What are you canning now?

[math ace]

Hmmm... do your potatoes usually do good in your garden? The soil looks very sandy to me????

This is FLORIDA.... SAND is our soil LOL... This is my first time attempting potatoes.

I bought the seed potatoes at the local ace hardware. PLUS, they are sold at our local feed stores. OTHERS in this area must be growing potatoes or they wouldn't sell them. Our native soil has a ph around 5. Blackberries grow wild in my back yard. Blueberries are pretty easily grown around here too.

 

[BarefootMom]

your plants don't look done to me. They need to be BROWN and DEAD before you dig. They keep growing underground after the plants die off on top.

 

[math ace]

your plants don't look done to me. They need to be BROWN and DEAD before you dig. They keep growing underground after the plants die off on top.

Thanks! PATIENCE is not my virtue.... HOWEVER, I will continue to wait before I did any more. Maybe in another month...

 

[vfem]

Math, they don't look quite done... Mine were brown and all flopped over and DONE with life when I got mine out. Mine never flowered though.

Did you cover your potatoes with compost, bagged soil with fertilizer of just the sandy soil you showed? Potatoes eat up a LOT of nutrients and should have some good quality soil to cover them. Being there isn't a lot of nutrients in sand bagged soil or compost would be the best. I added compost to mine several time while they grew.

Why they never flowered, I have no idea!

 

[BarefootMom]

Whew! I just loaded my new to me 921 AA with 19 pints of potatoes! I feel like a first timer! lol I did 5 quart and a half jars earlier today in the 921. I bought the 921 at an auction a few months back for $30, and it is awesome. I bought a new 915 last year that I have used a lot, but this whole double stacking thing is so cool. lol

 

[math ace]

Math, they don't look quite done... Mine were brown and all flopped over and DONE with life when I got mine out. Mine never flowered though.
Did you cover your potatoes with compost, bagged soil with fertilizer of just the sandy soil you showed? Potatoes eat up a LOT of nutrients and should have some good quality soil to cover them. Being there isn't a lot of nutrients in sand bagged soil or compost would be the best. I added compost to mine several time while they grew.
Why they never flowered, I have no idea!

The bottom layer had cottonseed meal in it. I use it as a slow release acidic fertilizer. I didn't do anything with the additional layers of soil. I was told that potatoes weren't fond of nitrogen, so I didn't want to over do the TLC....

 

[math ace]

Whew! I just loaded my new to me 921 AA with 19 pints of potatoes! I feel like a first timer! lol I did 5 quart and a half jars earlier today in the 921. I bought the 921 at an auction a few months back for $30, and it is awesome. I bought a new 915 last year that I have used a lot, but this whole double stacking thing is so cool. lol

I am in the process of canning some more banana peppers. I had a large bag of peppers given to me, enough that I ended up with 8 cups of chopped peppers. SCORE!
I already had onions that I harvested.... I am reusing my canning jars from last year.... So it is going to cost me NOTHING to make this large batch of banana peppers.

 

[BarefootMom]

Math ACE- do you make your banana peppers hot? I made them a couple years ago but they didn't taste like the ones you buy in the store. Mind sharing how you do yours? I have a lot of banana peppers in the garden!


Potatoes I did earlier today, the others are still in the canner.

 

[math ace]

This recipe was Originally Posted by KenK


One of my jars of pepper relish had a suspect seal so I've been eating on it the past couple days. Hate it when that happens. : )

It is so good I thought I would share my simple recipe.

4 cups chopped hot peppers
4 cups chopped onion
2 cups cider vinegar
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon salt

Seed and core the peppers as you see fit and then chop in a food processor to a "relish like" consistency, make four cups chopped. Repeat with the onion.
Combine all into a pot and boil for about five minutes

Seal in jars and process in a water bath for ten minutes.

I used half Serrano and half Habanero peppers so this is not for the heat intolerant (I'm a little light headed as I type this )but I don't see why you couldn't use whatever peppers you liked or had.

This made a total of 5 pints, if I were making it again I would try to squeeze some of the water out of the chopped onions cause the finished jars are a little soupier than I would like.

 

[math ace]

barefootmom, I use KenK above recipe.

I use white vinegar instead of cider vinegar. I use banana peppers and toss a couple of chopped hot peppers in each jar.

I tried the rings, BUT they were a lot of work and I couldn't get them packed tight enough in the jar. When I chop them, the work goes quicker AND the jars are loaded with the pepper / onion relish. I love using this relish on sandwiches or salads. Just the right amount of POP in flavor.

These don't taste like the ones in the store because of the sugar... It is sweet and hot (depending on the amount of hot peppers you add) at the same time.

I am not big on HOT... I just want the flavor explosion in my mouth....