This year.. more Planning & more Canning

[Deleted]

Hi Everyone.. In the midst of this February coldwave I'm looking forward to planning my garden. I garden in raised beds inside a large country vegetable garden at my parents farm. Its about 10 minutes from my house, so not the idealistic garden where I could walk into my back yard and garden at leisure, but a nice sunny garden at my familys home where I can have fun and do anything I want with lots of space.

This year I need to get into canning and freezing. We did can tomatoes last year in the oven, but that was it..

Anybody into canning? Relishes and Jellies? Green Beans? Sauces?

My old house has a fruit cellar just itching to be filled with canned goods..

Share your favorite recipes or pins with me..

Thankssssss  Stacey

[Deleted]

I can mostly tomatoes - different combinations with garlic and basil, mostly. I make rajma ( indian kidney bean recipe ) quite often, so I like to have the canned toms on hand.

Then there's pickles, and I can jams - mostly raspberry and grape.

I'm on my way out so can share recipes later. Most of mine are the basic ones that come from the pectin inserts.

[Deleted]

Oh - if you do Fall Harvest gifts, one thing to consider are brussel sprouts. Cutting the stalks, cleaning/trimming it, and then tying some raffia at the bottom creates a beautiful presentation along with the canned goods.

Typo correction

[Deleted]

Feb 17, 2015 18:25:28 GMT @dantes said:

Oh - if you do Fall Harvest gifts, one thing to consider are brussel sprouts. Cutting the stalking, cleaning/trimming it, and then tying some raffia at the bottom creates a beautiful presentation along with the canned goods.

Please share your knowledge on brussels with me. I grew them last year, starting in spring, which I think is wrong. And they fell over and were bitter and blah-blah-blah. But we love them and have the space and want to grow them again this year..

[Deleted]

I'm interested too.

We've only canned strawberry jelly and pickles. My DH does the pickles. He mostly makes fermented pickles. I tried strawberry jelly last year. We used the recipe from the pectin bottle. The kids loved it but DH and I thought it was a little too sweet. So, I need another recipe.


This is my husbands Fermented pickles recipe(you don't use vinegar. I think these taste like sour pickles)

You need:
Spring water
pickling salt
pickling spices - whatever flavor you want - garlic, onions, fresh herbs, or your favorite pickling spices (my husband uses peppercorn, coriander seed, mustard seed, fresh garlic cloves. He eyeballs when he adds them but I'd say it's about 1 tspn each and 4 garlic cloves for a 1 quart jar)
dill (the amount you use depends on if you want the dill flavor to really stand out or be slight)
one of the following :grape leaves, oak leaves, horseradish, black tea (the tanin in these will keep your vegetables crisp)

Prepare a brine using the ratio of two tablespoons of salt to one quart of water
Add pickling spices to a Mason jar
Add grape leaves, horseradish, oak leave or black tea to the jar
Put vegetables in jar - these can be chopped or whole
Add brine to jar. The vegetables need to be fully submerged.
Put cap on jar and let sit for about 10 days or more at room temperature. The longer they sit, the more sour they become.

Pressure will build under the cap over the course of the 10 days. You will need to check the top every day and open and reseal to release the pressure caused by carbon dioxide from the fermentation process.

Once the 10 days are done, you can keep them in a cold cellar or refrigerator. It must be below 65 Farenheit to slow the fermentation.

[mupcycledcouture]

I can most everything.

I am interested in oven canning though. What temp are you canning it at in the oven?

[Deleted]

Feb 17, 2015 23:48:50 GMT mupcycledcouture said:

I can most everything.

I am interested in oven canning though. What temp are you canning it at in the oven?

We canned quarts of tomatoes. 1 hour at 250 then turn off the oven and let set overnight.

Ours spilled over but all sealed. So I dont know if thats common or if I just didnt tighten the rings tight enough.

[Deleted]

Freshly picked cukes and freshly canned ground beef...(and coffee grounds/filters waiting to be put in the compost pile)

Pickle FREAK here...made lots of wonderful relish and bread & butter pickles. The kosher dills didn't turn out well. <sigh> 
Raised beds are great for growing!

[Deleted]

Feb 17, 2015 18:40:56 GMT @wildflowers64 said:

Feb 17, 2015 18:25:28 GMT @dantes said:

Oh - if you do Fall Harvest gifts, one thing to consider are brussel sprouts. Cutting the stalking, cleaning/trimming it, and then tying some raffia at the bottom creates a beautiful presentation along with the canned goods.

Please share your knowledge on brussels with me. I grew them last year, starting in spring, which I think is wrong. And they fell over and were bitter and blah-blah-blah. But we love them and have the space and want to grow them again this year..

Brussel sprouts like cooler temps and can handle some frost with sun. Not a freeze...

Yours most likely didn't do well because of the heat. 

You have two windows to plant them, early Spring and late Summer going into the Fall. Look at the temps for your area, you do not want to finish them in heat. You pretty much have to work out the timing with your local weather. You can start earlier than normal planting times if you use a lot of mulch, wet newspaper, bedding, etc... Water with warm water and keep them covered. You can also use things like a frost blanket to help keep the heat in. I can't stress watering before frost or freeze enough. It actually helps the plants survive it. I've heard a few people say they thought it would freeze the roots, not so. 

