Sometimes the best pieces of canning gear were never actually intended for use in food preservation. Case in point? The blossom trivet
I like to use these trivets as canning racks because they are heatproof, flexible, and never break down in the water like metal racks can do. You can take them apart, use them as one long strip, or you can button two together to make a rack for a larger pot.
I have heard from some people that they sometimes struggle to get their blossom trivets to lay flat in the pot when the water is at a rolling boil. The trick for that is that you turn the heat off or slide the pot off the hot burner for just a moment. That will calm the boil and give you a chance to lay the trivet back into place (a jar lifter does the job nicely). Then put the first full jar in on top of the now-flat trivet and it will stay in place. Problem solved!
This week’s giveaway comes to us from Spice Ratchet. They are the makers of the blossom trivet (along with these nifty blossom jar toppers) and are regular Food in Jars sponsors. They’ve offered up four sets of trivets to my readers for the giveaway. Each set will include two red trivets and one translucent red trivet. You’ll be all set for canning season 2015! Here’s how to enter.
- Leave a comment on this post and tell me what your favorite preserve from 2014 has been.
- Comments will close at 11:59 pm east coast time on Saturday, December 6, 2014. The winner will be chosen at random and will be posted to the blog by Sunday, December 7, 2014.
- Giveaway is open to US residents only (so sorry, further-flung readers).
- One comment per person, please. Entries must be left on the blog, I cannot accept submissions via email.
Disclosure: Spice Ratchet is a Food in Jars sponsor and helps make this site possible.
I made strawberry jam for the first time this year. Though some batches were more of a syrup because they didn’t gel properly I was still very yummy and fun!
Your salted brown sugar peach jam is my fave so far 🙂
I still think the honey sweetened tomato jam is my favorite of all time. I have made extra because it was such a hit last year!
I made pear butter a few weeks ago and I think it’s my favorite this year.
My favorite jam this year has been your smoky tomato jam. It’s a winner!
Candied jalapeños were a house favorite this year. We eat them with cheese and crackers, stuffed in a burger, or right out of the jar.
Strawberry vanilla jam- just opened a jar and it’s reminding me of early summer!
The apricot almond conserve was my favorite this year. The peach sriracha was a close second.
Rhubarb butter….mmm….
italianplum jam with ginger and anise – totally delicious!
Raspberry- always raspberry !!
Chokeberry Pepper Jelly – but really hard to choose the best, I made a lot of varieties this year.
BlackBerry jam is my favorite. .. and peach jam is the rest of the house. .. lol
Grape Jelly! Nothing fancy, but is my favorite because it cleared some space in my freezer where I’d stored the juice.
Cranberry Chutney!
Sweet cherry compote. I have one jar left that I am saving as a special treat.
Strawberry rhubarb! I sealed the jars and then realized I wasted my time – they were gone in 3 weeks.
I actually didn’t can anything in 2014, still burned out from 2013… However I did get a request for roasted corn salsa the other day as they loved it so much. They will have to wait for the farmer’s market to open up again…tis winter here!
Figs with lemon, and pear relish!
This year we couldn’t get enough of the apple cranberry topping. I have to pry the jars from my busband’s hands to give as gifts! I think he may have a secret stash hidden…
Apple jelly!
I think my favorite is strawberry kiwi…
I made a great batch of apple butter recently, in the crockpot. It was my favorite so far. 🙂
My favorite so far was a Cranberry Chutney I made for Thanksgiving gifts.
Not a “preserve”.. I think of jams and jellies with that word.. But, Hubby and I have eaten ALL our RoastedCornSalsa! I made 3 batches!
Blackberry jam is and probably will always be my favorite, although tomato-peach marmalade makes a great topping for hot biscuits!
strawberry jam! A classic!
We’ve been going through the green tomato salsa pretty quickly this year.
Right now I’m loving your green tomato chutney.
Thank you for this giveaway opportunity.
I had planted lots of Mint so that I could can up some homemade mint jelly
I grew a variety of hot peppers this year and made hot pepper jam, yum on crackers.
All things with cranberry.
strawberry jam that did not get thick used it on waffles
My favorite preserve this year has been meyer lemon marmalade with vanilla bean.
I made a great tomatillo salsa that I’ve been trying to eat very slowly because it’s going to be gone way too soon.
Straight up applesauce.
My favorite preserve is a perennial: apricot. But my raspberry jam is a favorite with those who receive it as a Christmas gift!
I’m a pickle person and I made some great dilly beans this year. Looking forward to canning even more next season.
i finally got up the nerve to pressure can broth this year. I’m THRILLED with the results!
Fig and honey drizzle…
Sweet hot pepper jelly on the sweet side and Dilly Beans (made with dill vinegar for the later crop) on the not-sweet side.
I’m hoping it’ll be lemon with the bounty we’ve had as of late.
Triple berry jam is the favorite this year, it’s so good! 🙂
I canned more this past year than I have in many, many years. I had forgotten how great preserved produce from my own garden is!
Mark Bittman’s tomato jam.
Smooth peach jam was the hit at my house this year. I have to give credit where credit is due…the lovely peach tree behind my office yielded a bumper crop this past summer and my Hun Bun who suggested jam made from all those little peaches. : )
I made yellow tomato jam for the first time this year. So good over cream cheese!
My favorite this year was a squash relish that we use on everything from hamburgers to sandwiches! MMMmgoood stuf!!
My favorite is the elderberry jelly. Hubby can’t get enough of the sweet pickled hot pepper mix–I’m afraid they may not last til next season! I’m doubling the number of hot pepper plants in the garden.
Strawberry Rhubarb jam! It was gone in a bout a minute tho so i wish i had made more
my favorite preserving project from 2014-sweet pepper jelly-a sweet yellow pepper variation on the popular halapeno jelly recipe. It’s great to learn so much from great sites like this one that I have the confidence to experiment and modify recipes with success.
Just started canning again this year, after a 20 year hiatus! I’d forgotten how good it could be, but I think my favorite was the tomato salsa with black beans. Feels like summer again every time I open a jar!
The pepper mustard! Good on sandwiches, in potato salad, in deviled eggs, etc.
Pickled cranberries!
