What are you canning now?

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

Hi Yall, I'm new to canning and gardening and poultry this year, and I'm practically brown from all the time I have spent outside this spring so far... I am going to go to Big Lots today and buy a heck of a lot of canning things to make ready for the 6 varieties of tomatoes, my cucumbers, string beans and corn that I am expecting soon. I am really excited to see if my potatoes made babies under all the dirt...they are blooming right now and about 2 feet tall-yeesh, I had no idea they would grow so big!

i just ordered a canning book last month and am reading it through, so far I have made lots of apple pie filling and applesauce (which is sooooooo good) the filling is so great to have on hand---my husband just about jumps for joy when I make apple cobbler as a suprise when dinner is cooking... I even took the filling camping and made cobbler with my extra biscuit dough in a dutch oven over the fire....so good.

I am going to devote an hour or so to reading this whole thread later tonight! I can't wait to be a regular canner-

I am also growing tiger eye and calypso soup beans this year so we'll see if I can figure out how to can those too because I loooooove crockpot turkey chili.

 

[Acre of Blessings]

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It's great to have you here and nice to hear how busy you have been. I have also tanned a bit myself from being outside so much this year. If you have any questions about canning....just ask here and I am sure one of us many canners will be glad to help. Please be sure to read all canning instructions though. Better safe than sorry.

I myself can anything from Jams to meats so there is a boatload of knowledge here just on this one thread. Again, nice to see you here!!!

Happy Canning!

 

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

So I just did a tour of my city looking for canning jars... I had to explain to three people that people still can their own food-in jars such as mason jars-so they can enjoy it later in the year... I couldn't believe that some adults didn't know that---are we that far removed from our food these days? Southern california will turn into one ugly place if we ever got cut off from our daily food supply.

Anyway, I can't find any mason or ball jars...not at big lots, target, my local craft store, the general/drug stores...and I refuse to shop at walmart (don't get me started, and I'm not condemning others for shopping there-I know some of you have no choice due to your locals)...so back to my grocery store where I have to pay 18.90 for 12 ball pint size jars.

what a big downer... I need new lids too before I can all my apples. In any event---nothing is going to stop me from canning as much as possible this year, not with the harvest I'm expecting! And on a happier note, I just ate my first string bean--it had way more flavor than I expected!!!!

 

[Acre of Blessings]

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Yes, even here on the East Coast there are people that give you that "what" look when you speak of canning, but its mostly the younger generation. Can you order them online? I think you could get more for less by doing that way. I cannot believe that Big Lots didn't have any. Did you ask the manager if they were going to get any in? So glad I was raised in the country where when I grew up I would know where food came from.

 

[TifsBroodyBabes]

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You don't have a Winco close to where you live? They have the best prices I've found.

 

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

I don't have a winco here, I think I'll browse online for a bit. I also think I'll check the huge mexican market stores, I don't think they'll have any but they are usually much cheaper than the grocery chains around here ans I need a tortilla press anyway. I'm taking this whole silly search as a sign I'm doing something right...if nobody else around here is doing it, it has to be a good thing. You should see the lines at Mcdonalds these days.... eeeeeeewe.

Yay for canning, and hooray for all you women who take the effort to do it! Since coming to BYC I have found new hope in so many ways. Silly, but I used to be so depressed thinking about how my generation and how the people around here act and live... But there are so many real people still around and on this site, I'm very grateful...

Will be reading this whole thread tomorrow morning with a pencil and paper ready for notes!

 

[CowgirlJules]

Do you have old-timey hardware stores around? I was in one in Bellflower years and years ago, looking for something completely unrelated, and noticed that they had an amazing selection of stuff like that. Right in the city! I get lots of canning stuff at my local Ace Hardware, and he'll happily order other things for me. Of course, if I'm going to do that, I might as well just go online myself, but I do like to keep money local if I can.

 

[Kelsey2017]

HI this is a neat thread! I have been canning now for about 4 years, each year adding to my experience. We started a couple big gardens and I freeze and can as much as I am able. It is a super good feeling to have canned goods from the farm, I just absolutely puff up when I cook up one of our chickens with a jar of canned potatoes, carrots, turnips parsley and onions (thats our quick stew base) with some of the golden delicious chicken broth and then plop some dumplings on top, so good and so quick! I know I should be more humble but dang thats good!

I am sorry to hear that mason jars are so hard to find for some of you. I am lucky to live in an area that they are available year round many places. I have to say though that it does seem to have caught on a little more in the last two years. I always stock up on lids (I have a ridiculous amount) and cruise garage sales when I can. I was lucky enough to stop by my neighbors the other day and he had a whole bunch of the 1/2 gallon ones and he said they were $3 and then there were also a bunch of the old blue ones and he said 'oh I am going to have to get $15 for those." Well I shopped around a little more and then went to pay and took out my money and started to give him $18 for the 1/2 gallon ones and he said "No, $3 for all" So needless to say I bought them all. The same $18 I was going to pay for the big ones bought the whole box of blue ones too. There were 6 of the half gal. clear and then get this, 3 half gal, 12 quart and 8 pint blue ones! He knew they were worth more but he was happy to sell them to me and didn't want to bother with taking them some where else. Besides they were his Grandmas and I live in their old house now, the old homestead for his family, he thinks it is neat that we are raising a family here and farming etc. Whadda Guy!

Does anybody have processing times for the half gallons? I would like to use them for larger portions of venision stew. I am not sure if I would can it with the meat in it or just make a big batch of the stew veggies, but would love any ideas on processing times.

 

[Sore Thumb Suburbanite]

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I am growing my collection of old blue ball jars... and I keep the perfect ones out for canning... isn't it cool...even though it makes the food inside look strange? I love it though. I want your neighbor for my neighbor...and a farm and more old jars... lucky you...

and don't feel bad about bragging, it is soooooooo amazing to be able to whip up a meal that came entirely from your hard work and time... Your kids better understand the rare and amazing gift that those meals are! My goal this summer is to celebrate my husband and my birthdays (both in august) in one party and serve food only from our backyard...except for the meat part...next year I'll do the same but I'll have the chickens to round out the meal! I'm investigating growing wheat but I don't think I have any room to commit to that venture! Keep in mind I have a 25x60 foot back yard... so it will be a challenge to cook for 30 people out of that!

fewer and fewer women cook or do domestic things...so keep it up and if you have girls...train them well! I intend to have a large family so I can raise them with just such care & they can offset the growing unskilled, uneducated, uninformed population...I've been planning this since I was 8-canning and raising poultry are just steps 1,027 and 1,028.

 

[Momagain1]

I dont do half gallons ..they dont recommend you use them...