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-   -   Canning Season. (http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=46005)

Worth1 September 17, 2017 06:52 PM

Canning Season.
 
Canning Season, just what is it to you?
To me it is all year long almost every week.
I make stuff in huge kettles and can it instead of small kettles many times.
It is easy and fun, at least it is to me.
If you follow rules and get over the fact you aren't going to die from your own canning it gets much better.:lol:
The main reason I thought this thread up is just how much and how many jars do you really need to can.
If you find yourself buying more jars and you still have food in the pantry that is old you might want to consider what your are doing and adjust.
I am not a hoarder.
What I have found out for me at this time is I dont need anymore jars.
Most of the time I have just enough for the next project from the jars I have eaten from.
What I do find myself doing is buying more lids and occasionally more rings.
If you find yourself going to the store for the next canning session and you have old stuff in the pantry something is wrong.
Either eat it or toss it out.
I cant count how many pantries growing up I have seen old food in the cellar and yet more jars more food.
This is ((NOT)) what home food preservation is about.
That is home food hording.
The salsa I made today was from jars from the last two weeks I have eaten from and cleaned ready for the next project.
Most of the time these jars never get stored away but are at the ready on the counter.
Worth

taboule September 17, 2017 09:36 PM

I'm making a batch of salsa now, the second one in 2 days. DW left for a long trip, so i get to use the kitchen as I please -the first time since we moved in these new digs. Tomato production wasn't great this year due to sick plants and not having time to baby them due to being super busy with the move. Still, I managed a few things, + some sweet peppers because I planted them in pots and was able to move them to the new house and look after them -same with eggplants, I doubt I'll ever grow these again in the ground. They so much prefer warm feet.

Worth, depending on what I run out and what I have in stock, it happens that I can new foods, while I still have others. I did pick up a couple cases of jars today ;-) Always can (pun intended) use a few, it is NOT hoarding :twisted: It's like preppers buying ammo. One never has enough ;-)

I also cooked a big batch of chicken cacciatore, the first time in years. Excuse me while I go savor some, I'll be back once the pressure cooker cools down.

taboule September 17, 2017 10:09 PM

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This is what happens when i don't have enough supplies, unmatched jars and lids ;-)

The horror.

taboule September 17, 2017 10:11 PM

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Tried the leftovers, tastes as good as it looks.

greenthumbomaha September 17, 2017 10:15 PM

My season started very slowly and I didn't think I would have anything to preserve (I use the roast and freeze method.) I did have to go out and buy more ziplock type freezer containers, which I was happy to do. Canning week is usually the first and second week in August but it came early this year. Fruits still coming in slowly but consumed fresh. Many that set after the first heat wave are not ripe yet. With temps going into the 50's at night soon, they'll taste like supermarket fare.

In my climate you have only one chance to get a crop in. If I lived where I had a second season as an insurance policy like you do Worth, I might not have to grow and preserve as much all in the beginning. In a one growing season area having the good fortune to have too much is much better than an empty pantry come winter. Hoarding would be something like 4 years worth (I am not getting near that, am I?)

Tomatoes, 2-3 jars of sauerkraut, 3-4 jars pickled peppers, a few large bags of frozen peppers for chili in winter, maybe 4 jars of pickled cucumbers, and in a good year peaches are all that I preserve. I eat a lot of the other vegetables and fruits as they are harvested and share with the neighbor.

BTW I have two freezers stacked with primarily tomato sauce in ziplock plastic freezer jars, so yeah maybe a little excess but none ever wasted.

- Lisa

greenthumbomaha September 17, 2017 10:17 PM

Looks ...verrrry...good <salivating>.

- Lisa

Farmette September 17, 2017 10:29 PM

So far this year, I have canned 21 pints of salsa, 14 quarts of chunky applesauce, 7 quarts of bread n buter pickles and 7 quarts of dill pickles. Haven't canned anything with meat this year. I used to do all the canning, but then my husband and I have been canning for together for the past 5 years. Now, there are times I have to leave and go to my part time job and he can just take over.