Ruby grapefruit and vanilla marmalade! Heaven ….
Pineapple, jalapeno, red pepper jam is my favorite!
Hot pepper jelly.
Raspberry Preserves
Tomato Jam!
So hard to narrow it down, but I think my favorite this year has to be my Very Berry Cherry. Strawberries, Cherries, Pomegranate seeds, Blueberries and Raspberries! Tart and refreshing!
Apple pie jelly
Whatever I’m currently making is my favorite! This week it is the vanilla pear jam. So good with cheese!
Cranberry Chutney was the fav for me. Everyone loved it at our Thanksgiving dinner!
I just made spice apple cranberry jam, & red wine jam.these are my favorite today…
Cranberry Butter was a huge it with my family!
Jalapeno Pepper Jelly
your strawberry-vanilla jam is a must every year, it never disappoints!
Cranberry sauce for the holidays!
Habanero Peach
Green Mango Chutney. Stuffed inside an avocado half….yum
Dandelion Wine Mustard
Sweet pepper relish, beats store bought any day.
Cranberry apple chutney.
Sour cherries have been my favorites this year by far. I hadn’t ever had them before and this year I couldn’t stop!
Well, at first it wasn’t my favorite but once I tasted it – yum! Tomato jam. It came out a bit runny but it’s definitely still usable an I nailed the flavor.
Our standby has been our pear butter, but I really really like my rhubarb butter too!
My jalapeños have been so good this year! Making sandwiches amazing!
I made a batch of your peach/vanilla jam earlier this year, and I’m so sad it’s almost gone! Can’t wait for peach season again.
peach tomato salsa! it is so good!!
Tomato Jam!!
Tomato Bacon Jam
Smoky tomato salsa
Our applesauce isn’t flashy or amazing, but it is a staple at our house. Snack time is easier, baked oatmeal is a snap and life is just better when the I get 100+ quarts of applesauce done each fall!
Raspberry!
My favorite preserve this year has been my plain peach jam. Yum!
the old standby – Strawberry
I love my apple butter, my husband loves my pickles!
Lot of options this year, but I think my favorite was either strawberry syrup or cranberry sauce. Thanks for offering this giveaway!
Balsamic green tomato pickles
Favorite?? Strawberry Preserves with Balsamic I think…
strawberry thyme jam.
Saffron grapefruit marmalade inspired by the winning final entry on celebrity Cutthroat Kitchen
Honey sweetened spicy tomato jam AND the chunky fig jam
These are so cool! I love the caps too. I need some of those.
My fave this year was my heirloom roasted salsa. I roasted the maters, onion and peppers to bring out the natural sweetness and hold cow bells it was worth the time! I had to pressure can it because I make up my salsa to taste so I do not know the ph.
Spicy pickled green tomatoes – although they weren’t very spicy, but sure tasty. I had some difficulty making them as I don’t know how to pack sliced tomatoes with onions tightly in the jar – so if you specifically read this comment and have some tips I would love it! I ended up just heating more jars up to use all the veggies.
And I would love those trivets!
Yellow tomato basil jam!
Easy your zucchini pepper relish!
Tomato Bourbon Jam
Prickly pear. Beautiful gem color
Chutney. I made three different kinds when the fruit was in season: black cherry, red plum and Jersey peach. They were all good. I can’t decide which one I like best.
We made apple pie filling for the first time this year. Wonderful!! It will be an annual “must-do!”
Did not make any this year-but in reading through the comments, that Tomato Bourbon Jam by Tamara sounds like a needed recipe.
Spaghetti sauce, all my grandkids helped this year!
Blueberry-lime syrup for making delicious beverages!
I’m not sure. Either my corn relish or bread n butter zucchini slices. These trivets look awesome!
Calamondin marmalade….little spoonfuls of sunshine
Sand pear preserves
Amish red pepper jelly.
Jalapeño Jelly–love it on my delicious cornbread with a pot of pinto beans. I’d love to have one of these nifty trivets to use next canning season and in-between!
Peach vanilla bourbon jam!
My favorite jam this year is the 250 jars of Chocolate covered strawberry jam for my brother’s wedding.
I made lots of etrog marmalade. People were happy to donate their etrog, but everyone seems to be on a diet or eliminating sugar. Next year, it will be etrog-infused vinegar!
Your tomato jam.. it is wonderful!!
My favorite for 2014 (and 13, and 12!) is my simple peach jam from my own backyard tree.
After years of experiments, we’ve gone back to yummy strawberry as a family favorite.
Pear Bourbon vanilla jam, boysenberry jam. And, the only jam that I buy instead of make – We Love Jam Blenheim Apricot
I made your Pear Vanilla Jam this year, and it was fantastic!
My favorite this year is tomato jam!
I love these trivets! I have never had a problem with them laying flat. As for my favorite preserve this summer? It’s a toss up between the Salted Brown Sugar Peach Jam and a Jalapeno Jelly I made with hot wax peppers.
My homemade apple butter made in the crockpot. I just set it and forget it!
Strawberry Jam! After looking at all the other comments, I’m gonna have to try some vanilla. 🙂
Thinking allllllllllll the way back to spring here – your recipe for rhubarb orange butter was the surprise hit of the year! Definitely in my regular rotation now 🙂
Pickled Eggplant from Preserving by the Pint. SO good.
My favorite preserve I made this year was black raspberry jam. I have a big bramble in my side yard…and what the kids dont eat I manage to freeze and make jam with!
My favorite is apple butter!!! It is so hard to pick just ONE!! I love the results!!
I made an Italian plum jam with vanilla that made me swoon.
High bush Cranberry Catsup, we made 30 pints!
Raspberry, from hand picked (by us) berries
Orange tomato and smoked paprika jam from Preserving by the pint!
Spicy peach BBQ sauce!!
Your Roasted Corn Salsa – D-licious
Cucumber pickles using the recipe from Food in Jars!
We got a variety pack of hot peppers for the garden this year that included habaneros. I had no idea what to do with them until I found a habanero jam recipe, we are now completely addicted and have decided we will need more than one plant next year!
