Canning and Food Preservation

How do you know how much to reduce the time?
look in a canning book like the one I posted up earlier in thread. Acidic stuff only needs to be sealed really so I'd say 8 processing minutes on quarts is plenty of time in a pressure canner not counting running steam out
 
Not sure about the farms but I bought 8 quarts from a road side stand Monday. Best berries I have had in a long time. Cottle farms I think is who was running it. I’ve seen them in several places around Raleigh.


Cottle farm is out in faison, there is also odom farm in goldsboro. I know odom is open for picking as i follow them on Facebook
 
Has anyone seen rhubarb yet? Spouse loves rhubarb pie/tart and I preserve strawberry/rhubarb jam and pie filling when I can find sufficient quantities of rhubarb.
 
Can foods that would be hot water canned be pressure canned? In other words can something like pickles be processed in a pressure canner?
I’ve read that pickling lime makes them crispier, but haven’t tried it yet. Did some pickles last year that I thought were decent, but weren’t crisp enough for the wife. The pickles thing seems to be a bit of voodoo science.

I also heard pressure canners are hard to find right now.
 
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Started 3 gallons of Lacto-Fermented Dill Pickles today... two gallons in a crock. 1 in an old gallon pickled egg jar.
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Finished these up today... the grape leaves definitely kept them crisp!.
They are too salty... so when I packaged them, I cut the brine in half with water. I cut back on the salt next time. Very much similar to a Classen pickle that are sold and kept in the refrigerated sectios of grocery stores.
 
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Looks good. I'm gearing up for canning season by buying a pack of lids every time I am at the store. Lids are really the only disposable item from year to year so buy em cheap and stack em deep!
 
I’ve read that pickling lime makes them crispier, but haven’t tried it yet. Did some pickles last year that I thought were decent, but weren’t crisp enough for the wife. The pickles thing seems to be a bit of voodoo science.

I also heard pressure canners are hard to find right now.
I use grape leaves to keep my pickles crisp... any leaf (fresh or dried) with tannins (oak, horseradish...etc) will work. A big improvement on crispness of pickles is cutting about 1/4 inch of the blossom end off prior to pickling and/or fermenting. The Blossom end has enzymes that will soften the cucumber.
 
I use grape leaves to keep my pickles crisp... any leaf (fresh or dried) with tannins (oak, horseradish...etc) will work. A big improvement on crispness of pickles is cutting about 1/4 inch of the blossom end off prior to pickling and/or fermenting. The Blossom end has enzymes that will soften the cucumber.
Cool, thank you. I did not know either of those things. I'll have to look for some grape leaves, but I know that my parents planted horseradish, so we could try that.
 
@Ikarus1 is absolutely right.....the only wear item in canning is the lid and even it can be recycled if needed. I pull all my rings before the canning goes into storage also. I remove my lids carefully and reuse them in a pinch....2 thumbs at 10 & 2 and slow gradual upward pressure will release the seal without bending the lid. Ebay has large lots of lids and is the way to go if you can often....

Rooster
 
I think thats the purdiest canned goods Ive seen! Very nice!
R
 
I did a forum search and surprisingly came up blank.... Does anyone have a really good dill, not sweet, pickle recipe they would be willing to share?
We made some refrigerator pickles, but want to also make some canned ones. We're going to try adding the grape leaves this time too.
 
@noway2 do you have a Ball Blue Book? I hate to go generic but there should be a dill pickle recipe there. I wish I could help you further but Ive had @Sneakymedic pickles and they were just fine so maybe he will chime in for some recipe help.....Paging sneaky....help in the pickle aisle please!

Rooster
 
I have no real recipe. I generally put a clove of garlic (sliced) in the jar, stuff in cucumber wedges and 3 or 4 sprigs of fresh dill then top with pickling brine and process. Nothing fancy.

I had not heard of adding grape leaves. Will definitely add those next time. I always have grape leaves around.
 
Go buy the Ball kosher dill mix, comes in a white and green container. Eating crisp dill spears that are over 3yr old. Stay away from Wages, get soft too quick. The Ball recipe is quick and easy, all need is a water bath canner. I add a cayenne or red crush pepper and sometimes a clove of garlic. People are finding the Ball dill mix a little hard to find right now.
 
I did a forum search and surprisingly came up blank.... Does anyone have a really good dill, not sweet, pickle recipe they would be willing to share?
We made some refrigerator pickles, but want to also make some canned ones. We're going to try adding the grape leaves this time too.
I got this from a container company where I get canning supplies. Check it out as there are some good tips.
https://www.fillmorecontainer.com/b...+-+July+2020&utm_content=Pickling+-+July+2020

Rooster
 
I got this from a container company where I get canning supplies. Check it out as there are some good tips.

Rooster
Thank you. My mother made a few regular ones, and I think we got most of those steps so fingers crossed. She did add horseradish leaf (tannins). I have no idea if Thst will add flavor. The neighbor has grapes and we have some wild grapes on the woods edge (probably poison ivy covered). Guess we’ll know in a few weeks.
 
We also make sweet pickles for slaw and potato salad. Takes a lot more time to make sweet pickles than most recipes.
 
If you're looking for jars, it's that time of year, Dollar General has theirs on clearance to get room for their fall stuff. Already marked down 1/2 price here.
It's a good time to pick up some extras if you need them and they still have any in the ones near you.
 
