What are you canning today? Part 8

[kathy003]

On ‎11‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 10:33 PM, The WE2's said:

 

I cut them in chunks about an inch or so, then put them in a pot and bring them to a boil for 5 minutes.  Then I put them in half pint jars, use the liquid I boiled them in, clean the rims, added the lids, put on the rings and processed them for 30 minutes at 10# pressure.  They didn't dissolve and when I used them in my stew they retained their "chunk" and we could definitely taste them when we bit into them.  Hope this helps, it's just the way I do it. I'm sure there's other info on the internet.

I did not know you could can celery! 

 

I will be doing that this summer!

[The WE2's]

6 hours ago, kathy003 said:

I did not know you could can celery! 

 

I will be doing that this summer!

 

Just a few weeks ago I jarred up some quart jars of celery, carrots and potatoes for my stew base.  All I need to do is add the meat and spices. Hope this helps too.

[Annarchy]

Canned 3 1/2 pints of tomatoes. The plants are still producing, need to pick more today. 

[The WE2's]

Nothing Wednesday or Thursday...delivered Valentine flowers both days.  Today just played lazy and got caught up on some sleep...getting up at 5:00 am is criminal!

[The WE2's]

Jarred up 6 half pints of mixed veggies.  That's a good size for us when I make soup, rice dishes etc.  I didn't put quite as much in the jars as I probably should have but I was using my Tattler lids and wasn't sure of the head space since the veggies were from my big bag of frozen veggies.  Since I go through so much of the mixed veggies for soups etc., and will be rotating them almost every week, I used the Tattler's...saves me dollars. I used my big electric hot pot to pressure can them for 35 minutes.  They're pre-cooked.  I still have enough to make about 3 more batches.  I'll probably use the electric pressure cooker since it saves me such time and I don't have to worry about venting etc...it does it for itself.  PS...I'd never do beans or meat in it though...takes too long.

[Littlesister]

I haven't done any canning for a few weeks as garden is about done. But I do have some roma tomatoes that I am trying to get to ripen so I can use them.  I think I have enough ripe ones to can some pizza sauce.  Will have to learn how to post pictures on here so I can put some pictures of things I have canned on here. Looking now for new things to can and saw the post on canning celery. I have always frozen mine as I never knew you could can it. Will have to give that a try. We use a lot of celery. 

[Annarchy]

Our tomatillos & jalapeños are beginning to produce a lot.  As soon as they ripen, DH wants me to can green salsa.  I will probably use the 1/2 or 1/4 pint jars.  I’m looking forward to it.  
 

We were able to get 16 pints of tomatoes before the plants heat stroked.  Then, I canned 10 pints of chicken bone broth in August.  I’ve saved enough chicken bones to can another batch soon.  I’ve been air frying the fingers, of chicken wings, and freezing each batch, until I have enough for a batch.

[Ambergris]

Fretting with one arm here.  I wonder if the beau would be interested in some canning after taking me to get my stitches out tomorrow.

[Littlesister]

Ambergris, I don't know what you did, though I am glad you are getting your stitches out tomorrow. Hope all goes well for you. 

[Annarchy]

Canned 4, 1/4 pints of green salsa.  Looks like I might be able to get double that amount, in the next week.    (DH loves green salsa.)

[Littlesister]

Haven't done any canning since middle of Oct.  But here is a list of all I have canned this year'

Chicken    12 pints

Veg. beef soup. 24 quarts

pizza sauce.  12- 1/2 pints

green beans 48 quarts

salsa  12 pints

carrots  24 plain and 24 glazed

Beef stew   24 quarts

Chicken soup  24 quarts

So far this is about all I have canned this year.  Hoping to have a better year next year. We are not going to plant a garden per say. Might still do tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers.  But that will be about it.  Those I will plant in flower beds instead of the garden.  Going to hit the farm markets next year.  

Still have a ton of meat in freezer that I need to get canned but will wait till after the holidays.  To much going on right now.  

[Jeepers]

Great job Annarchy and Littlesister! 

 

I plan on hitting up the farmers market next year too. I'll probably be too busy to do much gardening next summer but I'd like to plant some cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and some green onions. I can live on those with some salad dressing. Or mix them up with some pasta and Italian dressing. Oh, and those little salad seasoning things. 

