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Fresh Ingredients is key! By Michelle Sholund - a CraftLister.com Craft Expert about page personal website  based on 5 ratings Viewed 405 times Printed 0 times
I have been canning for a few years now and come from a long line of canners. Not only do I use tried and true family recipes I also get tips from books and other canners. The tip though is use fresh ingredients. It may be time consuming but hands down your products will be excellent.
If you use fresh fruit say for jams verses some store bought ones you will see the result immediately. The fruit in most stores are picked prematurely, boxed and then shipped to their destination. Mind you some fruits, especially tropical ones, travel a long distance. The time from harvesting to the store could be one to three days. Using such fruit can - may not always be the case - turn a batch of jam bad. Some things that could result is a "smokey" color instead of a vibrant clear color. The taste can also be affected as well as how it sets. I have noticed that the longer fruit (vegetables too) sits, and then can them, they will float. Thus resulting in a bad product - however it can still taste good. Appearance is important in canning not only because it looks pretty but to also tell when it may start going bad.
To get fresh fruits and vegetables, especially if you don't grow them yourself, I would suggest going to u-pick farms, regular farms, or road side stands. If you live near amish country you can get some good stuff there or at Amish stores if there are some nearby. Also, some frozen fruits thaw well such as berries and can make a good jam. Frozen veggies that aren't the case.
So, I encourage you... get out those canning recipes and try my tip(s). See for yourself how much of a difference where freshness is key!
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