What are you canning now?

[Kim_NC]

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I started as a young teeneager with my mom and aunts. They only WB canned though. In my mid-20s I started pressure canning. I learned to pressure can from the Ball Blue Book, no mentor.

Now I can as part of our farm business. We sell jams, jellies, pickled items, etc at farmers markets. DH helps pack jars and we can all Summer for ourselves as well. We do not buy any commercially canned veggies or fruit.

Do try your extension office for classes. They offer beginning canning classes in may states/counties. I hope to add classes as one of the things we offer here at the farm eventually. We're not ready though....have an inspected kitchen but need to rearrange some things and would prefer to have an addition for space.

Yesterday I did a batch of Strawberry Jam - 9 jars. I think that makes about a dozen batches for the season. I swear, everytime I turn around, it seems like another batch has disappeared to customer sales!

ETA: Chicken Stalker - I love Crabapple Jelly too. One of our CSA members brought crabbaples to me this year. What a treat! It's my favorite jelly for making jelly rolls and jelly filled muffins.

 

[Kismet]

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I love Cortlands. I choose them or Northern Spies whenever I have a choice.

KDBeads - I have a lot of fresh cayenne peppers and thought I would try your Chinese pepper and garlic sauce. Do you think I can follow it as printed but substitute fresh instead of dried? Thanks for posting the recipe!

 

[michickenwrangler]

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I was just thinking of your post about it getting to cold at night for the tomatoes. I have a lot of green tomatoes left on the vine at my place too and we have officially gotten our first freeze warning for the year. So I am thinking that I should probably go out and gather up all the green tomatoes. I want to try to make a green tomato hot sauce that is not as chunky as salsa. Have you ever made such a thing?

No, but my mother and husband love green tomato pickles. It's basically just my recipe for dill pickles but I use tomatoes. My mother chops her pickles tomatoes fine for salads and sandwiches.

50/50 % water and white vinegar. 1/4 cup salt per 6 cups of water/vinegar mix. 1 tsp dill seed per pint, 1 peeled clove of garlic per pint. Process for 15 minutes in a water bath canner.

 

[chicknduck]

I am going to get more cucumbers. I made the refigerator ones and they were all gone in 2 weeks. My daughter loved them and so did I. I also found a recipie for pickled brussel sprouts that I may try. But I have to go buy more jars. I cant beleive I used all of the jars.

 

[KDbeads]

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I think you can, just do like you are going to make hot sauce. I'll ask the lady in town who does the habanero garlic sauce how she does hers and get back with you this afternoon!

 

[Terri O]

I started canning when I was a teen too. My Grandma always made B&B pickles, tomatoes with Zucchini in them, dills and pickled beets. My Mom never canned anything! Looking back, I am surprised that we never got sick with the tomato/zucchini thing--she only ever WB canned! I still make that now but I use my pressure canner for it. I also taught myself how to pressure can. THere is a bunch of info in books that will help you; and as other have mentioned they probably have a class at the extension...I took Master Canner but you wouldnt have to--you just have to bite the bullet and do it with canning! Start with peaches or tomatoes--they are both really easy and give you a nice product to show off! It is expensive to start but after you have the stuff it is just the lids you have to replace. Good luck! And we can always help you here!
Terri O

 

[Equus5O]

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I was just thinking of your post about it getting to cold at night for the tomatoes. I have a lot of green tomatoes left on the vine at my place too and we have officially gotten our first freeze warning for the year. So I am thinking that I should probably go out and gather up all the green tomatoes. I want to try to make a green tomato hot sauce that is not as chunky as salsa. Have you ever made such a thing?

I've never made anything with green tomatoes. But, a year or so ago I had an empty set of drawers in the garage. I layered the bottoms of the drawers with newspaper, then put the green tomatoes in the drawers in single layers and closed the drawers. The tomatoes ripened. I didn't do canning at that time, so the tomatoes were sliced in half and then frozen.

 

[TipsyDog]

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I can't remember NOT canning! I came from a family where Grandma canned everything, but back then everyone did - they had no choice. Back in the 1930's and 40's no one had freezers or big box stores. Even when things were available to buy, Grandma always insisted hers was better because she knew what was in it. Looking back, she was actually way ahead of her time!

My question is who doesn't can? It's a product of modern society that most people no longer can. I must be really old fashioned because I still have the mindset of self reliance. Gardening, canning, raising up some of your own food. It's alot of work, but I consider self reliance a priceless virtue (and skill) these days.

 

[bockbock2008]

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I'm glad somebody can put my thoughts into words.

 

[KDbeads]

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I'm glad somebody can put my thoughts into words.

Agreed.
I don't remember NOT canning, ever....... And I'm not that old