Another trick: If you want to hurry up the harvest time, you can cut the top off of them and they'll finish up and be ready in 2-3 weeks. It has to be cool outside. 

[Deleted]

Oh - I've lost my brussels to weather. It happens.

[Deleted]

Great photo! I've never tried fermenting pickles. I've canned, but that's it.

I have a neat old crock that I use for sauerkraut. That's a lot of work pushing that stuff down. My husband loves it, so I make it for him.

[Deleted]

Sorry for all the posts:

Here's another trick: I start watching Craig's List for people selling fruit. I usually can score some good concord grapes. I paid around $1 a pound for some that I picked at a women's house. She had a massive amount. I think I ended up getting about 50 pounds and made jelly and juice.

I can sometimes find raspberries on there. And definitely apples. One year I canned a bunch of apple pie filling for gifts. I had so many apples that my sister and law and I picked for free that I ended up giving the extras away on Craig's List. A lot of people were wanting them.

[Deleted]

Feb 18, 2015 3:44:40 GMT @dantes said:

Sorry for all the posts:

Here's another trick: I start watching Craig's List for people selling fruit. I usually can score some good concord grapes. I paid around $1 a pound for some that I picked at a women's house. She had a massive amount. I think I ended up getting about 50 pounds and made jelly and juice.

I can sometimes find raspberries on there. And definitely apples. One year I canned a bunch of apple pie filling for gifts. I had so many apples that my sister and law and I picked for free that I ended up giving the extras away on Craig's List. A lot of people were wanting them.

I can still picture the bushels of Concord grapes my mother would bring home for jelly making when I was a kid. And my grandmother's homemade raspberry juice spritzers were wonderful on a hot summer day. I never did like dodging the stickers and beetles, though...

[mupcycledcouture]

Our neighbor has concord grapes growing along the fence. I tell him every year that anything on my side is mine. 

They just sold their house. I am hoping the new neighbors dont pull them out. 

Zulily has instant raised beds today. I ordered 2 of them. Let me get a link for them. 

This i my referral link. (disclaimer I will make $15 if you buy something!) But even if you didnt use it, get on Zuliliy! It is awesome! 


www.zulily.com/invite/arogers747

Go to new today then scroll down to Gardening 101. The sale for this will be gone in a day or two. 

[mupcycledcouture]

I have canned hamburger before. It is actually fairly easy!

[Deleted]

Feb 18, 2015 5:13:34 GMT mupcycledcouture said:

I have canned hamburger before. It is actually fairly easy!

The only time I find it "easy", is when SO is helping me...it makes the job go so much faster! 

I still have about 15 lbs of 96% lean I need to can because I love the convenience of just popping a jar lid when we need a fast supper. I've also done pork loins and beef rump roasts. And after seeing the price of those skyrocket, I'm thankful I did when the price was still affordable.

[mupcycledcouture]

It IS time consuming, so having 2 people does help.

[kritter]

I have never even heard of canning hamburger.

Fruits and vegetables, yes, but meat, never.

But then, I don't even know anybody that has canned anything.

[Desire]

I've never heard of canning ground meat either. What's the difference from just freezing it?

I just know if I did it, I would be afraid to eat it!

[RetroMonde]

If you look in old canning books (60s & earlier), they show canned meat, fish, soups and all kind of other things. But they all needed to be canned using a pressure cooker, which I'm a big wuss about using. DD uses hers a lot so that's on my list this summer... gotta overcome my fear of "kitchen technology"!  

We usually start canning & freezing in June when the local strawberries are ready; strawberry freezer jam is the best- not as sweet as canned jam imho! Usually we focus on putting fruit up since that's so expensive to buy and you don't really know where it's from and what's in it. DH has been begging for Zucchini Relish the last couple of years. Maybe this year I'll grow zucs and make him happy/ He'd like sauerkraut too. I have a crock and old board & blade cabbage grater thingie I picked up at an estate sale so I'm ready to give it a try.

You're all inspiring me... just ordered my seed catalog. I should go out and take a look at the garden area but I'm babysitting later so probably won't get to it today.

Sandra

[Deleted]

I am also afraid of using a pressure cooker.
I have also made fresh strawberry freezer jam. Ill have to look, I might still have one in my little bitty freezer.
my DD, DS and I froze 15 bags of apple pie filling last year.. I make 3 pie crusts at a time and pan them up and freeze... make a quick crumb topping and can throw together an apple pie in a few minutes

[Deleted]

Feb 18, 2015 17:56:22 GMT RetroMonde said:

If you look in old canning books (60s & earlier), they show canned meat, fish, soups and all kind of other things. But they all needed to be canned using a pressure cooker, which I'm a big wuss about using. DD uses hers a lot so that's on my list this summer... gotta overcome my fear of "kitchen technology"!  

Sandra

Fear not, dear ones. I was absolutely terrified at just the thought of using a pressure cooker, after almost blowing myself up as an inexperienced teen cook. I'd watched my mother use hers countless times and thought I knew the drill. HA! 

