Love and Olive Oil

Jar Explosion

For two people who don’t eat a lot of jam, we sure have a lot of jam. And salsa. And pickles. And tomatoes. Yep, I can confidently say we went a little bit overboard with this whole canning thing.

I’m not going to post all of these recipes, because, frankly, I know many of you probably don’t can and could care less about canning. This is not a canning blog and I’m not going to bore you just because I’ve got a new hobby. However, for my own reference more than anything, I have to have a record somewhere of just what I made. Nothing would be worse than enjoying a jar of the best jam ever and not remembering which recipe I ended up using. And since this is a food blog, after all…

* I will be posting recipes for these couple, since they are recipes I either modified or are just worth sharing. The rest were followed pretty much word for word out of their respective books.

And yes, as if I didn’t have enough to do already, I designed labels. Don’t judge. It’s what I do. I waste time designing pretty things. Although I wish we had a better printer, I am in love with how these turned out. It makes the beauty of a batch of freshly canned jam that much more appealing.

Cat in a Canning Box

The real question is, where on earth are we going to put all these jars?!

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54 Comments

  1. I love the labels on the top of the jars. Where did you get those from? I love to can and I use labels for the front of the jars but they aren’t very attractive.

  2. Hi, frist time visiting your blog and i already love it :)
    I alwyas wanted to can cause i like to do things my own. Would you do a canning post explaining how you do it. Thanks!

    • Hi Ginnette! I’d recommend picking up a basic canning book (I like the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving) that has basic canning instructions, or even better, check to see if there is a intro to canning class in your area. It’s one of those things that’s best learned by seeing/doing!

  3. I recently tried your Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles and LOVED them (as did everyone else in my house). Now you’ve inspired me to give canning a try!! Seeing as though Summer is quickly drawing to end, I’m rushing out to get some some fruit this weekend and now have a plan for Saturday. I’ll post how the experience went! :)

    On another note – this Christmas I am giving away gift baskets with all homemade food (jam, chocolate-hazelnut sauce, banana bread, etc.). Since you have so much leftover, it might be a good gift to save until Christmas!

  4. There is something about a box top that cats can’t resist. Cute kitty!

    Your jar labels are beautiful! They will make great gifts.

  5. Lovely pachaging.
    I would keep them for myself too… just use them throught the year for great favors and gifts: they’ll come in handy.
    And what a great reference.

  6. For those looking for round labels, I found some that are the perfect size for can lids by Avery (2.5″ diameter)!

  7. I have jar envy! They look beautiful. I think I would arrange them in rainbow spectrum and invite people over to see how clever I was if I had made all those. Well done! They look gorgeous and sound delicious!

  8. Hey Lindsay – I just got into canning this year! So far I have done dill pickles, spicy green beans, fig jam and strawberry-rhubarb jam. This weekend I am making chutney – still determining the actual flavor. I am going to try some of the ones you made. Very impressive!!!

  9. I LOVE red pepper jelly! It’s so good on corn bread! Please post this recipe soon! I’m actually in the midst of canning my blackberry jam!

  10. Sorry, just now saw your response on the lid labels. I would actually buy those from someone. Have you thought of selling them?

    On etsy maybe?

  11. Um… not post all the recipes because we don’t care! laughs until chokes. PLEASE post them. lol.

    Love the lids and labels. Where did you get those!?

  12. This was my first serious year canning. I went a bit nuts. I think I’ve easily canned 13 dozen jars of jams so far.

  13. I love the jars and labels! I have been trying to be invited over to someone’s house while they can/jar stuff. I want to see canning as it happens, and what you have to do to kill bacteria. I want to learn. We don’t have a lot of fridge/freezer space, but we have shelf space. I have dried a lot of herbs and chili peppers to have in winter, and I have put up tomatoes and corn in the freezer for winter, but I have run out space. I need to can tomatoes to free up that freezer space for other things. Are you going to can anymore?

  14. I’m terrified of canning (dude what if I kill somebody?), but I’ve been meaning to get my courage up to try it, and some of those recipes are enticing me just with their names. That amaretto apricot butter you posted has been on my mind ever since…

  15. Love your labels. I wish I’d thought of that. We just used black magic marker. Of course my husband, who is my assistant (or am I his assistant?) would turn his nose up at the idea and say why do that, it’s quicker just writing it on the lid. Men! lol

  16. I too have been preserving and it is fast becoming a hobby. Those jars you have are wonderful. I will be checking out some of those recipes for some inspiration. Great post.

  17. Your pics are amazing, I love all the different colors in the jars! But most of all I love the labels you made, it makes me want to can something!!!

  18. WOW! I’m so impressed. I definitely need to try some of these. The only one I’ve made to date is pepper jelly, which I love.

  19. Would you consider sharing your pickle recipe? I just got 3 pounds of pickling cucumbers from my CSA, and I’m looking for a good recipe. Thanks!

  20. All I can say is WOW! Beautiful job- all those recipes look great- and what a cute kitty (I’ve got a little one who spends lots of time in boxes too :)

  21. Seeing as how I grow most of my own food canning is a must! My solution to the over whelming amount of jars and lack of storage, bed risers! haha I jacked my bed up an additional foot so I could accomodate all my extra food! My last house had a basement where I built shelves to store the jars. This house, no basement! Sometimes a girls got to be creative!

