Canning for Dummies

[PlymouthRocker]

I'm not dumb, but I have never canned without my mom doing all of the detail work while I chop and peel. I have done peaches, pears, tomatoes - - but all that was 25 years ago when I was a kid. In the past 5 years, we've done applesauce together. Now I want to do this on my own since I now live 800 miles from her. BOO HOO to that, by the way.

Should I get a pressure cooker or will a big pot be sufficient?

I want to can soups, spaghetti sauce and applesauce to start. I've never canned soup or spaghetti sauce with meat. I'm thinking I'll can broths with veggies and meat and add pasta when I heat it up.

I make applesauce all the time, but never enough to can.

I didn't see a thread on this, and hope I didn't duplicate an old one.

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[NancyDz]

I believe if you are canning meat you have to use a pressure canner.

Good luck! I never had canned before and have already done jalapeno jelly, Peach butter,
salsa, pizza sauce and concord grape jelly. It's not too hard, you'll get the hang of it.
Lots of great books out there too. I'm sure some seasoned canners will jump in here
with lots of info too.

Good Luck!


Nancy

 

[Judy]

Yes, you must use a pressure canner to can meat safely, and it's safer for many other foods as well. Only high acid foods such as tomatoes are really safe to can without one. Scrounge around in US govt. sites; there are specific instructions for safe canning available.

 

[bluey]

There are so many internet sites regarding canning and technique. Please peruse them and choose the ones you like best. They are mostly written by folks who have been canning for a long time and have tons of experience!

http://www.pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm

http://grannymillerblog.blogspot.com/2008/06/strawberry-jam.html

(regretably she doesn't add to it anymore, but it is still chock full of info!)

http://www.paulnoll.com/Oregon/Canning/

http://selfrelianceadventures.blogspot.com/search/label/canning

http://www.freshpreserving.com/

I'm sure there are thousands more!

 

[ozark hen]

If you go to the canning thread on here you will find a ton of awesome recipes. Here is my favorite for applesauce.
Super Easy Crock Pot Apple Butter
5 pounds of apples (I usually use two bags of those small reddish apples)
3 cups of granulated sugar
2 tablespoons of apple pie spice (it comes in a small container in the spice section of foodlion)
1 tbsp. vanilla
2 tablespoons of cinnamon
Peel the apples and chop them up pretty small. Toss them all into the crock pot and put it on high. Pour sugar and spices in on top of apples and stir to mix. You won't have to do anything else for hours except enjoy the great smell! About 4 - 5 hours later the apples should be soft (now is a good time to get a bowl of vanilla ice cream and try them as a hot topping --yum!!!). Take a whisk and stir the apple and sugar mixture and break up some of the remaining chunks with the whisk. I use those small jam jars and spoon the mixture into those until about a 1/4" from the top. Put the lid on and sit in the frig until they completely cool off, then stick in the freezer all the ones you plan to give away or keep for later! When it cools, the consistensy is like jam, perfect!! Really good on toast, biscuits and waffles. I think it would make a super gift with loaves of homeade bread!!!
I use those cinnamon red hots in mine for that pretty pink color.

 

[PlymouthRocker]

Thank you, everyone, for your direction and recipes. I will let you know how it works out!

 

[KatyTheChickenLady]

Call Your Mother!!!!

 

[ozark hen]

 

[PlymouthRocker]

I called my mother. She has two pressure cookers and has lost both of the doo-hickeys to adjust the pressure on the lid. She doesn't use her food mill anymore, and she only cans salsa. She said, "Do you have a good book on canning?" Nope. Gonna do this the old-fashioned way - - - I'm gonna surf the net.

 

[ScoobyRoo]

YES,,,,get a pressure cooker. You will be able to expand your choices. We can help you if your Mother is not available. After all,,,,we are enablers!