Canning Adventures

As the summer here on Vancouver Island has come to an abrupt end I suddenly find myself feeling the need to fill my cupboards with jars of the summers bounty. The cool winds have brought about the desire to peel, chop, stir, sanitize, fill and process. Its comforting knowing that you have so many goodies stashed away and so satisfying to know you have preserved fresh produce. Not to mention it makes a great gift come holiday time. Some of my favourites include a delicious Chinese Plum Sauce, Pear and Cranberry Chutney, and an amazing Garden Fresh Salsa. This year I am also trying Pickled Pears and an Indian Apple Chutney. Yes I am suddenly quite ambitious! And yes, I have access to a lot of Pears!

I thought I would share one of my favourite recipes with you here:

My fave Plum Sauce: And its so easy!

8 cups of plums

1 cup of chopped onion

1 cup of water

1 tsp minced ginger

1 clove of garlic

3/4 cup coconut sugar

1/2 cup rice or apple cider vinegar

1 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/4 tsp ground cloves

Add the plums, onion, water, ginger and garlic to a large pot and bring to a boil. Allow them to all get friendly and simmer until they are relaxed and tender. Pour the entire contents into a food processor and give them a buzz until smooth. Return to the pot and add the remaining ingredients. Allow the mixture to simmer and reduce until a smooth apple saucey like consistency. (Roughly 45 minutes)

You've got sauce!

Add the sauce to clean sterilized jars, top with sterilized lids - cleanliness matters here!

Process the jars in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Allow jars to cool and store somewhere cool and dry.

This sauce is freaking awesome and makes your house smell like Christmas while your making it!

I ended up with 5 250 ml jars - which probably will not be enough for the year, I'll need to do another batch. Last year I was pressed for time and froze the plums to use later and it turned out just as great.