Happy birthday in a jar!

My dear, sweet husband recently celebrated his 29th birthday... his third birthday in Afghanistan. With every birthday in the sandbox, comes a birthday without cake (something he misses a lot). So this year, with a bit of research and experimentation, I found a way to can up that sweet, celebratory starch and send it on it's way across oceans and deserts. My version is super-easy, and uses a boxed cake mix. Of course, you can get all Martha Stewart with it, and whip up your own cake recipe. Either way... Anyhow, several people asked me to share the secret, so here we go...

Start off by getting yourself some 4 oz. (you'll need about 24) or 8 oz. (You'll need about 12) wide-mouthed jars. You'll want the variety with the straight side so that the cakes will slide right out. Otherwise, if there's a mouth to the jar, you'll have to just settle for spooing it directly out of the jar into your mouth... which can be okay too. *wink* *wink*

Coat the insides of the jar with Baker's Joy. This stuff is great, if not sometimes hard to find. It's like flour and butter all in one convenient aerosol can. If you can't find it... go the old-fashioned way: butter and flour the jars by hand.

Prepare the cake mix according to package instructions. Fill those jars up to about half-way full. Don't go more than that, or it will ooze over the edges of the jar while baking. The confetti cake happens to be B's favorite, and fortunately it makes for some pretty looking jars!



Arrange the jars on a baking sheet... just in case there's any over-flow. Pop them in the oven at the box's recommended temperature. I found that the 4 oz. jars take about 20 minutes to bake, and the 8 oz. ones about 30 minutes. But, I have a convection oven so, even with conversions, my times are often different than most other people's. You'll just want to check on your cakes frequently. I always keep long wooden skewers handy for BBQ'ing, and those are perfect for checkind doneness in the taller jars. Just insert one of the skewers into the center of the jar. Once it comes out clean, your cakes are done.

Now, here's where you have to make some decisions. Are your cakes traveling 3 days in the mail to someone a few states away? Are you taking them down the street for a neighbor's birthday party? Or are they being boxed up to be shipped thousands of miles away with no definitive delivery date? If you picked the latter, I recommend not icing your cakes. Instead, let them cool outside of the oven for 2-3 minutes. After that 2-3 minutes, immediately seal the jars. The remaining heat will actually create a seal to the lid. It will keep those cakes good long enough to reach their overseas destination, but isn't intended for long-term preservation. Throw in a tub of icing, some sprinkles, and a plastic knife with the box, and your recipient can ice their own cakes.

However, if an 8,000 mile trip to Afghanistan isn't in your cakes' future (and for presentation purposes here)... you can do the following:

Allow the cakes to cool completely in the jars. Once cool, slice off the muffin tops to the cakes so you have a smooth, clean top. I jiggle the cakes out of the jars a little ways because you'll actually want the tops of the cakes to sit about 3/4" from the top of the jar...



Now, it's time to make those cakes pretty. I take a tub of the whipped icing (it's easier to work with), and spoon it into a large Ziplock bag. Squeeze the icing into a bottom corner of the bag, and cut the tip off. Of course, if you have the forethought to actually purchase one, a pastry bag works just as well. Squeeze the icing, working in a circular pattern until the tops of your cakes are completely covered, and the icing is about 1/8" - 1/4" from the tops of the jars...



Add some rainbowliscious sprinkles...



Seal up your jars, and deliver some birthday wishes in a jar to someone you love!

labor of love...

It's Labor Day here in the US. So, I thought I'd create a little post on, what else... labor! But, a labor of love. You'd have to love it, or the labor that goes into this jelly REALLY isn't worth it. Fortunately, I love it (and I'm sure you will too)!

Muscadine grapes (also known as scuppernogs) are supposedly one of the Southeastern US's greatest, exclusive treats. Nature's candy. Well, that's what I tell my kids when they ask for candy: "How about some of nature's candy?" Whatever. It gets them to eat their fruits and veggies.

