Canning

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Dill Pickles
1) Start your boiling water canner heating up
2) Assemble ingredients:
2 cups of white vinegar
2 cups of water (tap water is fine)
2 tablespoons of salt (pickling or kosher — not iodized table salt)
4 heads of fresh dill, or 4 tsp of dill seeds
4 cloves of garlic
8 to 10 cucumbers
3) In a saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, and salt on high heat. Bring to a boil.
4) Prepare cucumbers to ensure they will fit in the jar, whether just cutting off the ends
or cutting them in quarters, or your choice.
5) Add a head of dill and clove of garlic to  each jar. (This recipe should make 4 pints)
6) Pack the jars with cucumbers VERY TIGHT. This will prevent them from floating in the
brine.
7) Pour the brine on top, leaving 1/2" headspace.
8) Wipe the rims, set the lids on, and put on the rings.
9) Place jars in boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Once done, set on counter to cool.
10) Check seals within 24 hours and re-process or place in fridge for up to 1 month. The
sealed jars will keep for a year.

Raspberry Jam
1) Pick the berries and squish them (aim for 6 cups squished berries, as this is what this recipe uses).
2) Sanitize the jars (if you boil them 5 more minutes it will get the same effect, but you may end up with mushy jam.
3) Measure out 7 cups of sugar (some recipes I've read would use up to 10-12 cups sugar for this amount of raspberries, but
 I don't want to get diabetes just from eating my jam!) and grab your packet of pectin.
4) Stir the pectin and 2 cups sugar into the berries and put into a pot over medium to high heat and get to a solid boil (should take 5-10 minutes)
5) meanwhile, put the lids in warm (not boiling) water
6) add the rest of the sugar and bring to boil 1 more minute
7) you may skim the foam off at this point
8) use a teaspoon to take a bit of the jam out. Let it cool. This will show you the consistency of your jam.
9) (Optional) Let stand 5 minutes and stir
10) Fill the jars with the mixture and put the lids on.
11) Put the jars into the canning pot. Make sure there is at least 2 inches water above them. Boil for at least 5-10 minutes but any longer than that and the jam will be runny.
12) Lift the jars out and let them cool overnight in a draft-free place
13) After cooling overnight you can take the outer rings (not the actual lids) off, so they don't rust. Also check to see all the seals held. If not, you'll have to re-can them right away (within 24 hours of the last attempt) or refridgerate and use within the next few days.

Tomato Sauce
This sauce is a good, basic sauce that you are able to can. If you add anything to it, it will change the acidity level, making it susceptible to dangerous organisms, so please add your onions, peppers, and meat once you open the jar for use.
1) Gather your tomatoes and cut them into quarters. Put them into a pot on high.
2) As it cooks, occasionally mash the tomatoes.
3) Get it to a boil and keep it boiling until it reduces in half (or your preferred consistency). I boiled mine for over an hour.
4) Put 4 Tbsp in a 1-qt. jar and fill the jar with the tomato sauce, leaving 1/2" headspace.
5) Process in a hot water canner for 35 minutes.

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