Canning Season Part 3 or ...

My coworkers are starting to talk about what I will stick in jars next.  Yes, it has become almost an obsession.  There are just so many recipes out there and so much good produce that it seems a shame to not try it all.  The cooler weather has also made heating up large kettles of water an appealing way to add heat to the house while accomplishing another task.  So many vegetables, so little time...

I pulled my two foot square patch of beets out of the garden and cooked them up the other night.  I popped them in the frig to cool overnight so I could peel and cut them for pickled beets.  I had enough for three half pint jars.  I got everything hot, and sterile except I didn't heat those beets enough.  A couple minutes after dropping the jars, I heard the ping. A lift of the canner's lid revealed bits of orange zest floating in the water.  What a disappointing waste.  It did reinforce past lessons that all hot ingredients are better for canning.  I do get around this somewhat with pressure canning by starting out with just warm water and heating it all together once the jars are in.  I am not a fan of cold pack methods because of liquids being forced from the jars and broken jars.

I found a bag of mangoes in the freezer and thought this would make a good relish.  The newest Ball Canning book has some great recipes for tropical fruits and mango relish was one of them.  I was not about to run out and buy papaya or white grape juice so I improvised with some pineapple I had frozen earlier this summer, juice from the orange I used the zest in the beets, and various peppers from the garden (fresh and dehydrated).  I added a couple of spices that complimented the fruits and heated it all through.  It thickened up nicely and has just a bit of heat from some of the hotter peppers.  I was able to get six jars for the winter pantry.  It will be a nice quick addition to a supper of chicken or pork, possibly even fish.  
The canning experiments also have me thinking about our state fair.  Maybe this is the year I finally get off my duff and enter something in the fair.  One of my favorite parts of the fair is looking at the entries that have one in culinary and creative arts.  It might be fun to have another reason to browse the cases.