I am making your strawberry pie filling and it says to have 1 1/2” headspace in the quarter jar. I’m doing mine in pints and the bubble reminded ver and measuring device only goes to 1”z
Pie fillings are 1 inch headspace, and I went back and checked the article and it does say 1 inch. (If you see 1 1/2 somewhere, let me know, I'll go fix it.) That said, I'd leave a generous 1'' headspace because the clearjel expands as it's canned and it does tend to overflow the jars if you're not generous with headspace.
The only thing that I can think of that has over 1'' headspace is chicken, and that's because it's sometimes canned bone in and you want the bones to be well below the top of the jar so they don't poke up and mess with the seal. For that, you'll just have to eyeball it, but everything else is under 1'' (as far as I can think of at the moment at least).
It was the water bath recipe. They did overflow a bit so I had some jars to clean up this morning. I got pretty nervous for a while during the mixing of the sugar, clear jel and water to a boil. I was getting these clumps of brown, I used natural turbinado sugar, but I just kept whisking and it came together. Very thick but smooth.
Thank you for your education. I do want to try pressure canning a whole bird too. I’ll be getting back with you on that one.
Ashley do I add tannin or raisins to the dandelion mead? It was not in your list of ingredients but was mentioned in the end of the wine making process.
You definitely want yeast nutrient, at a rate of 1 tsp per gallon. You can use raisins, but they will impact the flavor and the dandelion is really delicate. Tannin is completely optional, and I've made it both ways. My favorite batch from about 12 years ago used a cup of black tea in the recipe to add tannin, instead of tannin powder.
We're actually (hopefully) making a 5 gallon batch of dandelion mead today, if I can recruit the littles to harvest a bucket of dandelions. I really gotta write this one up and get it onto the blog in a proper way, soon definitely. Sorry that's not all that much help to you today!
The tannin is totally optional. It can help round out the flavor for some people, other's skip it for dandelion wine and keep it light. If you did want to add it, you can put it in at racking when you move the wine to secondary (or you can skip it). Adding a bit of brewed (but cooled) black tea works well (like 1/2 cup to 1 cup), as does tannin powder (in very small 1/8 ish tsp. amounts).
The tannin adds complexity as the mead is aged over the course of years, but can be a bit rough if you're drinking it very fresh (within a month or two of finishing). It also adds body and contributes to mouthfeel, which can be a bit light in floral wines.
So many things grow well in shade! For veggies, anything where you're eating the actual plant rather than the fruit of the plant does fine in shade. That includes things like lettuce, kale, celery, beets, carrots, etc. There's a long list here: https://practicalselfreliance.com/shade-tolerant-vegetables/
For perennials and fruits, take a look at currants and gooseberries. They thrive in shade and actually do poorly in full sun.
Wondering when I should start fertilizing...people here don't start planting outside till end of May. We are having a frost tonight so I don't want a burst of growth and then get hit with a frost. My asparagus heads are just poking up as are the rhubarb. Also, what kind of fertilizer do you use? I was looking for Black Kow but couldn't find it, only Grow Green composted cow manure. I have a big compost pile and projects this Spring will be building posts and wire for my 8 grapes and building a cold country chicken coop so can use composted chicken manure to be sustainable. Let me know if you have any plans for a chicken coop or where to find? Thank you for sharing all your valuable knowledge. Kay
We mostly use our homemade compost, but we also do fish emulsion to boost things early in the season. For blueberries, raspberries, etc we use fertilizers from epsoma (holly tone), and they give great results and help acidify the soil a bit as the berries like. We like to fertilize early in the spring, right as growth is starting, and then again just after the plants are setting fruit.
Is your homemade fertilizer made from compost? My husband screwed a few wooden pallets together and I've been throwing stuff into it for a year and it has shrunk by 50%. Is there a better way? I am going to start using it now. Have to take out stuff that didn't decompose.
Hi Ashley, I'm in zone 4 and want to grow artichokes. I bought 3 Imperial Star plants. Wondering if I should pot them up, move to garage for the winter or plant directly in the ground, dig up the roots, pot, keep in the garage and then replant in the Spring? Also, where do you buy your canning jars? Kay
We've never grown artichokes here, but I do know that they have some special chill requirements to flower as I recall. We got plants at some point, years ago to try it out, but in the chaos of a busy gardening season they were forgotten and didn't get the attention they needed to flower/produce.