Well! I haven’t tasted them yet, but I THINK my favorite preserve from 2014 will be pickled green tomatoes. I get these lovely, sweet yellow grape tomatoes every year, and every year there are still so many at the end of the season that are still green, and every year I pick them and then do nothing with them. This year, I finally pickled them and they look SO good. But I did it in September and have to wait four loooooong months.
Strawberry jam… I live near Plant City Florida, and we have the BEST!
My favorite has been the blackberry/raspberry jam I made from berries I picked with my boyfriend. It made a tiny, delicious batch!
A cranberry-apple-pear conserve ….
Blackberry honey butter – we have been layering it in wide mouth pint jars with yogurt and granola. Yum!!
My soon to be made applesauce. I have 40 pounds of apples arriving today from the middle school FFA fruit sale. I can hardly wait!!!
Ketchup. Yum!
Peach Jam with Sriracha, love it.
Have two favorites (obsessions) – Tomato Jam and Pear Vanilla Jam.
ditto the peach jam with sriracha!
Bourbon vanilla fig jam!
Peach jam with sriracha.
Green beans. With my Mom no longer living canning green beans brought back wonderful memories as it was something we used to do together. ❤️
Made bread and butter pickles that I shared with the church bazaar and the volunteer fire company’s annual fair. It was a good year for cucumbers in NJ. Always a favorite!
Pickled watermelon rind – turned out just like my mom remembered them from her childhood.
Too many to choose, love homemade applesauce.
The Spice Trivet looks to be a very useful item around the kitchen. I especially like your idea to use them inside the canning pot. Many thanks for the suggestion and I would love to win a set.
Chopped tomatoes! I love jams and chutneys but I find the usefulness and deliciousness of tomatoes canned reminds me every year why I love canning.
I have two favorites (obsessions, actually) – Tomato Jam and Pear Vanilla Jam
Pickled green tomatoes. They are amazing on sandwiches!
Made strawberry jam for the first time from this website !! Thank you so much !!
My favorite jam this year was definitely my Pine-Apple Ginger Jam (crushed pineapple, chopped apples, lemon, and fresh and candied ginger). It tasted like sunshine with a ginger kick!
The family loves my Cowboy Jam, but my personal favorite this year was Sambuca Romano Jam made with real Maine blueberries. Yummmmm….
My favorite thing I have preserved this year has been peaches. Just plain peaches in a light syrup. So simple, yet so good!
My favorite preserve this season was Butterscotch peach jam. I only made a 1/2 batch but wish I had made more.
It was a good berry year so we have some great berry preserves but I think this year’s favorite is the crock pot pear butter.
Cherry Marmalade was a big hit, but plum apricot and oregon grape berry with lavender were my favorite.
My 2014 fav preserve is “ginger-lime pear”
I did a maple apple butter that was outstanding! Nothing but apples and maple syrup….
Quince past, quince jam and quince jelly. Finally am putting that old quince bush to work. Super different and delicious!
Organic Spiced D’Anjou Pear Jam
So far it’s been any of my pear jams! I did three – Rosemary, vanilla, and ginger – all with pears from my own tree! So great!
I’m addicted to the tomato jam I made at the end of the summer — sweet, spicy, savory and delicious!
My favorite preserve is always and forever…salsa 🙂
Favorite preserve? Fig-rosemary-merlot jam. I surprised myself with how delicious this one is!
I have to agree with Anoush. My favorite preserve is also salsa.
It is a three way tie between strawberry lavander caramel, curry apple chutney, and cherry port jelly infused with rosemary and black pepper.
I made a sweet chili pepper sauce, it’s got so any uses, the best Bang Bang Chicken, and mixing it with cream cheese for dips
I’m new to canning and would love to try the Blossom Trivet. I made several varieties of fruit jam this summer, but the tomato jam was our absolute favorite, especially on sandwiches and omelets.
Organic spiced beets!
My favorite preserve this year (and possibly of all time) is your vanilla rhubarb jam! Great on toast, pancakes, and in oatmeal jam bars.
I pickled jalapenos for the for the first time, and all the jars are gone already! It was fun to try something new, and the way I go through them, it was nice to always have a jar on hand. Thank you for the chance to win!
Plum conserves!
A mixed berry jam made with blackberries, cherries, raspberries, & blueberries! I only had a small batch of 8 half pints and I gifted half of them so I am trying to ration the rest
Between buying a house, renovating said house, and moving, I didn’t can a single thing this year. However, I have big plans for a huge batch of dill pickle relish next year.
Oh my gosh, I would love to have these trivets. So helpful with my canning. Strawberry, raspberry, and blackberry jelly from our organic berries top my favorites list. How can I pick one!
Favorite preserve of 2014 was a strawberry-rhubarb jam made with berries I picked myself. I also loved the Sweet Pear Caramel from Preserving By The Pint. Thank you for the trivet recommendation and the giveaway!
Blackberry!
The concord grape jelly that I preserved this year from our homegrown grapes has by far been the favorite for 2014 in our house!
I can’t pick one favorite 🙂 I have really enjoyed learning to can over the past several months! The jams I’ve been savoring include raspberry, apricot and orange marmalade. I have had happy memories of my childhood when I eat dilly beans.
My favorite so far this year has been the apple lavender jelly. So simple to make but makes such a sophisticated flavor that everyone assumes it’s difficult!
Cinnamon spiced chunky applesauce. It’s a tradition with my mom and always a favorite!
Basic apple butter.
My favorite this year sweet and spicy onion marmalade, it is good with brie, as a spread on a sandwich, on meat etc!!
Concord grape jelly!
killer salsa verde!
Hot pepper jam and cherry/blueberry jam.
Blueberry Lime Jam is my favorite!
honeyed black currant preserves!
my fav preserve this year (so far, it’s not over yet!) is Sweet Hot Caramelized Onions!! so many great uses for this!!!
Apricot-pineapple jam. Always a favorite around here. 😀
My favorite preserve this year was my mango chutney – homemade is so much better than the stuff from the store!
This years favorites – definitely tomato jam (made a couple of different versions) and cranberry chutney
My favorite things to preserve: Salsa and a Berry Blintz Jam! One savory and hot, the other~ 4 sweet berries combined to make the BEST jam ever!
I have enjoyed looking at other people’s comments – got some great ideas!! This year, pear sauce! Mmmmm!! Like apple sauce but with pears.
