Canning Anyone?

[JennH]

We had a thread like this on the WC, but I haven't seen one started here. Let's get started again on recipes, interests, questions.

Last year was my first year starting to can. I made: apple butter, apple sauce, tomato sauce and cranberry sauce.

This year I have made strawberry jam. I would like to make peach and raspberry. I'm having a hard time finding a recipe for rasperry. Think I can just change berries on the strawberry recipe? I want to also make bread and butter pickles. Fall will soon be here, as well.

I love this hobby and people love getting the food as gifts.

[njlorelei]

The only thing I've canned so far year has been peach jam. I had wanted to more things but just haven't had the time and when I have it's been almost 100 degrees out and the last I wanted to do was spend a day over a hot stove.

[elladee]

Oh gosh, I have't canned a single thing yet this year. I feel awful about it. But in my defense, we've had one of the hottest summers on record, and without air conditioning, I just can't bring myself to use the stove much.

The two things that I really want to get done are pickles and hot pepper jelly. My cucumbers were a big dissappointment this year, so I've got to get my butt to the farmers market and buy some. My hot pepper plants are coming along nicely, but it's just a little too early to get any peppers off them.

Jenn - I would definately NOT just substitue raspberries for strawberries. Preserving requires a precise balance of acid and sugar to keep the bacterial growth down. Plus, different fruits have different levels of natural pectin, so you might not get something to gel properly if you substitute. I'll see what I can find for a raspberry jam recipe.

[JennH]

The only thing I've canned so far year has been peach jam. I had wanted to more things but just haven't had the time and when I have it's been almost 100 degrees out and the last I wanted to do was spend a day over a hot stove.

Did the peach jam turn out well? I can't find a decent recipe. My dad loves peaches, so I was going to make this for him. I hear you on the hot summer, though.

[JennH]

Oh gosh, I have't canned a single thing yet this year. I feel awful about it. But in my defense, we've had one of the hottest summers on record, and without air conditioning, I just can't bring myself to use the stove much.

The two things that I really want to get done are pickles and hot pepper jelly. My cucumbers were a big dissappointment this year, so I've got to get my butt to the farmers market and buy some. My hot pepper plants are coming along nicely, but it's just a little too early to get any peppers off them.

Jenn - I would definately NOT just substitue raspberries for strawberries. Preserving requires a precise balance of acid and sugar to keep the bacterial growth down. Plus, different fruits have different levels of natural pectin, so you might not get something to gel properly if you substitute. I'll see what I can find for a raspberry jam recipe.

I was having a hard time, too. We've had a very hot summer, too. And, we are trying to sell our condo, so we always have to keep it clean. But, fruit is only going to be good for so long.

I was wondering about peppers. I love hot pepper jelly over cream cheese for the holidays. That's something I could do in the fall?

Thank you for the info on substituting. I didn't think so, but wasn't sure.

Thanks for looking for a recipe. If you can't find the thread here when you come back, try hobbies. I asked the mod to move it...made more sense for it to be there...ooops! :)

[elladee]

Jenn - Hmm... I guess I need to modify my warning. While that is generally the case, the USDA canning guide does lump all berries together. Here is what they recommend for berries:

4 cups crushed fresh fruit
4 cups sugar
0 tbsp lemon juice

yields 3 to 4 half pints.

(Note: you may want to remove the seeds first.)

Just bring the berries and sugar to a boil while stirring rapidly and constantly. Continue until mixture thickens (use a thermometer or the freezer test). Remove from heat, skim foam. Fill sterile jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust lids and process.

Processing times:
altitude 1-1,000 ft: 5 min
1,100-6,000 ft: 10 min
above 6,001: 15 min

[elladee]

I was wondering about peppers. I love hot pepper jelly over cream cheese for the holidays. That's something I could do in the fall?

Thanks to today's super grocery stores, you can really make hot pepper jelly any time. Pepper seem to be one of the few veggies that are pretty good all year round from there. But if you want to get local peppers or grow your own, they are usually ready in the late summer.

