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Shawna

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Everything posted by Shawna

  1. Originally Posted By: Adam_MA Over the weekend, I took a trip to WalMart to pick up a few things, and to see what they had to offer for canning supplies. To say that I was disappointed in their selection of jars, would be an understatement. I think total, they had 4 cases of jars, all of which had been opened, and there was either an entire jar missing, or someone had removed lids or rings. The entire isle was disorganized, but they did seem to have a great supply of pickling products... I guess I will try another WalMart. There's one over the border in NH that I prefer over the one I went to, and as a bonus, they sell ammo in that one too.. They definitely vary from store to store! Ours carries a nice line of canning supplies and they usually keep it stocked well. My dh would be jealous that yours still seels ammo. They took out the firearms section of every Walmart here except for 2 in the tri-county area. Why they did that is beyond me!!! Dh says it just makes it more practical to take a trip up to Cabelas :banana2: LOL!!! Have a good one! Shawna
  2. Originally Posted By: Adam_MA Thanks for the extra info Shawna. I didn't know that you remove the bands for storage. Isn't there a risk of air leaking into the jar without the band being on tight? I ended up ordering all of my stuff just a couple of minutes ago. I went with the All American pressure canner, one of the tool kits, and the Ball Blue Book. I think I might start with that salsa recipe I just looked at in here! The bands are just a tool....sort of a means to an end...they simply hold the lid in place until the seal is formed. After the seal is made, the bands really serve no purpose, unless you use them to hold the lid on after opening! I like to use the plastic lids to store opened jars (someone here turned me onto the plastic lids about a year or so ago and they are great! You can find them online or at places like hardware stores that sell a nice line of caning supplies.) Shawna http://www.canningpantry.com/bareplstca.html
  3. Originally Posted By: Vic303 Now Darlene, how on earth do you remove the lid without damaging the thin metal? I have to PRY mine off, and they all get dented or bent. I don't know how Darlene removes hers, but I use a bottle opener (like the kind on the end of a hand-held can opener) and it doesn't damage the lids. HTH! Shawna
  4. Hello Adam and This is my personal take on being new to canning: I have been water-bath canning for probably 12 years, going on 2 years pressure canning. Things you absolutely need are ; -Jars -Lids and bands -a big pot for water bath....or if you're taking the plunge, a pressure canner -a jar lifter -funnel That's it to start! This is the bare minimum and is what I started with. I did not have a rack for my canner, so I used a dishcloth in the bottom of the canner so the jars were not touching the bottom of the pan. I (still) use a pair of barbecue tongs to lift my lids out of the water. I have never used a jar wrench or the little thingy to get air bubbles out (I use a small spatula for the air bubbles). As for a book, the Ball Blue Book is the basic. I had one years and years ago, but have learned that the interneet is the mother of all canning books I have a three-ring binder that I keep all my canning recipes in (that I print off the 'net) and it serves me very well. It's specific to what *I* can and I can find any recipe, any canning time by doing a quick search. Jars: Well, put the word out that you're gonna be canning!! You'd be amazed at how many people have jars they are not using and are happy to offload them. Put a post on your local Freecycle site....I just got scads of jars by posting on there. Watch yard sales and auctions....you can usually pick up jars dirt cheap! Only thing you have to check for is that the jars are not cracked and that they don't have any nicks at the opening. The lids you'll need to stock up on depending on how much you're going to can. Bands you can use over and over....I have a few dozen each of wide-mouthed and regular bands. You only need as many bands as what you can can in a day.....after your jars cool and sit overnight, you just remove the bands anyhow, so you can just re-use them. OK, that's my 2 1/2 cents on the subject!! LOL!! As you progress in your canning you can start to get all the goodies that make life easier. But for just starting, this is my take on the minimum. Good luck!! Keep posting and letting us know how it's going!!! Shawna
  5. Shawna

    DID YOU KNOW

    Originally Posted By: preparing Why I never thought of this, gee. I have a million clothes pins and pliers. I think I will get my own toolbox. I never had my OWN. Always, Dad's, brother's, or husband's. My dh got his mom her own set of basic tools one year. The handles were paisley pink He said he figured his dad wouldn't be caqught dead with a pair of pink pliers or a pink-handled hammer Shawna
  6. Shawna

    DID YOU KNOW

    Originally Posted By: shamrockus Quote: Are you one of those folks who smashes their fingers when using a hammer? Try a pair of needlenose pliers to hold your nail. Get a cheap pair ($1.88 at wally-world) so you can bang away - a tip... Place the pliers flush with the wall and hold the nail, it will be so far into the wall when you are ready to pull the pliers away that you will not need any support to finish driving the nail in! If you don't have a pair of pliers, a comb will work too. So will a clothespin Shawna
  7. I didn't even think about cereal....I can't tell you the last time I bought cold cereal. It's waaaay to much and most of it would be more nutritious if you ate the box! LOL! My dd doesn't even like it (maybe 'cause she can count on her two hands the number of times she's had it, I dunno), and would rather have a bowl of oatmeal (she is an oatmeal freak!). I make pancakes/waffles/eggs/etc for breakfasts. Right now it's cheaper for me to buy regular milk. I buy whole milk and use half milk half water. To me it tastes like 1% milk, so that's fine. Milk is amazingly 1.88 a gallon right now for us, so for about .94 I have a gallon of milk. I was using powdered milk alot when milk was almost 4.00 a gallon (!), but since the price wars are going on amongst our grocers, I just buy regular milk. I made all of our baby food too when dd was little. I cannot believe what they charge for a jar of food! Outrageous! It was alot easier to do it myself, I thought. And, like you, we don't buy cookies, muffins, cakes, etc. I make those. Way cheaper! **Cat...I'll have to ask them about that. I am sure they'll sell in a bigger bulk size. They've done it for me with molasses before, so I imagine they'd do it with anything. I'll ask next time!! Thanks Momma for the site....amazingly, the bulk food store I shop in has it much cheaper (like 1/2 the price!). I think I paid .98 a pound for it, which I guess isn't too bad! :-) Thanks for the link! Shawna
  8. We have started using TVP to help stretch things like ground beef/ground sausage. The bulk food store near us sells it (I'd like to order a big batch of it online, as the store only sells small bags of it). We have had many meals that seemed skimpy until we pulled out canned fruits and veggies. This is totally where canning comes in handy! Any *samll* meal can seem big with 3 or 4 kinds of fruits and veggies on the table. And ITA with the *save everything* motto. I keep two bags in the freezer that get that last couple tablespoons of peas, carrots, corn, whatever out of a jar or can....also goes in whatever shnitzels of meat are left..broths, you name it. They make the best soups! Add some more broth, maybe some noodles or rice, beans or barley, and you have a great soup. That and some homemade bread or cornbread, yum yum!! Do check out the hillbilly housewife site. SHe has great ideas for cheap meals. Very basic, but tummy-filling Shawna
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