  22. I am a canner, too. That’s what I do when I get bored of my work. Right now mom’s blackberries and raspberries are ripe. Yum! But I haven’t come up with a nice way to lable my glasses so far. This is a great and also very pretty idea! Thanks for sharing!

  23. oh man! i love the design of it all. you are so great! :D and peach salsa sounds totally amazing. people go nuts at my farmers market for jams and stuff!

  24. WOWZERS!! Kindred spirits!! I waste time prettying up things that most people would just toss out. Have you seen my blog? Not everyone would appreciate my watermelon gift holder or paper purses. This post RAWKS!! love the labels!

  25. Oh and by the way- its your blog – if you wanted to list some of your fave recipes, you should! Some of my most popular posts are my jelly recipes!

  26. I love to can! Your stash looks like mine does at the end of the summer. I have a huge closet in my hallway I use for crafting supplies that I had to turn half of it into a canning pantry! They do make great holiday gifts, and I am hoping that is where some of mine will go this year (I made more jelly than we could ever eat, too!)

  27. i too love to make Jam, but don’t eat it much. I love your labels! I want to make some for my jars too :)

  28. Wow you are not kidding! That’s a lot of freakin jam!

    I would love to try canning. I’m kind of afraid of screwing it up and poisoning myself though. Plus I have very little space for jars – maybe for christmas gifts or something.

    The labels are lovely. Never apologize for having the energy to create something beautiful.

  29. Gorgeous! I love doing jams and pickles for friends – especially Christmastime. Pickles you make now would be perfect for eating then …

    You’ve given me heaps of ideas and inspiration – thanks!

    Now, if I could only get up the courage to try water bath canning …. :)

  30. Wow, that’s impressive! We keep our extra jam under the sink in a cardboard box. I love the labels you used…so simple and cute! Such great canning ideas. Thanks!

  31. This all looks amazing and I am sooo jealous. I have wanted to get into canning and just didn’t do it this summer.

    I have to ask though- do you use a pot, pressure cooker, or something else to get your jars to seal?

    Thanks!

  32. A couple of hours at my house and a monster was created!!! haha, I love it!

  33. I would be ecstatic to take a few off your load, there. I’d even happily shell out some dough. Those look beautiful.

  34. These look so beautiful! I’ve been doing some canning – but no where near what you have done! Love the labels too!

  35. OooooOOooooOooo

    Wow!

  36. Oh, I adore those labels! I’ve been searching high and low for labels that I could buy or have printed for the spice jars we bought, but I can’t find anything that isn’t cutesy or cheap looking. I never thought of designing some myself. Hmm! This opens up possibilities!

  37. sweet basil jelly?
    awesome!!
    well, I love the labels! and, it’s definitely not a waste of time. :)

    you could always unload some jars on friends and family…I’m positive anyone would welcome such a great gift.

    • Yes, basil jelly! Haven’t actually tasted it yet, but what I licked off the spoon was quite delicious. I think you can do any herb jelly really… I wanted to make some mint jelly as well and may do that before my mint plant kicks the bucket. :)

  38. The jars turned out so pretty you need to figure out a way to display them on your wall on shelves of some kind!

  39. I just got on a canning kick too! I love your little labels! Where did you get the plain round stickers or did you just cut them out yourself? I’ve been trying to figure out the best way to label mine!

    • I used sticker paper I got from onlinelabels.com. they have pre-cut circle labels as well, which would have saved time, but I had full-sheets on hand so I just cut them out afterwords. :)

  40. Your labels are so lovely! I’ve become addicted to canning this year as well, and my pantry looks similar to your photos. I’m running out of room! :-)

  41. Never canned before..maybe I’ll try..but only if I can come up with some cute labels like yours!

  42. I wish I could can; I’ve got no idea how to do it. It would save so much wasted fruit, though!

  43. Thanks so much for sharing these links. I lived in France for a semester and one of my French friends moms made her own jam. DELICIOUS! Ever since then I swore one day I would make my own stuff and so my mom got me all this jarring equipment for my bridal shower last month. I will have to try some of these out. Tips would be helpful!

    How did you print your labels?

    http://lachapstickfanatique.blogspot.com

    • These labels were printed on my home printer. I had some sticker paper I bought from onlinelabels.com. They have pre-cut circle sizes as well, which would be nice, I had solid sheets and so just cut them out.

  44. Just looking at all of these is making me want to start canning! But my roommate would kill me if I suddenly had five thousand jars that we needed to store…somewhere.

  45. Gorgeous!!! I’m a canner and label designer too…it’s okay. I’m loving the basil jelly idea and must try as my second planting is starting to go crazy.

  46. I wish I’d have had time to do some canning this year. I canned salsa a couple years ago and have done strawberry jam before. All of this sounds so good and looks so adorable! The labels really add a lot! Looks like you’re all set with some great homemade gifts.

  47. These look lovely! And sound delicious! And you should:
    A) Have a jam giveaway, and
    B) Sell them on Etsy we can buy some.

    :)

    • I considered doing a giveaway, and may still at some point, but Taylor nixed it for now. I think he’s just greedy and wants to keep all this to himself! haha.

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