Today I wanted to add to the fun facts about canning history with this topic. Why are mason jars made of glass?  You may not have ever thought about it but sometimes odd questions like that come to me and I wonder why are mason jars not made out of clay like pottery or crocks? I also find it amazing that since canning was invented we still use the same basic design of glass jar. The only thing that has really changed about them is the method of sealing.   As I mentioned in a previous post, Nicolas Appert was the inventor of heat processing food preservation that he developed by placing cooked food in glass jars, removing as much air as possible and sealing the jars with corks that were wired in place then processed in a water bath.  He used glass because he believed that it was air that caused food spoilage and glass is not easily penetrated by air.  I also briefly documented the story of the inventor of the mason jar here.   Even though it wasn't known at...

So it is September and harvest season is winding down, but there are still plenty of options for canning this month. Many of the items on the list have been on previous lists as well, such as apples and peaches, but now it is late season varieties that are ready instead of the early ones.  There are also classic late summer/early fall goodies like pumpkin, pears and carrots. Carrots? you say... Yes carrots!  If you plug carrots into the search box above you will find the carrot marmalade recipe I posted back in February only I bet it tastes so much better with garden fresh carrots!  So here's a list of 10 fruits for September canning.  Apples Blackberries Carrots Peaches Pears Peppers Pumpkin Raspberry Squash Tomatoes Since I have always made an effort to share unusual recipes on this blog, for the bonus recipe this month I want to add squash jelly to the list. You may not have been aware that you could make jelly out of squash so make sure to add it as another tool ...