For canning jars, we've always picked them up at the local hardware store. We have so many at this point that I haven't really had to worry about it with the shortages in the past few years, but I do still occasionally see them there. This is the time of year to look, right when they come in and before they sell out for the season.
Hi Ashley! Thank you so much for the wealth of knowledge you share. I always learn so much from reading your posts. I’m looking for advice around growing a serviceberry from a small (1 ft ish) bare root seedling. I got two via Arbor Day Foundation from an Earth Day event. The paper it came with says to keep them in a container for the first year, and I’ve done that. I’m in zone 6b. Wondering if I should keep them inside for the winter/after the first hard frost? Right now we’re putting them out in the sun during the day and bringing inside at night until maybe early June when they’ll stay out 24/7. Partially I’m trying to decide on its location and fencing situation and how the winter plan would impact those choices. Thank you!
Hi Sarah, Since they've been so protected thus far, keeping them indoors at night until after the last frost sounds like a good idea. That should be fairly soon for you, here in zone 4 our last frost is only about 15 to 20 days away. You're doing the right thing, bringing it out during the day to help harden it off before planting. Keep doing that so it can get used to bright sunlight, as plants kept indoors can burn in the sun if they're just exposed to it all at once at transplanting.
Hopefully they gave you a bit of info about how big they get. Serviceberries vary widely in size, and some stay small and bushy (no more than 2 feet tall). Others grow to 20ft trees, and everywhere in between. It really depends on the variety.
Good luck with your plants, they really are delicious!
Hi Ashley: Thank you for being here for us. Jjust wondering if you've grown pumpkins in the North that makes good pumpkin puree for canning? Going to be growing 3 sisters this year for the first time, have my corn seed and pole bean seed but looking for pumpkin now. Thanks!
The absolute best pumpkins for puree (and pies, soup, etc) are New England Cheese Pumpkins (also known as Long Island Cheese). We did a heirloom pumpkin taste test one year and tried just about every variety we could get our hands on that grows well locally...they were by far the best. Lots of places sell seed to them, but this is the one I'm talking about: https://www.rareseeds.com/long-island-cheese-pumpkin
Hi Faith, I do! I'd honestly suggest making dandelion mead instead of wine, as it's much better. Sugar wines tend to be thin and they're not nearly as satisfying, especially when made with flower petals that don't add body like fruit does.
I do have a dandelion wine recipe posted, but I need to update it as I've changed my process a bit and it's much better.
I'd suggest using about 1 quart of petals (removed from green parts) to each gallon of wine. That's roughly 1 gallon of actual blossoms, since they pack down quite a bit more when you pluck them out of the flower blossom.
Bring about 3 quarts of water to a boil, turn off the heat and add the petals. Let is steep about 15-20 minutes and then strain. Add 3 lbs honey (about 1 quart), stir to dissolve.
You'll also want:
3 oranges, juice and zest
1 lemon, juice and zest
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 packet wine yeast
For the wine yeast, I'd suggest Cotes de Blancs these days, rather than champagne yeast. It gives a better flavor.
Add in all the other ingredients to the hot honey mixture, except the yeast. When it's cooled completely, now it's time for the yeast. (From here on out, the instructions are the same as I have in my article on dandelion wine)
Dissolve a packet of champagne yeast or other wine yeast in lukewarm water. Allow it to stand for 5 minutes to re-hydrate and then pour it into the wine. Top off with a bit of extra water to bring to fill the carboy, but be sure to leave at least an inch of headspace.
Cap with an airlock and ferment for about 3 weeks or until fermentation has stopped. It will take a bit longer if you don't use raisins because they provide extra micro-nutrients to get the yeast working faster.
Siphon the wine into a clean container, leaving the yeast sediment behind. Allow the wine to ferment in secondary for at least 6 to 8 weeks, checking the water lock periodically to ensure that the water hasn't evaporated.
Siphon the dandelion wine into a clean container, again leaving the sediment behind, to prepare for bottling.
No worries! I pasted the whole thing into that comment but substack cuts it off a bit. You can click the little thing at the bottom that says "Expand Full Comment" and you'll see it. Alternately, you can look at the recipe card at the end of this post and pick up at step 3 when you're dissolving the yeast: https://practicalselfreliance.com/dandelion-wine-recipe/
Hi Ashley! Awesome to be here with you on your new Substack.
I recently made your fermented honey garlic recipe. Wondering what you used the garlic in/for after the fermentation took place. Also, did you use the garlicky honey for anything special?
