The household name for canning in the US is Ball. At some point in our lives we have all come in contact with the familiar glass jars - either finding them in our grandmother or mother's pantries or having bought them for craft or canning projects ourselves.

Ball Canning Back to Basics: A Foolproof Guide to Canning Jams, Jellies, Pickles, and More by the Ball Test Kitchen was published this July. This full color water bath canning guide shares 100 classic recipes that we should all have in our arsenal. Ball breaks down every step in water bath canning for both the novice canner or for those looking to improve their technique.

Recipes include Nectarine-sour cherry jam, Low sugar honey-pear jam, Meyer lemon marmalade, Blueberry butter and Tomato-apple chutney.  Perfect for Fall and the approaching holidays, the publisher is sharing a recipe for Apple pie jam today. This jam would be great on scones or wrapped with a ribbon as a lovely hostess gift. Time Inc. Books, the publisher, is providing three copies of Back to Basics in our contest open to members in the US - be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to enter.

Apple pie jam 
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Makes about 5 (1⁄2-pint) jars

This jam plays well with graham crackers or ice cream for a sweet pick-me-up.

  • 6 cups diced peeled Granny Smith apples (about 6 apples)
  • 2 cups apple juice or apple cider
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • ½ cup chopped raisins (optional)
  • 3 tablespoons Ball® Classic Pectin
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 cups sugar

1. Bring the apples, juices, and, if desired, raisins to a boil in a 6-quart stainless-steel or enameled Dutch oven; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until the apples are soft, stirring occasionally.

2. Whisk in the pectin and next 3 ingredients. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down, over high, stirring constantly.

3. Add the sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return the mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim the foam, if necessary.

4. Ladle the hot jam into a hot jar, leaving 1⁄4-inch headspace. Wipe the jar rim. Center the lid on the jar. Apply the band, and adjust to fingertip-tight. Place the jar in the boiling water canner. Repeat until all the jars are filled.

5. Process the jars 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Turn off heat; remove the lid, and let the jars stand 5 minutes. Remove the jars and cool.

Excerpted from Ball® Canning Back to Basics. Copyright © 2017 Hearthmark, LLC. Reprinted with permission from Time Inc. Books, a division of Time Inc. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

The publisher is offering three copies of this titles to EYB Members in the US. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.

Which recipe in the index would you try first?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won't be counted. Please be sure to check your spam filters to make sure you receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on October 23, 2017.