What are you canning now?

[elizabethbinary]

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I have galvanized shelves in the garage. The galvanized shelves hold the already-packaged and the plastic/speciality jars. My ball jars are under the counter and food I am currently interested in ingesting is in the pantry. I have a circular system. I make things and put them in the garage in the back of the shelf, pull from the front and place in my kitchen pantry. I call it 'going shopping', hahaha I even have a shopping basket for it. Since the freezer is in the garage as well. Anyway, while 'shopping', I grab the stuff I will need for the week and put them in the pantry, including excess jars if I've started to run low in the kitchen. (I even have a price list for homegrown stuff and 'pay' for my shopping - like a homekilled chicken is $10 so I put $10 in a jar. At the end of the month, we use this for supplies for more food! We always end up ahead, too. It's my way of saving money and figuring out how much I save by growing my own. $10 is average-low for a whole chicken at a butcher here. High for a grocers, though).

So anyway, yeah... I store it all neatly in the garage (or for you, the spare room, get galvanized shelves.. $20 here so they MUST be cheap there!) And then have a spare cupboard for the rest of it in the kitchen, like the pans and untensils. It's almost always at least half full. When I start to get low again, I 'go shopping' again in the garage and get more, along with maybe a chook or two and some beans, haha. I'll grab some jars of food from the front and some jars, do my canning and replace the food in the back and push forward the stuff in the front.

That way it's a constant uncluttered cycle and if it gets messy... it's in the garage so what do I care?

 

[KDbeads]

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I have a cabinet in the hall bath that I'm using for all the bulky stuff and the bottom half of the kitchen pantry is nothing but filled jars. I also have jars on the bookshelf in the hallway and some in the TV credenza.

Good thing I'm moving soon....... I'll have more room in the place we are looking at than I have now!

 

[Archae]

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I think kitchen cabinets would be great at least much fancier then my boxes on the floor in the garage

If you have a restore in your area you can pick up cabinets for real cheap I built my chicken coop out of a corner kitchen cabinet that I got there for $5. As for all the little knick-knacks: tongs, funnel, ects go in to my canner so I always know where they are.
I dug out my canning stuff today and made lemon curd unfortunately I started having back spasms so I just ending up freezing instead of finishing it in the pressure canner still tasty- it is the best way to use extra eggs.

 

[Kim_NC]

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I use

- a dedicated shelf in the laundry room for my canners, a couple boxes of jars to use right away and boxes of lids/rims
- a designated kitchen drawer for canning utensils (jar tongs, lid wands, funnels, labels, etc)
- root cellar space where the bulk of boxed empty jars and most of the finished can goods are stored. We have metal racks there that were purchased used at Habitat Re-Stores, yard sales, etc.
- a couple kitchen cupboards where filled jars of food are stored for a couple week's worth of cooking

Each week we go to the root cellar - take down anything to be stored, bring up jars if needed for canning that week, and "shop" for groceries to bring up to the cupboards.

We sell jams/jellies at farmers markets too. Nothing for us to have about 20 dozen jars of finished jams for that purpose. It's not practical for me to keep that stock in the root cellar. For this we have a corner in the farm office with a large metal bakers rack. I stack boxes of finished jams, in the original boxes, on this rack. That keeps all of them handy for checking inventory, loading the truck for market, etc.

 

[Kim_NC]

Arrggg! I could just scream! I have 12 quarts of Brunswick Stew ready to can....and the seal on my canner has decided it must be replaced. I've tried everything...stretching, etc...and it won't make a proper seal to raise the pressure in the vessel. And I'm already waiting for a seal for my other canner to arrive via order. SooOOOooo into the refrig with the stew - and I'll have to make a trip to town later today and buy a seal before I can finish. Fortunately it's a common model and should be in stock somewhere.

I told myself a couple month's ago I should pickup another seal just to have on hand. Well!

 

[HenThymes]

Good morning all you BYC canners!!!

Been awhile since I've done anything in the kitchen.

Gearing up tough, I can hardly wait as spring is just around the corner.

We have been busy outside already this season planting blueberry bushes, blackberry canes, raspberries, and a crabapple tree. Pruning apple and peach trees, grape vines and persimmon trees. We are even into the garden now, just got the sugar snap peas and cabbage planted the other day. Onions have weathered the winter well and are starting to grow and soon we will be transplanting/replanting our rhubarb bed.

All the trees here are starting to bud, lillies and such are up and blooming and I see my glads starting to peak out of the ground. Now if that clover will just show itself I could get to canning some clover jelly!!

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!!

 

[3goodeggs]

clover jelly? clover, like the 'lovely white flowers' clover? do you used the flower heads or the leaves?
There are so many clovers.
That would make such a cool Saint Patrick's day gift.
I need more information on that. I'll try anything once.

well, most anything, and it has to be legal and moral and ethical. (I wear two 'goodie' shoes.

)

What I am noticing is my lack of garage, cellar, and office space. I feel like a hoarder, I just have pathways everywhere and boxes of jars and canned goods. It isn't pretty and I am ashamed to have people over...but I can feed them.

My husband was telling me of the bakers' racks at the restaurant supply store and thought they would be great for jars and jellies.
I like the idea of the restore cabinets, we have a dent and bent place here, if it is still in business. We were just going to make a plywood something with sliding plywood doors. It may be cheaper to go the restore route, and easier.
I may just settle for the bakers rack for the immediate, I could put it in the entry way. I suppose they need to be covered to keep the colors of the food from fading? This recession /depression is causing some real hinks in my life style.

(lack of time and money what a drag.)

 

[math ace]

NEWBIE ALERT NEWBIE ALERT

So, I have had a garden for YEARS. This year I want to try my hand at canning. I pulled some information of the web sites yesterday about canning green beans, beets, and collards.

I read that none of these should be done with a hot water bath. All - BEANS, BEETS, and COLLARDS - REQUIRE a pressure cooker for canning.
I have a friend who says she NEVER used a pressure cooker with her canning on these items.

WHAT is TRUE ? Do I have to have a pressure cooker?

IF I do, does it matter which one or what brand I get?

Thank you for your advice

 

[3goodeggs]

Root crops could have botulism, thus the need for pressure canning. Botulism is anaerobic and can grow without oxygen= in a canned jar of food.
I know it needs to be high heat or salt or sugar, and/ or high acid to make it in hospitable to the anaerobic bacterias.
Follow the ball blue book.
good luck and better safe than sorry, so invest in a pressure canner.

 

[Kismet]

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I have almost five feet of snow still on the ground - but, the trees are tapped and ready for when the days get above freezing and the nights stay below. Sugaring is the first sign of spring (and snow fleas). My seedlings are started - I am so ready for spring!

I made yogurt for the first time this past weekend - I surprised myself how good it was.