My favorite preserve this year has been my quince jam. I have been a die-hard berry jam eater my whole life, and was gifted a bag of a strange cooking-fruit called quince this year! My life has been turned upside down!I first tried a preserves recipe, which was ok, but I wasn’t very impressed (as usual for me and fruit preserves). Then experimented with a quince elder chutney (great on crackers with goat cheese!) Then after reading a bit I tried jam. I loved it so much I went on the hunt for 3 or 4 weeks to find more, and finally acquired enough for 4 more batches of jam. I can’t stop giving it away. It’s so good I have to share it! (and I pretty much just want to eat it straight outta the jar!) I would highly recommend trying it if you can get your hands on this fruit. It’s lovely scent will fill your whole house, too!
Honey-preserved plums!
I love to make jam, my favorite new recipe is Pear Chocolate Jam. Will be making some for Christmas gifts.
Vanilla-Rhubarb jam. This year and every year since I found that recipe…
My favorite was a blueberry-black currant jam- delicious!!
I love the peach chutney I made as well as all the jams! Kiwi, huckleberry, mixed berry, blueberry lavender, tomato= yum! Another good one was the jalapeno “cowboy candy”. thanks for the ideas (I love your books) and for sponsoring the giveaway.
Quince chutney is my new canning adventure.
Chai spiced pears…..OMG!
My Cranberry-Ginger Applesauce tuned out amazing, and was a spontaneous creation.
I liked preserving my cranberry sauce – meant less work in the days leading up to Thanksgiving!
My favorite this year was plain old plum jam. My coworker brought in plums from his yard and I supplemented those with a few overripes from the farmers market (got a great deal). But it was not my favorite because my fruit was nearly free. Instead it was my favorite because I got it made right before my Mom had knee replacement surgery, so I was able to give her big jars of her absolute favorite jam to eat on during her recovery. I can because I love saving the season, but I also love sharing it, so this was the best of all worlds.
Made plum jam for the first time! Absolutely awesome!
I made rhubarb lavender preserves this year for the first time. They were so good I fell in love and blasted through all 8 pts of the first batch as if I never made any to begin with. So I made another 2 more batches before I ran out of rhubarb for the year and guess what? I have but 2 pts left. Yes it was/is that good!! 🙂
Mulled Cranberries in Red Wine.
My best preserve of 2014 was a damson plum jam! Simple elegant and delicious.
So far my favorite this year has been the spicy salsa I canned with roasted peppers and garlic.
My favorite preserve from this year is probably the peach mostarda we made, it was something new and different and its addictive!
A simple one really. My strawberry jam was my best yet. I made my own pectin for the first time and the jam was amazing.
My lemon curd. Always and forever…–djs
The best thing I made this year is pickled asparagus. It was an experiment that I’ll definitely repeat.
My favorite this year was the honey-sweetened peach chutney from this site. Beyond being delicious, it has so many uses!
I think my favorite preserve of 2014 was 80 pints + 15 quarts of marinara sauce I put up. It’s so great being able to grab a jar & have dinner on the table in no time!!
Plum jelly – putstanding year for plums in Oregon.
Blackberry Jam. 🙂 Made from blackberries picked at my parents place in upstate NY…sweet as candy!
Our favorite preserve from 2014 has been the marinara sauce. The tomatoes were super sweet this year!
Quince paste!
Green tomato chutney, made with the last of the tomatoes from my garden.
This is an easy one! My strawberry jam has been my favorite. Fridays, my breakfasts are pb&j, it’s my special Friday treat… made so much more special with homemade strawberry jam on it.
I enjoyed my friend’s apple butter on some hot buckwheat cereal recently. Very yummy and simple.
My favorite for 2014 has been my wife’s strawberry preserves it’s so good I wish we had more of it.
Pepper Jelly always!!!
Spiced concord grape butter from the grapes growing in my backyard!
Apple and peach butter. I used some with fresh apples in hand pies and it was amazing.
Strawberry-Rhubarb jam from my own produce!
Do jalapenos count? I pickel and jar them up for sandwiches, soups, bagel topping, etc.
I loved the zucchini pickles this year!
Anything I can quickly becomes my favorite thing I’ve canned…until the next batch!
basic peach and plum jam, it’s summer on a spoon and I did not make NEARLY enough!!!
I made spiced pickled beets with golden beets from my CSA share, and they are the best I’ve ever tasted!
spicy quince relish
Peach ginger butter – I didn’t have to peel peaches and it came out SO tasty!
We have made pomegranate jelly and canned chicken and beans!
Green tomato salsa verde! So good (ate it last night with leftover turkey).
Not really a preserve as such, but I got a big kick from revisiting my childhood with Watermelon Rind Pickles. Hadn’t had them in 40 years and the taste sure took me back.
My favorite thing so far has been the strawberry-rhubarb pie filling.
I bought one of these trivets a couple of years ago based on your love for them and have not been sorry! I would love to have more.
I made applesauce following the recipe here on Food In Jars! I made it last year as well and this year I tweaked a few things and it turned out wonderfully.
Definitely apricot jam. Simple. Delicious. Not getting gifted to anyone!
Hot Red Pepper Relish, great on so many things and can turn having a sandwich into an event! So good.
Pluots!
My apple butter turned out awesome this year!!
Slow Cooker Pear Butter from your book “food in jars”.
Orange marmalade made from oranges I brought home from Texas. The flavor was amazing!
2014 was a bit of a preserving bummer, but we picked a pint of raspberries while canning up some apple sauce and made a few quarts of ras-ple sauce. Just apples, raspberries and a pinch of salt (a must have ingredient picked up from Cooks’ Illustrated).
pickled red onions!
I liked creating a plum anise jam
If I absolutely had to choose one preserve, it would have to be fig jam I made this fall. A close second is cinnamon plum jam.
I love the spiced peach jam and pomegranate jelly I made this year!
Apricot jam with vanilla bean
Raspberry jam for sure
Wineberry jam!
Bourbon Peach Jam.
Asian Pear jam.
made strawberry fig jam this year for the first time, and goodness is it amazing. I’ll be giving it out this year for christmas, but I plan on hoarding a few back to get me through the winter 🙂
Friar plum jam with Honey Crisp apples.