The garlic honey has a lot more uses than the actual garlic, and you can eat it as it is on a spoon (like cough syrup). It's reasonably mild, at least for honey that's packed with garlic. It's also really good a as a glaze. We just roasted a goose yesterday and I spread it on part of the bird with a pastry brush during the last few minutes of cooking...delicious. We cook a lot of Asian fusion food too, so something that has sweet and spice (General Tso's Chicken, etc) works really well.
Other things that take spicy/sweet well are crackers and cheese on a charcuterie board, or bread and cheese. I really love crusty bread with blue cheese and honey, and it works well with the garlic honey.
It's also great on a biscuit with butter.
I've actually added it to some of my herbal teas too, and it adds a nice spice (but I like garlic a lot, I imagine some people wouldn't like that version).
The actual garlic pieces are A LOT harder to use, since they're still pretty intensely garlic flavored. I tried eating them with a fork, and it's a lot even for me. I also tried putting a single little piece on a cracker with cheese, and while that's good...you can only eat 2 or 3 before you're done. For those, I recommend straining them really good and leaving most the honey behind, then using them in recipes that want plenty of garlic but can handle a bit of sugar too. Just cook them into your dishes.
Kinda sad in some senses to not get a specialized use out of them, but think of them more as a way to make the honey amazing (and then still have them to use as garlic in cooking). That's my best idea anyway, if you come up with some special way to use the actual garlic I'd love to hear it.
Thank you so much for your amazing blog! I have tried persimmon jam recipe (modified a bit) and it turned out very well.
I am planning to make more jams and preserves. Do you think I can reuse lids? I grew up in Europe and my family always reused lids when making jam. However, I noticed that in the US people do not reuse lids.
I have sent a picture of the lids (because I do not know what is the word in English for that kind of lid).
Thank you 🙏 so much for your time and advice! Looking forward to hearing from you.
That's such a good question! The main issue with re-using canning lids (at least with water bath canning) is they're more likely to not seal, meaning the food can't be stored on the pantry shelf. If that happens, you can just store it in the refrigerator (or process the jar again with a new lid).
Modern canning lids guaranteed for the first seal, but the coating on the edge starts to break down with each canning cycle. After a while, it won't seal very well...but most often you can get quite a few good seals out of clean, undamaged lids. At least with water bath canning.
Inspect the lids before you use them. They shouldn't have any nicks or dents, and the rubberized seal around the edge should still look good (like new, or close to it). Of course, make sure you're canning something that's approved for water bath canning (ie. not meats or low acid foods), and always check the jar seals before storing on the pantry shelf.
With pressure canning, the temperatures are much higher and that's a lot harder on the seals. It's also higher risk if the jars don't seal. While you can get away with re-using lids for water bath canning high acid foods (jams, pickles, etc), it's not something you should do in the pressure canner.
As you mention, in Europe lids are re-used regularly until they just won't seal anymore and that's a common practice.
Thank you so much! I was planning to reuse lids for jam making. I do not do bath canning for jams. I just turn them upside down for a few minutes and wait to see if the lid will seal. Do you think I can reuse lids with that technique as well?
Yes. That's actually easier on the lids and they keep longer that way since they're exposed to less heat in sealing. In the US, water bath canning is the only "approved" method but in Europe I know that pretty much no one water bath's jams of any sort. They still seal just fine if you've done it right, and yes, you can re-use those lids.
There are, alternatively, tattler or other lids meant to be nearly infinitely reused even if you do water bath or pressure can them. I had never heard of them, so thought I would mention their existence :]
That is so true. There are two main brands, Tater and Harvest right. They have specialized gaskets that are made to be sealed many times without breaking down, though they're used slightly differently than regular lids (read the instructions that come with them). I'm not sure those will work with the European "flip" method that doesn't involve canning though....
I am making your strawberry pie filling and it says to have 1 1/2” headspace in the quarter jar. I’m doing mine in pints and the bubble reminded ver and measuring device only goes to 1”z
What do I do?
Pie fillings are 1 inch headspace, and I went back and checked the article and it does say 1 inch. (If you see 1 1/2 somewhere, let me know, I'll go fix it.) That said, I'd leave a generous 1'' headspace because the clearjel expands as it's canned and it does tend to overflow the jars if you're not generous with headspace.
The only thing that I can think of that has over 1'' headspace is chicken, and that's because it's sometimes canned bone in and you want the bones to be well below the top of the jar so they don't poke up and mess with the seal. For that, you'll just have to eyeball it, but everything else is under 1'' (as far as I can think of at the moment at least).
