Canning Without a Canner - Mayan Style

The basic instructions for canning that were presented during a POB Zoom presentation and stored on the web site are for cooks who own a canner.  If you do not own a canner you can still can - the way the Maya do.  Although they cook outdoors over an open fire you can use your stove top.  Here’s how to do it: Use a kettle big enough to accommodate your canning jars plus 1 inch of water.  When your jars are ready for processing (lids tightened), wrap each one in a towel (or other thick cloth) and tie it securely so the jars do not touch during boiling (or they might crack/break), and put them into the pan. Then fill the pan with water and start the process timing after the water is boiling.

Blackberry Jam

What are known locally as blackberries look like bing cherries on the tree; they have one big seed.  To make jam from these berries cut the berry pulp from the seed.

Cover 4 cups berry pulp with water and cook with 4 or 5 pineapple tidbits (cut from one slice of pineapple) for 45 minutes.  Cool enough to pour into blender; blend. Pour blended berry juice through a sieve. Mix ¼ cup Sure Jell into 2 cups sugar and add to berry juice.  Boil about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into hot jars; tighten lids.

If you want clear jelly skip the blending and pour the cooked berries through a sieve and continue. (Use 1 Tbls Sure Jell per cup of juice.)

Process pints for 10 minutes.

Blackberry Syrup

What are known locally as blackberries look like bing cherries on the tree; they have one big seed.  To make syrup from these berries cut the berry pulp from the seed.

Cover 4 cups berry pulp with water and cook with 4 or 5 pineapple tidbits (cut from one slice of pineapple) for 45 minutes.  Cool enough to pour into blender; blend. Pour blended berry juice through a sieve. Add 2 cups sugar, 1 tsp. zanthum gum and 1 Tblsp. tapioca starch. Cook until thick, stirring occasionally. Pour into hot jars; tighten lids. Use on ice cream, yogurt, pancakes or cake.

Gumbo Limbo Tea

Gumbo Limbo is an antidote for the painful allergic rash resulting from contact with a black poison wood tree. Rash can develop from contact with the tree at any stage of its growth – seedling that looks like a weed to pick to the full grown tree. The bark of the gumbo limbo tree, which usually grows in close proximity to the poison wood tree, is the antidote for the allergic rash. Pick off the bark from a gumbo limbo tree and rub the inside of the bark directly to the skin as soon as possible after coming into contact with poison wood.  You can also make tea and apply it liberally on the skin for relief and healing, or can it to have it on hand for emergency use.  To make the tea pick a piece of bark about 5 inches wide and 10 inches long and break it into pieces that fit into a 10-cup pan.  Boil the bark in 10 cups of water about 15 – 20 minutes. Cool the tea if you are going to use it immediately. If you want to can it, pour the boiling hot tea into hot jars, tighten lids to seal them and let the jars stand for 24 hours before storing on the shelf. Shelf life is the same as other canned goods: years!

Grapefruit Juice
Wash fresh, tree-ripened grapefruit. Extract and strain juice. Add sugar to taste. Heat to 165˚ F (73.8˚ C). Pour hot, into hot jars leaving ½ inch head space. Put on the flat jar lid (that has been dipped in boiling water to sterilize it) and tighten the ring. Process pints and quarts 30 minutes in boiling water bath.

 

Tomato Juice

Wash and drain firm, fresh, red-ripened tomatoes. (One small decayed spot can cause the whole batch to spoil.) Remove core and blossom ends. Leave tomatoes whole and blend in a blender or cut up and cook slowly (simmer) until soft, stirring often. Strain juice (if you don’t like seeds - and pulp, if you blended them). Juice should be hot but not boiling (approx. 165˚ F (73.8˚ C)). Pour hot, into hot jars leaving ½ inch head space. Add 1 tsp. salt per quart (and 1 tsp sugar to make it not so tart if you like it that way). Put on the flat jar lid (that has been dipped in boiling water to sterilize it) and tighten the ring. Process pints 10 minutes and quarts 15 minutes in boiling water bath.

Use fresh, firm mangoes. Peel and cut into wedges, then drop them into salt vinegar water if you want to preserve their bright color. (2 tblsp.each to a gallon of water.) Rinse them thoroughly and pack them into hot canning jars. Fill the jar with pre-boiled syrup (1 and1/2 Cup water and 1/4 cup sugar per quart), leaving 1/2 inch head space. Put on the flat jar lid (that has been dipped in boiling water to sterilize it) and tighten the ring. Process pints 25 minutes, quarts 35 minutes in boiling water bath.

