Who cans their food? Getting started with canning.

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spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Girl is just now getting into canning/preserving food. We tried some mint jelly tonight with fresh mint. It seems like you can go from simple/easy to a little bit difficult.

I'll have more tomatoes than I can give away this year so her canning is a good thing. You guys have any suggestions?
 
blurredvision

blurredvision

Lifer
Oct 19, 2000
17,860
4
81
My grandma cans anything and everything. Green beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, corn, peaches, blah blah blah......

 
Vic

Vic

Elite Member
Jun 12, 2001
50,422
14,337
136
My wife won ribbons at the Oregon state fair a few years back with her canned goods (pickles to die for, if you're into that sort of thing). But otherwise, I know nothing about it. :p
 
GagHalfrunt

GagHalfrunt

Lifer
Apr 19, 2001
25,284
1,998
126
I've always wanted to try homemade pickles, but after looking into the process it didn't look like it was worth the effort.
 
Jimmah

Jimmah

Golden Member
Mar 18, 2005
1,243
2
0
Follow the recipes, it's probably the best advice anyone can get really.

If you're into making jams though, strawberry with some grated or chopped ginger w/honey is fantastic, I try to make some for Christmas every year.
 
Squisher

Squisher

Lifer
Aug 17, 2000
21,204
66
91
I couldn't tell you, but the wife will can anything. My mom got her into it. We've got all of mom's stuff. The wife doesn't do it as much as she used to, except for apple sauce and apple butter in the fall.
 
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spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: Vic
My wife won ribbons at the Oregon state fair a few years back with her canned goods (pickles to die for, if you're into that sort of thing). But otherwise, I know nothing about it. :p
Click to expand...

Pickles rock - can she share her recipe?
 
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spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: Jimmah
Follow the recipes, it's probably the best advice anyone can get really.

If you're into making jams though, strawberry with some grated or chopped ginger w/honey is fantastic, I try to make some for Christmas every year.
Click to expand...

Thanks, we're just starting out. Trying to take baby steps so jams and boiling canning methods seem like the place to start. Then we'll move into the pressure canning.
 
TastesLikeChicken

TastesLikeChicken

Lifer
Sep 12, 2004
16,852
59
86
Originally posted by: spidey07
Originally posted by: Jimmah
Follow the recipes, it's probably the best advice anyone can get really.

If you're into making jams though, strawberry with some grated or chopped ginger w/honey is fantastic, I try to make some for Christmas every year.
Click to expand...

Thanks, we're just starting out. Trying to take baby steps so jams and boiling canning methods seem like the place to start. Then we'll move into the pressure canning.
Click to expand...
I've canned pickled pears for my father-in-law for the last 10 years or so. His mother used to make them for him every Christmas and, after she died at the ripe old age of 97, I took over the duties using the recipe she handed down. They're like the canned pears you can buy from the store, except they taste 1000 times better. It's very a simple recipe that doesn't require post-boiling. I also use the Ball jars with the self-sealing lids so there's no need to mess with wax. I did the wax sealing the first couple of years and it's a pain in the ass.

The important thing is proper sterilization and ensuring as much air as possible has been removed from the contents of the jar before you seal it up. I have a canning kit with a basket to immerse the jars and lids, and a pair of tongs made to handle them with. You want to avoid touching the jars/lids at any time during the process.

Anyway, it's a simple recipe that's a good starter for learning canning. If you want to try it out, PM me.
 
S

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: TastesLikeChicken

I've canned pickled pears for my father-in-law for the last 10 years or so. His mother used to make them for him every Christmas and, after she died at the ripe old age of 97, I took over the duties using the recipe she handed down. They're like the canned pears you can buy from the store, except they taste 1000 times better. It's very a simple recipe that doesn't require post-boiling. I also use the Ball jars with the self-sealing lids so there's no need to mess with wax. I did the wax sealing the first couple of years and it's a pain in the ass.

The important thing is proper sterilization and ensuring as much air as possible has been removed from the contents of the jar before you seal it up. I have a canning kit with a basket to immerse the jars and lids, and a pair of tongs made to handle them with. You want to avoid touching the jars/lids at any time during the process.