For those who can tomatoes, do you use the citric acid. I did but can’t stand the citrus taste of the tomatoes, so I deleted it this year. I pressure canned my tomatoes and only added salt. Guess I’ll see if they keep. What say you?
 
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For those who can tomatoes, do you use the citric acid. I did but can’t stand the citrus taste of the tomatoes, so I deleted it this year. I pressure canned my tomatoes and only added salt. Guess I’ll see if they keep. What say you?
I usually add some salt and a little lemon juice. The juice helps keep the bright red color.
 
Interested in taking jars and using the 02 packets to preserve rice and such for long term. Just wondering if anyone has tried this method. Did a little research on the net, just need a little real world experience. Looks like a good easy way to get set for hard times. THANKS
 
The 02 packets work for rice, beans and many other items. I would add the mylar bags as well to be extra safe. I have items that never had the "proper" storage that I plan on reviving in a pressure cooker or a heat maceration. Worst case I will run them through a grain mill. Calories is calories when you need them even if the consistency is squirrely. Jars work as long as there is no light present but are fragile.
R
 
I have the Food Saver with the vacuum unit for jars. It works well for jarred dry goods.
 
First time canning and wanted to try something simple first. Went with the Welch's grape jelly recipe using Welch's grape juice. Looks like it turned out fine (has to sit for 24 hours) and 10 out of 10 sealed. A couple of the tops look purplish in the pic but they are not. Lighting I guess.20200817_200204[1].jpg
 
That grape looks good! If your not happy with the grapiness of the product try reducing(light boiling) your juice for a couple hours and it will reduce your volume but will amp up the flavor.
R
 
Thawed out our deep freezer and found a couple of pounds of ground venison that were nearly 3 years old. It was encrusted in ice in the back of the top rack. So I thawed it out slow along with the freezer.Passed the ol smell test and didn't appear to be freezer burned. Wax paper just works.

I ended up making chili beans and canning a couple quarts of it after tasting a bowl. Good stuff!

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Thawed out our deep freezer and found a couple of pounds of ground venison that were nearly 3 years old. It was encrusted in ice in the back of the top rack. So I thawed it out slow along with the freezer.Passed the ol smell test and didn't appear to be freezer burned. Wax paper just works.

I ended up making chili beans and canning a couple quarts of it after tasting a bowl. Good stuff!

e14e0d4e39bbe666c8e6626a99f07065.jpg

That looks delicious. As a beginner I have a question if I may. It's getting to be the time of the year that my wife makes chili beans. With the left overs its my understanding that you have have to pressure can them for what ever ingredient takes the longest time. For example hamburger would take the longest time so you pressure can for the amount of time hamburger calls for. Is that correct?
 
That looks delicious. As a beginner I have a question if I may. It's getting to be the time of the year that my wife makes chili beans. With the left overs its my understanding that you have have to pressure can them for what ever ingredient takes the longest time. For example hamburger would take the longest time so you pressure can for the amount of time hamburger calls for. Is that correct?
I would assemble(cook) the meat, tomatoes and whatever spices you would like first. The beans, I assume are already cooked and you dont want them turning to mush so add them to the meat mixture and give a final taste before canning. The pressure canning basically cooks everything another time so keep that in mind. I make sure to have the ingredients salted for flavor but it also aids in preservation. Cooking the meat first also gives you the option of draining the fats off if you like....most chicks like. Us fat boys not so much...lol
Rooster
 
Round two for me. The wife and I made these this afternoon. Grape jelly, raspberry jam , blackberry jam and strawberry jam. She likes jams. I don't. I'll stick with the grape jelly. All sealed but 3 jars. Reprocessed those and they sealed. Still haven't dove in and and tried the pressure canner yet. Think Ill wait until it gets colder and we have left over chili and soup. Need to watch a few more videos and ask a few more questions.20200907_165716[1].jpg
 
Need to watch a few more videos and ask a few more questions.
Principles almost entirely the same. Still need to clean rim, get the air out, leave head, space etc. The difference is that you bring it up to boiling and let the air out for 10 minutes then put the weight on. Get it up to pressure and turn the heat down to hold it they for that processing time. Typically 75 minutes pints, 90 minutes quarts.
 

Nice All American! If I get more involved in canning it is on my want list. Apparently prices have gone stupid lately (as with a bunch of other things). I stopped by a local auction house/flea market yesterday and came across a Presto cooker. Missing one handle for the lid and the rack for the bottom. Picked it up for $42. Got it home and upon closer inspection it was not in the correct box. It was in a Presto 16 quart box. Mine is a 17 quart based on the model number (0175003). I also discovered the weight that was on it is not the correct one. $45 in parts ordered and it will be correct once they come in. More than I wanted to have in it but not bad since you can't find them anywhere.
 
I use grape leaves to keep my pickles crisp... any leaf (fresh or dried) with tannins (oak, horseradish...etc) will work. A big improvement on crispness of pickles is cutting about 1/4 inch of the blossom end off prior to pickling and/or fermenting. The Blossom end has enzymes that will soften the cucumber.

I was talking to a friend of mine who cans and he said he did the same thing.

$650 on Amazon with a 5 week lead time estimate.

Yeah. I saw that a week or so ago. I'll pass and continue to use the Presto's.
 
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