I loved the LaParfait jars I had in France…but they hard to find and pricey on this side.
And I made plum jam! Used a Martha Stewart recipe that I have had for ages https://www.food.com/recipe/plum-vanilla-jam-241389. I just used all of the plums in the fridge… closer to 2 lbs: made 3 250 mL jars.
Also took most of the contents of my fridge and freezer over to the new place: I realised that the freezer was mostly frozen fruit, destined to be jam!!
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4 pints of pickled jalapeños and hot cherry peppers. My son loves these so i told him he has to help chop.
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seems like a very respectable trade 
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Peach Jam
Skin on, deep red exterior. Local Upick Orchard I will find out variety next week when I go back to pick some of the O’Henrys.
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Beautiful! Do you mind saying where these were located?
The Orchard is west of Santa Rosa.
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Some simple garlic pickles awaiting a sandwich. This is a quick pickle, white vinegar, water, salt and pickling spices. For the impatient, a few hours will give you a taste of things to come, but a few days is even better. I usually don’t put in onions so I’m interested if this will be a good addition…pickled onions…yum!
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I love pickled onions on sandwiches! (And some chili…).
I have an almost depleted jar of red onions that I pickled a few weeks ago, time to make some more! Good with deviled eggs and so many other things.
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Here I am with the second half of my peach jam (and a glass of homemade watermelon shrub with mint syrup.) the first half I canned last night, after having cooked it so hard it is now headed straight for the trash.
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So missed the O’Henrys.
And it looks like that is it for this Season at Laguna Gold Orchard
He just planted the Trees a couple of Years ago so they do not produce a ton and they are still wee (maybe 5 Ft. tall)
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Tangent question. How often do you replace your screw tip lids? I like to be environmentally friendly but I think I see rust in almost all of them after 1 or 2 uses. I’m just asking about the metal ring.
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Stainless steel rings are sold, but they sometimes don’t grip as strongly, brands vary. Stainless bands are best for non-cooked use: freezer jams, fridge pickles, fermentation, sprouting. I had some loosen during boiling water baths, so avoid that use, just in case.
I change them when they show enough rust so they don’t screw down smoothly or they feel even a little rough.
Strangely, canning lid rings usually rust easily. To prolong their lives, remove them soon after heat canning and dry them with a clean towel or rag. The put them in the sun or near a fan to get water out of the crevices. The thin rust-resistant coatings get scratched off with use. Prompt drying really helps. If the canned goods are also thoroughly dry, you can replace the rings on the dry jars; just don’t screw them on super tight or you might loosen the seal.
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you can replace the rings on the dry jars
Thank you! What is gained by replacing the bands after sealing?
I think he’s just saying if you want to remove and thoroughly dry the ones you canned the jars with, it’s fine . You could switch them out and replace with dry bands. The bands don’t do anything related to maintaining the seal once the seal is established anyway
(I store mine without bands. Don’t want any dark, hidden or possibly moist areas in or around the seal.)
I do tend to leave them on, I guess because my mother always did, not because they’re necessary in any way. Once the jars are open. I toss the flat lids and use the plastic screw-on lids you can buy from Ball. (I also use the plastic lids if I’m using the jars to freeze things).
As did I when I started canning. Now I take them off. Only exception is if I’m going to transport or gift the jar, in which case I put it back on.
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This. That way, you will be able tell much more easily of a seal fails in storage, because it’s more likely to pop up without a band holding it in place.
The only reason to store jars with bands on is if you plan to store the jars in layers, in which case you should keep the bands loose and lay a solid sheet of shelving or something on top so the shelf is resting on the bands on the jar threads and NOT on the jar lids, lest the weight of layers of jars atop jars cause the sealing compound to deform, warp, and fail. The bonus of storing jars sans bands is that you don’t need as many bands!
