Reasonable price to buy fruit to can?

[Dace]

Since I do not have strawberries, but we eat about 10 jars of jam a year I am trying to watch the sales and make my move when the time it right.

Currently, strawberries are on sale (not much of a sale) for $2.48 a lb and my recipe seems to call for nearly 3 lbs...makes eight 8 oz jars so total price per jar is only about .95 cents....but then again, I know the price should go down.

Also thinking of making some spiced peaches for MIL recipe calls for 8 lbs and they are on sale for .77 per lb...that seems like a great deal to me. I am looking for a tried and true recipe for this if anyone has one.


I think that I will plan on Tuesday being my canning day and just keep an eye on good local sales, and try to work with what ever I can get!

Thoughts?

 

[keljonma]

Do you have any pick your own farms near you? The fruit is usually cheaper that way. Sometimes you can find good buys at the end of the day at a farmers market, too.

Around here pick your own is currently selling for $6 to $8 for a 4-quart basket. (strawberries)


edited for typo

 

[Dace]

Actually i think there is a pick your own strawberry patch.....off to search!

 

[patandchickens]

When you are figuring costs per jar, make sure you are adding in the cost of the lid and the cost of whatever sugar and pectin the recipe calls for. None of that is hugely expensive but then neither is in-season fruit, necessarily.

Make sure you are using GOOD fruit, too. Canning or making jam do not, at all, improve on what Mother Nature has given you, and it's really quite a lot of work to expend on an 'enh' product. If you end up with some fruit that is not really flavorful enough to be worth canning, juice it or puree it and freeze for use in other things later in the year.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[keljonma]

Also thinking of making some spiced peaches for MIL recipe calls for 8 lbs and they are on sale for .77 per lb...that seems like a great deal to me. I am looking for a tried and true recipe for this if anyone has one.

This is the recipe I use. I peel and cut the peaches into slices.

Spiced Peaches
Yield: about 6 pints

6 lbs peaches (about 2 dozen medium sized peaches)
8 c sugar
2 3/4 c cider vinegar (5% strength)
4 cinnamon sticks
4 tsp whole cloves
1 1/3 c water
Sterilized jars, bands, and lids
Prepared water bath canner

Select peaches that are sweet, and to make the work easier, cling-free (also called freestone). Choose ripe, mature fruit. They should not be mushy, but they also should not be rock hard: just as ripe as you would eat them fresh. Green, unripe peaches will soften but will not ripen, nor have the flavor of tree-ripe peaches.

Wash the peaches in plain cold or lukewarm water. If desired, peel the peaches. Dip the fruit in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds. Remove from the water using a slotted spoon and put into a large bowl or pot of cold water and ice for 2 minutes. The skins will easily slide off.

Cut out any brown spots and mushy areas. Cut the peaches in half, or quarters or slices, as you prefer. Remove pits. [Note: Traditional Southern style is to leave the peaches whole (and stick the cloves into them) You can do this and follow the rest of the directions.]

Mix the sugar, water and vinegar in a pot (6 quarts or larger) over medium heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved. [NOTE: The sweetener can be sugar, Splenda, or fruit juice. 4 c of sugar and 4 c of Splenda, makes it sweet, but not loaded with sugar.]

Tie the spices in a double thickness of cheesecloth or put them into a tea ball and add them to the pot. If you prefer spicier peaches, use additional cloves and cinnamon sticks.

Bring the mixture to boiling, cover the pot, and boil for five minutes. Remove the cover and boil for five minutes longer.

Add prepared peaches to hot syrup. Bring syrup to boiling again and simmer peaches for 10 minutes or until tender (covered with a lid or splatter guard).

Fill the sterilized jars within 1/4 inch of the top, run a knife around the inside edge to remove air bubbles, wipe off the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Put them in the canner and keep them cover with at least 1 inch of water and boiling.

Process pints for 5 minutes and quarts for 10 minutes if at sea level.

If you are at an altitude of 1,000 feet or more, see this chart:
1001 - 6000 ft Above 6000 ft
Half pints or pints 10 minutes 15 minutes
Quarts 15 minutes 20 minutes

Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight) You can then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Or you can reheat the contents, re-jar them (with a clean jar and new lid) and the full time in the canner.