If I had more small cukes, I would put up more pickles, but the season is just about over here for that. I will be making some peach habanero jam in the next week or two. And I plan on taking some of my late season tomatoes and freezing them as I didn't can any whole tomatoes this year.

I've been buying those very large cans of Italian Plum tomatoes in sauce with basil. I make spaghetti sauce for dinner with one third to one half of the can and then freeze the rest in storage bags. Works out great!

Past years, I have also canned spaghetti sauce, peaches and tomato juice.

Chris

taboule September 17, 2017 10:36 PM

Thanks Lisa.

I too have been using these ziplock quart containers, easy to use and they stack nicely. I discovered canning only last year, as I no longer wanted to put all my eggs in one basket, depending on power for the freezers. I also ran out of space -that is 2 freezers full ;-) With canning, I have unlimited shelf space :-)

You also made a great point about some of us having a single, very short canning season -basically a few weeks around this time. We don't have the luxury of canning year round and reusing the containers more than once per year.

coronabarb September 17, 2017 10:43 PM

Chris, have you tried pickled peaches? I did NOT think I would like them but decided to try some a friend served with lunch. They were pretty good.

Farmette September 18, 2017 12:35 AM

No, I haven't tried pickled peaches. I wouldn't imagine they could possibly taste good, but I'll have to take your word on it. Were they sliced and what else was in the brine or was it just brine without any visible seasonings?

Farmette September 18, 2017 12:37 AM

Tab, that looks like some pretty good salsa. Peppers, tomatoes, onions and corn?? Looks nice and thick. Old family recipe or?

Worth1 September 18, 2017 05:54 AM

[QUOTE=Farmette;665160]No, I haven't tried pickled peaches. I wouldn't imagine they could possibly taste good, but I'll have to take your word on it. Were they sliced and what else was in the brine or was it just brine without any visible seasonings?[/QUOTE]

No they are good.
Spiced with sugar cinnamon and cloves.

taboule September 18, 2017 07:06 AM

[QUOTE=Farmette;665161]Tab, that looks like some pretty good salsa. Peppers, tomatoes, onions and corn?? Looks nice and thick. Old family recipe or?[/QUOTE]

Tomatoes (diced in this batch, i also use pressed), onions (2 kinds), scallions, peppers (a mix), garlic (those are the white bits, not corn), cilantro, lemon juice (or vinegar, i use both), cumin and salt. We didn't know about salsa when I grew up, I made this one up ;-)

clkeiper September 18, 2017 07:56 AM

canning "season" to me is when you have a batch big enough to can you do it even if it is left overs from supper so it doesn't go to waste. it is feeding my family from one season to the next... without buying everything at the store. which I couldn't, as it is, since we seem to have sensitivities to onions and dyes. it is the security of knowing there is food prepared enough to make something without going to the store for even one ingredient if I don't have to. I hate Winter and snowy roads. I don't go out if I don't have to. If I do it is so early that no one is open yet... not enough to justify a stop at a big box store with only one cashier there on their 30 registers, grrrr!, I think this year with the hurricanes it is leaving what is there for someone who can't or doesn't grow their own and it would be wasteful to not can/freeze what is still out there to get us through the seasons until it is growing again next Summer. grapes for making grape juice today. I have 2 bushels of them. there is a bushel of beans in the cooler. I wish I could give them to one of you as I canned 3 bushels last week. I don't really need them.I think I have 40 quarts in the pantry.

