What are you canning now?

[Beekissed]

Feels good to have a particular fruit or veggie harvest completed, doesn't it? I love living by the seasons and doing chores accordingly, especially at this time of year. I love apple time because the smells drive your salivary glands mad!

I'll be putting up some pie filling as well...found a good recipe for it online and want to try it. Should be tasty!

Hope you find more apples! It's late around here for corn but one farm stand I know of still has it...I hope you find a source, as it's just easier to get through winter with that golden sweet corn in the jar to remind you of summer. We got ours pretty early on this year and I'm glad for it.

 

[WthrLady]

Still plenty of apples and corn here. Just not for the price i want to pay for corn. City folk, preppie poser prices.

The pepper jelly was funny. Rinsing the peppers trigered my sinus'. It was like being exposed to tear gas!

 

[shortgrass]

Feels good to have a particular fruit or veggie harvest completed, doesn't it?  I love living by the seasons and doing chores accordingly, especially at this time of year.  I love apple time because the smells drive your salivary glands mad!    I'll be putting up some pie filling as well...found a good recipe for it online and want to try it.  Should be tasty! 

Hope you find more apples!   It's late around here for corn but one farm stand I know of still has it...I hope you find a source, as it's just easier to get through winter with that golden sweet corn in the jar to remind you of summer.  We got ours pretty early on this year and I'm glad for it.

Oh definitely, we LIVE for harvest... We didn't get hail this year; I think I'm safe to say it now lol NO HAIL!!!(We ALWAYS get hail) I have some fall beets ready to go, but I'm beginning to slow down. I'm pooped.

I never did get to try the corn, Bee DH got sick of corn bybthectime I wanted to go get more, so it'll have to wait until next year Tomatoes struggled from powdery mildew; we had an abnormally wet spring and it caused problems for me there and with the squash... But I got TONS of beans and pickles and carrots and beets. Oh my the beets I've gone through!

28 cases of food for the winter. I've got 7 cases of jars left for the year, so I'm almost done.


Whew! Yes, Beekissed; I know who truly put these hands to work and made all of this possible; I am ever so thankful for the bounty we've been blessed with! It makes me feel very loved to see how much more I am worth than a mere bird

 

[MistyMountain]

I just finished off 100 pounds of apples. I need more.

I did two huge batches of sauce today. It is unflippin' believable great. We still have apple butter from last october. That should last us until next summer.

Next is apple pie filling. But will have to wait until we cool off again. We're back over 90'.

I did boil down cider for baking this past sunday. I love it for apple fritters and cake.

I might have to collect more apples for more sauce.

Cowboy candy was done sunday as well x2.

I still want to do corn, but need to find a good price for it.

We have TONS of apples here too. First year attempting to can applesauce. Do you have a particular recipe you like best?

For everyone canning apples, is there any tidbit of advice you would like to offer a newbie? Anything that is not written in the books or that you wish you knew before you started canning? Wish I could hang out in one of your kitchens during canning time. I am a very hands on and visual learner. I'd even sit and peel apples while I watched!

 

[WthrLady]

Tips. I always use either citric acid or lemon juice to keep my apples from browning. While it doesn't change the flavor, it does keep the fruit from oxidizing and going that odd brown. The brown won't hurt you. We've just been hardwired to think it is icky or spoiled. Eventually, oxidation will change the texture and flavor, so why waste the fruit in the long run to save in the short run?

I simply add some to the water in the slicing bowl and take them for a swim/rinse before cooking them.

Those gadgets they sell to peel and core and apple for you in seconds. USELESS. They usually break smack in the middle of your project, slice apples too thin, or take longer to set up and clean than it does for you to work a peeler.

Find and buy a GOOD peeler, and then buy more of them and hoard them.

I specifically went to the NorthDakota State fair the first year we were married to do nothing BUT buy a vegetable peeler from the knife guy. I still have it and if the house was on fire, it would be one of the things I would grab. (LOL. Kidding..... but not about the peeler.) I've had it 24 years and have NO IDEA what company made it. But I can peel a large apple in under 20 seconds.

Don't bother coring with a fancy machine or a poke through core punch. Just peel your apple and cut around the core as closely as you can. Four quick motions with the knife gives you a core to toss to the compost and 4 large pieces of apple to slice, and HEY, you already have your knife in your hand to do it!

A gel mat to stand on while you peel. If you peel sitting down, you'll get lazy and rest your elbows. That will slow you down. Peel at the sink. Put the stopper in and fill the sink with cores and peels. Then scoop the whole mess into the compost or chicken bucket when you are done.

My girls don't get cores, but I DO slice up the peels and put them into sandwich baggies and freeze for winter treats.

Cover anything you don't want splashed with apple peeling juice with a dish towel. The stuff flies everywhere.