[JennH]

Do you not use pectin when you do jam? Because of what you posted above, I wasn't sure what you specifically did.

Thanks for all your help!

[elladee]

That USDA recipe is without added pectin. I try to avoid added pectin whenever I can because I can never seem to get thing to gel right with it. I've never actually used that one, though (I've never made raspberry jam before), so I can't guarentee it's success. It may take you a long time to get it to thicken enough.

[Pineknot]

Funny, I never have luck if I don't use pectin. I sure would like to not have to add it ,though. I've only tried once not using it and it was a disaster. I should give it another shot.

Today, I'm canning grean beans and pimentos. I have a lot of red bell peppers coming off of my plants, so I thought I would try to make pimento. The recipe sure makes it look easy.

I didn't make any jams this year. I waited too long to pick my peaches and they were too soft. :( I had so many apples this year, I made quite a bit of applesauce. I've also made tomato sauce and I am waiting for more tomatoes to can them cut up.

I grew so many veggies this year, but the heat has kept me out of the kitchen. I've given away a lot to the neighbors so I wouldn't have to be over the stove. :o

Just how hot is pepper jelly? It sounds like it would be good as long as it isn't too hot...

[jennylou]

Moved to Hobbies at the request of the original poster. :)

[mrstim]

YAY I'm so glad there's another canning thread here! This is my first year canning as well. So far I've done:


19 pints of tomatoes
27 1/2 pints of salsa
23 pints of green beans
21 pints of peaches
1 pint of pepper sauce


I think I'm going to try some hot pepper jelly and jalepeno rings. I may do more tomatoes - our vines are still LOADED! ;) I've also done a lot of freezing this year. It's not canning but still perserving, right? I've done 10 dozen ears of corn and 4 lbs. of okra.

Now for a question: Where do ya'll get your supplies? My aunt decided not to can anymore so she gave me all her jars and rings, and then my mil gave me a lot of rings. I bought the lids at Walmart, but I'm planning on having a big garden next year and will need more!

amy

[njlorelei]

Did the peach jam turn out well? I can't find a decent recipe. My dad loves peaches, so I was going to make this for him. I hear you on the hot summer, though.

I think it did. We've been gobbling it down. I used an easy recipe from an old issue of Eveyday Food magazine. I'll dig it out and post it within the next few days.

[njlorelei]

Sorry it's taken me so long to post my peach jam recipe.

Peach Jam

Makes 5 cups
Prep time: 30 minutes Total time: 1 hour

1. Peel, pit, and cut 2 pounds of peaches into 1/2 inch chunks. Combine with 1/4 cup water in a large saucepan; bring to a simmer. With a potato masher, mash into a coarse puree. Simmer, stirring often, 10 minutes.

2. Stir in 3 cups sugar until dissolved. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, simmer, stirring often, about 15 minutes. (Test doneness by spooning some jam onto a plate; when you run your finger thorugh it, a trail should stay for a few seconds.)

3. Skim foam from surface; stir in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice. Let cool.

Cool jam completely before loading it into clean glass jars.

[elladee]

Anyone still canning? I finally started. :o This weekend, my friend and I had a tomato canning fest. We got a bushel of tomatoes from the farmers market - $15 for 53 pounds! We used half for spaghetti sauce and half for the salsa. Since neither of us has a food mill, we peeled, seeded and chopped all 53 pounds by hand. I was exhausted by the end of the day, but now have 6 lovely pints of salsa and 6 of sauce.

[mrstim]

I did 6 pints of strawberry/fig preserves & 6 pints of pears this past weekend. It was just a fast canning session - had the items given to me so I didn't want to lose them!

My mother in law gave me her final counts last week - something like 150 quarts of tomatoes, 160 quarts of salsa, 80 quarts green beans, and on and on and on! AMazing!!!!!

[fuzzy]

Bumping this up to ask about jams...

I can a bunch of stuff with relative success, but I'm new to jams and jellies. We have a bumper crop of strawberries this year so I tried my hand at strawberry jam. It *is* good, but its a little on the runny side. I used the basic jam recipe from homecanning.com (pectin, strawberries, sugar, and lemon rind). Any ideas as to what I can do differently next time to get it to gel better?