Ever since we moved to North Carolina, I have heard all about muscadine grapes but never actually laid eyes on one. They grow them at the apple orchard that we frequent every fall. But, by the time October rolls around for us to go on our orchard adventure... the muscadines are already done for the season. And, up until last week... I had never seen them in a grocery store (let alone the commissary where the produce is usually less than appetizing). Imagine my surprise when I walked into the commissary last week to find bins upon bins of these:



At $2 per pound, I quickly filled my produce bag with about 3 pounds of these treasures. All along, I had planned to make jelly with them. However, I couldn't not try one in it's raw glory. Muscadines are sort of the little odd-fellow of the grape family. To my senses, they are some odd combination of plum, apple, grape and kiwi... not your typical grape at all. The skin (or hull) is very tough and tart... like the skin of a plum but tougher. They look a bit like tiny apples with their brown speckled skins. Their insides are reminiscent of kiwis in both their taste and appearance. And, they're BIG... much bigger than your average grape:



Not the best raw, but a very interesting experience for your taste buds. They're much better as jelly!

My trusty Ball Canning cookbook mentioned nothing of a muscadine jelly recipe, so I had to do the research for one on my own. There are many recipes out there, but they all seem basically the same. And, the ingredients? Super simple... grapes and sugar. That's it. Not even any pectin. Good thing the recipe is simple, because the process is anything but.

You'll start by giving 2 quarts (about 3 pounds) of the grapes a good rinsing, and remove their stems. Then, you have to remove the pulp from the skins (separating and reserving both parts). I start by inserting my fingernail into the top of the grape near where the stem would have been:



This relieves some of the pressure when squeezing the pulp out (otherwise the grape will just explode everywhere. You'll be surprised how easy the hulls separate from the pulp, and you'll end up with a bowl of hulls like this:



And, a bowl of pulp that looks like this:



That was the first LONG step in this process. It took me over 30 minutes to hull the grapes. Anyhow, once you've hulled them all... place the hulls in a blender or food processor, and chop them until they look more like this:



Prepare your jars for canning per the instructions found within this post. Meanwhile, lace the hulls in a pan with 1/2 C water. Simmer the hulls until tender (about 15 minutes), stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. At the same time, simmer the pulps in a separate pan until tender (about 15 minutes).

Remove both pans from heat. Press the pulps through a sieve to remove seeds. Oh. my. God. This took F.O.R.E.V.E.R. The pulp is a bit stringy, so it took forever to get it all through the sieve. Really, the only thing you want left behind in the sieve is the seeds... no pulp. I'll bet this took me nearly 30 minutes. The seeds are huge, though... easy to pick out. They resemble a small pine nut:



Now, combine the pulp and hulls into a large pot, and add about 3 1/2 C sugar. Slowly bring to a boil, and boil for 15-20 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. Mine definitely boiled into the 20 minute range (maybe a minute or two more) before it had reached the gelling point. You can test for gelling by removing a small sample of jelly from the pot and cooling it quickly in the fridge. Once you reached the gelling point, quickly pour into hot, sterilized jars, leaving 1/4" head space. Wipe jar rims clean, and secure on a lid and screw band. Process in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. Remove, and let cool/stand on the counter for 24 hours before storing/consuming.

This is a lovely jelly... a bit more tangy than grape jellies you would find in the store. It goes nicely on your morning whole wheat toast...



And, as of this afternoon, I can attest that it is most delectable as part of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Yummy! And, if you find yourself in a neck of the woods that doesn't have muscadines for your jelly-making pleasure... ask nicely and I might give you some of mine. ;0) Happy Labor Day!

12 Months of Christmas Catch-Up (Part 2)

It's time to make some red pepper jelly!


Come Christmas, it would look beautiful in a basket with this, some crackers and a nice set of cheese spreaders.

This jelly differs from the green pepper version not only in that it is MUCH simpler to make, but also in that it has a different taste. The red pepper version, while still slightly sweet, is a bit more savory due to the addition of garlic. It can still be used as a delicious spread over some cream cheese with crackers, but it is far more delicious as a glaze for meats... particularly chicken and pork tenderloin. This recipe makes approximately 6 (4 oz.) jars.

So, here's the easy peasy recipe...

1 C. finely chopped and seeded red bell peppers



3 lg. cloves of garlic, cut into thin slivers



3/4 C cider vinegar
3 C granulated sugar
1 pouch (3 oz.) liquid pectin

Prepare canners, jars and lids per the instructions included here.

In a lg. deep saucepan, combine red pepper, garlic and vinegar. Stir in sugar. Over high heat, stirring constantly, bring to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.