Anyway, it's a simple recipe that's a good starter for learning canning. If you want to try it out, PM me.
Click to expand...

PM sent. She's going nuts with this canning stuff. I will say that we're not doing it to save money but more about taste. Preserving the fresh flavors of spring and summer is very rewarding even if they are not my crops. So far we have mint jelly (from our own mint) and two strawberry preserves.

Now she's begging me to give her fruit trees. That's really where canning comes in - you can at the peak of ripeness/flavor instead of what you get at the store.
 
M

Moonbeam

Elite Member
Nov 24, 1999
74,797
6,772
126
Acidic foods are the safest. Green beans can kill you with botulism. Have to make sure things are sterile so you don't get anaerobic stuff growing in the jar. I used to can plum jar cause I had a tree that yielded way more plums than several people could eat.

Study up before you start.
 
P

Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
2,505
378
126
Pickles and the like preserve well because the high acid content prevents bacterial growth. Canning most vegetables, on the other hand, can be tricky because they are low-acid and some bacteria will survive the "sterilization" process of boiling the jars in a canner. That is what pressure canning is for. It runs at a higher temperature (because the pressure of the boiling pot is higher) and guarantees to kill all normal bacteria. Finding a pressure cooker as big as a normal canner pot is tough and very expensive. Our solution was to do pressure canning in our regular large pressure cooker, but to use only pint canning jars (not quart sealers), similar to the size used often for jams etc. They fit the pressure cooker we had. We did beans, beets, stewed tomatoes and few other veggies (not pickled).

Read up closely before starting on tomatoes. At one time is was normal practice to can them with standard boiling water sterilization and rely on the natural acid content of the tomatoes alone to prevent any bacterial growth if sterilization was not perfect. But the popular tomato varieties now used have much lower acid content, and may need the higher temperatures of pressure canning.
 
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Feldenak

Lifer
Jan 31, 2003
14,090
2
81
Yeah, I need to start reading up on the process myself. I have laid claim to all my parents canning equipment and have been assured that my brother & sister have no interest in the stuff. When I was a kid, my parents canned just about everything because my grandparents garden produced more than we could eat. Definately have to be careful with the low acid stuff though, my mom damn near killed my dad with canned green beans.

It was awesome as a kid. The basement would be full of tasty food. The freezer would be stocked with a side of beef and my dad built shelves to store oodles of home canned veggies, jams, jellies, etc...
 
DestinyKnight

DestinyKnight

Senior member
Jul 1, 2003
269
0
0
Last year I put up: Tomatoes, salsa, pickled beets, dill pickles, peaches, pears, apricots, apples and make strawberry jam, apricot jam, peach jam and pear jam. If you plan on canning vegetables without pickling them, you'll need a pressure canner.
 
S

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: Paperdoc
Pickles and the like preserve well because the high acid content prevents bacterial growth. Canning most vegetables, on the other hand, can be tricky because they are low-acid and some bacteria will survive the "sterilization" process of boiling the jars in a canner. That is what pressure canning is for. It runs at a higher temperature (because the pressure of the boiling pot is higher) and guarantees to kill all normal bacteria. Finding a pressure cooker as big as a normal canner pot is tough and very expensive. Our solution was to do pressure canning in our regular large pressure cooker, but to use only pint canning jars (not quart sealers), similar to the size used often for jams etc. They fit the pressure cooker we had. We did beans, beets, stewed tomatoes and few other veggies (not pickled).

Read up closely before starting on tomatoes. At one time is was normal practice to can them with standard boiling water sterilization and rely on the natural acid content of the tomatoes alone to prevent any bacterial growth if sterilization was not perfect. But the popular tomato varieties now used have much lower acid content, and may need the higher temperatures of pressure canning.
Click to expand...

Thanks! We plan on canning a bunch of tomatoes and thought I could just do boiling instead of pressure. These are especially sweet tomatoes so they may not be that acidic. Now if only I could find a cheap supplier for jars/lids.
 
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spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Thanks. We were going to hold off on a pressure cooker but looks like I'll go ahead and get one.
 
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