[elladee]

Fuzzy, you probably need to cook it longer. I always feel like my jams should be done long before they actually are. Did you do the freezer test? Put a little spoonful of jam on a plate and stick it in the freezer to cool off. After it's cool, you'll see how the actual finished consistancy of the jam will be.

[fuzzy]

Thanks, elladee. I had a sneaking suspicion that I didn't cook it long enough. Dang!

I haven't heard of the freezer trick -- I'll use that one with the next batch!

[mrstim]

Anyone else planning on canning this year?? So far I've only done 10 pints of sweet pickles, 10 pints of squash pickles, and 14.5 pints of bread and butter pickles. The tomatoes, beans, and okra haven't produced yet, so I'm waiting on them before doing my tomatoes/salsa. As for what I did last year - I think I have 1 quart of tomatoes, 1 pint of salsa, and 1 pint of peaches left.

[fuzzy]

Oh, absolutely -- we'll be canning our little hearts out! I just have to wait for the garden to produce...

[looch]

Does anyone happen to have a tried and true recipe for pickled asparagus?

[mrstim]

Well, we picked the last of our onions! I put them and the needed amount of bell & jalepeno peppers through the food processor and froze it all for my salsa later this month.

I've frozen about 2 gallons of cut okra for fried okra.

We also had 4 bags of crowder peas given to us, so we put those up in the freezer as well.

Other than that - we just picked 10 dozen ears of sweet corn this morning, we just finished shucking it. I'll blanch and freeze it later today. I do about a 1/2 of it off the cob, the rest on the cob. Yummy!!

We got about 50 jalepenos, 2 lbs. of okra and 15 bell peppers today too.

Our tomatoes aren't ripening fast enough - right now we have maybe 16 on the window sill waiting. As soon as we get enough for a batch of salsa I'll throw one together, can't wait to get it all done!

Looch - I personally haven't tried this one, but it does get good reviews from everyone I've talked to:

Pickled Asparagus

Ingredients:
16 cups asparagus (about 4 pounds)
2 quarts white vinegar
1 Tbsp pickling spice
2 quarts water
1/2 cup salt (pickling salt is best)
1 clove garlic per jar

Instructions:
Wash asparagus thoroughly in cool water. Cut into spears (6" long for quarts, 4" for pints.) Combine water, vinegar, salt, and mixed pickling spices that are tied into a clean, thin white cloth. Heat to boiling. Remove bag containing spices. Blanch asparagus in boiling water for 2 minutes. Cool asparagus immediately in ice water for 2 minutes. Drain. Pack asparagus into jars with tip ends down. Put 1 clove garlic in each jar. Cover with boiling brine to within 1/2 inch from top of jar. Adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Remove jars from canner when processing is complete.

[looch]

Thank you so much!

[mlfallis]

Bump this up for some help :D

I am currently wanting to get into canning. I am starting to freeze the excess veggies from our garden but would like to can peaches this year.

My question is, what type of equipment should I buy?

I would also like to make spagetti sauce as well. Do you can that for freeze that?

TIA

[fuzzy]

The easiest way to start is to buy a book on canning (Ball's Blue of Preserving is a great foundation book), buy a hot water bath canner (I picked one up at WallyWorld for $15), and pick up some jars with the two-piece lids. :) Once you get the hang of hot water bath canning, you can decide if you want a pressurer cooker or not.

I can my spaghetti sauce, but you can freeze it as well.

[mlfallis]

Thanks Fuzzy.

[elladee]

mlfallis, the big thing to decide before you start is do you want to can by boiling water bath (bwb) or pressure canner. The bwb method is more common and requires less equipment. But there are limitations on what you can can (ha ha). I use the bwb method, so I'll talk about that. I don't know much about pressure canning.

Easy question first... you are able to can spaghetti sauce by bwb, but you have to make sure to use approved for canning recipes. It is important to have a high level of acid in whatever you can. If you add too much low acid stuff (certain veggie, mushooms, meat) your product will not be safe. I have a recipe somewhere I can share later (when I find it).