Orange tomato and smoked paprika jam from Preserving by the Pint! Thanks for explaining the strategy for keeping it on the bottom of the pot. This did happen to me and in the heat of the moment, I panicked.
A sweet onion jelly for crackers
Dilly beans!
Concord grape jam! It doesnt matter how many new, crazy things we try-this old standby wins every time.
I love the pear chocolate in your new book. It’s definitely my favorite!
My favorite has been Jingle Jam (cranberry/orange/jalapeno) used as a glaze for pork
Ooh, I’ve had one of these on my wishlist for awhile!
My favorite preserve this year has been a spiced plum compote that we’ve been loving with everything from vanilla ice cream, stirred into yogurt, or stirred into marinades, dressings and glazes. So tasty!
Apricot maple infused with a vanilla bean. I served it this weekend with a cheese plate.
Oh, those are such a great idea, and so pretty! My favorite is kumquat marmalade.
So difficult to narrow it down to one favorite. It’s a tie between your pear-cranberry jam and summertime peach jam with fresh, local peaches!
Mulled cider syrup has been amazing on pancakes lately and pickled cranberries were a hit at Thanksgiving. Whole grain mustard is another top contender!
Raspberry jam… yummy. I love these trivets.
Sour cherry jam might win, but I’m not sure. I made your cranberry sauce last week and it was fantastic!
Meyer lemon everything…
Ginger cocktail cherries. Loving these – each year the recipe is slightly modified, and it just gets better!
Peach-Ginger Jam is my current fav!
Lemon pear butter
I thought it was my lemon marmalade but I was introduced to quince and I’m in love with my quince preserves and the membrillo I made with them!
Our Most Favorite is salsa! Homegrown tomatoes make it the very best!
Fire roasted tomatillo salsa. I only have one jar left.
The best thing I canned this year was a tomato marmalade. I’m going to run out well ahead of next year’s tomato crop.
Nutmeg spiced nectarine jam has been a huge hit and thinking of trying my hand again at jalapeño jelly abd concord grape as gifts.
The thing that was a hit with my family and friends this year is my Jalapeno Jelly, made with Jalapenos from my garden!
Cherry jam! Everyone who I gave it to raved about it. Makes me feel good. 🙂
My favorite jam is a fig with smoky tea and garam masala. It’s fabulous with cheese.
Chocolate pear jam!
Blackberry cardamom and rosewater jam: I only got a few cups of wild blackberries this summer, but I feel like I put them to good use in a small batch of special jam. I think I might break open my two jars for jam-thumbprint cookies with a rosewater glaze.
Honey-sweetened apricot thyme jam. So good on roasted pork!
Spiced Pear!
halved plums in honey syrup!
Simple peaches, preserved in a simple syrup. Nothing elaborate in our household this year, but I hope to in the future!
Peach honey jam with vanilla beans. Mmmm.
cranberry fig! perfect for thanksgiving!
For the season, cranberry chutney.
Hands down it’s been the cranberry pear chutney. My boyfriend would probably argue for the canned peaches in honey syrup though.
Charred tomato chili salsa. No matter how cold it is outside it still tastes like summer.
Blue, Black, Raspberry Lavender Jam.
Raspberry jam. Always…raspberry jam.
I am loving the vanilla strawberry jam I put up this spring!
Strawberry jam!
I’m into pepper jelly this year!
Hot pepper jelly… yum!
My favorite this year is my blackberry jelly. Yum! And it won a blue ribbon at the state fair!
I made a cranberry conserve, which we ate for Thanksgiving. Delish!
we made pickled peppers, pickles, and squash pickles for the first time. they were big hits. definitely doing more canning next year!
I made some yummy rhubarb raspberry cinnamon jam that I loved.
Bourbon peach jam.
Apple butter–so simple yet so delicious!
Ginger peaches (but lots of the ones listed above sound better!)
Peach vanilla bourbon jam! My neighbor and I made a great big batch, and it is to die for.
strawberry – rhubarb
Fig Jam! Mmmmm
Ghost pepper jelly. Amazing on a soft cheese, and just the right spicy.
I made a simple raspberry jam late in the summer and it was amazing! I still have one jar I’m waiting to pop open on a gloomy day.
Applum sauce (Italian prune plums & Rome applies). One of those use-em-or-lose-em projects is going to be intentional next year.
Apple lemon jam!
My fave this year was pear vanilla jam – I made (4) batches! It is my husband’s favorite!
Definitely plain ol’ crushed tomatoes.
I love the pear vanilla jam! I gave them as presents and everyone loved them!
We made a wonderful rhubarb vanilla jam last spring and are enjoying it so much right now. BUT, I have to say that I’m really looking forward to making some meyer lemon marmalade soon, which is my all-time favorite preserve.
Hands down Strawberry/Wild Cranberry preserves with Vanilla.
Tomato sauce, which I didn’t really like that much when I canned it, has turned out to be a big hit! It’s so nice to be able to just open a jar when I don’t have an hour to let sauce simmer before dinner.
pumpkin butter
Spicy Santa Rosa Plum Jam!!! Works on chicken and pork as a glaze, Of course it is just yummy!!!
Thanks for the tip about taking the pot off the burner for a moment to get the trivet to lay flat – I’ve always had trouble with that.
Asian Plum Sauce, first year I tried it and the result was great!
Strawberry Balsamic Jam
Blackberry Vanilla Jam
While my preserves were fine, a friend made the best salsa I have EVER tasted!
My husband made a strawberry jam with hops and habenero. So good with cheese and crackers!
cranberries poached in red wine spiced syrup. used for cocktails.
Dilly Beans!!!
I think my favorite preserve of 2014 is my sliced peaches in syrup. When winter sets in and the fruit variety starts to dwindle, opening a jar of peaches is like a bit of summer in a jar. Helps to get out of the winter funk a bit.
Chunky Gingergold apple butter!
Cranberry Marmalade!
Slow Cooker Apple Butter
The honey-sweetened rhubarb-ginger jam, that you called “compote”. Stunningly delicious and rather unique. Of course cinnamon and vanilla scented pear-cranberry jam was a very close second. Delicious PLUS the house smelled yummy while it cooked!
