Savor summer's harvest by canning

(Vanilla adds a bright flavor to sour cherry jelly/Gannett News Service photo)

Canning the harvest from your garden, or local farms, is easy to do and gives you a good feeling knowing the source of your food.

Canned jams, jellies and chutneys also make great gifts during the winter holiday season. A taste of jam or chutney that you made during the summer will taste even better in the cold of winter.

This old-fashioned practice seems to be making a resurgence with fuel prices on the rise and threats of salmonella worrying consumers throughout the country. Eating locally reduces waste and can be better for your health and well-being.

I love growing tomatoes, and canning them preserves their freshness and taste. It's a good feeling, come winter, to open several jars to make that slow-simmered Sunday sauce.
I'm also looking forward to my crop of habanero peppers to come in so I can make a wonderful hot sauce recipe I have that uses carrots and limes with the fire of the peppers.

I can remember my parents setting up a canning process in the garage when I was a kid. Our backyard garden was small, so they would buy bushels of ripe plum tomatoes to put up sauce for the winter. I can still smell the steamy essence wafting from that huge vat of simmering tomato sauce, the boiling water bath bubbling nearby and the hot jars lined up for filling.
No doubt that canning ritual made an impression on me, which I filed away for future use when I was old enough to appreciate their "peasant" ways.
Funny how peasant food and practices have become so chic. Some things never go out of style, and canning is one of them.

Today's Busy Cook page in the Journal features recipes for canning Squash Chutney, Tomato Sauce and Blackberry Jam.

Here's another recipe for canning jelly using sour cherries, which are for sale right now at local markets in the valley.

Cherry Vanilla Jelly

1. 3 1/2 pounds sour cherries
2. 4 cups sugar
3. 1 package fruit pectin
4. 1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine (optional)
5. 1 tablespoon of vanilla or to taste

Bring boiling water in pot or canner, half-full with water, to simmer. Wash jars and screw bands in hot, soapy water; rinse with warm water. Pour boiling water over flat lids in saucepan off the heat. Let stand in hot water until ready to use. Drain well.

Discard cherry stems and pits; finely chop cherries. Place in a saucepan; add 1/2 cup water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Place 3 layers of damp cheesecloth or jelly bag in large bowl. Pour prepared fruit into cheesecloth. Tie cheesecloth closed; hang and let drip into bowl until dripping stops. Press gently.

Pour 3 1/2 cups of the liquid extracted from the cherries into a 6- or 8-quart sauce pot. (If necessary, add up to 1/2 cup water to get exact amount of liquid needed.) Stir 1 box of fruit pectin into juice in sauce pot. Add 1/2 teaspoon butter or margarine to reduce foaming, if desired.

Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in sugar and vanilla quickly. Return to full rolling boil and boil exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam. Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tops.

Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars in pot of water or canner. Water should cover jars by 1 to 2 inches; add water if needed.
Cover; bring water to a gentle boil. Process jelly 5 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on a towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing middle of lid with finger. If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.

Let properly sealed jars stand at room temperature 24 hours.
Store unopened jellies in cool, dry, dark place up to 1 year.
Refrigerate opened jellies for up to 3 weeks.

Makes about 5 cups.

Source: Recipe adapted from SURE-JELL and Robyn Taylor-Drake.