Canning: Alien Guts

This is my second year at canning alien guts.  Last year I was determined to do it just for the sheer novelty of it, and it went over well . . . well, with my husband anyway.  The kids took one look at the green, jellied mass and promptly declared they would not be eating those "alien guts." 

 And of course I'm referring to green tomato preserves.  But if anyone knows where they sell alien guts, you could probably make a fortune on that!  Preserves is a product defined as "a mixture of fruit with an equal amount of sugar."  No wonder this stuff tastes good!  I used my 1955 Kerr canning book for this recipe as my "new" 1967 Ball book didn't have it.

 

Recipe: 

11 cups green tomatoes

8 cups sugar

2 whole lemons

Chop the tomatoes into cubes, cover with hot water and boil for 5 minutes.  Drain, add sugar and let sit for at least 3 hours.

 

 Drain off syrup and boil rapidly until it spins a thread.  Add tomatoes and chopped lemons.  Boil until thick and clear (about 10 minutes).

Pack in KERR (the name is printed in capitals throughout the entire cookbook, just in case you forgot which jar brand is the BEST) and process for 20 minutes.

yes, that's my Sunbeam collection in the back

So my afternoon culminated in seven 8oz jars of alien guts.  Luckily this batch will, in fact, last an entire year.  :)  I enjoy trying some of the more "exotic" recipes that have gotten lost over the years.  By the way, Wild Kat makes an awesome jalapeno pepper jam!  So what's up next?  Maybe watermelon rind preserves?  Or crab apple catsup?  Never know what delightful things will come out of that KERR book!