Spices, Etc. in Canning

[Genoa]

Based on your collective experience, what spices do you know you would or would NOT recommend to use when canning. I understand some can become bitter or too strong, but I don't really know which ones.

 

With so many updates in canning, I just want to confirm that there still are no contraindications to using garlic, onion, peppers, etc. when pressure canning.

 

And one other question, if I wanted to use some of my dehydrated veggies, like dehydrated onions, peppers, etc., for foods I plan to cook, I'm assuming that's okay, as long as they are rehydrated before canning?

 

Thanks---just suddenly feeling insecure for some reason.

[Violet]

I know for sure that sage gets bitter. Sometimes oregano.

You can still only use low acid vegetables when called for in canning recipes. You cannot excede the total amount in any recipe and be safe, not even pressure canning. All of the veggies have different ph levels and density. You can see that by this example in a spaghetti sauce recipe :

SPAGHETTI SAUCE WITHOUT MEAT

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

30 lb. tomatoes

1 cup chopped onions

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped celery or green pepper

1 lb. fresh mushrooms, sliced (optional)

4-1/2 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. oregano

4 tbsp. minced parsley

2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

 

YIELD: About 9 pints

 

PROCEDURE: CAUTION: DO NOT INCREASE THE PROPORTION OF

ONIONS, PEPPERS OR MUSHROOMS. Wash tomatoes and dip in

boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds or until skins split.

Dip in cold water and slip off skins. Remove cores and

quarter tomatoes. Boil 20 minutes, uncovered, in large

saucepan. Put through food mill or sieve. Saute onions,

garlic, celery or peppers, and mushrooms (if desired) in

vegetable oil until tender. Combine sauted vegetables and

tomatoes and add remainder of spices, salt and sugar. Bring

to a boil. Simmer, uncovered, until thick enough for

serving. At this time the initial volume will have been

reduced by nearly one-half. Stir frequently to avoid

burning. Fill hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust

lids and process.

 

RECOMMENDED PROCESS TIMES FOR SPAGHETTI

SAUCE WITHOUT MEAT IN A DIAL-GAUGE

PRESSURE CANNER use 11 lb. pressure, weighted gauge 10 lb.

hot, pints 20 min. Quarts 25 min.

****************

This is the same for a lot of canning recipes. They come with the same warning.

You can add dried veggies that have been rehydrated in your canning recipes.

 

[Genoa]

So how would I be 100% certain that I don't include too much garlic or onion when canning something like hamburger, where I would want to simply cook the hamburger with some onion and garlic before canning?

 

And what about all the leftovers people talk about canning---soup, chili, beans, etc.? Do those recipes have to be carefully monitored for the amount of onions, garlic, or peppers included?

[Darlene]

The Ball Blue Book has a couple of spaghetti recipes that have higher non-tomato veggie ratio to tomatoes than the one above.

 

Their Italian Tomato Sauce recipe is:

 

4qts chopped, seeded, peeled, cored tomatoes (about 24 large)

1c chopped celery

1/2c chopped onion

1/4c chopped green pepper

1T basil

1T oregano

1T minced parsley

2t crushed red pepper

 

The processing times are 15 min for pints, 20 minutes for quarts

 

Their Basil-Garlic Tomato Sauce recipe is:

20lbs of tomatoes

1c chopped onion

8 cloves garlic, minced

1T olive oil

1/4 minced fresh basil

Bottled lemon juice

 

It instructs you to put 1T bottled lemon juice into each pint jar and process 35 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.

 

Personally, I make my own recipes and can them. I don't put sugar in my spaghetti sauce and I don't put different veggies in that they do. For me, it's best I don't make anyone else's recipes, but I bear in mind the restrictions that go along with safely home canning foods and proceed from there. I don't water bath tomato products and other than jams and fruits and maybe salsas (because of the added vinegar/acid) and a couple of other things, I pressure can the rest.

[Jasminegirl]

So I see this about the onions. A few weeks ago I put 1 Quart of onions in my g.meat and veggies and made 7 Quarts of soups in jars + 2 Quarts for the freezer that was left over after I filled the jars. This was too much onion? Am I going to have to throw away my jars of soup? All these veggie ingredients were from my garden with 2 lbs of ground beef. 1 Q green beans, 1 Q corn, 1 Q small cubed potaotes, 1 Q butter beans, 1 Q purple hull peas, 1/2 Q carrots, 1 Q tomatoes w/its own juice, and (1 QUART OF ONIONS)...Then I added 2 Quarts of boiling water and let come to boil again and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Put into Hot jars and did all the hot lids and did the canning as said in my ball book for the required time except I added 10 minutes extra time b/c I have a older book and can't find the newer book. The beef/veggie soup in the old ball book says to do beef stew with vegetables for 1 hour and 30 minutes, I did mine for 1 hour and 40 minutes + another 5 minutes b/c I wanted to make sure it is processes long enough. tell me it will be alright.

[Tracie]

I can't imagine why this wouldn't be okay, considering your long processing time. I'm curious to hear what Violet says about it.

[Genoa]

Yes, I'm curious also. I just wanted to can some hamburger with onion and garlic, but now I'm worried I might add too much of the onion or garlic. I wanted to prepare about 10 pounds of hamburger, which would yield about 10 pints. How do I figure what is an acceptable amount of garlic and onion to add? Would it be safer to use garlic powder and onion powder (I'd prefer to use fresh). For one batch, I thought of adding either fresh or reconstituted dried green pepper, but now I'm not so sure.

[Tracie]

I *think* that the issue is processing time. If you have a recipe that requires only 20 minutes processing time, then you change the ingredients, it may change the required processing time.

 

But I *think* that if you're already doing the longest required processing time (for meat - 1 hour 15 minutes for pints) then it's safe to add the other ingredients (as long as they aren't on the list of always prohibited ingredients, like thickeners, flours, starches, butter, etc)

[Genoa]

Tracie,

What you said about the long processing time makes sense. The example that Violet gave above, with warnings NOT to change the amount of garlic or onion, was for something that would be processed for a much shorter period of time. Hopefully, Violet will see this and add her confirmation that is the case.

[Jasminegirl]

I hope everyone is right b/c I never ever considered that this much onion would of been bad in the canning. And it is alot of hard work, time and money to have to go through to have to throw away.