Before you start, you should read the USDA guide to home canning. Find the PDF version here:
USDA Guide to Home Canning (http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html)
I printed it out and use it as a reference all the time.

Basic Supplies:

A big stock pot with cover. It needs to be tall enough to have the water come a couple of inches over the top of the jars.
Something to keep the jars off the bottom - I use a round cake rack
Glass canning jars - Ball is a good brand. The need to be specific canning jars because the glass of those is thick enough to withstand the heat. Regular jars may work, or they may break in the water bath and that would not be fun.
2 piece lid - the kind with the thin lid and screw band.
Some kind of tongs to get the jars out of the water. They make special canning tongs, but I just use my regular kitchen ones. I have dumped very hot water on my hand before with these, so you may want to splurge and get the good ones.
A funnel to get the food in the jar - not necessary, but helpful, especially for things like sauce, jelly, etc.


Have fun!

[elladee]

Or, what Fuzzy said. :)

[mlfallis]

Thanks elladee. I think I am going to have to go shopping at lunch :)

I would love that recipe when you find it as well.

[Neen]

I'm excited to find this tread! I love to can! I usually stick to jams (strawberry, apple butter, peach butter, blueberry) and tomatoes/salsa. I did do 1 quart and 1 pint of pickeled beets this weekend!

Unfortunatly we don't have a garden this year, so I am at the mercy of the local farmers market! I'm really bummed because the farmer we bought our tomatoes from isn't at the market this year! I hope I can find some one else to buy tomatoes in bulk!!

[fuzzy]

I did 10 pints of green beans last night. It was my first experience with the pressure cooker (for some reason, I am so intimidated by that thing!) and it went well! I'll be curious to see how they taste.

[msnicolea]

I need some canning help. I made stawberry preserves this weekend--the flavor is wonderful, but as usual, I had some separation at the bottom of the jars--like an inch of just jelly, no fruit. What am i doing wrong???????

[fuzzy]

msnicolea -- I'd love to help, but I am just getting into jams and perserves...so I'll have to defer to someone else.

Here's my question -- we still have tons and tons of green beans. I was looking though my Preserving the Harvest (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580174582/sr=8-1/qid=1154532359/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-9356001-2523062?ie=UTF8) book last night to see if there were any different green bean recipes.

The did have one for Pungent Green Beans -- lots of vinegar, garlic, and onions. But the directions called for using a boiling bath method for canning. Don't green beans *always* require a pressure cooker, or does the vinegar negate the need for the pressure cooker?

[elladee]

msnicolea, I've never been able to solve the floating fruit issue. :o

fuzzy, pressure canning terrifies me. Your Pungent Green Beans recipe could be ok. You'd be pickling the beans, which according to the USDA guide is perfectly ok. The recipe for Pickled Green Beans there calls for 4 cups of vinigar to 4 pounds of green beans (along with 4 cups of water, 1/2 cup salt and some other stuff).

[msnicolea]

Well, at least it isn't just me! ;->

[SunnyAB]

Darn.. now I am CRAVING green bean pickles........

[fuzzy]

Thanks, elladee. That's what I was thinking, but wanted to make sure before I wasted a batch of green beans.

Yeah, the pressure cooker scares the bejesus outta me! Monday was the first time I used ours and my husband said I was walking around like I was ready to take cover at moments notice. :o It ended up not being so bad! My MIL said she thought that newer pressure cookers were probably a lot better than the ones our parents/grandparents used, but I still can recall my grandmother talking about applesauce exploding across her kitchen.

[paiger]

Man, I feel like I've been beat down! I think there is a hidden camera in my apartment, and I'm on America's Funniest Home Videos: Canning Edition. Little things went wrong, but so far nothing is terrible. I learned SO MUCH!

