Deblyn Posted July 30, 2002 Share Posted July 30, 2002 i read somewhere of canning potatoes, which I had never hears of before. Is it worth doing? Is it safe? How is it done? Any suggestions welcome, thanks. Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted July 30, 2002 Share Posted July 30, 2002 as a child I remember my mother bringing home canned potatos. They were small and she used them in stews. It was a big deal, store bought food, just to be able to afford it. As the corner markets grew into large food stores, food chains, more and more commercially canned food was brought in. Potatos store so well in a root cellar why can them? [make shift root cellar- old trash can with lid, holes in the bottom for drainage. Place damp sand in bottom, about an inch. Lay potatos on sand, don't let them touch. Pour another layer of damp sand on top and another layer of potatos. Do this until the container is full. Keep in cool place like back porch or garage. You can even place the container in the ground. all root vegetables can be kept this way] Quote Link to comment
mrszouave Posted July 30, 2002 Share Posted July 30, 2002 Westy, Very clever!!!! Got a stupid question....if you put holes in the bottom, what's to keep the sand from falling through? And how damp we talkin??? ------------------ Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 Wow, westbrook, that's really neat. I never knew you could do that...I dunno about down here though cause it's so warm... Lowlander, if you're interested in canning potatoes though, I found these instructions for them: Potatoes,white :Peel and wash potatoes. Leave small ones whole and cut up large ones. Boil potatoes for 10 minutes. Drain and pack into jars. Add 1/2 tsp. salt to pints and 1 tsp. salt to quarts. Cover with boiling water, leaving 1-inch headspace. Process pints for 35 minutes and quarts for 40 minutes, both at 10 pounds pressure. Good luck! *smile* ------------------ Quote Link to comment
Deblyn Posted July 31, 2002 Author Share Posted July 31, 2002 Thnks for the info. Not a lot of people bottle their fruit and veg over here any more, they all seem to freeze it, but I prefer to bottle if I can. Bottling is what we call canning. Cannning to us is in metal tins, and very costly to undertake at home due to the price of the equipment, and the safety aspect. I don't have a pressure canner - will the water bath method or the oven method do? I know about the root cellaring idea, but have never used it. I will probably try the potatoes more out of curiosity than necessity; in an ideal world I would like to eat fresh all the time from the garden just what is in season and what happens to be out there on the day. Maybe one day. Can't do much without my stove at the moment anyway! Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 I have never canned potatos as in the fall we get some good potatos really cheap up here in Maine. We buy about 75-100 lbs and they keep all winter into Spring in the cellar. I have thought about canning them as the price is so good in the fall but never have. We pay about $7.00 per 50lbs. And they are the best. Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 Hello everyone, When I was preparing for y2K I canned some potatoes, and did it by the book!!! Most of the jars are still sitting on the shelf because there is about two inches of mushy potato at the bottom and the whole potatoes are kinda soft and I don't like the way they look and I'm not gonna eat them, so there!!! This was one of my failures, like 'canning butter'!!! [ducking head!!!] Anyway, I don't recommend canning potatoes... Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted July 31, 2002 Share Posted July 31, 2002 LOL@searchingkin... Noooooooooooooo...we don't can butter... *tsk tsk tsk* LOL! ------------------ Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 1, 2002 Share Posted August 1, 2002 Holes are like nail holes, but if you happen to have a holey trash can already (recycling here ) then place window screen in or around the large holes. The reason for holes is condensation forms and you don't want potatos sitting in any water. Since we all come from such different environments I try to cover all the bases. My climate is dry while others have humidity to contend with. Damp usually means like a damp sponge. Not wringing wet but damp. So when you squeeze it no water squishes between your fingers. Of course it would be ideal to have root cellars. My house has a root cupboard. Now to see if I can explain it... Outside air is drawn into a pipe (in this case it is wood boxed in against the wall and floor. It is in a closet so you never even notice it. There is a screen over the hole in the outside wall to keep critters out) because air flows from hot to cold and this tube opens up into a cupboard. All the shelves are made of wooden slats so the air can circulate. This air is pulled up and out by another pipe that is located at the top of the cupboard and is vented out through the roof. This is passive solar cooling. Another way to think about this would be digging a trench 50 feet long and at least 18 inches deep or deeper. Leaving one end sticking out of the trench and the other end goes into your house. Cover the remainder of the pipe. The outside air is sucked into this pipe cooling the air causing it to move toward the house. This air then flows into the house cool. Same principal as the root closet. it is late I am going to bed. Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 1, 2002 Share Posted August 1, 2002 COOL, Westbrook! Wish we could see a picture. Around Indiana, we use a root cellar, because of the cold in winter. lowlander, you should use a pressure canner ("bottles" ) because potatoes are a low-acid food. I've canned them as a convenience food, although they usually aren't worth taking the time & effort. "Convenience" because my DH likes sliced or diced potatoes for breakfast, and they're quick, easy, and pre-cooked. I canned only the smaller ones, which would not have stored as long, anyway. Now that we don't have a nice, big garden where I can grow my own potatoes, I don't can them. Like I said, they're a lot of effort for not much in return. Fresh are so easily stored. searchingkin, do you like fried potatoes?? You could open the potatoes, drain/rinse them as you prefer, then chop them up in a skillet greased with bacon or margarine and heat them through till browned and tasty. That's how my DH likes them. Or chop them up and used them in a cheesy casserole, sort of like "Cracker Barrel" makes. If you don't use them, it's getting time to dump them and reuse the cans... ------------------ Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 1, 2002 Share Posted August 1, 2002 Cat!!! grow potatos in trash cans -- same procedure for storing only use compost for a growing medium. You can use feed sacks! or grow them in a bale of hay. Anyway the trash can is a interesting way to grow potatos, when you are ready to harvest...lay down a tarp, turn container over and pick out your harvest. Layer of soil plant potato and another layer over covering the seed. When the green starts to come through, layer more soil. Plant more seed on top the original layer, cover and wait for growth. Continue until the container is filled. Harvest as usual. So no excuses Cat! Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 1, 2002 Share Posted August 1, 2002 Yup, you're right, Westbrook, I *could* do it. But our chickens are "free-range" and they eat everything I've tried to plant. I like the thought that they might be eating all the ticks away from my kids. *However*, we just gave away the last few chickens and I might be able to get some things planted next spring. I want more chickens, but not for a while again. I need a break... I really want to encourage little DD to learn gardening. She will love it, I'm sure. She already likes the houseplants, and we've been talking about propagation, etc. ------------------ Quote Link to comment
logcabinmama Posted August 3, 2002 Share Posted August 3, 2002 I canned potatoes in 1999 and we used most of them. I think there may be just a couple jars left. I canned more last fall again. We haven't used many of these yet. I put them in with roast meat I had canned when I put the meat in the oven. Yes, they have a different flavor, but they are good just the same. Also, if you are in a hurry, they come in handy. Like Cat said, you can fry them too. ------------------ Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 3, 2002 Share Posted August 3, 2002 Peg parboils and freezed them...Good for stuff you use mashed for! ------------------ Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 3, 2002 Share Posted August 3, 2002 When the kids were home and we had so many evening chores I canned a lot of potatoes. When I wanted something in a hurry, coming in from chores on a cold winters night, they were so handy to have pre cooked. All I needed was heat them up, one way or another. I usually chunked them and warmed, not really fried, in a little margarine. DH and the kids loved them. Now that the kids are grown and we don't have the chores we used to have I don't do it anymore. It's true you get some mushy stuff in the bottom but I just poured it off and ignored it. Canning them is so easy and the jars of potatoes add up quick. Give it a try at least once and see what you think! ------------------ Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 3, 2002 Share Posted August 3, 2002 Mushy Canned part of the potato. Use it to help thicken broth or to help thicken gravy. Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 3, 2002 Share Posted August 3, 2002 You know westbrook I thought of using it as a thickening each time I opened a jar but like searchingkin it just kind of grossed me out. Also lowlander, I forgot to mention earlier, I've never canned potatoes without pressure canning them. I don't know if it's a must but I pressure most things unless, like the relish I made today, there's lots of vinegar in it or sugar in the case of jellies. It's just so much safer. ------------------ Quote Link to comment
logcabinmama Posted August 3, 2002 Share Posted August 3, 2002 Just found this url and thought I would post it for you. It tells about how many pounds of potatoes you need for a canner full as well as the time, etc. http://www.culinarycafe.com/Canning/Canning_Potato.html Hope this helps. ------------------ Quote Link to comment
Guest Guest Posted August 7, 2002 Share Posted August 7, 2002 Thanks for all the suggestions for using those canned potatoes... but, I disposed of them right after I posted that message! I found out that I only had three jars left. Now, is there anybody out there that needs some dried pinto beans??? I'd like to add a smilie here but I don't know how yet... and I don't have one of those cute little icons yet either! Quote Link to comment
mommato3boys Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Thanks for recovering this. Westbrook...I can plant potatoes in a garbage can huh?....hummmmmm. Well I game, I will give it a go. Do they need full sun or partial sun? Quote Link to comment
Genoa Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Question: I have read several times that you should choose small-to-medium sized potatoes for canning. Is there a particular reason for that? I'd really like to use the bags of potatoes that Costco sells---they are usually very large potatoes, which I like because it means less peeling. Quote Link to comment
DebbieJ Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 I have canned potatoes many times. They are great! Most of my potatoes I canned with green beans. But I did can some alone. What I did was to scrub my new potatoes to get the skin off. I put these in water with fruit fresh in it. (This is only to keep them white.) I parboiled them and put them in the jars (mostly quarts), added liquid with a teasp salt and pressure canned them by what my canning book said. These are really good heated and covered with cheese sauce or butter sauce. They can also be sliced and made into scalloped potatoes. Quote Link to comment
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