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2008-07-30 6:07 PM

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Champion
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Subject: Anyone out there do any canning?

I just finished reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, and she makes it seem so easy to can tomato sauce.  Has anyone done this before?  Any tips?  I'm thinking about contacting my vegetable farm folks and see if I can get a deal on bulk tomatoes.

If my basil plants ever take off, I'll probably be making batched of pesto to freeze.

And there are so many blackberries on the bushes along my creek trail, I might have to go pick a couple of containers full and see what I can do with them. 

Anything else worth canning to let me enjoy the summer's bounty this winter?



2008-07-30 6:31 PM
in reply to: #1571412

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Champion
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Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?
PM oliveview-- she does TONS of canning I think, but may not be browsing the forums.
2008-07-30 6:40 PM
in reply to: #1571412

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2008-07-30 6:53 PM
in reply to: #1571484

Champion
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Beautiful Sonoma County
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?
Sharkie - 2008-07-30 4:40 PM

*snerk*

By only reading the thread titile I KNEW who posted this...

No insight.. My grandmother does TONS of canning.. I can check with her

She canned pretty much anything that was in abundance in the garden.. Berries, cherries, peaches, cuces, asparagus, green beans.. I do make my own pesto and freeze it in a ziploc freezer bag for up to 3 months.. I've also made blackberry sauce and just frozen it in rubbermaid bowls for up to a year..

 

Heh.  I feel like I've completely lost some sort of intrinsic knowledge about such things.  My grandmother canned every summer, and always had a pantry/chest freezer full of the bounty from her garden.  

If you brought her a jar of store-bought stuff, she'd look at you cock-eyed and wonder if you'd lost your mind.   

2008-07-30 8:38 PM
in reply to: #1571412

Mountain View, CA
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?
Yep. I made some great orange marmalade this winter, and a couple of batches of apricot jam with some Blenheims while they were coming in. Oh, and some strawberry jam early in the season. I'm pondering a small batch of plum jam in the next few weeks, and I'll probably can some applesauce when the Gravensteins start coming in. I think I'm a bit late for the olallieberries, otherwise I would have made some olallie jelly.

I've never canned tomato sauce (I usually freeze mine) but it can't be much different from canning jam. It's a pretty straightforward process--you basically want to keep things as sterile as possible while you're filling the jars. Work quickly, but carefully, as you obviously don't want to burn yourself or break a jar. You might know some or all of this already (it's not clear from your post how experienced you are with canning), but perhaps other people will find the info useful as well:


- Keep the jam/sauce/whatever hot while you prepare the jars. It doesn't quite have to be at a boil/simmer, but if you can manage it without harming whatever it is you're canning, it's probably best to have it simmering gently. 

- Sterilize the jars in either a very large pot of boiling water for >10 minutes (the water should cover the jars by at least an inch) or, if your dishwasher gets very hot, you can sterilize the jars in the dishwasher. Best to use a shorter cycle so that you can time it properly and start the canning as soon as the cycle is done. If you boil the jars, it's best a) to have a rack made specifically for keeping the jars up off the bottom of the pot (hardware stores generally carry them, I think), and b) there are special jar tongs that make it easier to handle the jars as you're getting them out of the water. I just use my dishwasher.

- As the sterilized jars will be very hot, have a clean cloth on hand so that you can handle the jars without burning yourself. 

- You will also need to sterilize the lids and, if you want to be thorough, the rings. There is a tool you can get that holds a dozen lids upright in a neat little row, and makes it very easy to get them out for when you're ready to put them on the jars. If you don't want to go out and buy one, I recommend putting each lid in its ring and putting them all, upside-down, in a big pot to boil. It's a bit unwieldy this way (you will want to use tongs to get them out of the water), but it works fine. 

- Use a wide-mouth funnel to help you ladle your sauce into the jars neatly. Leave 1/4"-1/2" of air space at the top of the jar so that you can get a proper vacuum seal.

- Keep a clean, damp cloth on hand to wipe down the rim of each jar so that the lid can seal properly.

- The glass jars and metal rings are reusable, but the lids are not. Buy new lids each time you reuse a jar/lid. 