Fast forward to 2 years ago. I decided to learn something new in my old age and stumbled across raised bed and square foot gardening. From that point, my qualms about what to do with an abundance of fresh veggies grew. I already had a nice dehydrator, but that is very time consuming and a lot of work.

So, I took to the Internet and started researching. Things got a bit more intense than I ever imagined. But, after repeatedly viewing a number of You Tube videos from experienced folks, I started convincing myself that I could do it.

My first baby-step was investing in an 8-qt pressure cooker, with a weighted pressure regulator (rocker). After using it about 3 times, I overcame my fear and loved cooking with it. Delicious ribs and 'taters in just 15-min? You bet! 

From that point on I got my confidence to invest in a large pressure canner. They are NOT the same as a pressure cooker. Low acid foods like veggies, meats, and fish must be meticulously prepared and canned under appropriate pressure, based on a number of factors. Altitude is one of them.

Pickle relish was my first batch to can, since I developed a real green thumb for cukes. 

I was nervous about meats, but after learning I could can ground beef dry, I took the plunge. You merely brown it, drain off the fat, and then fill hot, sterilized jars prior to pressurizing for 90-minutes. The biggest advantage is that you don't have to worry about foods that will spoil if your electric goes out, nor about rotating to avoid freezer burn. A one-pint jar is the equivalent of 1 lb of fresh meat. And it tastes great! Smell, not so much. LOL 

Last week it was cold and I wanted a hearty stew to last a few days. I wound up with a delicious pot of it in just under an hour by using my canned bottom round roast and pressure cooking the veggies until tender. SO was very impressed with the taste and the amount of time it took to prepare. He's already wanting me to make it again!

Call me a former masochist, but I used to enjoy slaving over a hot stove. Now I can appreciate working smarter, not harder! 

I might add that I too, have made freezer jam with strawberries and love it. My first batch never jelled correctly though (didn't leave it sit out for 24-hrs) and it made for an awesome ice cream topping.

So dearest boardies, don't over-think everything. Just DO IT. Kind of like how many of y'all got your start selling on eBay...

And with that, I need to get back to listing with a passion. Sales were UP over the weekend, and my listing #'s are rapidly shrinking! I got 7 done yesterday and have 4 pkg going out today. Not such a bad problem to have, huh? 

[kritter]

Feb 18, 2015 16:52:52 GMT Desire said:

I've never heard of canning ground meat either. What's the difference from just freezing it?

I just know if I did it, I would be afraid to eat it!

Yep, no way I could eat canned ground meat or a roast of anything like that. That being said, I am not a big canned anything eater.  I prefer frozen stuff even vegs and fruits if fresh is not available.

I will never survive a Zombi Apocalypse.

[Shirley U Geste]

When I was growing up we used to make german sausage links and would pressure can mason jars of it.

It was tasty stuff and great to have on hand to make a quick meal.

And if it was a veggie or fruit we canned it, most of it we grew.

We could have easily survived a Zombie apocalypse cause there was enough canned food in the pantry to last over a year for a family of 6.

[sunsetpainter]

I can green beans, corn, carrots, tomatoes (juice, sauce, diced, whole Romas, and vegetable juice), strawberry jam, peach jam, blackberry jelly, sweet relish, dill relish, cranberry sauce.  I've done ham and bean soup in the past, but not recently.  So far I've only used the recipes out of the Ball Blue Book.  DH says I've spoiled him because now he only likes the home canned stuff.

eta:  Does anyone have any good soup recipes that can be canned, either pressure or hot water?  Thanks!!

[mupcycledcouture]

I have canned chicken breast, ground beef and roast beef. I also made turkey noodle soup base. You can not can anything with milk or grains but you can the broth and meat. I then get a mylar bag and put in dried veggies and noodles. Then warm the soup up to a boil, add in dried veggies and noodles and cook until noodles are done. Very easy and very yummy.

the thing about canning meat is you have to remove as much fat as you can. When canning ground beef you will brown it, then rinse as much fat off as you can get off. You have to can it in a pressure canner. You can can with just water or broth. Then open, heat, add spices (for tacos, etc) and eat. It taste just like, ground beef!

I am a very lazy cook and want heat and eat stuff. So using a combination of canning and drying allows me more of an option of heat and eat without taking up huge amounts of freezer space.

[mupcycledcouture]

I also can hamd and beans. I will get you my recipes when I get home from my HOA meeting sunset

[Deleted]

For those of you who cherish/prefer 'organic' foods, I'm going to throw a little info out here. For several years I've followed an alternative media journalist who's a smart, opinionated, frugal single mother and blogger.

She's now written a book for organic canning, with great reviews. The Organic Canner, by Daisy Luther

And for those who don't think they can ever do canning, have you heard of Meals in a Jar? 

From The Organic Prepper, Daisy's official blog: The Austerity Diaries - scroll to the very bottom of page for some great, helpful resource links.

[Deleted]

Not trying to scare anyone, but this is how a man's ignorance and short cuts in canning elk meat almost proved fatal:
Botulism