Use freshly gathered corn. The kernals should  be plump, shiny and filled with milk. Can as quickly as possible after gathering. handle in small quantities. Lose no time between preparing, packing, and processing.

Husk corn, remove silk, wash. Cut corn from cob. Do not scrape. Measure. Add 1 tsp salt and 2 cups boiling water to each qt of corn. Boil 3 minutes. Pack, boiling hot into hot jars, leaving 1 inch head space. Adjust caps. Process pints 55  minutes, quarts 1 hour. 

Beets

Wash deep red beets.
Leave 2 inches of stems and the tab roots. 
Boil until skins can be easily slipped off.
Remove skins, trim beets; leave whole, slice or dice.
Pack into hot jars, leaving 1 inch head space. 
Add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart.
Cover with boiling water, l inch head space. 
Put on caps and tighten.
Process pints 30 minutes, quarts 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.

Celery

• Wash and cut celery into 2 inch pieces.  Boil 3 minutes. Pack, hot, into hot jars, leaving 1 inch head space.  Add 1 teaspoon salt to each quart.  Cover with boiling water, leaving 1 inch head space. Put on caps and tighten them. Process pints 30 minutes, quarts 35 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.

Green Beans

Tomatoes

Use fresh, firm, red-ripe tomatoes which are free of decayed spots, weather cracks and fungus growths.  Wash tomatoes clean before scalding. Scald tomatoes in boiling water that covers them. Scald until the skins loosen; then scoop them out and dip into cold water so you can handle them to cut out the core and peel them. (The skin should slip off easily.) As you finish each tomato put it into a hot canning jar and fill the jar, leaving ½ inch head space. Add 1 tsp salt per quart. Put on the flat jar lid (that has been dipped in boiling water to sterilize it) and tighten the ring. Process pints 15 minutes, quarts 20 minutes in boiling water bath.

• 4 pounds cucumbers, sliced
• 8 small onions, sliced
• 1/2 cup canning salt
• 5 cups sugar
• 4 cups white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mustard seed
• 2 teaspoons celery seed
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:

• In a large container, combine the cucumbers, onions and salt. Cover with crushed ice and mix well. Let stand for 3 hours. Drain; rinse and drain again.
• In a Dutch oven, combine the sugar, vinegar and seasonings; bring to a boil. Add cucumber mixture; return to a boil. Remove from the heat.
• Carefully ladle hot mixture into hot pint jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight. Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 15 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

Make light syrup.

Wash, peel and cut guavas into halves.

Remove seeds.

Heat syrup to boiling.

Pour over fruit; let stand 30 minutes.

Pack fruit into hot ball jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space.

Adjust caps.

Process pints 15 minutes, quarts 20 minutes, in boiling-water bath.

Canning Grapefruit

2 to 2 1/2 lbs. grapefruit per quart

Sugar

Water

PREPARATION:

• Wash and drain grapefruit.
• Peel grapefruit, cutting deep enough to remove the white pith.
• Cut the membrane away from the pulp for each section.
• Carefully lift out the pulp without breaking the cell structure.
• Discard the seeds.
• Make a light syrup; keep the syrup hot.
• Pack grapefruit into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch head space.
• Process pints and quarts 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Canning  Pineapple

3 lbs. pineapple per quart

Water

Sugar

PREPARATION:

• Scrub pineapple; drain.
• Peel and core pineapple.
• Cut into 1/2 inch slices.
• Pineapple may also be cut lengthwise into wedges or 1 inch chunks.
• Make a light syrup.
• Simmer pineapple in syrup until it is tender.
• Pack hot pineapple into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch head space.
• Ladle hot syrup over pineapple leaving 1/2 inch head space
• Process pints 15 minutes, quarts 20 minutes in a boiling water canner.

• Fruits - Syrup (5 cups -> 3-4 qts. fruit
• Heat only until sugar melts

• (Medium with honey: 1 cup honey to 4 cups water)
• (Light with panela: 1 cup panela to 5 cups water -- used with mangoes)
• For 3 pts. pineapple, 1 pt. grapefruit: 3 cups water, 1 3/4 Tblsp. xylitol, 2 grams vitamin C