Stir in pectin. Boil hard, stirring constantly for 1 min. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam. Quickly pour jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until fingertip-tight. Place the jars back into the canner, making sure they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process for 10 minutes. Remove jars; allow to cool for 30 minutes.

At first, the peppers and garlic will still be at the top of the jar. After the initial 30 minute cooling time, gently twist and/or tilt each jar to begin distributing the peppers and garlic throughout the jelly. DO NOT turn the jar completely upside down. This could result in gel failure. Repeat throughout the setting time until the fruit particles are suspended throughout the jelly.

Now you've got six pretty jars filled with some delicious jelly ready for gift-giving come the holidays. But, don't worry... I won't tell if you sneak a jar for yourself between now and then. ;0)

12 Months of Christmas Catch-Up

Okay. The last time we visited this year-long project was waaaay back in February. Lovely, I know. But we're getting all caught up this month, starting... NOW!

Red and green. The colors of Christmas. Also the colors of some DELICIOUS jellies! Chances are, if you're my neighbor, a friend that lives in town, or someone that I will be visiting over the holidays... you will be getting a prettiful basket filled with lots of gourmet treats. And, some of them will be homemade... fresh from my garden.

Who doesn't love gifts for the tummy during the holidays? It's a time when we always seems to have an influx of friends and family in our home.. Gifts of food are always appreciated around here. It makes things so much easier when those unexpected guests pop in for a visit!

This green pepper jelly is scrumptious, and fairly simple to make. And, summer is the perfect time to make this jelly. You can put it away and save it for your holiday gift giving. It'll be good to go (at its freshest) for a year in those jars. Peppers are pretty prolific (at least in my garden), simple to grown, and are quite hardy. Bell peppers, jalapenos, habanero... I grow 'em all. For this recipe, though, we will be using only green bell peppers (4 of them) and jalapenos (2 of them). Of course, if you don't grow your own, peppers aren't all that expensive to purchase (and are definitely worth the purchase for this yummy treat). This recipe yields about (7) 4 oz. jars. Here's how we do it...

4 green bell peppers, stemmed and seeded
2 jalapenos, stemmed, seeded and deveined
2 cloves garlic
2/3 C white vinegar
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 pkg (1.75 oz.) regular powdered fruit pectin
3 2/3 C granulated sugar

Chop peppers into large chunks. In a blender, puree green peppers, jalapeno peppers and garlic cloves until smooth.



Looks disgusting, right (smells pretty good, though... kinda' like guacamole)? Yeah. Kinda' reminds you of that slime they used to dump all over people on "You Can't Do That On Television." Anybody else remember that show? No? Okay... moving on.

Now, if you can find a jelly bag for this step... use it. Unfortunately, none of the stores around here carry jelly bags... so I rigged my own contraption...



You start with a mixing bowl on the bottom, then insert a colander over the top. Line the inside of the colander with a few sheets of cheesecloth. Then, pour the puree on top of the cheesecloth. Let drain, undisturbed for 30 minutes. (Meanwhile, prepare your jars for canning per the instructions included here.



You will be surprised how much liquid actually drains out! You'll need 1 1/2 cups of it. I didn't quite get that much liquid. So, if that happens to you... never fear! Just add 1/2 C boiling water to the remaining pulp in the cheesecloth. This will extract additional juices. I had to do it twice before I got enough liquid. But, eventually, you'll end up with something that looks like this...



That would make a cool looking witches' brew at Halloween, right?

Transfer that pepper juice (you can discard of the puree now) to a lg. saucepan. Add vinegar and lemon juice. Whisk in pectin until dissolved. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently.



Add sugar all at once and return to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Quickly pour hot jelly into hot jars, leaving 1/4" headspace.



Wipe rims of jars. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to finger-tip tight. Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove canner lid; wait 5 min before removing jars. Then, move them to an area where they can cool.

I've already sampled some of this jelly, and it is wonderful! So, now you're probably asking, "What am I supped to do with green pepper jelly?" Well, them best way to serve it is atop a brick of cream cheese alongside some of your favorite crackers (I recommend table water crackers, but the less-discerning tastebuds of my family prefer Ritz...



Use a cheese spreader to add some jelly and cream cheese to the crackers... DELISH! It was gone in no time at a party I attended this past weekend. You can also use it as a glaze on meats before you cook them or as a dipping sauce for your favorite cooked meat.

