canning recipe question.

[gardenfish]

i got the books pickles & relishes, and preserving summers bounty this xmas. there are so many recipes. and they all make so much at once. i was wondering if you can take a recipe and just cut it back in half or quarter or more so i can see if i like it before i make 10 pints or more for the original recipe.
i have a waterbath canning system and also wondering what others think of the pressure system or the steam system.
thanks rick

[windsng225]

Gardenfish, I do canning in the summer. Yes, you can cut back on any recipe. Last year I wanted some bread & butter pickles (they are the sweat ones that come sliced in a jar) so I took 1 cuque and sliced it really thin added what I needed to add and jared it up. They are the best, and no preservitaves (sp?). I don't like to eat, buy anything that comes in a jar or especially cans. If I can make it, I will and do. So be brave, try it what have you got to loose, actually nothing. There are tons of recipe's on line for jarring anything. Canning is a great thing, I jar, freeze and dry lots of stuff. So have some fun with all this good stuff.
joyce

[tashak]

Bell has a new food preservation book out, many pages, c. $20+. Sorry I can't remember the title, but I'll ask next time at the library, or at the Borders in CC where I also saw it. It was an impressive book.

[JackiP]

Gardenfish, I wouldn't try cutting jam/jelly recipes down but anything else is fair game for reduction in my kitchen. If you are canning something that is high in acid, you can get by with a waterbath at times but to can most veggies/fruit, you'll need the big pressure canner. They are really easy to use but do require some attention and time so the pressure maintains at the correct level. I have a zucchini relish recipe (awesome) that doesn't use any type of "canning" and it seals and keeps well. That's the only thing tho.

[windsng225]

I have jarred up just about everything and I don't own a pressure canner. A water bath works just fine, and is safe for everything. I have never had a problem with anything that I have canned. The most important thing is to keep the water boiling, and boil the jars for 20 minutes and always use sterilized jars and NEW rubber rings every time.
joyce