Canning & preserving

[koshergrl]

Ok, I'm on a kick. I got the pressure canner last year, and did one or two batches of green beans...work intensive, had to can one batch x 2, couldn't get the heat steady and then opened it too soon and lost a lot of the liquid.

Also last year I put up my first ever jam...it was peach jam...original plan was to can peaches, but being a novice, I didn't purchase the freestone variety, so I turned my canning peaches into peach jam and IT WAS YUMMY.


I was sort of on the fence about how much I was going to use the pc, and put the canners away...but then I ate the beans through the fall (there really weren't all that many pints, like 7 or something) and that made a canning believer out of me.

This spring I have made orange marmalade, strawberry jam and applesauce using waterbath canning; I canned a large batch of chicken thighs and 1 lone quart of pork...all delish.

My kitchen is currently in preparation for POTATOES...I'm going to can them either tonight or tomorrow, and my fridge is full of carrots I have been hoarding for the same purpose.

I've turned into such an old granny. This is the stuff that gets me all happy these days. That and walking my dog. The kids are gone for a few days, so what do I do? I get ready to can! hot dog!

 

[koshergrl]

Strawberry jam.

That ^^^ is applesauce and it is yummy. I made a small batch, only two three pints, and two are gone already.

Chicken thighs...very, very easy.

Marmalade. Almost like free food; oranges are cheap and this stuff tastes amazing.

 

[koshergrl]

I have 4 quarts of beans and a quart of barbecue pork in the canner now. If you never hear from me again, it means the beans exploded the pressure cooker, and I'm dead.

Please feed my dogs and kids.

 

[koshergrl]

Whoops, I only have 3 quarts of beans in...I forgot one and left it out. So we're having beans for dinner.

 

[syrenn]

The only thing i use my pressure caners for is tomato sauce. Ive not ventured out into anything else......

http://www.usmessageboard.com/food-and-wine/244185-tomatoes.html

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

Looks great, Koshergirl! Very nice. I have a huge garden so I can everything pretty much. I can tomatoes, okra pickles, squash pickles, green beans, pear preserves, I grow my own peppers for pickled squash and that kind of thing - I also have pear, apple, peach trees and can those - blackberry jam - all of that. I can when I take anything out of the garden in bulk. It is very fresh. So you noticed the difference between canned food and store bought food, eh? You don't have all of those preservatives and junk in there. What you are tasting is the actual food. Best way to store food, imo.

-Jeri

 

[koshergrl]

I haven't done tomatoes yet...I'm waiting until they go on sale. I'm beginning to think that will never happen.

In my mom's town, there used to be a big garden right on main street, some old guy kept it, and he had the best tomatoes I've had since I was a little girl (from my grandfolks' garden). I'd buy them by the huge bag full and just eat tomatoes for days and days. He must have died, though, he was pretty old and the last I checked in on the garden, it wasn't there. But I do plan on making my own, eventually. I'm also waiting for green beans to go on sale. I don't think $3/lb is exactly a steal and that's what the one stand we have here had them for. Well it's a steal, but not by me...

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I have 4 quarts of beans and a quart of barbecue pork in the canner now. If you never hear from me again, it means the beans exploded the pressure cooker, and I'm dead.

Please feed my dogs and kids.

lol You'll be fine. Wear safety goggles if you are worried about it. The waterbath canning is fun isn't it?

 

[koshergrl]

Waterbath canning is a walk in the park...
\
EXCEPT for the pesky jelling thing. I tried to make marmalade without pectin...but it never set up..I ended up adding pectin to all of it. Three batches.

I haven't made pickles yet...but I ran across an awesome recipe for pickled onions that I will probably hit pretty soon. I'll have my daughter help me with pickles..she's the one that loves them.

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

I haven't done tomatoes yet...I'm waiting until they go on sale. I'm beginning to think that will never happen.

In my mom's town, there used to be a big garden right on main street, some old guy kept it, and he had the best tomatoes I've had since I was a little girl (from my grandfolks' garden). I'd buy them by the huge bag full and just eat tomatoes for days and days. He must have died, though, he was pretty old and the last I checked in on the garden, it wasn't there. But I do plan on making my own, eventually. I'm also waiting for green beans to go on sale. I don't think $3/lb is exactly a steal and that's what the one stand we have here had them for. Well it's a steal, but not by me...