Sour cherry rhubarb jam. It was so good.
Ooh, yay! I’ve had my eye on these trivets for awhile, so I’m excited to try one out. And you know my favorite preserve has to be a pickle! Maybe all the pickles, because I love far too many to decide. But that fennel lemon ginger is at the top of my list. Thanks for the giveway opportunity!
i made pear butter with vanilla bean and licked the pot after making it. Yummmm.
Tahitian pineappel vanilla bean from our honeymoon!
Cranberry chutney is my current winner, though over the summer I might have said peach-jalapeno jam.
peach butter!
Roast Tomatillo Salsa – addictive (and used up a bumper crop of tomatillos).
Muscadine jelly. Slap your granny good!
Apple pie jam….so yummy…without the crust!
Blueberry Kumquat jam – SO good!
I had so much fun with your book, but I think the Asian Winds Jam I concocted from Plums and Star Anise is best….so is the Tomato Jam…..and …….
Pickled beets…I can’t get enough!
My favorite so far is Smokey tomato jam! Thank you have a nice holiday.
My favorite this year is my apricot preserves. Thanks for the giveaway!
strawberry has been quite good this year.thanks
My favorite preserve from 2014 has been your Blackberry Jam recipe! I’ve made three batches this year and each time they go very quickly! All my friends and family members snag a jar and the keep asking for more!
I so enjoy making peach preserves
I have wanted one of these trivets since the first time I learned of them. My favorite preserve is the bread and butter pickles. Good luck every one and Happy Holidays to all.
cantaloupe vanilla jelly.
ginger peach jam
I’ve been loving the strawberry preserves from the summer – they just came out so well this year!
Blackberry jam, its always a family favorite.
My current favorite has been sweet and spicy pickled carrots though today I just made a cranberry habanero jelly which might be a runner-up.
Huckleberry jam with ginger was my favorite jam this year
My big success from 2014 was tomato jam!
My favorite is my first Strawberry Jam from MY strawberry bed!
Hmmm…probably peach-vanilla jam with triple sec 🙂
My favorite preserve in 2014 was bluebarb jam – yum!
Mine is my cranberry relish and cranberry ketchup. It sounds all Thanksgiving-y, but we really use them all year ’round!
Blueberry lime jam!
My GREEN TOMATO relish @end of season! First time I made & I was surprised how GOOD it was.
Best this year was Sweet Caramel Pear Sauce, most delicious!
i completed the certification program to become a master food preserver this year in la county. during our 12 week course we made so many delicious things in every way to preserve foods.
one of my absolute favorites was “preserved lemons.” i had never had them before–or made them and now i am hooked! i’m planning to give to everyone for holiday gifts with recipes! i’ve added them to soups, chicken adobo–happy to share recipe and even a “salty lemonade”
love this trivet! dear santa—i must have!!!! 😉
I’ve been wanting one of these trivets! My favorite this year was strawberry vanilla jam.
strawberry jam, by far this year.
I made ketchup for the first time this summer and have already gone through several jars (okay 5) by myself 😀
🙁 not eligible for this give away
peach jam. It was the first time I made it and it was awesome
Peach preserves
Meyer Lemon Vanilla Bean Jelly
Vanilla rhubarb jam from your book! It was so, so delicious!!
Peaches. My second year canning these beautiful gems
my peach rosemary habanero jam!
My favorite is always the one I’m making at the moment. Just finished making your spiced cranberry apple. It’s gonna be a hit at Christmas!
My favorite this year was strawberry preserves.
My son decided to pick blueberries and blackberries for jam. It’s great!
Blackberry jam with lemon zest
Exciting! My favorite has been a simple apple jalapeno – it’s just so good on cheese!
This is tough. My favorite for flavor is fig jam. But the thing I go to most often is my puréed tomatoes. They taste just like summer 🙂
I use this trivet also. I saw it in one of your blogs and knew it was exactly what I needed. My favorite preserve this year is simple tomato juice-no salt. I have been trying to limit my salt intake and most days drink the juice with little or no salt. On the days that I want salt I can add it right to my glass. Having canned it without salt makes it very versatile for me.
Wow this is wonderful! I spent quite a bit of time this weekend scrubbing rust off my canning rack, and got a little burn from pulling up the handles to put in my jars so this is a great solution. I had two favorites this year: pickled leeks and balsamic figs.
Orange marmalade is my favorite, and I’ll be making more very soon now that it is the season, and I’d so love to have the trivet to use!
Pickled beets!
Strawberry champagne jam!!! Yum
Jam made from black raspberries picked in the hedgerows of our back fields. Yum!
Wild blackberry jam.
My favorite preserve this year has been diced tomatoes. I use them in all kinds of soups and Italian dishes. Very convenient!
Hard to say! I would have to say it’s a toss-up between St. Germain (elderflower) strawberry jam and lemon-ginger-fig jam.
Apple pie filling. Okay, so I haven’t opened a jar yet, but I’m excited at the prospect of whipping out a pie!
Loving your apple pie filling. It rocks on oatmeal!
What I have been making lately is hot pepper relish. each time just keeps getting better!!
I pickled all my green tomatoes this fall and just love the little things.
Loving my strawberry rhubarb jam!
My favorite this year is Applebutter.
Grandma’s Tomato Relish
My Blueberry-Peach Jam, so yummy.
My ginger plum jam makes my heart go pitty pat. It is followed by my plain old raspberry jam. Both turned out great.
Thanks for turning us on to this trivet! I bought one when you featured it before; it works great in my large pot, which fits my canning needs much better than the speckled blue giant.
My favorite for 2014 is pomegranate jelly.
I’m loving the strawberry jam I made, for the first time, this summer.
Blackberry…..family favorite.
Blueberry jam that I made from fresh organic jersey blueberries that I picked myself!!
I am loving the Peppered Balsamic Fig on everything…but my kids fight for old fashioned Strawberry Vanilla Bean =)
My salsa, using everything from my garden!
My favorites are the ones I just sent my oldest son who now lives miles away from home. Last week, I sent him a “care package ” including strawberry jam (his favorite), blueberry jam, chocolate raspberry sauce, and chunky applesauce (my favorite). Thanks to this website and blog, I have a nice collection for holiday gifts, too!