A couple of extra tips...

* This is NOT a spicy jelly at all. I prefer my dad's spicier jalapeno jelly. But, there again, my family's tastebuds overrule me on this one. I might try adding a couple of drops of my dad's secret homemade mango habanero sauce to the pureed mix next time around. I think that would make for the PERFECT jelly! If you don't have a dad that's talented in the kitchen and is kind enough to share a couple bottles of his hot sauce with you... you can find mango habanero sauce at gourmet stores and online specialty shops!

* The recipe recommends adding a few drops of green food coloring to the jelly after you remove it from the stove, just before you pour it into the jars. I don't like that fake green look. I think the jelly looks beautiful just the way it is. But, you are welcome to add the food coloring if you'd like.

And, there you have it... yummy (and surprisingly simple) green pepper jelly! I'll be sharing some other homemade treats that will be gifted as my blogiversary continues (and at least one more in the coming months).

*in a pickle*

We're gonna' kick of the blogiversary with a foodie post of sorts (which also, coincidentally, has a little craft project to accompany it). Perfect, right?



It's safe to say that I am officially addicted to this whole pickling/canning/jelly-making thing. Not only is it delicious, but it's so rewarding to be able to provide food stuffs for your family. AND, *bonus*... a basket full of home-canned goods with some accompaniments makes for a lovely gift! Please, please, please... don't let yourself be intimidated by canning your own goods. Seriously. I was for years. But, it is SURPRISINGLY easy once you get than hang of it. Even jellies are pretty simple (we'll save that for another post, though.) Anyhow...

I have finally (after much trial and error) perfected a dil pickle recipe that I wanted to share with you. The last pickle recipe I shared was for a bread and butter pickle (a little on the sweeter side). But, this one is for those tried and true dill pickles we all love. And, they're pretty delicious if I do say so myself. I found the recipe in the Ball canning guide to be a tad on the salty side with a little too much of a pungent flavor, so I've tinkered and tweaked it a bit to get it just the way I like it. Plus, their recipes always call for huge quantities of produce that my garden doesn't, well... produce. So these quantities are adjusted to suit the more average gardener like myself. This recipe makes about 3 wide-mouthed pint jars full of pickles. Ready? Here we go...

"Grandma's Dill Pickles"
For the pre-soak (Yes, folks, this is a 2-day project)...
4 lbs pickling cucumbers, sliced to about 1/4" thick rounds
Lots of ice (like clean out the bucket of your ice machine "lots")
1/2 C pickling salt
4 C water

In a lg. stainless steel or glass mixing bowl, alternate between layers of ice and cucumbers (ending with a layer of ice on top). In a lg. pitcher, dissolve pickling salt into 4 C water. Pour over the cucmbers/ice. The cucumbers should be entirely covered with water, so keep adding plain cold water until they are covered. You'll end up with something that looks like this...



Invert a plate over the top of it, and weigh it down with a couple of jars filled with water. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, but no more than 18 hours.

For the actual canning process...
4 C water
1 Tbs. pickling spice
3 C white vinegar (Once you get into canning, you'll be wanting to buy those HUGE jugs of vinegar - both the white and apple cider variety. I always looked at those in the store and wondered who in the H-E-double hockey sticks would need that much vinegar. The answer? You will... if you want to do a lot of canning!)
1/2 C pickling salt
1/8 C granulated sugar
2 1/4 tsp mustard seeds(this will be divided later)
1 1/2 Tbs, plus 1 1/2 tsp. dill seed (this will be divided later)
3 cloves of garlic (I use the minced variety that comes in a jar. This will also be divided later.)

Prepare your canner jars and lids. If you need some hints on how to do this, I provided a pretty easy step-by-step in this previous post. Meanwhile, tie your pickling spice into a spice bag or a square of cheese cloth. In a lg. saucepan, combine 4 C water, pickling salt and sugar. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Reduce heat, cover and boil softly for 15 min. Meanwhile, transfer cucumbers to a colander placed over a sink and drain them. Rinse with cool running water, and drain thoroughly. Pack cucumbers into prepared jars, filling to within 1/2 from top of jar. Add 3/4 tsp. mustard seeds, 1/2 Tbs. plus 1/2 tsp dill seed, and one clove of garlic to each jar. Ladle hot pickling liquid into hot jar to cover cucumbers, leaving 1/2" head space. Wipe rim. Center lids on jars. Screw band on until fingertip-tight.

