Anyone here into Pressure Canning?

[Rikurzhen]

Last year the wife brought home one big-assed pressure canner because she wanted to can all that we grow in our garden. After a year of doing this I'm enjoying the process of stocking up.

I'm not sure how this thread can be sustained, I mean, what is there to talk about, right? At least it'll be interesting to see if there are others who have pressure canners.

Speak up, don't be shy.

 

[shart_attack]

My mother grew up with 11 siblings in the American breadbasket.

They were poor — dirt poor. But they were self-sufficient, agriculturally speaking.

They had little (to—at times—no) livestock, and by and large, they lived off the fruits and vegetables they grew on their small plot of land, meticulously rationing the things they grew for sustenance during the spring and summer months; canning many of the things they grew for consumption in the autumns and winters.

Mom used to tell me that my late granddad used to say, "We eat what we can, and what we can't, we can."

 

[Missourian]

My wife just started pressure canning last month.

 

[Rikurzhen]

Talk to me in a year. Oh, and build a new room onto your home.

I figure we've got about 100 jars of food now and it keeps growing steady. We eat some, then can even more.

What I like is how damn handy it is to have prepared meals ready to go when time is short.

 

[Rikurzhen]

My mother grew up with 11 siblings in the American breadbasket.

They were poor — dirt poor. But they were self-sufficient, agriculturally speaking.

They had little (to—at times—no) livestock, and by and large, they lived off the fruits and vegetables they grew on their small plot of land, meticulously rationing the things they grew for sustenance during the spring and summer months; canning many of the things they grew for consumption in the autumns and winters.

Mom used to tell me that my late granddad used to say, "We eat what we can, and what we can't, we can."

I feel that something has been lost by having so many of us disconnect from farm-life. It's amazing that people could live off what they grew. Not amazing in terms of unheard of, but amazing in terms of that doesn't happen much anymore in the West.

 

[Rikurzhen]

Hold it, 3 dudes are talking about his. Is that odd?

 

[shart_attack]

I feel that something has been lost by having so many of us disconnect from farm-life. It's amazing that people could live off what they grew. Not amazing in terms of unheard of, but amazing in terms of that doesn't happen much anymore in the West.

Because by and large, we're all a bunch of spoiled, narcissistic brats today, we Americans are. We have forgotten how to get our hands dirty.

No wonder the Russians hate us so much. I can't say I blame them one bit.

Another monkey wrench to throw into the spokes is the demise of the American family farm, and the rise of the American agricultural-industrial complex.

Most of the fruits and vegetables (and by that, I'm talking about the ones that are grown here, in the USA — not the imports) that we eat today come from corporate- and/ or government-owned farms.

Hold it, 3 dudes are talking about his. Is that odd?

Nah. I like to think of us as men.

We're strong like that.

 

[Disir]

Are you kidding me? I am still waiting for a day cool enough to put my cast iron pot into the oven.

Ok. So, maybe this will keep it alive. I remember my mother had a pressure cooker and that is all that I remember. I think that my grandmother had one because she made cactus jelly.

Before I buy one is there anything that I need to know? Are there any good canning recipes? Can I use the pressure cooker for anything besides canning?

 

[Rikurzhen]

Are you kidding me? I am still waiting for a day cool enough to put my cast iron pot into the oven.

Ok. So, maybe this will keep it alive. I remember my mother had a pressure cooker and that is all that I remember. I think that my grandmother had one because she made cactus jelly.

Before I buy one is there anything that I need to know? Are there any good canning recipes? Can I use the pressure cooker for anything besides canning?

Do you like canned food? Do you like soups that come in cans? How about vegetables in cans? How about canned turkey or tuna? Meats, vegetables, jams, pie fillings, fruits, etc.

Anything you see in the store that is canned is something that you can do when you have the right tools but with the bonus of using recipes that don't have all the preservatives and chemical enhancers.

Note that there is a difference between a pressure cooker and a pressure canner. A cooker can pressure cook food but not can foods, a canner can do both.

Here is the top of the line canner because it works without rubber gaskets, meaning there are no parts that ever need replacement. The one we have can do 14 quart jars in one batch.

Recipes? Here is one canning book, but of course there are hundreds more. Pick which ever strikes your fancy. This one though is very popular, like the bible of canning.

As nutrition and food quality has become more important, home canning and preserving has increased in popularity for the benefits it offers:

• Cooks gain control of the ingredients, including organic fruits and vegetables
• Preserving foods at their freshest point locks in nutrition
• The final product is free of chemical additives and preservatives
• Store-bought brands cannot match the wonderful flavor of homemade
• Only a few hours are needed to put up a batch of jam or relish
• Home preserves make a great personal gift any time of year

These 400 innovative and enticing recipes include everything from salsas and savory sauces to pickling, chutneys, relishes and of course, jams, jellies, and fruit spreads, such as:

• Mango-Raspberry Jam, Damson Plum Jam
• Crab Apple Jelly, Green Pepper Jelly
• Spiced Red Cabbage, Pickled Asparagus
• Roasted Red Pepper Spread, Tomatillo Salsa
• Brandied Apple Rings, Apricot-Date Chutney

 

[Moonglow]

My pickles suck, even the cold pack ones...

 

[Moonglow]

I am going to get one of the digital controlled pressure cookers for next year...

 

[Rikurzhen]

My pickles suck, even the cold pack ones...

Do you use a crisper additive?

 

[Rikurzhen]

I am going to get one of the digital controlled pressure cookers for next year...

Not good for canning, but very good for pressure cooking.