add 3 cups of water with a teaspoon of dissolved pectin. Put the mixture in a sauce pot (avoid aluminum or cast iron pots as they react with the acid in the fruit) and reduce it on low heat for about 15 minutes. It should not be very runny in consistency, more like molasses. 

If you want clear jelly or marmalade you just have to extract the juice first and strain it to take the flesh of the fruit out. Then, cook until the mixture has reached a temperature of 220 degrees.

If you want a fruit butter just simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes longer until it forms a thick paste.

Put the cooked fruit mixture in clean, sterilized jars with lids and there you go! The high amount of sugar allows the preserves to keep shelf stable for a few years if unopened.

Tomatoes, Olives or Peppers in Oil

These can be spicy peppers, bell peppers, olives or any kind of tomatoes. If you are into fancy cheese plates and charcuterie this one is a must because it is very easy to make. All you do is blanche or fry the peppers/tomatoes to break down the skin a little, or you could dry them under the sun if you like sundried tomatoes. For the olives you just need to wash them and soak them in brine to cure them for a good 12 hours. 

Then, just stick them in a sterilized jar with garlic, herbs or any extras you’d like. Cover the entirety of the contents of the jar with olive oil or an oil of your choice. Take a knife and push the contents firmly from all sides to remove air bubbles since any contact with oxygen will cause mold to grow. Also, I recommend to put everything in whole so as not to trap any air inside that way (leave pits inside and don’t cut up the peppers/tomatoes).

That’s it! Now just put a lid on it and it will keep for 1-2 years at room temperature. If at any point in time the contents are not covered in oil just discard the top that wasn’t covered and the rest is still good to eat.

Canned Dill Pickles

This is a little more involved because it requires a water bath canner which is just a large stock pot with a lid. The way to make awesome dill pickles is to wash your cucumbers in hot water, rub them well with some pickling salt, add them, a grape leaf, 2 sprigs of fresh dill, a spear of horseradish root, a teaspoon of whole grain mustard, 2 crushed garlic cloves, a splash of white vinegar and a pinch of black peppercorns to each sterilized jar. Don’t overfill the jars to be sure you have room to submerge everything in water. Cover with boiling water leaving an inch of headroom on top and run a knife around the sides of the contents to remove air pockets. Wipe the rims of the jars, then top with the sterilized lids.

Put the jars in the water bath canner, cover the jars completely with boiling water making sure there are 2 inches of water above the jars and cook under the lid on high heat for 15 minutes.

Oatmeal, Cookie/Brownie or Drink Mixes

One of the best gifts in a jar would be a mix of something yummy you can conveniently pour out and use. I have made some creative ones in the past for my friends and family for Christmas.

This entails stacking ingredients in a jar to create beautiful layers. 

Here are some examples:

Oatmeal in a Jar

Quick Oats

Dried fruit

Brown Sugar

More Oats

Topped with Nuts

Cookie Mix in a Jar

Flour

Brown Sugar

Regular Sugar

More Flour

Chocolate Chips

Cocoa Mix in a Jar

Hot Cocoa

Mini Marshmallows

More Hot Cocoa

Chocolate chips

More Mini Marshmallows

Cake Mix, Tea Mixes, Spice/Salt Mixes and Other cool baking kits in jars are the most practical and incredibly tasty gifts that you can make at home for pennies on the dollar! Think of all the fun possibilities!