Guest Guest Posted August 14, 2005 Share Posted August 14, 2005 Most everyone should be starting at least their harvesting season, so I figured we'd report in here to let everyone know what they're canning... Well y'all know that I spent a long time canning 450lbs of peaches the past week or so...(and that cat never told me i could make jam with the pits ) lol Tomorrow I have a bushel of corn and a bushel of beans to put up so I'll let you know what that yields...also I gotta get this blueberry jam done too... *darlene does the busy little canning bee dance* Link to comment
Freetobeme Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 We have done peach preserves, frozen peaches, blueberry jam, strawberry jam, and are putting squash in the freezer. The garden isn't doing too well since with mom's health issues, it went in quite late. We also didn't get the fruit from the neighbor's trees this time because by the time they offered, the birds ate it all. And I really liked those apricots! Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 15, 2005 Share Posted August 15, 2005 Well today was kind of a slow day for me...I only got 20pts of blueberry jam canned and 71/2lbs of italian pork sausage made...I was busy all morning and didn't start till almost 1p so the day was full of interruptions...*pout* I still have a bushel of green beans and corn I hafta do tomorrow. Anyone else can today? Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Well, I dunno what came over me but I husked and cut 25 pints of corn and they're currently in the canner...after this I QUIT for sure for the night...only 40 more minutes left of processing to go... lol Link to comment
PlanoPa Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 dehydrating apples and tomatoes right now...i think im about done canning until deer season starts lol....Q Link to comment
motherearth Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 YeeHaw!!!! I did it!!!! I am canning 7 quarts of chicken stock as I type!!! After a quick prayer to the canning god and a Tums or two...I decided to go for it! I was wishing that one of you could come over and hold my hand! I will let you know tomorrow if they "sing" to me or not...... Link to comment
Freetobeme Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 We had hoped to can some tomatoes. That isn't happening though. Apparently the tomatoes are not doing well in Payson. My mom bought some plants from the local nursery and they are all sick. The leaves are turning brown and there are brown spots in the stems. Without examining one, I would have to say it's a fungus. The one plant from a bunch that I bought that survived a week's neglect when she had to stay with me seems healthy. On the other hand, the squash is very productive and is going into the freezer. The strawberries are producing like crazy and are being made into jam and some of them will be frozen. Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Well I did another 30pts of blueberry jam yesterday and started a batch of bread and butter pickles...I've never made them before but my mom and dad have been asking me to make them some so AS USUAL, I got a bushel of pickling cukes and ventured into the unknown like you CeeGee lol. Also yesterday, when I was at the grocery store, I was looking at the hamburger meat...I buy the more expensive cuts just cause they have less fat but am getting tired of the high prices, whether it is cheap hamburger or more expensive hamburger. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands and bought a few 7 bone roasts, came home, cut the bones out of them, ground up the meat myself, took the bones, added some veggies and spices and made my own beef stock from that...on the hamburger part alone, I saved $1.30-$2.00 per pound alone, much less the beef stock I made on top of it all. I can't tell you how good the meat was...it had enough fat to add flavor, but was just so much better than the store bought stuff. So what if it takes me 15-20 minutes to grind it myself? The added savings sure is worth it! Today, I'm hopefully gonna finish up the blueberry jam, I have ANOTHER bushel of corn and beans to can and I'm gonna work on the bread and butter pickles. Happy Canning! Link to comment
motherearth Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Darlene, what did you use to grind the meat? A meat grinder? Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 I have a Kitchen Aid Mixer that I bought the meat grinding attachment too...it works AWESOME, and for personal use is perfect. I'm finding myself having to grind larger and larger amounts of meat for various needs and am looking into buying a larger meat grinder, but for now, my Kitchen Aid works perfect! Link to comment
motherearth Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 I have the Kitchen Aide too. I had been thinking about the attachment...now I guess that I will have to get one! Link to comment
redhenfarm Posted August 18, 2005 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Darlene: When you make the sausage what do you do with it? Freeze? I like the sound of grinding my own meat and it being cheaper. Need to see about that attachment. Man, I love my Kitchenaid mixer. CeeGee: Yes, I wish we had someone come hold our hands while we're catching onto new things. I feel confident doing peaches and tomatoes. Beyond that it's . And then haven't been able to find peaches at a decent price. I don't want to go 100 miles to pick 'em either. If I see some good things on my way home from visiting my sister and Mom, I'm getting some. Those canning jars are awaiting. Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 19, 2005 Share Posted August 19, 2005 Peaceful, when I make the sausage, I make it into patties and then either put them in ziplock sandwich bags or wrap it in saran wrap to freeze. It works well for us, cause I'm on a major obessive eating spree with my italian chicken sausage...I have it every day for lunch and put a slice of provoline on it and then pour my marinara over it. It's so awesome to just pull one of the pattys out of the freezer and cook it up and voila! My oldest son loves my italian pork sausage so I made up 7lbs of that the other day, made it also into patties and froze them too. You just gotta get that attachment to grind your own meat! I probably bought about 20lbs of the 7 bone roasts yesterday which means I saved somewhere between $28 -$40, depending on what type of store prepared hamburger meat I would have ended up buying. I made a meatloaf with sofrito poured over it yesterday and grilled some burgers tonight and froze the rest in burger patties. That's not counting the homemade beef stock I canned too! As far as feeling nervous about venturing out past tomatoes and peaches, we've all been there. Years ago, all I usta can was tomatoes and strawberry jam! lol Today, I'll can just about anything that is not dairy. I can everything from vegetables and fruits, to complete meals (chicken soup, beef stew, marinaras, etc). There's a WEALTH of experienced canners here at MrsS who have taught me and guided me to where I've grown today...between them and my Blue Ball canning book, I've flung fear to the side, jumped right in and (as you can obviously tell) have an absolute blast taking what is an *art* for me (cooking) and preserving in those beautiful canning jars to be enjoyed at a later date. So, with all that said, take the plunge, ask 1001 questions, if not more...all us past and present canning enthusiasts are just dying for you to get the *bug* like we have. Ok, so for today, I canned 20 pts blueberry jam (thank goodness I only have 1 more batch to do tomorrow), and I did 6 pts of bread and butter pickles, which turned out AWESOME (in one jar I added 1/2t of crushed red pepper flakes to see how they would be after marinating for a while, looking for a little spice, and in another jar, I halved a garlic clove to see if it would add a little garlic zing! After setting a few weeks, I'll be able to try them to see if my little experiement is something I'd like to pursue further!). I have 6 batches of bread and butter pickles sitting in the refrig tonight, waiting to be mixed with the sauce and canned tomorrow! Tomorrow, I hafta go to the gym in the morning, get my hair trimmed at 11am so it's gonna cut into my canning time. Link to comment
twilap Posted August 22, 2005 Share Posted August 22, 2005 Wow...you all amaze me! How do you can so much in one day? I have been canning salsa, apricots and nectarines. I have also dehydrated peppers, onions, and squash. I have frozen corn, okra and green beans. I will be canning green beans and blackeyed peas this fall. I haven't been online here in a while...I have been busy with my gardening, etc. This is my first year with a bigger garden and canning. Whew....it has been fun but a lot of work! Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 Wow, i never thought of canning nectarines...I have a few fruit trees that are bearing right now (lime, coconut, banana) and I'll hafta figure out a way to preserve them. I'm just a whirlwind in the kitchen...I have a knack for pounding things out. I have HUGE pots and a HUGE canner that allows me to do large batches at a time...in one of my pots I can do about 25 quarts of marinara and in the other huge pot I can do about 20 so that really helps... Today I'm gonna work a little more in my garden...my lima beans have popped through the ground, along with my corn, okra and pole beans. Because of the weather down here, not everything can be planted this early...some things hafta wait until September and October so I'm taking the planting at a slow pace.... I have 80lbs of strawberries I wanna make into jam and dunno if I'll start that today or tomorrow... Link to comment
logcabinmama Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 You are all doing sooooo good. Now, when you get your things done, you can come help me since I can't do any lefting, bending or stooping. Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 23, 2005 Share Posted August 23, 2005 ROAD TRIP TO SNOWMOM'S!!! Load up the canning equiptment! Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 Deblyn the more you can the more of a routine you get into. you will streamline some things to make it easier. Darlene is right.. having huge pots does make it easier. I know being able to do 14 quarts in one PC and 6 in another at the same time is a blessing. If I had a 7 qt canner it would take me all day to do 20 qts. Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 24, 2005 Share Posted August 24, 2005 I just want to remind you canners.. (Pressure Canner!!!) turkeys are going to be buy one and get one free starting in November.. (if you don't have a Pressure Canner.. now is the time to get one and take advangate of the savings canning reaps) Link to comment
twilap Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 Quote: I just want to remind you canners.. (Pressure Canner!!!) turkeys are going to be buy one and get one free starting in November.. (if you don't have a Pressure Canner.. now is the time to get one and take advangate of the savings canning reaps) Westbrook....thank you! I have never canned meat, but I am wanting to do that this fall/winter. So, I will do that with the turkey! What a great idea! It is a little scary to me though, but I was looking at my pressure canner book and it has good directions...at least it looks like it! Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 Deblyn, as long as you are very clean and follow the directions, you'll do just fine!! As with anything worthwhile, it *looks* hard and complicated, but it's not, really. It's just a task with specific steps. I LOVE being able to pull a jar off my shelf and get supper! And I know EXACTLY what's in it. Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 YESYESYESYESYES!!!! What Cat said! I've gone from just canning tomatoes and strawberry jam to anything under the sun. WARNING: Canning can become addictive...just ask my children and come visit my house, I'm loaded with home canned goodies! lol Link to comment
motherearth Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 Deblyn, just last week I canned using a pressure canner for the first time. It was so much easier than I thought that it would be. I canned chicken broth and I think that it was a good "beginner" project. Now that I have canned, I do think that I could become addicted. I know that with out the encouragement of all these wonderful ladies I would not have tried it. I am working on peach butter today. Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 the sound of that 'ping' is heavenly Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 25, 2005 Share Posted August 25, 2005 Oh geez, I'm hopeless... When I read your *heavenly ping* post westie, it brought a huge *smile* to my face. It's kinda funny how sometime so simple can be so rewarding. Link to comment
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