- When you put the lid on and screw on the ring, place the filled jar upside-down on a cooling rack. Having the hot jam or sauce near the lid will help it seal well. Note the time at which you place the last jar on the rack, and after ten minutes, turn the jars right-side-up. Eventually each jar's lid should give a very satisfying "pop!" which will let you know that it's sealed. Any jars that don't seal will obviously need to be refrigerated until used up. 


Hope this helps! Great idea to ask your farm about getting bulk tomatoes. 
2008-07-30 9:33 PM
in reply to: #1571412

Iron Donkey
38643
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, Wisconsin
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?

I thought this was a new term used for persons that like to push occupied port-a-potties over, kind of like cow-tipping.

And there are so many blackberries on the bushes along my creek trail, I might have to go pick a couple of containers full and see what I can do with them.

Oooo, ooooo, send some to me!  I lof blackberries!!



Edited by 1stTimeTri 2008-07-30 9:35 PM


2008-07-30 10:39 PM
in reply to: #1571412

Elite
2468
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Racine, WI
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?

mmmm blackberry jam.......

The low sugar (NOT SUGAR FREE) pectin works really well.  I like it because it's not so sticky sweet and the fresh taste of the berries really comes through.  I've never tried it with blackberries but it was great with rasperries and strawberries

2008-07-31 12:15 AM
in reply to: #1571708

Extreme Veteran
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Sherman Oaks, CA
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?
puellasolis - 2008-07-30 8:38 PM

- Sterilize the jars in either a very large pot of boiling water for >10 minutes (the water should cover the jars by at least an inch). If you boil the jars, it's best a) to have a rack made specifically for keeping the jars up off the bottom of the pot (hardware stores generally carry them, I think), and b) there are special jar tongs that make it easier to handle the jars as you're getting them out of the water.


i jarred plum tomatoes a few years ago. it was an all day process but it was fun! i still have one jar in my pantry that i forgot about.

re the above, i used a giant stock pot and put the lid rings into the bottom of the pot and put the jars on top of the lids, so i killed two birds with one stone and didn't buy any extra special canning tools. i used my usual tongs to lift everything out of the water, too.

good luck and let us know what you make and how it comes out!!

2008-07-31 10:03 AM
in reply to: #1571412

Champion
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Beautiful Sonoma County
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?

Holy cow!  Great info!!  Who knew there were so many home-canners here!  You guys are the best!

So, I'll be off to the hardware store for cans and lids and pectin.   

2008-07-31 2:59 PM
in reply to: #1571412

Coltonville,Illinois
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?

I'm canning today. One of the hottest days so far this year and I am boiling water to can! I am trying something new, Zucchini Relish,its like pickle relish but instead of cucumbers you use Zucchini. Wish me luck
I would recomend buying or reading on line reference material. I have the Ball Blue Book
of preserving.  Happ D

             
 

   

2008-07-31 6:22 PM
in reply to: #1573902

Champion
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Beautiful Sonoma County
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?
HAPPD - 2008-07-31 12:59 PM

I'm canning today. One of the hottest days so far this year and I am boiling water to can! I am trying something new, Zucchini Relish,its like pickle relish but instead of cucumbers you use Zucchini. Wish me luck
I would recomend buying or reading on line reference material. I have the Ball Blue Book
of preserving. Happ D

 

 

Yay!  I haven't had a lot of zuccs show up yet, but I know they're coming.  We have been getting lots of summer squashes in our farm delivery.  Fine with me, I love them!

 



2008-07-31 7:13 PM
in reply to: #1571412

Arch-Bishop of BT
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Pittsburgh
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?

When canning, you do need to be cognizant of the acidity of the thing you are canning.  Tomatoes aren't a problem nor is much jam/jelly (we do homemade concord grape jelly)... but if just canning some fruits and veggies, you might need a pressure canner... basically a large pressure cooker that insures any botulism gets killed.

-Brian 

2008-08-01 12:16 AM
in reply to: #1574523

Champion
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Beautiful Sonoma County
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?
akustix - 2008-07-31 5:13 PM

When canning, you do need to be cognizant of the acidity of the thing you are canning. Tomatoes aren't a problem nor is much jam/jelly (we do homemade concord grape jelly)... but if just canning some fruits and veggies, you might need a pressure canner... basically a large pressure cooker that insures any botulism gets killed.

-Brian

Yes, thanks!  For now, I'm going to stick with things that can be hot-water canned, like tomatoes and jellys.  The rest of the "bounty" will probably be frozen.  