Pear Vanilla Drizzle!
Strawberry Jam.
Cranberry Pear Jam from this blog!
My favorite was peach syrup (was supposed to be peach jam).
Pear vanilla is a fav
My favorite preserve were the fresh Wild Maryland Red Raspberries my husband and I picked this summer!. And I wish I had that trivet just this past weekend when I canned some turkey. I’m guessing too much heat transferred to the bottom of one of my jars and it broke. :o(
My favorite for 2014 was strawberry, a good old favorite.
Definitely the blueberry cinnamon jam i made in the summer. I wish I’d made more than 2 batches!
Despite the misadventure with the Pomona’s Pectin, the flavor of the peach vanilla jam is lovely.
Mango-coconut-macadamia conserve. I stumbled on the mangoes and the recipe at the same time.
Vanilla Rhubarb Jam. First time I’ve ever made it with vanilla and it was a great way to use the last of the rhubarb from my old house.
Plum Jam! This was my first real season getting into canning and this my plum jam was by far my favorite 🙂
Strawberry rhubarb rose jam was a big hit this year!
We made a blueberry lavender jam that was fantastic this year. I’m hoping we have enough frozen blueberries from the summer for an encore!
Honey vanilla apricot – made with local apricots and local honey from a friend. Rainier cherry was also fabulous, as was chocolate raspberry 🙂
nectarine-lemon basil jam
Blender salsa with tomatoes from our garden!
We have a great arrangement with our mail carrier: we give him growlers of homebrew, and he gives us jars of salsa that he and his wife have made. He also gave us their recipe, and this summer I got into canning (finally!) and made a huge batch. It’s my favorite preserves, and it’s the only salsa my daughter will eat. She calls it “mailman salsa.”
My favorite new preserve turns out to be the apricot jam I kind of made up at my Dad’s request. His favorite preserve wasn’t that jam (of course), but the peach-raspberry (AKA pseudo peach melba) I also tried out this year.
My personal favorite is still plum, but I’m the only one in the house who loves it. Just means there’s more for me!
Peach vanilla! mmmm…
We made a fantastic strawberry-serrano jam that OOMPH— rocked my socks off. We are making a huge batch next year… the 12 pints that we made for 2014 only lasted us about a month and a half.
I love jar after jar of pesto popped in the freezer for winter enjoyment
This would answer my keeping the jars upright issue! I just made Christmas jam for gift giving but everyone else loves my blueberry jam.
My neighbors gave me a lovely jar of quince jelly, much nicer than the time I tried making it. Maybe I should talk them into lessons!
Peach cinnamon jam has been a winner!
Mixed berry jam with chia seeds I froze 2 jars- had fun making them. Thanks
My favorite has been the jalapeno jelly
Currently working on my annual calamondin marmalade in several variations. The first one I made is my favorite thus far which included supremed grapefruites and lime to add additional dimension to the flavor profile. It is so delicious.
My favorite jam is rhubarb hibiscus jam 🙂
I’ve really enjoyed my home canned tomatoes. They’ve been great for sauces and stews.
Oh wow. Just one?? I’d have to go with my pineapple jam. It was so unlike anything I have ever done and it tasted like summer in a jar.
ginger peach
So hard to choose! I think the blueberry plum chutney – goes so well with a pork roast or cheese.
Just Peachy!
I picked this name for my peach preserves because they have the most peachy flavor of any peach preserves I have ever made. The difference; I used yellow peaches instead of the white peaches I have used in the past. I prefer white peaches for eating fresh because they are sweeter than yellow peaches. However, they do not have a strong peach flavor. Yellow peaches have a pronounced peach flavor.
My absolute favorite is a simple standby–San Marzano tomatoes, used in so many ways!
I made a lovely pear ginger jam for the first time this year that I adored.
Hot pepper pickles!
Salsa! I made three different kinds!
Apricot-peach on croissants!
Blackberry jam, hands down!
My orange marmalade. It didn’t quite set, but it’s still fantastic!
Love the Pear Vanilla Drizzle!
Our “Best Ever Jam” Strawberry rhubarb was truly the Best Ever!!!
Applesauce. I perfected my recipe and it’s wonderful!
I made “Grammy’s Applesauce” for the first time this year. I used at least 5 different kinds of apples. it’s delicious!!
Strawberry-rhubarb butter, hands down.
It’s a toss-up between cranberry catsup and the pear caramel…
I made some good ones this year but my fav has to be the cranberry-cardamom jam. Saved Thanksgiving with it, too!
My favorite from this year was ketchup – my first try! It was fun and turned out better than expected. Thanks!
Applesauce. First time & it came out so good.
My strawberry rhubarb jam… thanks!!
Alas, alack, I have done little preserving this year. We did make quite a lot of tomato jam – which I love and which makes an excellent gift.
My peach salsa was amazing this year!
Spiced Cranberry Jam it was delicious!! Thanks I believe it was one of your recipes!!
My favorite was pickled mushrooms! So delicious!
Strawberry fig jam
Fridge pickles, or for sweet things, spiced nectarine preserves.
I’m a practical preserver, so my favorite preserve came out of the two bushels of tomatoes I put up – salsa and red sauce for spagetti.
Cranberry Pear jam — both with and without warming spices!
Blackberry jam with fresh-picked blackberries
Oooh, seedless raspberry preserves for sure
My favorite preserve of the year was my first attempt at Concord grape jam!
Chocolate raspberry sauce. (Yes, it’s safe to can!) I’m also loving the Roasted Corn Salsa from your first cookbook.
Peach pecan preserves. The best!
your plum cardamom jam. That stuff is amazing!
Nothing beats your pear and chocolate jam! I make it every year.
My favorite thing I made this year was vegetable soup base with my Mom. It’s a great go-to dinner that we all love!
Peach jam with vanilla. I love it and plan on making more next August.
Plum jam!
My favorite this year was my quince jam with star anise and cinnamon….pure heaven!
Cranberry conserve!!
Raspberry preserves, picked from a local farm!