It was the water bath recipe. They did overflow a bit so I had some jars to clean up this morning. I got pretty nervous for a while during the mixing of the sugar, clear jel and water to a boil. I was getting these clumps of brown, I used natural turbinado sugar, but I just kept whisking and it came together. Very thick but smooth.
Thank you for your education. I do want to try pressure canning a whole bird too. I’ll be getting back with you on that one.
Remover not reminder 😝
Oh and that is quart not quarter 😜
No z or ver in the message 🤷♀️
Ashley do I add tannin or raisins to the dandelion mead? It was not in your list of ingredients but was mentioned in the end of the wine making process.
You definitely want yeast nutrient, at a rate of 1 tsp per gallon. You can use raisins, but they will impact the flavor and the dandelion is really delicate. Tannin is completely optional, and I've made it both ways. My favorite batch from about 12 years ago used a cup of black tea in the recipe to add tannin, instead of tannin powder.
We're actually (hopefully) making a 5 gallon batch of dandelion mead today, if I can recruit the littles to harvest a bucket of dandelions. I really gotta write this one up and get it onto the blog in a proper way, soon definitely. Sorry that's not all that much help to you today!
So should I be putting in some sort of tannin? It has been bubbling in the closet since Friday. I’ll add some if it is supposed to have it.
Thank you, faith
The tannin is totally optional. It can help round out the flavor for some people, other's skip it for dandelion wine and keep it light. If you did want to add it, you can put it in at racking when you move the wine to secondary (or you can skip it). Adding a bit of brewed (but cooled) black tea works well (like 1/2 cup to 1 cup), as does tannin powder (in very small 1/8 ish tsp. amounts).
The tannin adds complexity as the mead is aged over the course of years, but can be a bit rough if you're drinking it very fresh (within a month or two of finishing). It also adds body and contributes to mouthfeel, which can be a bit light in floral wines.
Thank you. I think I’ll try the fresh brewed tea.
Thank you, that was good info, going to try it. I have a space in my fenced in garden that gets lots of shade, what can I grow there? Kay
So many things grow well in shade! For veggies, anything where you're eating the actual plant rather than the fruit of the plant does fine in shade. That includes things like lettuce, kale, celery, beets, carrots, etc. There's a long list here: https://practicalselfreliance.com/shade-tolerant-vegetables/
For perennials and fruits, take a look at currants and gooseberries. They thrive in shade and actually do poorly in full sun.
Wondering when I should start fertilizing...people here don't start planting outside till end of May. We are having a frost tonight so I don't want a burst of growth and then get hit with a frost. My asparagus heads are just poking up as are the rhubarb. Also, what kind of fertilizer do you use? I was looking for Black Kow but couldn't find it, only Grow Green composted cow manure. I have a big compost pile and projects this Spring will be building posts and wire for my 8 grapes and building a cold country chicken coop so can use composted chicken manure to be sustainable. Let me know if you have any plans for a chicken coop or where to find? Thank you for sharing all your valuable knowledge. Kay
We mostly use our homemade compost, but we also do fish emulsion to boost things early in the season. For blueberries, raspberries, etc we use fertilizers from epsoma (holly tone), and they give great results and help acidify the soil a bit as the berries like. We like to fertilize early in the spring, right as growth is starting, and then again just after the plants are setting fruit.
Is your homemade fertilizer made from compost? My husband screwed a few wooden pallets together and I've been throwing stuff into it for a year and it has shrunk by 50%. Is there a better way? I am going to start using it now. Have to take out stuff that didn't decompose.
Hi Ashley, I'm in zone 4 and want to grow artichokes. I bought 3 Imperial Star plants. Wondering if I should pot them up, move to garage for the winter or plant directly in the ground, dig up the roots, pot, keep in the garage and then replant in the Spring? Also, where do you buy your canning jars? Kay
We've never grown artichokes here, but I do know that they have some special chill requirements to flower as I recall. We got plants at some point, years ago to try it out, but in the chaos of a busy gardening season they were forgotten and didn't get the attention they needed to flower/produce.
I just did a bit of research, and I think they information you're looking for is here: https://savvygardening.com/growing-artichokes/
For canning jars, we've always picked them up at the local hardware store. We have so many at this point that I haven't really had to worry about it with the shortages in the past few years, but I do still occasionally see them there. This is the time of year to look, right when they come in and before they sell out for the season.