And, on a side note, I just have to gush about how frickin' cool it is that I planted SEEDS in the dirt outside my house, and now I'm making FOOD!  I know it's such a simple thing and something we all take for granted, but isn't it just so cool?!  I mean, this little seed, some dirt, some water, lots of sunshine... and now I have FOOD!

May the wonder of life will never cease to be amazing!

2008-08-01 12:28 AM
in reply to: #1571412

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2008-08-01 7:26 AM
in reply to: #1571412

Regular
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Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?

I'm planning on it and have been doing a bunch of research on the net (I'm such a geek).  Step 1 for me though is selling our townhouse and getting a house with a yard that I can have a garden in.  Our association as a strict "nothing edible" rule for gardens.  Cry

Once I have my vegetable garden I'm hoping to have enough left to can.   We always seemed to inhale the homegrown stuff right off the vine/plant when I was growing up.  Laughing  The only way we had enough to can was to go to a "pick your own" farm but those seem to be getting scarce in the area as the farmers sell off to developers.

2008-08-01 8:06 AM
in reply to: #1575088

Regular
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Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?
madkat - 2008-08-01 12:16 AM

And, on a side note, I just have to gush about how frickin' cool it is that I planted SEEDS in the dirt outside my house, and now I'm making FOOD!  I know it's such a simple thing and something we all take for granted, but isn't it just so cool?!  I mean, this little seed, some dirt, some water, lots of sunshine... and now I have FOOD!

May the wonder of life will never cease to be amazing!




I'm right there with you. I'm getting lots of yellow squash right now and impatiently waiting on the peppers. I want to plant even more next year.

I grew up on the farm with my mom and grandmothers canning everything. I can still hear the whistle of the pressure cooking (I was scared of it). How cool is it to be able to cook and preserve a large amount of fruits and veggies you grew yourself. I haven't canned yet but am interested in learning. Who'd have thought I'd ever want anything to do with farming/gardening/canning after hating such chores growing up.


2008-08-01 1:03 PM
in reply to: #1575247

Champion
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Beautiful Sonoma County
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?
Wolfhound668 - 2008-08-01 5:26 AM

I'm planning on it and have been doing a bunch of research on the net (I'm such a geek). Step 1 for me though is selling our townhouse and getting a house with a yard that I can have a garden in. Our association as a strict "nothing edible" rule for gardens. Cry

Once I have my vegetable garden I'm hoping to have enough left to can. We always seemed to inhale the homegrown stuff right off the vine/plant when I was growing up. Laughing The only way we had enough to can was to go to a "pick your own" farm but those seem to be getting scarce in the area as the farmers sell off to developers.

 

Your post makes me so sad/mad!  It just shows the short-sighted planning endemic to our culture!   Why build houses for people to live with no source of food nearby?  They wouldn't do that with other resources like water, electricity, public services, or jobs! 

 

Don't they realize that the reason food prices have been going through the roof lately is due entirely to the fact that it costs so much money to ship stuff around?

I don't know whether my CCNRs ban edible food.  Frankly, I didn't even check.  I dare someone to come tell me to pull up my tomatoes!  And, honestly, I think my vines of beans are prettier than most other folks front walk plants.   

2008-08-01 1:39 PM
in reply to: #1571412

Regular
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100100
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?

Yeah, it's pretty sad.  There's an apple orchard near by that's been there forever it seems.  Closed last year.  I've always described the area I live in as mansions on one side, farms on the other.  Urban sprawl seems to have caught up to us.

My association is a bunch of jerks.  If you're buddy-buddy with them you can get away with anything, if not they watch you like a hawk.  Example, we're required to have a light bulb lit during dusk-dark hours on our garage (part of the deal to keep streetlights out of the neighborhood).  I had mine burn out on a Wednesday and was planning on replacing it on Saturday.  Friday I get a letter from the association threating fines.  Neighbor has light out for weeks, no letter. 

2008-08-01 6:37 PM
in reply to: #1571412

Master
1292
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Houston
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?

There used to be a number of community supported agriculture farms/gardens around the Birmingham, AL area.  You paid a yearly fee, $400/yr I think to the farm, then you went once a month or week to work a weekend to help pick and bag all the produce from the garden.  All the produce would then be shared with all the shareholders of the farm and delivered or picked up.  These are great ways to get usually, organically grown produce and support some great folks.  Look around your areas, you might find one.

