Williams-Sonoma Canning Class

Today I had the opportunity to attend a canning class at Williams-Sonoma. As you might remember I make Chow Chow and I recently started canning salsa. I figured since the class was free I'd drag my Mom along and we could make a girls day out of it.

I must admit this was my first time actually going inside a Williams-Sonoma. I've seen the store before but never really had a reason to venture inside. What can I say, I'm a Target girl. Anyway, the WS here is pretty small but I was still impressed by all the doo-dads and what-nots they had. Pretty cookbooks and gorgeous pots. All out of this little kitchenista's budget.

I learned quite a bit during the class despite the chatty Cathies standing next to me. I will never understand why adults come to these type of demonstrations and have little mini side bar conversations. The class is only an hour long. Can your chit chat not wait an hour? There were a few moments where I felt like the WS employee had lost his audience. People kept walking off, browsing the store then coming back and then there was the "stand out student". Have you ever heard of this person? I'm sure you've met one once in your academic life. The stand out student is the person in a class setting that must let the teacher know that he/she has some knowledge of a topic by asking a ridiculous amount of questions, making obvious statements or they try to out teach the teacher.

One of the chatty Cathies was also the stand out student.

The instructor made a delicious berry jam that seems pretty easy to make. Here are some pics I snapped from the class. Unfortunately, I did not get a pic of the chatty Cathies. They were standing to my left and it would have been awkward to turn to snap their pic. Not to mention that your imagination is probably doing them enough justice. Picture a cute little ole grandma...done. The recipe for the jam is below the pics. Enjoy!

this little cutie enjoyed the class with her Mom and grandma, precious!

Mixed Berry Jam

Ingredients

4 cups raspberries

4 cups blackberries

4 cups blueberries

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice

*fruit pectin optional*

Directions

Have ready 6 hot, sterilized half-pint jars and their lids.

In a large nonreactive saucepan, gently stir together the berries, sugar and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring frequently, until the jam has thickened, about 15 minutes. It will continue to thicken as it cools.

Ladle the hot jam into the jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace. Remove any air bubbles and adjust the headspace, if necessary. Wipe the rims clean and seal tightly with the lids. Process the jars in a boiling-water bath for 10 minutes. The sealed jars can be stored in a cool, dark place for up to one year. If a seal has failed, store the jar in the refrigerator for up to one month. Makes 6 half-pint jars.

*Credits: As they appear on the back cover of the July 8, 2012 Williams-Sonoma Technique Class pamphlet: Adapted from The Art of Preserving, by Lisa Atwood, Rebecca Courchesne & Rick Field (Weldon Owen, 2010)