Hi Ashley! Thank you so much for the wealth of knowledge you share. I always learn so much from reading your posts. I’m looking for advice around growing a serviceberry from a small (1 ft ish) bare root seedling. I got two via Arbor Day Foundation from an Earth Day event. The paper it came with says to keep them in a container for the first year, and I’ve done that. I’m in zone 6b. Wondering if I should keep them inside for the winter/after the first hard frost? Right now we’re putting them out in the sun during the day and bringing inside at night until maybe early June when they’ll stay out 24/7. Partially I’m trying to decide on its location and fencing situation and how the winter plan would impact those choices. Thank you!
Hi Sarah, Since they've been so protected thus far, keeping them indoors at night until after the last frost sounds like a good idea. That should be fairly soon for you, here in zone 4 our last frost is only about 15 to 20 days away. You're doing the right thing, bringing it out during the day to help harden it off before planting. Keep doing that so it can get used to bright sunlight, as plants kept indoors can burn in the sun if they're just exposed to it all at once at transplanting.
Hopefully they gave you a bit of info about how big they get. Serviceberries vary widely in size, and some stay small and bushy (no more than 2 feet tall). Others grow to 20ft trees, and everywhere in between. It really depends on the variety.
Good luck with your plants, they really are delicious!
Where do you buy your ball jars? Also, having trouble getting here... What is the Url I go to to get here?
Hi Ashley: Thank you for being here for us. Jjust wondering if you've grown pumpkins in the North that makes good pumpkin puree for canning? Going to be growing 3 sisters this year for the first time, have my corn seed and pole bean seed but looking for pumpkin now. Thanks!
The absolute best pumpkins for puree (and pies, soup, etc) are New England Cheese Pumpkins (also known as Long Island Cheese). We did a heirloom pumpkin taste test one year and tried just about every variety we could get our hands on that grows well locally...they were by far the best. Lots of places sell seed to them, but this is the one I'm talking about: https://www.rareseeds.com/long-island-cheese-pumpkin
I’m about to be trying my hand at some dandelion wine. Do you have a tried and true recipe?
Hi Faith, I do! I'd honestly suggest making dandelion mead instead of wine, as it's much better. Sugar wines tend to be thin and they're not nearly as satisfying, especially when made with flower petals that don't add body like fruit does.
I do have a dandelion wine recipe posted, but I need to update it as I've changed my process a bit and it's much better.
I'd suggest using about 1 quart of petals (removed from green parts) to each gallon of wine. That's roughly 1 gallon of actual blossoms, since they pack down quite a bit more when you pluck them out of the flower blossom.
Bring about 3 quarts of water to a boil, turn off the heat and add the petals. Let is steep about 15-20 minutes and then strain. Add 3 lbs honey (about 1 quart), stir to dissolve.
You'll also want:
3 oranges, juice and zest
1 lemon, juice and zest
1 tsp yeast nutrient
1 packet wine yeast
For the wine yeast, I'd suggest Cotes de Blancs these days, rather than champagne yeast. It gives a better flavor.
Add in all the other ingredients to the hot honey mixture, except the yeast. When it's cooled completely, now it's time for the yeast. (From here on out, the instructions are the same as I have in my article on dandelion wine)
Dissolve a packet of champagne yeast or other wine yeast in lukewarm water. Allow it to stand for 5 minutes to re-hydrate and then pour it into the wine. Top off with a bit of extra water to bring to fill the carboy, but be sure to leave at least an inch of headspace.
Cap with an airlock and ferment for about 3 weeks or until fermentation has stopped. It will take a bit longer if you don't use raisins because they provide extra micro-nutrients to get the yeast working faster.
Siphon the wine into a clean container, leaving the yeast sediment behind. Allow the wine to ferment in secondary for at least 6 to 8 weeks, checking the water lock periodically to ensure that the water hasn't evaporated.
Siphon the dandelion wine into a clean container, again leaving the sediment behind, to prepare for bottling.
Bottle the dandelion wine in corked wine bottles.
I’m sorry where do I find the recipe?
No worries! I pasted the whole thing into that comment but substack cuts it off a bit. You can click the little thing at the bottom that says "Expand Full Comment" and you'll see it. Alternately, you can look at the recipe card at the end of this post and pick up at step 3 when you're dissolving the yeast: https://practicalselfreliance.com/dandelion-wine-recipe/
Ashley, so I don’t add raisins or tannin for the dandelion mead?