I think my favorite so far had been the pineapple and roasted yellow pepper salsa that I made back in January. It didn’t make very many jars, and I’ve been carefully rationing them out until pineapples went on sale again.
One of the best things about living in Maine is wild blueberries, those tiny little gems that are bursting with flavor. My favorite preserve from 2014 is good old straight-up blueberry jam. We just opened a jar, and the fragrance alone was enough to propel me back to the warmth of summer.
Hands down, my fave is my very own Red Raspberry Jam!!
I always love my good ol’ plain strawberry preserves. We pick the strawberries at a local U-pick, and this year, I taught a friend to make the preserves with me. I keep intending to branch out with an alternative flavor — adding vanilla or balsamic, but the simple berry preserve always wins me over.
Crockpot Cranberry Butter was the one and only canned Christmas gift I put up!
I bought one of these Spice Ratchet trivets and began to use it as a rack for heating my open jars. I noticed a film on top of the water. The trivet shed tiny silicone particles into the water which left a rubbery film on the sides of my stainless steel pot. I could wash it off, but realized the particles were probably all over the insides of my open jars. This rack should be used for water bath processing for CLOSED JARS ONLY.
Teresa, I’ve never had that experience and I’ve used a number of these trivets for canning. Did you wash your trivet before using?
Monkey Butter!
Pickled brussel sprouts! First time doing them this year and they are DELICIOUS!
Apple chutney. I made it as a small batch just to try it out – wow! I love it with crackers and cheddar cheese.
My favorite preserve was the strawberry jam with vanilla that I made with strawberries from a local strawberry patch picked with my niece and nephew.
apple/pear butter
I just made a batch of habanero gold from the big Ball jar book – I love pepper jelly anyway but this one is delicious.
anything with ginger: peach ginger is amazing!
Ginger-plum preserves!
Thanks to you, Italian Plum Jam with Star Anise!
It’s a draw for me! Dilly beans made a comeback (finally found dill flower heads and green beans at same time at farmers market — often mismatched seasonally here in South). Also made a giganto batch of Cuckoo’s Catsup with the help of my aunt and cousin. This is my grandmother’s famous recipe that I resurrected from her chicken-scratch handwritten recipe and made food safe.
Cranberry conserve! We love this over cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving!
It is a toss up between the Apricot Butter that I purposefully planned to make (bought the apricots for the recipe) and the Vanilla Plum Jam which was a result of an unplanned and hasty use up of the fruit before leaving on vacation.
peach salsa
Blueberry lime jam in my old school(40 years) aluminum canning set.
Making my grandma’s sweet pickle recipe. Tastes like home.
My favorite this year was ginger pear made with brown sugar
My favorite this year was habanero apricot jam.
I came into a bunch of cherries this year and made several batches of black forest preserves. It is delicious on chocolate cake with whip cream. Hello Christmas presents!
I love the sweet pickle relish I made this summer. So good.
All I’ve canned this year so far is peach butter. I’m hoping to get around to some cranberry chutney and some sour cherries that are in my freezer, though!
My fave new jam this year was the plum cardamom jam from Canning for a New Generation.
Tomato paste made from San Marzano tomatoes we grew on our NH farm!
My favorite is the blackberry sage jam. So good over yogurt!
Favorite would be the black cherry jam made from frozen, store bought black cherries. Yep. They worked GREAT! Not the cheapest way to acquire fruit for jam, but the taste is wonderful
Stil haven’t ordered these trivets, and need to do just that. Or win them!
So far, our favorites have been the Roasted Corn Salsa. I sell breads at our local farm market, and sometimes do some trading with the other vendors at the end of the day. I come home with extra sweet corn, peppers, and tomatoes (that were too blemished to sell to customers, but good enough for salsa!)
I just started canning this year after my husband got me both books. By far my most popular jam has been the Apple Rosemary. I’m pretty sure I’ve gone through 50lbs of apples to make it so far this year!
We created what we like to call Strawberry Lemonade Jam – and boy, it is a burst of summer in the midst of winter!!!
Thanks for your great blog xoxox!
Jsut one favorite… lol…your recipe for apple rosemary jam makes the top, along with cranberry catsup! oh, and the pickled pumpkin…so many good ones to choose from this year. So glad I ran across your books at my little local book store!
So sorry, didn’t mean to post this here, got side tracked by how wonderful your strawberry lemonaide jam sounded. Is it a personal recipe?
Tomato jam!!
Our favorite is cranberry orange preserves. Really good on biscuits with cream cheese.
I’m happy that I made the triumvirate of nostalgia for my childhood this year: mulberry jam, crabapple marmalade, and honeysuckle marmalade. I’m not sure which was my favorite but I’m digging the crabapple marmalade I still have left.
My favorite has been the cranberry quince sauce–so yummy with Thanksgiving dinner!
Just one favorite… lol…your recipe for apple rosemary jam makes the top, along with cranberry catsup! oh, and the pickled pumpkin…so many good ones to choose from this year. So glad I ran across your books at my little local book store!
Tomato Jam sweetened with Honey! I made three big batches of tomato jam this year (I’m not running out by May again next spring!), and this batch allowed me to share with a friend who has a bunch of dietary restrictions — who I hadn’t realized wouldn’t be able to eat my last canned-good share. Also, I think it might be my favorite & I might make it more than sugar-sweetened next year. Thanks, Marisa!
Spiced nectarine jam!
Dilled green tomatoes. I loaded them with garlic this year!
Spiced pear butter! Had friends with a overflowing pear tree that needed to be put to use. 🙂
My favorite preserve was roasted apricot jam.
I think I have 2 faves from this year. From the summer- apricot jam. Mom’s country orchards nice little organic farm stand up in Oak Glen, apple country near my home had cooking apricots for a dollar a pound. Then at the end of fall a friend gave me a couple bags of quince. I made quince butter.
My favorites this year have been pickled cauliflower and fermented kosher dills. Yum!
Bread and Butters.
I made a batch of cinnamon apple slices with apples from the tree in the new yard of friends. And it is delicious. I did not make enough!
Cherry jam!!
[…] Ratchet is the company that makes the Blossom Trivet, aka my favorite canning rack in all the world. Last fall, they premiered a line of Blossom uCaps. […]