No, you need to find a farmers market. They should have one by you. Or else pick a farm in your area and you can pick the tomatoes yourself - they are much better and you won't be getting GM tomatoes! You can find that in your local phone book or you can contact the agricultural extention office and ask them for a list of farmers selling in your area for you to pick yourself and buy by the bushel or pound or however they are doing it. You need to grow some butter beans too. Also rattlesnake pole beans and purple hall peas. Those are the two best and the zuchini squash and crook neck squash - you can make soup in the winter out of that and you can also freeze it and pull it out for a quick dinner.

It is better than anything you'll ever get in a restaurant. Use the martha white corn bread in a cast iron skillet with a little buttermilk instead of reg. milk and that is dinner. - Jeri

 

[Book of Jeremiah]

You are paying way too much buying from a store. Wait and see what you'll save going direct to the farmer.

-Jeri

 

[koshergrl]

I love squash, particularly zucchini.

Next year, I have determined I AM going to have my own garden. I wanted to this year but I didn't get moving on it soon enough.

 

[syrenn]

Looks great, Koshergirl! Very nice. I have a huge garden so I can everything pretty much. I can tomatoes, okra pickles, squash pickles, green beans, pear preserves, I grow my own peppers for pickled squash and that kind of thing - I also have pear, apple, peach trees and can those - blackberry jam - all of that. I can when I take anything out of the garden in bulk. It is very fresh. So you noticed the difference between canned food and store bought food, eh? You don't have all of those preservatives and junk in there. What you are tasting is the actual food. Best way to store food, imo.

-Jeri

*perks up*

did you say.... pare preserves? recipe or it did not happen!!

 

[syrenn]

Waterbath canning is a walk in the park...
\
EXCEPT for the pesky jelling thing. I tried to make marmalade without pectin...but it never set up..I ended up adding pectin to all of it. Three batches.

I haven't made pickles yet...but I ran across an awesome recipe for pickled onions that I will probably hit pretty soon. I'll have my daughter help me with pickles..she's the one that loves them.

add a grated apple....and use a candy thermometer! 215-220 is gel!

 

[koshergrl]

The problem with farmer's markets around here is you have to drive miles to get to them. Which eats into the budget...I know the stuff is better, but the cost is affected by the $30 I spend on gas.

 

[koshergrl]

Waterbath canning is a walk in the park...
\
EXCEPT for the pesky jelling thing. I tried to make marmalade without pectin...but it never set up..I ended up adding pectin to all of it. Three batches.

I haven't made pickles yet...but I ran across an awesome recipe for pickled onions that I will probably hit pretty soon. I'll have my daughter help me with pickles..she's the one that loves them.

add a grated apple....and use a candy thermometer! 215-220 is gel!

So they say....I think it is all a conspiracy.

 

[koshergrl]

But berries are coming on soon...we have huckle, salal and blackberries...also elder and salmon...and red huckleberries, but there's never enough of those to do anything with except just pop them in your mouth.

My yard is FULL of blackberries....they're on the hill, they're at the top of my driveway...more than I can ever put to use. If only I had known this last year when we drove around aimlessly looking for blackberries. I did find them...and then parked in my driveway right up against the blackberries and thought...DOH! What a bozo.

So be thinking of splendid things to do with blackberries. I'm going to have a go at making wine.

I guess salal is really high in pectin, btw.

 

[syrenn]

The problem with farmer's markets around here is you have to drive miles to get to them. Which eats into the budget...I know the stuff is better, but the cost is affected by the $30 I spend on gas.

get rid of the dogs and plant a garden KG!

 

[syrenn]

But berries are coming on soon...we have huckle, salal and blackberries...also elder and salmon...and red huckleberries, but there's never enough of those to do anything with except just pop them in your mouth.

My yard is FULL of blackberries....they're on the hill, they're at the top of my driveway...more than I can ever put to use. If only I had known this last year when we drove around aimlessly looking for blackberries. I did find them...and then parked in my driveway right up against the blackberries and thought...DOH! What a bozo.

So be thinking of splendid things to do with blackberries. I'm going to have a go at making wine.

I guess salal is really high in pectin, btw.

omg...i made my first batch of blackberry jam last week!

 

[koshergrl]

It is most divine.