Disclosure: I received product samples for this post. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.
The laundry is caught up. My house is clean. There is food in the fridge, prepared and ready to reheat. What has happened?
Ah. My mother-in-law has been here.
This dear woman brings sunshine wherever she goes. During her visit, my daughter told me, “Grandma really likes our dryer.” Why? Because she’s always using it. HA!!! Now, I definitely do not expect my MIL to do all these wonderful Mary Poppins-like things while she visits, but it’s such a blessing that she does. Alas, we are 7 days post-Grandma’s visit and our house is getting back to its normal chaos.
Now, I recently found this jar of something. It’s the mystery meat of home canning, apparently.
Now speaking of canning, what is this canned thing that my Mother In Law put in the fridge? I am not sure. It looks pretty and I wondered if it’s smoothie leftovers or something but I’m not willing to taste it. That’s why these new canning labels from Lovable Labels are right up my alley. The Canning Labels come in three options. You might choose circular lid toppers that act as sort of a backdrop to your personalized labels; this is a nice touch for jars you plan to use as Christmas gifts. You can personalize the rectangular labels or select the write-on labels that can be used over and over. Since these labels are dishwasher safe, you will be able to keep the label on the jar and use it again and again! No more mystery jelly!
I really like the designs available on Lovable Labels. Forget the traditional red-and-white gingham. Opt for some fun fonts and backgrounds with vibrant colors. Let your canned goods stand out!! These would be great for gifts, too, I think.
As promised – – here is the salsa recipe from Home Preserving, courtesy of Best of Bridge Home Preserving:120 Recipes for Canning Fruits & Vegetables by Best of Bridge Publishing Ltd. 2014 © www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission.
Courtesy of Best of Bridge Home Preserving:120 Recipes for Canning Fruits & Vegetables by Best of Bridge Publishing Ltd. 2014 © www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission.
Black Bean Tomato Salsa, page 262
When you’re ready to venture beyond classic tomato salsa, this is great combination to try — it’s sure to become a favorite.
2 tsp cumin seeds
12 cups chopped peeled plum (Roma) tomatoes
11⁄2 cups chopped onions
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1⁄4 cup finely chopped seeded jalapeño peppers
2 tbsp minced garlic
1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp pickling or canning salt
2 cups cider vinegar
2 cups drained rinsed canned or cooked black beans
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or oregano
In a small dry skillet, over medium heat, toast cumin, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute or until fragrant and slightly darker but not yet popping. Immediately transfer to a Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add tomatoes, onions, red and green peppers, jalapeños, garlic, sugar, salt and vinegar to the pot. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring often, for about 1 hour or until salsa is reduced by about half and is thick enough to mound on a spoon. Stir beans into salsa and boil gently, stirring often, for about 10 minutes or until beans are very hot. Stir in cilantro.
Ladle into sterilized jars to within 1⁄2 inch (1 cm) of rim. Remove any air pockets and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot salsa; wipe rims. Apply prepared lids and rings; tighten rings just until fingertip-tight. Process jars in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes (see page 27). Turn off heat and remove canner lid. Let jars stand in water for 5 minutes. Transfer jars to a towel-lined surface and let rest at room temperature until cooled. Check seals; refrigerate any unsealed jars for up to 3 weeks.
Makes about ten 8-ounce (250 mL) or five pint (500 mL) jars.
Tip: If using canned black beans, you’ll need one 19-oz (540 mL) can. If you have smaller cans, you’ll need two. Don’t be tempted to add the extra beans to the salsa — it will alter the acid balance. Add them to a salad, mash them with some salsa to make burritos or freeze them for later use.
Tip: If you use 8-ounce (250 mL) jars, they may not all fit in your canner at once. Let extra jars cool, then refrigerate them and use them up first. To avoid this problem, pack some in pint (500 mL)
jars and some in 8-ounce (250 mL) jars. That way, you also have different sizes and can open the size you’ll use up within a few weeks.
My Grandmother used to clean and do laundry too when she would visit. It would drive me crazy because I wanted her to relax and have fun, however, she always said doing laundry was a way she relaxed. 🙂
I don’t know about the jar. Looks good but I’d prefer to know what trying. I’d guess something with strawberries or raspberries. My mom loves strawberry rhubarb so I’ll take a leap 🙂 and say strawberry rhubarb jam.
It looks like raspberry-beet jam, although I don’t know if there is such a thing! Strawberry-rhubarb, maybe?
Strawberry pudding.
I vote strawberry-rhubabarb as well.
that looks too pretty to be meat, try it!
Maybe it’s a mixed berry filling.
Raspberry yogurt.
Strawberry cream something is my guess.
I think it is strawberry/raspberry combination
A berry dip for sweet breads
Raspberry cream cheese
I think it’s some sort of strawberry cream. Looks like that
What about cherry filling.
I think you could be right and it is leftover strawberry smoothie.
Strawberry pudding….
Strawberry apple sauce.
Strawberry butter.
It could be strawberry yogurt.
I would say raspberry jam but there are not that many seeds so I am going with strawberry jam
That recipe sounds delicious & those labels are so cute & handy. i need to get into canning. we’ve been sun-dryer a lot this summer….
Wow- that salsa sounds delish! I would love to do canning and make jellies, etc., I don’t the room for the supplies. I like the labels, I try to label things, and when I don’t later, I can’t remember what it was and feel very disinclined to taste to find out! You are lucky to have a nice mother in law!
It’s raspberry salad dressing. Maybe the labels would be handy on all storage containers for the frig.
My mom, sister, mother-in-law and all 3 sister-in-laws and my aunt all can. Then there is me, I somehow missed the canning gene. I really want to learn though. I did freeze some corn this summer (it’s a step in the right direction, my mom was proud of me anyway). Maybe I could try this one now!
I’ve been known to open a jar not knowing what was in it. Yours looks like strawberry jam!
It looks like wax! lol
I inherited some of mom mom’s canning equipment and I’ve made a couple batches of jam, which all turned out rather nice! It looks like the mystery item in your fridge might be a applesauce/strawberry hybrid. I’d love to know what it is!
Hahahahaha!! This totally mde me laugh!! Im a label freak!! I feel like everything needs a pretty label!! Canning scares me though…. Im always worried I wont do it right and I’ll off my family with botulism! Yea Im a little neurotic 😉 I’ll leave the canning to the pros!
when I was a kid, both of my Grandmas along with several Aunts canned every year. They canned everything from tomatoes to green beans to sausage balls (sooooo good!!) I’ve been wanting to give it a try for a while.
This jar would be most excellent for assisting in jarring and canning of food. Thanks for the great review.
This looks like a great recipe, thanks for sharing!
This recipe looked so good, I am going to make it this coming weekend. I thank you so much for the share.