[The WE2's]

I never know when I'm through canning!  But...this is the season that I usually jar up my soups and chili.  I"ll be getting to that shortly now that hubby has finished the work for my stepmum and he'll RESUME WORK ON OUR HOMESTEAD BATHROOM! Still have some Poblano peppers in one of the freezers that seem to be calling my name also.

[Annarchy]

Green chili salsa. 
 

[kappydell]

Glad to see the celery info - celery is cheap nowdays.  Bought a large turkey, it is thawing in the fridge now.  Deciding whether to can it or freeze it.  Leaning toward canning as the freezer is quite full.  Thinking about another turkey.  Can't have too many of those things, and at 69 cents a pound it is reasonable, for a change.  Besides, I LOVE the carcass broth!

 

Looking for a reasonable source of canning jars, again.  Also wishing that catfish would can - it gets mushy - and I love canned fish.  Catfish is the most common, but I would love to catch a carp or two, canning makes them taste like tuna.  

[Littlesister]

Kappydell, the only fish I find that can be canned is tuna and salmon.  Both great for tuna salad and fried salmon cakes.  I don't know of any other fish that can be canned without being mushy.  Maybe mackel. You can also make mackel cakes as well. these are alot like making crab cakes and done the same way. 

 

The We2, how do you make your chilli to can?  That is one thing I have never canned.  I always make it the day we are going to have it for dinner. 

 

I am going to dig into canning everything in my freezer after the 1st of year.  Also going to buy a much frozen veggies on sale as I can and deydrate them.  I am going to start to do more deydrating next year as well. 

I am having this bad feeling again today that I need to get more and more done and stock more food and non food items. Normally I can shake it off, but something has been nagging at me all day.  Need to go pray about it as to what I need to be doing.  When I get like this, I feel a need to be praying about it.  Hopefully my answer will come.  Though I cannot afford to do much till after the first of year due to the driveway and walkway.  But glad it is behind me.  But the fireplace is now next on the list of needs. So saving up now to get that done. 

[Homesteader]

21 hours ago, kappydell said:

Glad to see the celery info - celery is cheap nowdays.  Bought a large turkey, it is thawing in the fridge now.  Deciding whether to can it or freeze it.  Leaning toward canning as the freezer is quite full.  Thinking about another turkey.  Can't have too many of those things, and at 69 cents a pound it is reasonable, for a change.  Besides, I LOVE the carcass broth!

 

 

Canned a big turkey yesterday.    It was from the Spring sale. Had to move it so the new Aldi one would fit in the freezer. I generally do a few in pints, but got about 18 half-pints this time. I use them for turkey salad sandwiches. Use it like tuna sandwiches. I get a cup of meat instead of the 5 oz tuna cans. 

[kappydell]

Littlesister, canning fish works with any kind of fish....I have canned carp, sucker, perch, bluegills & bullheads.  They all come out the texture of tuna.  Only the catfish cooked to a mushier texture (like potted meat, kinda-sorta) and the Alaskan extension service says ling cod gets mushy too.  But they do add that most taste-testers thought it was fine for sandwich spread or in a dip. So next time I can catfish I'll do smaller jars & try the mock smoked seasonings with it (though barbecue sauce is pretty tasty).  I have also canned smelt (sardine size fish) and they came out like sardines from a can in the store.   I especially like the Alaskan cooperative extension for their good canning info on the internet.  Since so many up there live closer to nature and with variable electricity availability, they do LOTS  more canning than most.  

 

I particularly like their publication on "add variety to home-canned fish"...the mock smoked fish recipe in it is amazing!  Here is a link to their pubs.  If I ever find a walrus, or caribou, now I know how to can those, too, LOL!  

 

Cooperative Extension Service Food Preservation Publications

Link to Extension publications about Food, Nutrition, & Health: http://www.uaf.edu/ces/pubs/catalog/detail/index.xml?subtopic=Food, Nutrition and Health.

