What are you canning?

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Well, I made 7 more pints of three bean salad this morning. I get organic dry chickpeas and kidney beans from my healthfood store, and the greenbeans from my garden. I didn't plant summer squash this year, I knew I'd have it given to me by somebody who has an abundance. I was right, so I canned 9 jars today, some zucchini, some yellow. I've been canning with the water-bath canner for many years, but still pretty new to this pressure canner. I think I've used it 6 times now, mostly quarts of soup. I'm loving it!! I can see how some folks end up canning several hundred jars in a season. What did you can lately? Any recipes you want to share?

A couple of questions........do I need to use a rack between layers if I double up in the pressure canner? I was chatting with a co-worker about boiling the pressure canned food for 15 minutes before eating it, and she said "That's crazy, my mother never did that." Do you?

-- Cathy in NY (hrnofplnty@yahoo.com), August 04, 2001

Answers

Canning nothing this year. Dehydrating "everything" even soup. ran out of space and jars last year and drypack is so much easier with richer flavor on the veggies (especially the tomatoes).

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), August 04, 2001.

You bet I boil anything for 15 minutes before I serve it to my family..you just never know when those nasty toxins will appear. I boil veggies with the lid on so I do not lose all the goodies like vitamins, etc...Our Amish friends do not pressure can, and I don't know why they aren't dropping dead left and right from botulism..they can MEAT by water bath method, boiling it for 6 hours. I tried to explain to them that water boils at 212 degrees no matter how LONG you boil it, it gets no hotter....they just smiled and thanked me for my concern and kept on boiling the meat..only one Amish family we knew used a pressure canner and that thing was HUGE..looked like you could sterilize 5 loads of surgical instruments in it! I use a rack inbetween jars when I do pints in the pressure canner..my canner isn't large enough to stack quart jars..This week I am canning jams for Christmas presents; next week is soups and stews..yummy! Go ahead and boil the canned goods..why be the first test case of botulism in your neighborhood? God Bless.

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), August 04, 2001.

To satisfy my own curiousity, I looked up botulism on the CDC website..it is a reportable illness so they have statistics on it's incidence......Only 110 cases of botulism were reported in 1999, with 25% of those cases attributed to canned foods, 72% were infant botulism, which reminds me to remind all of you that if you or your friends are in the habit of dipping a pacifier in honey to quiet a baby...DON'T.....frequently, honey contains a tiny bit of botulism bacteria..not enough to cause a problem in anybody but infants...if you must dip a pacifier in something, use plain sugar...So, I surmise that the reason more folks do not get botulism is that it is rare to be exposed to it, even with poor canning practices. I still like to be safe, so I'll keep on pressure canning and boiling away!

-- lesley (martchas@bellsouth.net), August 04, 2001.

My canner came with a divider to put between pints. I've canned wihtout it though. Light year for canning here. Organic carrots from the health food store a few beets, saurkraut, potatoes and jalapenos so far. Tomatoes aren't ready. Still wanna do pears and my "famous" grandma's applesauce, more peppers and salsa. Still have some from last year and Gary wanna me to go light on the canning since we're rebuilding a house. Did get some corn frozen, I'll probabaly buy okra from a co-op. A very strange year.

-- Cindy (S.E.IN) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), August 04, 2001.

Damn sheep ate my garden !!!!! I'll be canning MUTTON !

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@slic.com), August 04, 2001.


Hi Cathy, I canned lots of tomatoes, about 60 pints, several quarts of pickles sweet and dill, also canned yellow squash, new potatoes,corn, and froze lots of corn, and made cream corn. Now I am working on apples, In a old shaker cook book I found a recipe for apple sauce to can. they use hard apple cider, and cook the apples in it, and then put in jars,thought I would try it,also buy cans of crushed pineapple and add to fig jam or apple sauce, a interesting touch. I also cut up slices of lemon peel and put in my fig jam, Well got to get busy Love Irene

-- Irene texas (tkorsborn@cs.com), August 05, 2001.

Irene, very thin slices of fresh ginger root is delicious in fig jam. We dont have figs here but my mother did and we made tons of it. I've canned 51 qts. tomatoes, 55 pints pickles, 50 qts green beans, 25lb carrots, 20 pts. green relish,21 qts peas. We've dried tomatoes, carrots, squash, okra, green pepper,eggplant skins, spinach and 25lbs of venison into jerky. I have some early apples to make into pie filling and plan to can some chili beans as soon as I find my recipe. Hopefully somebody will have ground beef on sale so I can replenish my stock of meatballs and canned beef for chili. I've never canned potatoes. Do you peel them first? How long do you process them and how do you keep them from turning dark? We just bought 3 bushels of red potatoes from a friend and it would be good to have some of them canned. Thanks for the answers. Blessings Peggy

-- peggy (wclpc@cookeville.com), August 05, 2001.

dear Peggy, If I just dug the potatoes and there skin is real thin, I take a pot scratch pad and scrape the skin off. I think your boughten ones will have toughter skin. so just peel, if large ,cut in half. and put in a pot of salted water, till you have them all peeled,I Heat enough water to put in jars, and now just place potatoes loosely in jars, fill with in 1/2 inch with salted water, and process in pressure canner at 10 pds, for 40 mins. they should stay nice and white, if skins are left on they will have a pink look. I love them, as they really come in handy for a quick meal.Love Irene

-- Irene texas (tkorsborn@cs.com), August 05, 2001.

Thanks Irene. I thought I'd have a break from canning tomorrow but it looks like I'll be busy. It would be so handy this winter as we eat a lot of stew/soup. Thanks again. Blessings Peggy

-- peggy (wclpc@cookeville.com), August 05, 2001.

Pickles and jams and preserves so far this year. The tomatoes are just starting to turn, so I'll be cooking up 5 or so gallons of salsa, along with spaghetti sauce, ketchup, hot sauce, yadda, yadda...

-- Judi (ddecaro@snet.net), August 09, 2001.


Patty, Have i been there! This year I am not canning anything, because I don't have enough garden to do so.

Little bit Farm

-- Little Bit Farm (littleBit@compworldnet.com), August 09, 2001.


Does anyone have a recipe for tomato soup? I had some in London a few years ago that was delicious. It had a slightly sweet taste. I never liked tomato soup until I had it there. Thanks!

-- Bettye Butler (bettyeb@mchsi.com`), May 30, 2004.

Can anyone provide a recipe for canning yellow squash? Not pickled, I found many recipes for that. Thank you and God Bless.

-- Elizabeth Parthemore (eparthemore@ves.org), July 03, 2004.

this year I have canned zucchine pineapple, zucchine plickles, sliced and put in freezer, also canned tomatoes, squash, okra, onion, pepper together, real good, canned okra to use to fry later. I don,t can squash any more, i put in the freezer, I think it is better, and you can use it in more thing to cook also i can other veggies too and put in the freezer. Ruth

-- ruth r griffin (ruthrgriffin@bellsouth.net), August 01, 2004.

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