Thank you. I love a quick find.
I will need to pick up some more ingredients to make this. Thank you. Is raw honey okay to use. It is very thick is why I ask.
Yup, raw honey is great, it's what I use. Gives great flavor that way. Yes, it is thick but keep stirring until it dissolves completely. Enjoy!
Hi Ashley! Awesome to be here with you on your new Substack.
I recently made your fermented honey garlic recipe. Wondering what you used the garlic in/for after the fermentation took place. Also, did you use the garlicky honey for anything special?
Thanks!
The garlic honey has a lot more uses than the actual garlic, and you can eat it as it is on a spoon (like cough syrup). It's reasonably mild, at least for honey that's packed with garlic. It's also really good a as a glaze. We just roasted a goose yesterday and I spread it on part of the bird with a pastry brush during the last few minutes of cooking...delicious. We cook a lot of Asian fusion food too, so something that has sweet and spice (General Tso's Chicken, etc) works really well.
Other things that take spicy/sweet well are crackers and cheese on a charcuterie board, or bread and cheese. I really love crusty bread with blue cheese and honey, and it works well with the garlic honey.
It's also great on a biscuit with butter.
I've actually added it to some of my herbal teas too, and it adds a nice spice (but I like garlic a lot, I imagine some people wouldn't like that version).
The actual garlic pieces are A LOT harder to use, since they're still pretty intensely garlic flavored. I tried eating them with a fork, and it's a lot even for me. I also tried putting a single little piece on a cracker with cheese, and while that's good...you can only eat 2 or 3 before you're done. For those, I recommend straining them really good and leaving most the honey behind, then using them in recipes that want plenty of garlic but can handle a bit of sugar too. Just cook them into your dishes.
Kinda sad in some senses to not get a specialized use out of them, but think of them more as a way to make the honey amazing (and then still have them to use as garlic in cooking). That's my best idea anyway, if you come up with some special way to use the actual garlic I'd love to hear it.
Dear Ashley,
Thank you so much for your amazing blog! I have tried persimmon jam recipe (modified a bit) and it turned out very well.
I am planning to make more jams and preserves. Do you think I can reuse lids? I grew up in Europe and my family always reused lids when making jam. However, I noticed that in the US people do not reuse lids.
I have sent a picture of the lids (because I do not know what is the word in English for that kind of lid).
Thank you 🙏 so much for your time and advice! Looking forward to hearing from you.
That's such a good question! The main issue with re-using canning lids (at least with water bath canning) is they're more likely to not seal, meaning the food can't be stored on the pantry shelf. If that happens, you can just store it in the refrigerator (or process the jar again with a new lid).
Modern canning lids guaranteed for the first seal, but the coating on the edge starts to break down with each canning cycle. After a while, it won't seal very well...but most often you can get quite a few good seals out of clean, undamaged lids. At least with water bath canning.
Inspect the lids before you use them. They shouldn't have any nicks or dents, and the rubberized seal around the edge should still look good (like new, or close to it). Of course, make sure you're canning something that's approved for water bath canning (ie. not meats or low acid foods), and always check the jar seals before storing on the pantry shelf.
With pressure canning, the temperatures are much higher and that's a lot harder on the seals. It's also higher risk if the jars don't seal. While you can get away with re-using lids for water bath canning high acid foods (jams, pickles, etc), it's not something you should do in the pressure canner.
As you mention, in Europe lids are re-used regularly until they just won't seal anymore and that's a common practice.
Thank you so much! I was planning to reuse lids for jam making. I do not do bath canning for jams. I just turn them upside down for a few minutes and wait to see if the lid will seal. Do you think I can reuse lids with that technique as well?
Yes. That's actually easier on the lids and they keep longer that way since they're exposed to less heat in sealing. In the US, water bath canning is the only "approved" method but in Europe I know that pretty much no one water bath's jams of any sort. They still seal just fine if you've done it right, and yes, you can re-use those lids.
Thank you so much!!!
There are, alternatively, tattler or other lids meant to be nearly infinitely reused even if you do water bath or pressure can them. I had never heard of them, so thought I would mention their existence :]
That is so true. There are two main brands, Tater and Harvest right. They have specialized gaskets that are made to be sealed many times without breaking down, though they're used slightly differently than regular lids (read the instructions that come with them). I'm not sure those will work with the European "flip" method that doesn't involve canning though....