Representative Food Preservation Publications

• FNH-00124 Canning Walrus in Pint Jars
• FNH-00128 Canning the Catch
• FNH-00224 Add Variety to Home-Canned Fish
• FNH-00226 Canning Moose and Caribou
• FNH-00222 Home Freezing of Fish
• FNH-00264 Home Freezing of Vegetables
• FNH-00169 Alaskan Grown Cabbage – More Than Just Sauerkraut (for sale)
• FNH-00228 Fruit Leather
• FNH-00262 Making Jerky

[Jeepers]

While I don't do fish stuff, I did find many articles on the Alaska site interesting. I bookmarked it to read when I have more time. Thanks for the link Kappy.

[The WE2's]

On 11/12/2019 at 12:34 PM, Littlesister said:

chilli to can

 

Just like I would if we were going to eat it right then and there.  I use my big roaster to make it in.  I make it in quarts so it's a "dump and heat" meal...putting it over Fritos if we have them, otherwise crackers.

[Jeepers]

I can my chili too. I make mine with macaroni but I leave it out when canning. I cook it and pour the canned chili over the macaroni. Kind of like chili mac. Or sometimes I eat it the way W2 does. Lot of people pour it over cornbread. I keep forgetting to try that. 

 

I fry hamburger and onions til done. Then add beans and diced tomatoes and chili powder. Then my secret ingredient...ketchup. It gives it a little bit of a tangy tomato flavor. If I'm not canning it, I add cooked macaroni. It really stretches it. Or you could freeze it with the mac added. Process the way you do any meat product.  

 

If my mouth wasn't such a delicate little flower I'd add chili's to the mix. Mild chili powder is the best I can do. I like Mexene when I can find  it. Rotel tomatoes would work nicely too. I like spicy but not hot

 

 

Forgot to add, I usually use Brooks chili beans. I really should start canning my own chili beans.

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Jeepers
Added Info

[Littlesister]

Not canning yet today, but we have 2 stores with turkeys on sale. One is 27 cents a lb. with a 40 dollar purchase. Limit of one.  The other has them for 28 cents a lb with a limit of 2.  Looks like I might have some canning in the very near future. Will have to time it as I have no room in my freezer for even one turkey right now. So will have to buy and can within a couple of days. 

Jeepers I will have to give canning chili a try.  And as for ketchup,  I have always added that to my chilli. Gives it a much better taste. 

Kappy, that is good to know about all the different fish. Though some of them I might not be able to get around here.   My youngest grandson lives for fish.

Edited November 15, 2019 by Littlesister
added to post.

[kappydell]

Wow, Littlesister I am jealous of your turkey sale prices!  Years ago when the price dropped for thanksgiving (and I had the big 15 cu ft freezer) my husband and I would shop in relays, getting a turkey apiece (or whatever the limit was).  I had as many as 6 turkeys in the freezer at a time, and they were a huge hit when we had a friend staying with us with her 4 children while she was looking for a job and a place of her own after a divorce.  They loved being able to eat all the turkey they wanted - and we made it at least once a month (she was getting food stamps and they did not go terribly far).  

The one I bought is thawing in the refrigerator to be cooked this weekend.  My freezer has not got any more room since we hit that beef sale, lol, but I have enough jars for canning, for a while, anyway.   How come I never seem to find a sale on canning jars? The local recycling center does not permit salvaging of canning jars (or anything, for that matter).  Maybe I can get lucky at the thrift stores...

Edited November 15, 2019 by kappydell

[Homesteader]

22 hours ago, kappydell said:

  How come I never seem to find a sale on canning jars? The local recycling center does not permit salvaging of canning jars (or anything, for that matter).  Maybe I can get lucky at the thrift stores...

 

Do you have St. Vincent's charity down there? I think I bought some at .40 for quarts and .30 for pints. I never thought I'd have to rummage through my stash to find jars, but I'm canning new veggies this year. I canned 18 half-pints of turkey this week. Makes for great sandwich meat and a fraction of the price of sliced turkey at the store. 

[Littlesister]

Kappy, we are having the same problem with canning jars as well.  I am beginning to think that because so many people have either gone back to canning and gardening as well as learning to do the lost art of canning that the demand has increased. Also I think either ball or one of the other companies that make them come out of China. So could be a tarriff issue. We are paying for those tarriffs through increased pricing.  I agree with Homesteader. Check out yardsales as well as charity places. I am going to head to CHKD which is the Children's hospital.  They have a large one about a 30 minute drive from us. And I can check out other places while I am in that area.