I am exhausted, but this is what I've put up~
Sunday, with a friend:
Bellini Jelly - Very GOOD!
9 ~ 4oz and 1 half pint (3 didn't seal, though so we get to eat them now)
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d151/ardathpaige/Canning/Canning8_6_06003.jpg

Annie's Salsa (from GardenWeb Harvest Message Board)
15 - pints (1 didn't seal) It's also a little runny, b/c I over cooked it before putting it in the pints. It's REALLY good though. I'll post the recipe later.
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d151/ardathpaige/Canning/Canning8_6_06004.jpg

Monday night by myself (crazy evening):

6 half pints Peach Butter (from Peach Pulp for Juice for Jelly)
3 pints Tomato Sauce
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d151/ardathpaige/Canning/Canning8_6_06005.jpg

Neither of these turned out how I wanted. It was just one thing after another that sucked! First, I had gotten canning tomatoes from the Farmer's Market, which were an awesome deal. But, I didn't realize that they needed to be processed right then. So, I got home on Monday after having been excited all day about the sauce to 20 out of 30 lbs were ROTTEN! It was so nasty. So, I didn't add any low acid veggies to be certain. The sauce is just runny, too b/c I didn't roast the tomatoes long enough so when I put them through my KA fruit and veggie strainer I lost some pulp.

The peach butter was my own fault. I added the sugar too soon. The recipe said 4 lbs of peaches, BUT in the directions it said you needed 2 quarts after you pureed the peach pulp. So, I didn't need all the sugar, and it turned out SO, SO, SO sweet. I need to get a second opinion on if it's worth anything.

Anyway, next time, I'll be more comfortable despite the insanity from the past couple of days.

[paiger]

I need some canning help. I made stawberry preserves this weekend--the flavor is wonderful, but as usual, I had some separation at the bottom of the jars--like an inch of just jelly, no fruit. What am i doing wrong???????

I read on Gardenweb's canning forum, and their is one recipe I'd like to try for a pepper jelly. In the instructions, it says to CAREFULLY turn it over after it has sealed and cooled slightly. Maybe you could try this. It might slosh the strawberries into the jelly and suspend them when it's gotten a bit firmer.

[elladee]

ardathpaige, that's impressive!

Pickle question:
I need to get pickling, my counter has been overtaken by overgrown cucumbers. But I'm in the mood to do something different. I'm thinking maybe some kind of hot (as in spicy) pickles. Anyone have any good recipes for hot pickles or other unique flavored pickles?

[elladee]

Oh, doesn't this sound good? I may have to get some peaches at the market this week...

Amaretto Peach Preserves, from Putting on the Grits from the Junior League of Columbia, SC

9 pounds peaches, peeled and thickly sliced
5 pounds sugar
3 lemons, thinly sliced
Amaretto to taste

In a large pot, layer peaches and sugar. Place lemons on top. Bring rapidly to transparent stage over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Lower heat and cook until syrup thickens. Skim foam and add amaretto to taste. Pour into hot sterilized jars and seal immediately. Yields 20 to 25 half-pints.

My favorite part is the Amaretto to taste. Famous last words.

[elladee]

Tee hee, I'm a postin fool.

mlfallis, I totally forgot about the spaghetti sauce recipe. But then I remembered again, so here it is. (Note: I'm not super insane, so I quartered this last year when I made it.)

<<<Recipe removed because I am second guessing it's safety for canning and I don't want to kill anyone with botulism.>>>

[mlfallis]

Thanks for the recipe, I will have to try it once I find a good tomatoe source.

Question: I canned my first 7 quartes of peaches tonight and I am not sure if I did them right. I packed the peaches, I though almost to crushing, put when I took them out of the water bath they all seem to be floating in the jars. Did I do something wrong? If so please tell me what. I would really like to do more peaches assuming I don't screw them all up.

[paiger]

On the Garden Web canning forum, they say not to use oil even for sauteing, b/c of how risky it is for botulism. So, becareful and follow those directions with the water, and if you can get away with not using it, you might should do that.

[elladee]

On the Garden Web canning forum, they say not to use oil even for sauteing, b/c of how risky it is for botulism.

Huh, I hadn't heard to not use any oil. The recipes on homecanning.com (Ball's website) have small amounts of oil for sauteing, and I always thought that website was supposed to have safe recipes. But probably it wouldn't hurt to use as little oil as possible, or even avoid it if you can. And of course, never ever ever use more than specified.

