Do you do your own canning? Looking for tips here.

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
Maybe even a tutorial in the tutorial section would be cool. The wife wants to get into it this year. We have planted several fruit bearing bushes and expanded the veggie garden.
I think we would be mostly canning tomatoes and jams. I know one of the bushes is Elderberry and you can make wine out of that. Not sure what the others are but she said another could also be made into wine and the rest (3 of them) would make for good jams.
 

SilverSage

Resident Crone
Gosh, Mav, I used to do all my own jams many years ago. It's been about 20 years. Most berries don't grow well down here (except strawberries and I can't eat them) so I haven't made jam since I came south. But I may be able to answer basic questions, and I still do have some great recipes.

The only tomatoes I ever canned were in salsa or tomato sauce. The tomatoes, pepper, onions, herbs, etc all went into the pot and I jarred it up. I never just canned the whole tomatoes.
 

SilverSage

Resident Crone
In general, jams are about 50/50 fruit and sugar by volume. There's some variation, based on the sweetness of the fruit, but you can get too far off of that or the pectin doesn't gel properly. In order to make sugar free jams, you have to use products like sure jell or certo. But that's something I'm not familiar with.

The process isn't difficult. Basically, you cook the fruit down, then measure it. Measure out an equal amount of sugar, and heat it in the oven. Bring the fruit back to a boil and add the warm sugar a scoop at a time. Some fruits need a bit of lemon juice at this point. Boil it to the gel stage, and put it in clean jars. Boil the jars until sealed.

Tell me what fruits you're working with, and I'll dig out some old (traditional - no added pectin) recipes.

The elderberries sound great - I used to make wine jelly as Christmas gifts.
 

Sass Muffin

Coffee Queen ☕
Gold Site Supporter
The last time I canned anything was a version of Branston Pickle.
Years ago I used to can peaches and homemade ketchup and pasta sauce.

Now I make freezer versions.

Here's a pic of one of my jars of 'pickle'.. :D

My niece Becca helped me make it (she labeled them:kiss:)--- and it tastes just like the original. ;)

2010-05-08 01-06-14.081.jpg Branston.jpg
 

smoke king

Banned
I usually can tomatoes, really pretty easy and worth the effort. I had some success making Jalapeno jelly one year, but evidently I broke a cardinal rule and doubled the batch-apparentely it doesnt work that way. The jelly ended up being kind of "loose", but tasted fine, and if you throw it into the fridge ahead of time the texture ends up being just fine. Good enough, in fact, that people usually ask for a jar!

I'd like to learn more about the principles behind it-a tutorial would be very helpful! I'm sure there are some "across the board" rules, but I dont know what they are, and I really don't want to tangle with botulism!
 

Sass Muffin

Coffee Queen ☕
Gold Site Supporter
Botulism was one of my worries too Bob when I first started canning.
God sakes, I'd made something (which I won't mention).
A week or so later, all the lids were popping and I had to throw the whole bunch out.

I think the key to successful canning is the proper prep of the food, a clean kitchen and clean canning gear (prepped safely).
I don't own anything fancy for canning.
When I made the pickle I kept the contents hot, boiled the jars, lids and seals- then spooned the contents into the jars and allowed them to cool.
This has been a year ago, and so far I haven't died from cheese and pickle sandwiches, nor have my friends or family who have enjoyed it.
 

Luckytrim

Grill Master
Gold Site Supporter
My Mother canned everything from jam to relishes to fruits and vegetables. I especially loved her beets and her zucchini relish, which consistently won her ribbons at the county fair.
When she stopped because of her age, I attempted to put up these two items, as well as her chow-chow........... after two seasons, I realized that I wasn't having fun, so I retired the water bath and pressure canners to (somewhere in) the garage.


Her Zucchini Relish recipe....
http://netcookingtalk.com/forums/showthread.php?p=181062#post181062
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
I wanted to grow some cucumbers to pickle and can, but doesn't look like it will happen this year.
Mostly I am looking to can the things that when harvested are too much to eat before they spoil. IE peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes. Maybe with the tomatoes I could dice some up with the peppers, cilantro and a bit of lime juice. Makes for a good topping for tacos. That and maybe some salsa.
 

JoeV

Dough Boy
Site Supporter
I wanted to grow some cucumbers to pickle and can, but doesn't look like it will happen this year.
Mostly I am looking to can the things that when harvested are too much to eat before they spoil. IE peppers, zucchini, and tomatoes. Maybe with the tomatoes I could dice some up with the peppers, cilantro and a bit of lime juice. Makes for a good topping for tacos. That and maybe some salsa.
Keep in mind that there is an alternative way to preserve your garden bounty, and that is by freezing. DW makes her own salsa from our tomatoes, onions and peppers, as well as bread & butter freezer pickles from cukes (which can be grown on a trellis to conserve space). Green beans can be blanched, quick chilled and frozen to be enjoyed throughout the winter, as can corn on the cob. We do all these every year from out little 8' x 10' garden, and enjoy that fresh flavor all winter long.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
Keep in mind that there is an alternative way to preserve your garden bounty, and that is by freezing. DW makes her own salsa from our tomatoes, onions and peppers, as well as bread & butter freezer pickles from cukes (which can be grown on a trellis to conserve space). Green beans can be blanched, quick chilled and frozen to be enjoyed throughout the winter, as can corn on the cob. We do all these every year from out little 8' x 10' garden, and enjoy that fresh flavor all winter long.

Would I need to use a Food Saver or other airtight container to avoid freezer burn?

My dad used to grow cucumbers on a trellis, but the only place here that I could put them is pretty shady so I don't think they would do well, hence the wait until next year when the wife will have moves some stuff around and I may end up having the space I need for them.
 

rickismom

Low Carb Home Cook
Site Supporter
Would I need to use a Food Saver or other airtight container to avoid freezer burn?

My dad used to grow cucumbers on a trellis, but the only place here that I could put them is pretty shady so I don't think they would do well, hence the wait until next year when the wife will have moves some stuff around and I may end up having the space I need for them.

Good question Maverick! I'm curious to know that myself....
 

loboloco

Active member
Canned Tomatoes

Place Tomatoes in a hot water bath for approximately 1 minute.
Remove peel, core and cut into sections.
Pack into clean canning jar(Do not use Mayonnaise jars)
Add 1 tsp salt per jar, fill with boiling water, making sure to remove air pockets.
Place lids and bands and hand tighten bands.
Place into a boiling water bath for 35 minutes.
Remove from bath and let set for min 12 hrs.
Check lids by pressing center, if it does not 'pop' back tomatoes are sealed.

WARNING: This recipe will not work well for low acid tomatoes.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
Yes, thanks LT! I will take all the tips and recipes I can get. Unfortunately, we already lost a large harvest of mustard greens. There was just too much even after we shared what we had. Next year we will cut that area down in size and diversify more.
 

VeraBlue

Head Mistress
Gold Site Supporter
I just canned three types of fruit preserves last week, Mav. Are you still thinking of canning? Doing ketchup right now, and bread and butter pickles later tonight.
 

Maverick2272

Stewed Monkey
Super Site Supporter
I just canned three types of fruit preserves last week, Mav. Are you still thinking of canning? Doing ketchup right now, and bread and butter pickles later tonight.

Yup! The way things are going it looks like tomatoes and peppers and some of the fruit from the bushes we have. Also some herbs but those, if I understand correctly, get dried in the oven then put in sealed containers for use later on.
 
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