Don't' use apples that with slow you down. One year I had a batch that was overly bruised, damaged, and buggy and they were small. They too me too much time to work with. I make sure I get fist size or larger and peel like a mad woman. Music blaring in the kitchen,.

Use a mix of apples in whatever you make. The end result will amaze you. IF you can remember when apples you use, write it down for each batch you do, so you can repeat a good result.

Firm baking apples are a different creature from a good eating apple. Don't mix the two.

I will put my apple recipes on my blog sometime later today (I volunteer on Tuesdays and to day is inventory day, so keep checking it.)

I wish I had someone to come sit and learn. The Boy and DH love eating it, but aren't interested in learning. Their help slows me down, but they are good for lifting and hauling and bringing up jars, and taking jars down! LOL.

 

[N F C]

@WthrLady I'm not the one that asked for apple tips but I sure am glad you gave them. Excellent tips! I'm in the same boat as @MistyMountain , wish I could be in your kitchen helping & learning. Thanks for the advice!

 

[shortgrass]

Tips.  I always use either citric acid or lemon juice to keep my apples from browning.  While it doesn't change the flavor, it does keep the fruit from oxidizing and going that odd brown.  The brown won't hurt you.  We've just been hardwired to think it is icky or spoiled.  Eventually, oxidation will change the texture and flavor, so why waste the fruit in the long run to save in the short run?

I simply add some to the water in the slicing bowl and take them for a swim/rinse before cooking them.

Those gadgets they sell to peel and core and apple for you in seconds.  USELESS.  They usually break smack in the middle of your project, slice apples too thin, or take longer to set up and clean than it does for you to work a peeler.

Find and buy a GOOD peeler, and then buy more of them and hoard them.

I specifically went to the NorthDakota State fair the first year we were married to do nothing BUT buy a vegetable peeler from the knife guy.  I still have it and if the house was on fire, it would be one of the things I would grab.  (LOL.  Kidding..... but not about the peeler.)  I've had it 24 years and have NO IDEA what company made it.  But I can peel a large apple in under 20 seconds.

Don't bother coring with a fancy machine or a poke through core punch.  Just peel your apple and cut around the core as closely as you can.  Four quick motions with the knife gives you a core to toss to the compost and 4 large pieces of apple to slice, and HEY, you already have your knife in your hand to do it!

A gel mat to stand on while you peel.  If you peel sitting down, you'll get lazy and rest your elbows.  That will slow you down.  Peel at the sink.  Put the stopper in and fill the sink with cores and peels.  Then scoop the whole mess into the compost or chicken bucket when you are done.

My girls don't get cores, but I DO slice up the peels and put them into sandwich baggies and freeze for winter treats.

Cover anything you don't want splashed with apple peeling juice with a dish towel.  The stuff flies everywhere.

Don't' use apples that with slow you down.  One year I had a batch that was overly bruised, damaged, and buggy and they were small.  They too me too much time to work with.  I make sure I get fist size or larger and peel like a mad woman. Music blaring in the kitchen,.

Use a mix of apples in whatever you make.  The end result will amaze you.  IF you can remember when apples you use, write it down for each batch you do, so you can repeat a good result.

Firm baking apples are a different creature from a good eating apple.  Don't mix the two.

I will put my apple recipes on my blog sometime later today (I volunteer on Tuesdays and to day is inventory day, so keep checking it.)

I wish I had someone to come sit and learn.  The Boy and DH love eating it, but aren't interested in learning.  Their help slows me down, but they are good for lifting and hauling and bringing up jars, and taking jars down! LOL. 

Wow x2!!

Can't exaggerate enough on having a good peeler lol.... I have my grandmas'... Oi that thingbhas GOT to be 70 years old! Can't find another, but got close with a potato peeler with the head on straight, not sideways... Still can't beat grandmas

Can opener, peeler, and hand mixer... 3 things from grandma that are irreplaceable and new just won't cut it ; they just don't make them like they used to!

 

[napdognewfie]

MistyMountain I am in Cumberland MD. Are you nearby? I've been canning since I was big enough to stand on a chair and help. Mom died in 88 and I've done it alone since. Kids aren't interested.

 

[N F C]

MistyMountain I am in Cumberland MD. Are you nearby? I've been canning since I was big enough to stand on a chair and help. Mom died in 88 and I've done it alone since. Kids aren't interested.

I've seen a few statements like that on here. I have a friend that does quite a bit of canning and she says her 20-something year old daughter isn't interested either. Makes me wonder why? Are younger people so used to food on demand like from a drive-up or grocery store that they can't imagine ever being without? Or have they come to prefer the taste of already prepared food? Too busy with other things? I don't get it.

 

[napdognewfie]

It takes too long. It's boring. It's hot. It's messy. I can't text with this stuff on my hands. Lol