Anyone do lots of home canning/food preserving?

[Shanay235]

I'm starting this year. I've always wanted to do this type stuff but never really had the storage space until a couple of years ago when we finished building our house.

My grandmother, who recently passed away, left all of the canning supplies that belonged to her and my great-grandmother to me so I now have three huge pressure canners and about 30 dozen caning jars of various sizes, big stock pots, etc. The hubby tilled up and help plant the garden, bought me a VakUPack sealer, a huge, commercial size dehydrator from Cabela's, and another freezer.

I can remember watching/helping my great-grandmother, grandmother, and mother in the garden and canning when I was a small child. I also remember how content and satisfied I felt when out in the garden, sitting on the porch shucking or stringing something, and at the end of a long day of canning. Now, the heat in the kitchen I could have done without! Thank goodness for today's central air.

 

[jambunny]

When my grandmother was in a nursing home she told us about how she and her mother made dilly beans. As she was suffering from dementia my mom was sceptical but we made them. My kids also would rather have them than pickles. Me too. I am anxiously awaiting the banana recipe. I actually put bananas on peanut butter sands sometimes.

 

[brandytab]

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I promise I'll get it to you! It might end up being tomorrow - we're going geocaching and then working more on the garden. Phew, a busy long weekend!

 

[MullersLaneFarm]

Another canner.

My water bath canner can hold 18 quarts and I use a gasket-less All American pressure canner.

Pickles, peppers, tomatoes, tomatoe sauce, pasta sauces, salsa, chicken, beef, pork, beans, corn

What I don't can, I dehydrate.

I have a 'basic canning' website with some recipes http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/canning.html and a pictorial making bread & butter pickles http://www.mullerslanefarm.com/canningpic.html

Low or no sugar jellies and jams ... I like using Pomona's. Bought half pound of it a couple years ago and have plenty! More economical than sure-jell and that sort
http://www.pomonapectin.com/

 

[chellebyerly]

I can, we have a fairly large garden, this year I will do

taters
snapbeans (already did 17 quarts)
tomatoes
pickles

various jellies including
musicidine
grape
watermelon
blueberry

I also made watermelon rind perserves last year. I dont like those. LOL

I also put up

Purple hull peas
corn
squash (did over 100 gallons last year, and I dont like squash unless its fried... LOL)


I used a pressure canner for the first time this weekend. I have always been scared of them. Grew up hearing about scraping meat off the ceiling and the noise always had me on edge. It still does. I was a nervous wreck the entire time they were processing. LOL

My beans turned out well, no problems, aside from some of the jars lost about 1/3 of the water in them. but I have another 5 gallon bucket to do this week, so I will double check my packing and make sure I have them full. although it leaked out. They were tight I dont know why it leaked, but they all sealed.

 

[Scoop]

Does anyone actually have any success with that Sure-gel? I've tried on so many occasions and it was one failure after another! I do a lot of canning so it can't be lack of experience. I called them and they said to buy some more and redo it. Well, I did, and it was no better. I don't use it any more and plan on chucking out what I have left. I now use another product that is more similar to using cornstarch. I think the only way to get Sure-gel to gel is to use like 10 cups of sugar to 5 cups of fruit and that is just nasty!

 

[brandytab]

I haven't had problems with it, but YES you have to use a ton of sugar. I bought Pomona for this year, so I'm going to see how that works out.

 

[brandytab]

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Did you can the squash? If so, what type of squash?

 

[RuffTuffCreampuff]

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I love Dilly Beans! If I get these grasshoppers under control early on, maybe I can have a fall garden. For the past couple of years we have been plagued by grasshoppers.....so this year I am waiting for them. I ordered a Cackle Surprise, the Bantam Special from Ideal, 12 ducklings 10 from Ideal, and 2 from Nature's Hatchery, got 20 guiena keets off of craiglist.....bruhhhhaaaahhhhaaaa. All this in addition to my regular flock, they aren't going to know what hit them. Oh forgot I got a few turkeys too.

I am wanting to can chicken, gonna have plenty this year....lol. But I am so leary of doing meat. Has anyone canned their own broth and chicken.....or something like chicken soup?

Pam

 

[Scoop]

I've canned a soup called Kale Soup which has smoked sausage in it and it was so good! You must use a pressure canner and time it exactly. It's a long processing time but sooooo worth it.
Man! I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

I'm waiting for that banana jam recipe also!

I bet that could be yum-oh with strawberry jam. Hoo-boy, I really am drooling!

I think we should all PM brandytab and demand the recipe now!