Places jars back into canner, cover completely with water, cover and bring to a boil. Process for 10 minutes at a boil. Then, remove canner lid; wait 5 minutes. Remove jars, cool and store. Voila! Delicious pickles! Be sure to wait 24 hours before ravenously diving into your pickles.

But, wait! Don't want to eat all of those pickles yourself? How about sharing some with your friends and neighbors? You'll want to pretty those jars up first, though! This is a great way to use up your fabric remnants and assorted scrapbooking supplies.

First, find a circular object that is a couple of inches larger in diameter than the top of your jar. I used this roll of tape... a plate would also work well. Use a fabric marker to trace the circle onto your fabric.



Use pinking shears to cut out the circle of fabric.



Secure the fabric around the top of the jar using a rubber band.



Use a dot of hot glue to secure some ribbon to cover the rubber band.



Then, adorn away with tags, stickers, rub-ons... whatever your heart's desire. And, there you have it... a lovely homemade treat in pretty packaging!



Thanks for joining me today! I haven't quite decided on tomorrow's project yet, but I'm thinking I might share some peeks of my Christmas ornaments I'm making to swap this year (we'll see how much I get done between now and then)! See you tomorrow!

can it. (Part 2)

So, when I bought my cucumber seeds this year, they didn't have pickling cucumbers. I ended up having to buy some garden variety cucumbers instead. But, I remembered going to a friend's grandmother's house when I was younger and having pickled cucumbers. VERY different from pickles... they were very light, crisp, refreshing. They didn't have a heavily pickled taste or color about them. Try as I might to find a similar recipe, I couldn't. Instead, I decided to slice my regular cucumbers up and try a traditional pickle recipe from the book I mentioned in the previous post. The results were delicious tasting, but lacked crispness. When you add them to a burger or a sandwich, the sogginess goes virtually undetected. However, they aren't that great straight from the jar. They're pretty to look at, though...



I've heard about an additive called "Pickle Crisp" that can be thrown into the recipe to help retain the crispness. However, I can't find it in any of the stores around here. I'm planning on ordering some off the internet, and trying the recipe again. But, like I said... the pickles TASTE delicious! So, I'll share my spin on the recipe.

In the book, the recipe calls for quite a large quantity of cucumbers. My recession garden is small, folks. The cucumber plants are prolific, but not THAT prolific. I had 5 large cucumbers to work with, so here's how I broke the ingredient quantities down (approximately half the original recipe).

1 1/2 Tbs pickling spice (available at most grocery stores in the spice aisle)
2 C cider vinegar
2 C water
1/2 C, plus 2 Tbs granulated sugar
1/4 C pickling salt (available at WalMart with the canning supplies)
3 bay leaves
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4 1/2 tsp dill seeds (available in grocery stores with WELL-STOCKED spice aisles)
5 lg cucumbers
3 pint-sized canning jars (wide-mouthed version if possible)

I thought it would make life a whole lot simpler if I bought a mandolin to slice the cukes quickly. You know that saying, "You get what you pay for?" Well, that holds totally true in the world of mandolins. I bought an Oneida one for $39.99 at Bed Bath & Beyond. Oneida is a fairly reliable brand. I didn't think I needed to invest in one of the spendier $89.99+ versions from Kitchen Aide. Wrong. DO NOT buy the Oneida version. Not unless vegetable mash is your desired result...



That thing was a total piece of junk. I ended up slicing my cucumbers by hand. So, away we go with the recipe...

Prepare jars and lids according to these instructions. You don't need to go so far as the sterilization part, though. Since these pickles will process longer than 10 minutes, it isn't necessary.

Cut the cucumbers into 1/4"-thick slices.



Tie pickling spice into a square of cheesecloth, creating a spice bag.





In a large saucepan (preferable stainless steel), combine vinegar, next 3 ingredients and the spice bag. Bring to a boil over med-high heat, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Reduce heat, and boil gently for 15 minutes.

