When blueberry season approaches I am always so happy. Not only is there usually a surge of local New Jersey blueberries, but I can usually get them by the case at the local outdoor market pretty cheap. I'm not sure what the issue was this year, but the local market hasn't been flooded with these delicious berries, and, due to an overcrowded schedule, we haven't been able to get to Jersey a lot this year to get some on our own. Recently, however, I have been able to get some inexpensive blueberries that have been quite tasty despite their long travel from Chile. And, I'll tell you what, they made a damn good jam!

When you think about jams and jellies, probably the last thing that comes to mind are tomatoes. Whenever I pull out a jar for company I am usually met with a strange look and a few questions that make me think of those Memos with the guy from the Lord of the Rings.

When it comes to canning and preserving, you usually think about fruits like apples and berries, or maybe pickles and tomato sauces. The last thing that comes to mind, at least for me, are bananas. Bananas are super versatile and used in many different baking recipes.

***There is debate as to whether or not bananas are safe to water bath can or they must be pressure canned, however, from experience, I have water bath caned this jam three times in the past two year and have had no bad experiences. Do your research, and, as always, if there are any doubts as to whether or not something canned is safe to eat or not, don't do it. Food borne illness with preserved foods is very serious and not worth risking your health over.***

We usually have tons of bananas lying about the house...and I mean tons. Every trip to a store or market with Eamon ends up with a bunch of bananas. They are his favorite fruit (and honestly the only fruit he will willingly eat) and you cannot walk through any fruit aisle without him wanting to eat a banana, or two. Even though I love putting them in smoothies and adding them as a topping to a snack of peanut butter topped rice cake, three to four pounds of bananas are sometimes hard to go through in a one week period. They start to brown and thanks to a certain Pete the Cat book, Eamon will not touch them at this point.

In comes Monkey Butter.

It's hard to believe that I have been canning now for two years. I began water bath canning as a way to teach myself to be more self reliant and to learn the art form of preservation that decades ago was the only way to keep our families nourished during the winter months. It wasn't really until the time of the second World War that tin canned good became the way of life. Form then on women were encouraged to purchase canned vegetables and meats from the ever growing grocery stores instead of growing and preserving foods of their own. Of course, for many people outside of the city and suburban areas of the country, much of the foods in the pantry come right from the garden and the hunt. I admire those people who remain closely connected with their food.

When starting off canning, a lot of people like to jump right into jams and jellies when there is something much easier and much more versatile to get your feet wet with: applesause.

Fall is such a wonderful time for apples. The orchards are plentiful and nothing beats the fresh aroma of cooked apples: whether it be a pie, a bread, a jam or a sauce. In addition, apples are economically reasonable, especially if you are lucky enough to have a pick-your-own orchard or a tree of your own. Even in the markets, apples usually range around a dollar a pound for the conventional varieties which makes them a good target crop to experiment with.

When my father in law (whom I also work with) comes into the office last week with a bag full of peppers, I knew it was his way of saying: "Can you make me some jelly?"

You see, I am one of those hosts who sets out a plate of crackers, cheeses, homemade sweets and jams every time someone stops by...even if it is for only a short time. I'm like a mini Martha Stewart in my own way, only a lot less pretentious and covered in tattoos. And despite the usual hesitance people have when I offer "jalapeno jelly" on crackers with cream cheese, it quickly turns into them begging for a jar to take home themselves.

Canning has been around since about the 19th century, however, in a world of modern convenience, more people turn to the superchains to supply their pantry with their canned fruits, veggies, jellies, jams and pickles. After all, spending a dollar or two is surely much easier than pulling your own veg, chopping, mixing and boiling your own canned foods, right? Well...store packaged foods, as we all know, are usually chocked full of preservatives and often contain chemical laden produce, so home canning is surely the only way to know for sure what is in your food. Whether you are growing your backyard tomatoes or buying them from the market, the process from start to finish is in your control and there is no greater satisfaction than cracking open a tightly sealed lid of a product your made yourself.