Worth1 September 18, 2017 08:03 AM

Our pantry was a building.
It is how I learned to make beef soup when I was a wee thing.
My mom would send me out to get everything and put it in a huge kettle.
Worth

Farmette September 18, 2017 08:52 AM

[QUOTE=clkeiper;665171]canning "season" to me is when you have a batch big enough to can you do it even if it is left overs from supper so it doesn't go to waste. it is feeding my family from one season to the next... without buying everything at the store. which I couldn't, as it is, since we seem to have sensitivities to onions and dyes. it is the security of knowing there is food prepared enough to make something without going to the store for even one ingredient if I don't have to. I hate Winter and snowy roads. I don't go out if I don't have to. If I do it is so early that no one is open yet... not enough to justify a stop at a big box store with only one cashier there on their 30 registers, grrrr!, I think this year with the hurricanes it is leaving what is there for someone who can't or doesn't grow their own and it would be wasteful to not can/freeze what is still out there to get us through the seasons until it is growing again next Summer. grapes for making grape juice today. I have 2 bushels of them. there is a bushel of beans in the cooler. I wish I could give them to one of you as I canned 3 bushels last week. I don't really need them.I think I have 40 quarts in the pantry.[/QUOTE]

If I wasn't so far away, I'd take you up on your offer of the beans! I totally agree about not wanting to go out on the snowy roads and the wonderful feeling you get from knowing you can make dinner with what you have at home.

Farmette September 18, 2017 08:55 AM

[QUOTE=Worth1;665167]No they are good.
Spiced with sugar cinnamon and cloves.[/QUOTE]


I thought the term "pickled" meant vinegar, etc. Yes I would like the spiced too. One thing about my canned peaches was, I think they were too soft. So, maybe I need to can them just at the early stage of ripeness.

MdTNGrdner September 18, 2017 08:57 AM

Taboule, livin' on the edge with those 2 colors of lids! :lol: Looks delicious, and kudos to you for learning how to put food up in alternate ways. Good knowledge to have!

Worth, canning season to me is 1 1/2 - 2 months of high to moderate kitchen living but then it relaxes into the occasional stint after that. Right now it's eased into beans, squash, and okra (plus watching the fall crops and cleaning the tired plants out - not canning, I know, but it all feels connected).

I love that I can can! To me it feels like a sort of freedom or just self- sufficiency, even though it takes a lot of people/families to even allow a home garden. (Off topic: worth I'm sure that you could make some awesome supports for your garden even if you couldn't get good materials, but if I couldn't purchase t-posts, EMT, cattle panels and much more for my beds and trellises, life would sure be a lot harder. We could rig something up and it would probably be fun, too, but it would take a lot of time that we don't have. These things all take manufacturing and marketing, so my point is that no matter how much I get out of my garden, I'm never *really* self sufficient. Not to mention seeds to get new crops or varieties started. ) Ok, back to topic :)

I'll put up chicken in batches of 10-12 birds if my farmer has them - not seasonally, just once in a while.
Turkey is one of DH's favorites so I try to buy as many as I can fit in the freezer plus 4 to can during the season, so that he can enjoy it later. I don't think of it as hoarding but just stocking up; trying to buy organic turkey here outside Thanksgiving to Christmas is a non-starter, but during the season I can find it for 1.99/lb. I just checked and still have 9 pints left so I may only can 3 birds this year, we'll see. For me it will depend largely on price.

Broth: regularly, all year long as needed or when my freezer's full of bird parts and soup bones. I both freeze and can broth and use it daily ( I cook all meals and those from scratch / whole foods, but many days lunch is a salad).

I do tend to make big batches as you do, but when there is too much soup for even lunch leftovers, I'll freeze it because it's simpler.

As far as reusing jars during the year, for me that's my freezer broth jars and Fido fermenting jars, as those are always ongoing.

Overall I think that each household will be a little bit (or a lot) different but that it's good to 'put some by'. And even though we aren't preppers, it seems like common sense to be prepared for an emergency or hardship. Life happens sometimes whether we're ready or not. :lol: :cry: :lol:

Farmette September 18, 2017 09:04 AM

Thinking more about this, I believe that, for me, canning brings a feeling of peace and self sufficiency. I have many good memories of my mother, grandmother and aunts canning in the basement of the apartment building in Chicago that my grandparents owned. It was a huge building, we all lived there...including my grandparents on my father's side. It was just after WWII and we had a large Victory garden on the corner of Peterson and Western Aves....so alot of produce to can.