Now, it's time to can. Place 1 bay leaf, 1 minced clove of garlic, and 1 1/2 tsp dill seeds into each jar. Pack cucumbers (and the DO mean PACK them in there... as many as you can cram... stuff them down the sides of the jar too) within 1/2" from the top of the jar. They mean from the very top edge of the jar... not just where the mouth starts to bottleneck. Place that funnel from the canning utensil kit in the previous post on top of each jar before ladling the hot pickling liquid in. Cover the cucumbers, but still leave that 1/2" space from the top of the jar. Remove the air bubbles (there's a tool for that in the canning kit too), and adjust headspace by adding more liquid if necessary. Wipe the rim of the jar. Center lid on the jar; screw band down until finger-tight.

Place jars in canner/pressure cooker (or large soup pot), ensuring they are completely covered by water over an inch from the tops of the jars. Put a lid on your pot. This is where a pressure cooker comes in really handy. I'm told it isn't good to keep removing the lid to check if the water is boiling. But, pressure cookers have devices that allow you to know exactly when boiling point has been reached. Anyhow, bring the water to a boil, and process for 15 minutes in the boiling water. Remove the pot from heat, remove the pot lid, and wait for the cans to cool for 5 minutes. Then, use those tongs (trust me, you'll want them) to remove the cans from the pot. Set them on a flat surface in your kitchen away from direct sunlight.

Here's something that was left out of the recipe, but that I later learned. It's best for the canned pickles to sit in one place for 24 hours. This allows the jars to seal properly. So, don't pick them up, shake them around, poke on the tops of the jars. Just don't. You could ruin all your work if those jars don't seal properly for safe food storage. After 24 hours, test the top of the jar. It should be slightly concave, and won't pop in when you apply pressure. If they aren't sealed properly (mine were all perfectly fine), you can reprocess them in the heat bath for 15 minutes. However, be aware that it WILL affect the quality.

Otherwise, pop the top and enjoy some delicious pickles! Be sure to refrigerate after opening, and store any jars you'll be saving for later in a cool, dark place.

can it. (Part 1)

Ever since my blog was featured in Artful Blogging, I have received several e-mails asking me why I haven't had an food-related posts lately. You see, for some reason, the photos that were chosen for the article were almost all foods that I had concocted in my kitchen. In fact, not a single craft project was featured. Odd. Especially considering I supplied the editors with 20+ images that were almost ALL craft projects. I have no control over the images that were chosen, and am sorry for anyone that came here expecting to find a food blog.

That being said, I LOVE to cook... almost as much as I love to craft. And, thanks to many lessons from my dad (who is an insanely good cook) and a few well-loved recipes that have been handed down through my family over the years, I'm actually a pretty good cook. We quite frequently have dinner parties for our friends, and have hosted many a Thanksgiving dinner for my husband's single soldiers. I've even been told from time to time by our "diners" that I should open my own restaurant. Ahhh, yes... if only I could win the lottery.

Instead, I thought I would offer up a few more foodie posts to this blog. Sounds like a fairly good compromise to me... and will hopefully leave a few of you wandering over from Artful Blogging a little more satisfied.

We'll kick it off today with my first experiment in canning. Like many of you, we have planted our "recession garden" here at the Hanks household. There's nothing better than fresh fruits and vegetables from your own garden! So far, we've had the most success with our romaine lettuce, tomatoes and CUCUMBERS. Tons of cucumbers! I couldn't possibly consume all of these cucumbers before they went bad. So what better to do with them than MAKE PICKLES?!?

First thing's first. Pick up this book:



Seriously. It's invaluable. Especially if you know nothing about canning (which I didn't). Second, you need one of these:



Okay. You don't *NEED* one of these. You can achieve the same thing with a large soup pot. But, there are some canning recipes that do require a pressure cooker. So, it can come in handy if you want to get really into this whole process. I got mine at WalMart for about $65, and it works great.

Don't fool yourself into thinking you don't need a set of canning utensils:



I got this exact set at WalMart for under $7. It comes with a magnetic lid lifter, canning tongs (invaluable), bubble remover, and wide-mouthed canning funnel. These all came in really handy, and well-worth the price.

Of course, you'll need canning jars... also available at WalMart or some grocery stores. For these pickles, I used pint-sized jars:



Check back tomorrow for the trials and tribulations on my actual pickle-making process!