Anyone around Charlotte NC want to teach me to can

[cackle]

I have had one falure after another and I am ready to give up. I need someone who knows what they are doing to help me learn to can. Last night I canned feild peas and they were beautiful. This mroning there is hardly any liquid. I am not even sure if they are safe to eat.

 

[Opa]

Don't be overly concerned about the loss of liquid, they will still be safe to eat. The is a pretty common occurrence. Many times the moisture loss is cause by having your heat to high. Once you get your pressure up you need to cut the temperature back. You want to keep the pressure right at the recommended pressure and not allow it to go much higher. I've been canning for close to 60 years and I still refer to Ball's Blue Book. Follow their directions and you will succeed.

 

[Steve_of_sandspoultry]

How are you canning them? hot water bath or preasure canner?

Steve in NC

 

[cackle]

Opa,

Thanks for the advice. I bought a canning book but I am not finding everything I am looking for. It is the cheap Ball Book from WalMart.

Steve,

12qt Mirro Pressure canner.

Susan

 

[Opa]

What are you unable to find?

 

[cackle]

I guess I need a cheat sheet for times. I only cooked corn 25 minutes to find out it needed to cook much longer. I swear I loooked up the times it needed to cook befoer I started. I did find the black-eyed peas needed to cook 40 minutes.

I would love a pickled okra and recipe for hot peppers

 

[Opa]

Probably the easiest method for whole kernal corn is raw pack. You cut corn from cob, Loosely fill jars, leave 1-inch head space, do not shake or press. Add 1/2 tsp salt per pint, 1 tsp salt per pint. Pour boiling water over corn leaving 1-inch head space. Install lid and jar ring. Process at 10 lbs pressure for 55 minutes for pint jars and 1 hour and 25 minutes for quarts. Remember when pressure reaches 10 lbs reduce heat but watch till you are certain that it is maintaining pressure.

The Ball Blue Book has an excellent recipe for hot pickled peppers. Remember to wear rubber gloves when handling peppers. If you don't have this recipe in your book let me know and I'll copy it for you.

 

[HennysMom]

dont give up! I am learning to can for the first time this year and so far I've done strawberry, peach, and blackberry jams as well as green beans - so I've done both water baths and pressure cooker methods.

I guess the question is are you raw packing or hot packing as Sam stated? I went out and purchased the Ball Canning book and read it thoroughly - twice - and still keep it out and read it right before I do whatever I"m doing, then read it again as I go, step by step. Its a process

I have found that using the pressure canner/cooker is quite tricky even with having the gauge on it, I had to keep reducing the knob down on the stove (its electric) and eventually ended up down to a 3 / 4 on the temp to keep the pressure at 11/12 lbs. I do know that if it says "water bath" or "pressure cooker" you must do what it says or whatever you have wont turn out right and will spoil.

Good luck and keep trying!

 

[Opa]

Good morning, With close to sixty years of canning experience I've worn out quite a few Blue Books and still keep one open to the correct page when canning. As Hennysmom says following the directions is the key.

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Where are you located at in NC???