Looking back at that recipe, though, what does concern me is that there isn't any added acid, like lemon juice. Crap. Maybe it's not a good one after all. I wish I had a jar left to test the pH.

Well here are 3 spaghetti sauce recipes from www.homecanning.com (http://www.homecanning.com):
Basil-Garlic Tomato Sauce (http://www.homecanning.com/usa/AlRecipes.asp?R=371)
Italian Seasoned Tomato Sauce (http://www.homecanning.com/usa/AlRecipes.asp?R=65)
Pasta Sauce (http://www.homecanning.com/usa/AlRecipes.asp?R=577)

[mlfallis]

Pasta Sauce

1/2 cups chopped onions
3 Tablespoons of oregano
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons diced, fresh OR dried basil
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 Tablespoons chopped green peppers
1 teaspoon salt (optional - I don't put any in!)
1/4 cup lemon juice (helps to acidify it, not needed if you have a pressure canner)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/4 red wine (optional) I think a little burgundy makes it!)
Mushrooms (also optional): up to 1 lb.
And if you like your spaghetti sauce thick, add 2 Tablespoons corn starch

I found this one. Does it meet all the canning requirements?

[elladee]

mlfallis What about tomatoes? I assume there are supposed to be tomatoes in there? Or am I just blind? And mushrooms make me nervous. I don't know if you can can them. Where did you find the recipe? Some sources are more trustworthy than others.

[mlfallis]

Sorry I just copied the seasoning recipe part. I got it from www.pickyourown.org

I got my peaches recipe from them as well. Speaking of which, anybody have any comments of if I messed them up or not?

[elladee]

mlfallis, sorry I don't know about your peaches. I don't ever can plain fruit like that. My pickles float sometimes, though...

I think that spaghetti sauce recipe is ok for the 20 lbs of tomatoes the website says to use. Except for the mushrooms. I don't know about mushrooms. Anyone else?

[mlfallis]

I was thinking I would just put mushrooms in when I am heating it up to serve. Plus I have some guests who dislike mushrooms so I don't want to have to pick them out.

Thanks your thought on the peaces. I have asked a couple other who have asked their moms/MIL and they seem to say it is normal, but web source are saying otherwise.

[SunnyAB]

Mom used to do tons of fruit and I remember the fruit sort of floating. I think that once the fruit is processed it must 'tighten up' or some of the moisture from the fruit sort of drains and mixes with the rest of your syrup - so it looks like it's shrunk, which I guess it has in a way. I mean, your jar isnt any emptier is it? the liquid grows and the pulp shrinks. (Thats just my own 'deduction' though).

What does the web source say?

[paiger]

mlfallis
I think that spaghetti sauce recipe is ok for the 20 lbs of tomatoes the website says to use. Except for the mushrooms. I don't know about mushrooms. Anyone else?

I would think with 20lbs of tomatoes the mushrooms would be fine. I've seen recipes with mushrooms before, and that recipe doesn't have many other low acid veggies. You just have to make sure you don't get too many low acid veggies for the tomatoes. You could add lemon juice to the jars to be careful.

I'd say to just stay comfortable with your recipes, so if you have doubt, just leave out anything that will bring up the pH. Dried herbs don't affect the pH. Adding vinegar, lemon juice, and more tomatoes helps keep it acidic.

RE: Basil - I've read that dried basil can become bitter after canning. I would stick to fresh or just add when reheating to be safe.

RE: Oil - I've seen several recipes sauteeing in oil. The posters on GardenWeb are pretty anti-oil, especially for newbies. Right now, with my experience, I wouldn't feel comfortable using oil. I think after I'd gotten more experience with it, maybe I would try a little. If you can get away with just some Pam, I think it would be better.

[paiger]

PS... Here is a link for the Garden Web Canning Forum. They will probably be able to answer the peaches question. I've learned so much over there, and they are really nice. I think I've asked more questions over there than anyone, and they just keep on answering.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/harvest/