Farmette September 18, 2017 09:10 AM

Seriously, Md, I didn't copy your "self-sufficiency" idea. I was just typing when you wrote your post. :) It sounds as if you are really into canning...how long do you process the turkey; must be a pressure cooker, right?

clkeiper September 18, 2017 10:26 AM

[QUOTE=MdTNGrdner;665180]Taboule, livin' on the edge with those 2 colors of lids! :lol: Looks delicious, and kudos to you for learning how to put food up in alternate ways. Good knowledge to have!

[/QUOTE]

no, living on the edge is re-using the lids. :panic::?::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::P:P:P:P:P I do it all the time. the rubber looks good or not. if not I toss them. if so... oh horrors... I re use them.

coronabarb September 18, 2017 11:38 AM

Yes there is vinegar in pickled peaches, as well as sugar which balances out the acid. Peaches come out better if on the firm side when canned. Here's the recipe my friend used;

[url]http://extension.oregonstate.edu/fch/sites/default/files/documents/sp_50_444_preservingpeaches.pdf[/url]

Worth1 September 18, 2017 12:09 PM

I reuse the lids for my refrigerator picking.
Worth

Worth1 September 18, 2017 12:32 PM

Anybody using the string stick method I use to store rings.
It works marvelously.
As soon as they are taken off I dry them and use little mineral oil/iso 46 hydraulic fluid on them to keep them from rusting.

clkeiper September 18, 2017 01:20 PM

[QUOTE=Worth1;665199]Anybody using the string stick method I use to store rings.
It works marvelously.
As soon as they are taken off I dry them and use little mineral oil/iso 46 hydraulic fluid on them to keep them from rusting.[/QUOTE]

yes! I do. thanks so much for the idea. It keeps my counter less cluttered as I am canning. thank you so much!

MdTNGrdner September 18, 2017 07:50 PM

Lol Farmette, I know you didn't; you posted right after I did! Sorry, I couldn't answer earlier.
I think the turkey is m at 10lbs pressure, but not 100% sure - it's the recipe in my All American manual. Really good used last minute in a skillet meal or with rice or soup!
Ok, I just went and looked it up - good thing too, I was wrong! It's 65m with bones or 75m without bones (pints). If you wanted quarts it would be 75m with bones or 90m without. This is raw pack, without any liquid added. I tend to do boneless in pints but have done both - it's all good!

Carol, you are too funny! I know some re-use lids in canning but so far I've just re-used them as leftover covers. I think I might try it your way next year... a seal's a seal, I reckon. And then I can join the Livin' On The Edge Club :)) :))

Can you describe the string stick method? I have strung them before but usually just throw them in a big box.

taboule September 18, 2017 07:57 PM

>>> ... it would be 75m with bones or 90m without.

This is odd, I would have thought it would be the other way around, as it takes longer to get the material hot all all the way through when it has bones, same as when baking. Not challenging it of course ;-)

Worth1 September 18, 2017 08:01 PM

[QUOTE=taboule;665247]>>> ... it would be 75m with bones or 90m without.

This is odd, I would have thought it would be the other way around, as it takes longer to get the material hot all all the way through when it has bones, same as when baking. Not challenging it of course ;-)[/QUOTE]
The bones conduct heat into the middle.

Worth

MdTNGrdner September 18, 2017 08:06 PM

When I first started canning meats I questioned this too - the only thing that makes sense to me is that the bones are porous and either heat through faster, or retain the heat better... of course I could be wrong on both counts!

coronabarb September 19, 2017 01:36 AM

The times are right but it should read 11# pressure with a dial gauge. If you are using weights, it would be 10#. Be sure to get those dial gauges tested as they can be way off.

Worth, I use a puppy leash to string mine on and hang them from a plastic stick on hook in the pantry. Sure beats sticking them in a bag, etc. And a seal is a seal until it isn't. I figure I put so much work into canning, I don't want a seal failure.


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