If I ever find myself with good clean land again, I will be doing something like this myself.  I grew organic blueberries in Oneonta, AL for about 7 years many years ago and loved every, hard working minute of it!!!

Happy canning/freezing/preserving!!!

2008-08-01 6:43 PM
in reply to: #1577491

Champion
6285
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Beautiful Sonoma County
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?
Nette213 - 2008-08-01 4:37 PM

There used to be a number of community supported agriculture farms/gardens around the Birmingham, AL area. You paid a yearly fee, $400/yr I think to the farm, then you went once a month or week to work a weekend to help pick and bag all the produce from the garden. All the produce would then be shared with all the shareholders of the farm and delivered or picked up. These are great ways to get usually, organically grown produce and support some great folks. Look around your areas, you might find one.

If I ever find myself with good clean land again, I will be doing something like this myself. I grew organic blueberries in Oneonta, AL for about 7 years many years ago and loved every, hard working minute of it!!!

Happy canning/freezing/preserving!!!

 

Most of what I call "my" bounty, will actually be coming from my CSA.  My vegetable bed in my front walk area will only give me tomatoes, peppers, beans and some spinach if it every really takes off growing.  That stuff will get eaten a few minutes after being picked. 

My CSA is running a special deal on carrots right now.  I'm wondering if I should buy up a couple of pounds and make up a huge batch of soup and freeze it?   

2008-08-02 12:00 PM
in reply to: #1576341

Arch-Bishop of BT
10278
50005000100100252525
Pittsburgh
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?
madkat - 2008-08-01 2:03 PM
Wolfhound668 - 2008-08-01 5:26 AM

I'm planning on it and have been doing a bunch of research on the net (I'm such a geek). Step 1 for me though is selling our townhouse and getting a house with a yard that I can have a garden in. Our association as a strict "nothing edible" rule for gardens. Cry

Once I have my vegetable garden I'm hoping to have enough left to can. We always seemed to inhale the homegrown stuff right off the vine/plant when I was growing up. Laughing The only way we had enough to can was to go to a "pick your own" farm but those seem to be getting scarce in the area as the farmers sell off to developers.

 

Your post makes me so sad/mad! It just shows the short-sighted planning endemic to our culture! Why build houses for people to live with no source of food nearby? They wouldn't do that with other resources like water, electricity, public services, or jobs!

 

Don't they realize that the reason food prices have been going through the roof lately is due entirely to the fact that it costs so much money to ship stuff around?

I don't know whether my CCNRs ban edible food. Frankly, I didn't even check. I dare someone to come tell me to pull up my tomatoes! And, honestly, I think my vines of beans are prettier than most other folks front walk plants.

It's the same idiocy in place when developments forbid drying laundry outdoors. 'Cause it's so low-class.... pfft.

-B 



2008-08-02 4:03 PM
in reply to: #1571412

Elite
3972
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Reno
Subject: RE: Anyone out there do any canning?

I was "camping" with my parents a few years ago.  we had to spend one night in one of these RV parks catering to the wealthy retired set - my folks have an RV but it is a Ma and Pa kettle mobile compared to these completely encapsulated condos on wheels.  We went swimming in the river and when I cam back I hung the towel over the support for the awning and my mom told me that was against the rules.   Ah - I thought we were camping......

I like to grow greens in amoungst my flowers - very pretty and I like my greens!

Anyway - canning.   My mom canned all summer - I never had store bought tomatoes until I went to college.   I made some lemon pickle last year and canned it to give away at christmas.   No one got sick, so I guess I did it right.    Sterilize jars (I poured boiling water in and then put them in the oven to dry completely as the water would spoil the pickle), I heated up the pickle, put the jars in a waterbath on the stove, poured it in the jars, put the lids on, left in for a while, took them out, wait for the pop that indicates a seal.  Two did not seal, so those went into the fridge for immediate consumption.

edited to add: my mom canned all summer when WE were kids and she used us as farm labor.   Not now.   Now she plays Wii tenis with the grandkids HTM has thoughtfully supplied them.



Edited by bootygirl 2008-08-02 4:05 PM
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