Is anyone into canning?

[Deleted]

And no, there is no sexual meaning to this, I don't think.

I mean canning veggies and such. According to old man internet, I will have green beans coming out of the yingyang so I'm thinking about possibly canning some of them.

[lazyaw]

I'm a canner.

You need to pressure can green beans, which is sort of a pain to figure out, but after a while you get a routine down. Have you ever used a pressure canner?

Last year I did both dilly beans and plain green beans. I used to Ball recipe for the dilly beans and I think they are nasty. Don't so it.

[lazyaw]

May 23, 2012 18:18:24 GMT -5 @lazyaw said:

I'm a canner.

You need to pressure can green beans, which is sort of a pain to figure out, but after a while you get a routine down. Have you ever used a pressure canner?

Last year I did both dilly beans and plain green beans. I used to Ball recipe for the dilly beans and I think they are nasty. Don't so it.

That should have read "I used the Ball.....Don't do it." Apparently I'm not only too lazy to log in, I'm also too lazy to proofread.

[Deleted]

I've never used any sort of canner. I have no idea what I'm doing. Talk to me like I'm five. lol

[aw]

OK. So high acid foods (fruits and some veg) you can use a boiling water bath, but lower acid foods (most veggies, meats) you have to pressure can. A good pressure canner can be used for both boiling and pressure canning, so since you know you're going to be doing green beans, I would get one. I should tell you that some people boil their green beans (if you google online you will find recipes) and swear that it is safe, but I'm too freaked about botulism to try it. Plus, you have to use so much salt that way that it is gross.

Other canning essentials are a good pair of thongs to lift your hot jars, a funnel, and a good recipe book (I use the Ball Blue Book). I guess you could get recipes off of the internet, but I like to know my recipes are tried and true. You can't go wrong with the Ball ones.

When canning green beans you can do it with or without salt. I like the saltless ones.

I'm actually working on a canning post for one of my blogs. When I get it done I'll let you know. It's that time of year again - yippee! I actually canned my second set of jam for the year (today I did mixed berry - strawberry, black raspberry and dewberry). It's so addicting. There is nothing like the sound of those lids popping after all of that hard work!

[Deleted]

Oh yay. Thank you!

And how did I not know you blogged? I would totally read that. And genuinely, I swear. Not in the finger pointing/mocking way.

[redheadbaker]

I have a recipe/instructions bookmarked for vanilla plum preserves, but canning intimidates me.

[Deleted]

ooo vanilla plum preserves sound faboo!

[Deleted]

I only can jams.

For things like peas, corn, etc I just freeze.

[Deleted]

I don't have the freezer space for anything more than a few ziplock bags.

I think next year we'll be getting a stand alone freezer. I'm planning a much larger garden and hoping for a much larger yield. I'd also like to make salsa and spaghetti sauce and perhaps even tomato paste.

[ringstrue]

dammit HAB!

I'd just freeze green beans. Or eat them.

[aw]

I have bad luck freezing veggies, unless it's corn. Everything else tastes like freezer to me. Canning us much easier, IMO.

[Deleted]

Meh, I eat Kroger frozen veggies. Surely they can't taste better than HAB frozen veggies.

[redheadbaker]

May 23, 2012 18:48:47 GMT -5 @habbsies said:

ooo vanilla plum preserves sound faboo!

www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/plum-vanilla-preserves-recipe/index.html

[NitaX]

AW - will you be sure to post a link to your blog post on canning. I'm too scared about botulism to attempt to can.

[Knight]

You can find some decent pressure canners on Amazon. Mine is old (hand me down from grandma) so I've been looking for one with more space and they seem to have some good prices.

[Knight]

I've been looking at this one:
www.amazon.com/Presto-01781-23-Quart-Pressure-Canner/dp/B0000BYCFU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337826846&sr=8-1

[Deleted]

Just passing through, but I have Ball's Complete Book of Home Preserving; I learned the entire process (boiling and pressure) from that book. I think it's better than my Ball Blue Book. I don't really trust sources other than Ball, because you can kill people if the recipes aren't just right. I know the Ball publishers know what they're doing safety-wise. I do wish some of their recipes were a little healthier (less sugar), but some are better than others. I've canned all sort of ketchup, mustard, jellies, pie fillings, corn, pickles, pizza sauce, and fruit sauces. I think my pressure canner was around $90, but I can't really remember. Our local Ace Hardware has all sorts of canning supplies (jar lifters, strainers, lid magnets, etc.). It is the best supplier I've found offline, but I think all Aces are different, so others may not be as good.

[lazyaw]

May 23, 2012 21:37:15 GMT -5 Knight said:

I've been looking at this one:
www.amazon.com/Presto-01781-23-Quart-Pressure-Canner/dp/B0000BYCFU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1337826846&sr=8-1

This is the brand I have and it works well.

[meshaliuknits]

I've canned jalapenos successfully. And I've made three jams. All delicious. One spreadable (see last blog post). I'm gonna can cherries next weekend, I think.

foodinjars.com has a lot of info and is where I've gotten all my recipes.

[Deleted]

I went to a class on canning, dehydrating, and yogurt making. After the class, I decided that I much prefer dehydrating to canning. It is much, much easier and holds more of the nutrients. I started gardening last summer, and dehydrated all kinds of stuff - squash, tomatoes, okra, eggplant, herbs, and more. The veggies tasted great rehydrated, and I will also powder some of them in a blender and use the powder for extra nutrients in various recipes (especially in smoothies).

[MixedBerryJam]

Since we're talking about canning ... is a pressure canner interchangeable with a pressure cooker? I am hoping to can some chocolate sauce and caramel sauce for Christmas presents this year, and apparently I need a pressure canner, not a boiling water bath.

[EloiseWeenie]

Habs- I know it's getting towards the end of our strawberry season, but I've made lots of batches of this strawberry jam (and water bath canned it) www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/fresh-strawberry-jam-recipe/index.html

[lazyaw]

May 23, 2012 23:44:10 GMT -5 @godawgs said:

I went to a class on canning, dehydrating, and yogurt making. After the class, I decided that I much prefer dehydrating to canning. It is much, much easier and holds more of the nutrients. I started gardening last summer, and dehydrated all kinds of stuff - squash, tomatoes, okra, eggplant, herbs, and more. The veggies tasted great rehydrated, and I will also powder some of them in a blender and use the powder for extra nutrients in various recipes (especially in smoothies).

I dehydrate apples and they turn out fabulous, but I did some green beans last year and they were nasty. I threw them in soups to rehydrate and the texture was awful. Do you have any resources for learning how to do it right?