I have enjoyed making applesauce for years, but I am so happy to make it for my two-year old son now, who thoroughly enjoys it! Making applesauce is really quite simple and does not take a lot of time, especially if you do it in small batches. You get the best taste when you mix varieties of apples. I like to do about 10 pounds of apples at a time and process it in a water bath to make it shelf stable. This recipe uses no added sugar (because apples are tasty enough!) so I can feel good about giving it to my son to enjoy when he needs a healthy snack.

The new Close To My Heart tag and banner dies make great labels for canning!

Blueberry Mojito Jam; Strawberry Rhubarb Jam; Zucchini Relish; Salsa

Having being given several large zucchini this season I decided to make up some zucchini relish today!

Do you have special things that you get or are given and you save them to use for just that right special occasion; however, you're so busy measuring whether the occasion truly is special enough to bring out the special thing that you never end up using it? Well, that is me with huckleberries. This unique, rare berry is my absolute favourite! I savour them so much I often leave them in my freezer when I can finally get them because I can't bear the thought of "wasting" them. This summer I'm on a mission to change that. This year I got the berries fresh and am determined to use them up BEFORE I even have the chance to put them in the freezer - it's hard to part with them (even though I'm the one eating a lot of them :) ).

One way to do this was to make jam. I decided to put the jam in small jars this year so that I also wouldn't get in the habit of opening a larger one and thinking ok well I shouldn't eat the jam again today because I want it to last and then months go by and it is still sitting there unused. I also cringe at the amounts of sugar we need to dump into jam that is already sweetened naturally by fruit, so I used a berry jam recipe that I tried last year that uses honey.

I came across this delicious recipe last year and have made it now twice with my friend, Nadine. Last year I hounded it because it was so good, so this year we made sure to make an extra batch to have some on hand for gifts :).


1 bottle Rosé wine
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 pkg. pectin
4 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup pink peppercorns, lightly crushed

Combine wine, lemon juice, and pectin in a pot. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar and peppercorns and return to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon. Ladle hot jelly into half-pint or quarter-pint jars, leaving a 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims before attaching lids and bands. Process jars in a hot water bath for 5 minutes. Remove from canner and cool on wire racks. Be sure to turn and tilt jars every 30 minutes to distribute peppercorns evenly throughout the jelly. Makes 6 half-pints or 12 quarter-pints. Delicious served on crackers with cheese or on sandwiches!

In between Masters projects, ok I mean procrastinating haha, I set out to make a birthday card for my Dad. I randomly came across a fun paper from Martha Stewart and wanted to create a farm/lake feel  with my card to link up with the sweet summertime challenge at Art Impressions. I loved the sketch over at Mojo Monday too.


Another thing my dad also loves is Saskatoon berries. They are usually ready just before his birthday and my mom will often make him a pie to celebrate. I couldn't believe it when I found a TON of Saskatoon berry bushes all over our new property! I've made a couple of pies and some jam, too! I was able to use a recipe with honey instead of sugar - yum! I put a Saskatoon berry beside a blueberry in one of the pictures below to show the size difference. One batch of jam I ran out of Saskatoon berries so I made it half and half. Here's the simple yummy recipe:

For years I have been making this "salsa" recipe with my mother-in-law and sister-in-laws. At the end of every summer, we divide up all the ingredients in this recipe, do the chopping the night before at each of our homes and then bring it all together the next day to make and can. It wasn't until recently that I realized this recipe is actually "Picante Sauce" rather than salsa. Upon further investigation, I learned that:

• Salsa = Chunky
• Picante = Less Chunky
• Pico de gallo = Chunky with heat

Yes, it is just as delicious as it sounds! I got this recipe from my friend, Nadine, who happened to grow blueberries and mint in her garden this year for us to use.

My husband asked me to pickle some green beans this year so that we had a stash on hand for drinks and cheese and crackers. I decided to make a large batch with the beans I got at the Farmer's Market (I quadrupled the recipe below). Here is the recipe I used:
Dilly Green Beans
yields 4 pints or 2 quarts

2 lbs green beans
1/4 cup salt
2 1/2 cups vinegar
2 1/2 cups water
4 pinches red chili flakes (divided)
4 cloves garlic
4 heads dill

While prepping, set clean jars in a dishwasher and put on a Quick Rinse cycle with a high temperature. Trim ends off of green beans. Combine salt, vinegar, and water in a large pot and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of red chili flakes, a clove of garlic, and a head of dill to each hot pint jar. Pack beans lengthwise into jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Ladle hot liquid over beans, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Tighten caps onto jars. Process jars for 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.