AAAHHHHH I don't know what to do!!!!

[Shouka]

Hope that got someone's attention. I'm new to the canning and putting my things up for winter. Pretty sad consittering that I grew up on a farm.

Oh, well I'm willing to make up for it. So, here's my questions. I have never canned anything ever.
What can I can?
What's good to can?
What's not good to can?
Does anyone have any good recipes?
Things of that nature.

Any help would be wonderful.

Thanks,
Shouka

 

[HoofTrimmer]

When I first started to want to learn this I visited my county extention agent. Who gave me several books with instruction and recipes in them for free. Also, online you can find tons of stuff about the how to and the what to can.

I am expanding my canning inventory. I've canned some peach and apple pie fillings now. I plan on canning chili and other dishes that will be quick to heat and eat.

I am a collector of recipe and canning books of all ages. You would be amazed at what you can put up.

HoofTrimmer

 

[summerthyme]

You can pretty much can ANYTHING you can buy canned in the store. Start there- what do you like to eat that comes that way?

We prefer our peas and sweet corn frozen. Broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts are absoutely "freezer only". But green and yellow beans are MUCH better canned than frozen- and they keep a lot longer canned.

First consideration after that, though is equipment- if you don't have a pressure canner, you're limited to fruits and HIGH acid vegetables- tomato products (without much of any other veggies added, except possibly in small flavoring amounts) and pickles.

If you have a pressure canner, the sky is the limit- including homemade soups, meat stews, etc.

Coop Extension may still be a good source for basic canning info... I haven't dealt with them for years, and it seemed to me that they were getting into more "wise consumer" sort of stuff. But their stuff is either free or cheap, and is a good place to start.

If you can find the "Farm Journal's Freezing and Canning Cookbook", (out of print, try used bookstores or the web) they've got some great basic advice and lots of good recipes besides.

Probably the "bible" of preserving food is "Putting Food By" by Beatrice Vaughn. It's got EVERYTHING... has been reprinted and updated many times.

Hope this helps

summerthyme

 

[ejagno]

Ball Blue Book has all your answers

this guide will lead you to safe and healthy canning. It will guide you through what needs to be pressure canned and what can be canned in a water bath canner as well as how to do each.

As for WHAT can be canned my answer is anything that you see canned in the grocery store can be done at home safely...................WITH THE EXCEPTION OF EGGS(pickled yes) AND HOMOGENIZED MILK that you buy from the grocery store. Some people prefer to can their fruits and vegetables and meats individually. I figure that if I'm going to go through the work then I might as well do it once so I can "ready to eat meals" such as:
*Spaghetti meat sauce- For a meal, all you have to do is cook your noodles(do not can as they do get mushy)mix and eat.

*Vegetable Soup/Corn Soup/Brocolli Soup/Chicken Broth Seasoned/Beef Broth Seasoned - ready to heat and eat or you may opt to add cooked rice or noodles if you wish.

*Gumbo - chicken & sausage, seafood, Shrimp & Okra, chicken & okra, & duck...just heat, cook some rice and eat

* Chili with beans - ready to eat..............a little cornbread goes good with this which I'm going to do an experiment this week to can this as well.

*Steak & gravy - be it pork, beef, deer................can be served over mashed potatoes or rice

*Vegetables (all) - I prepare them and season them just as though I was serving them today with the exception that I only cook them 1/3 of what I normally would then I place them in the jars, seal and process for the specific time recommended.

NOTE*** I add tasso, sausage and bacon to alot of my beans, cabbage, mustard greens and such. In this case you would use the time recommended that takes the longest which in this case would be the meat processing time, not the vegetable processing time.

*Butter, when I catch a really good sale at the supermarket. I don't want to completely fill my freezers with items that can be canned. I've canned honey butter, garlic butter as well as plain butter.

*Cheese- I know that it can store just fine on the shelves, however, my storage was in my garage and I did have some mice get into all my cheese so I started canning everything......they don't eat through glass and it actually extends the shelf life when canned. I generally use Velveeta in the 2 lb. blocks when on sale. I then add Rotel for a great dip or salsa for a fantastic chili con queso.

You may can all meats either prepared, raw or cooked. Now I've never tried something like hot dogs because they would explode, however, I have put them in pork & beans for "beanie weenies" and it turned out perfect.

What I don't can, I try to dehydrate. My freezer stays full despite myself because I'm always freezing something such as flour before storing it in those bakery buckets. I also freeze coffee because I buy it in bulk when it's on sale.

 

[A.T.Hagan]

Couple of basic questions to ask yourself first:

What are you presently producing yourself in sufficient quantity that you have a surplus to can?

What can you not buy at the store that you like sufficiently well to go to the time and trouble to can it yourself? This is assuming you can get the raw materials in the first place.

I had an aunt that would go and spend hours in the hot sun picking peas to can and freeze at the u-pick places. We were finally able to convince her that if you're having to pay money to go and get the stuff and what you end up with isn't any better than what you can buy from the store why are you spending all that time in the sun?

There are some things that, to me, would be worth while even if I had to go and buy the raw materials. Canned meat is one of those things since the selection in the grocery stores is very limited if you want something other than ham or tuna. I haven't canned any in a long time, but when the weather cools I'm going to go back to doing so.

Muscadine grape jelly. Generally cannot be found in the grocery stores so if you want any you have to make it yourself. My grapes didn't do much this year so we'll go and pay to pick some to get the raw material for jelly.

If there were any in driving distance of me I'd pay to pick GOOD peaches since you can't get decent peaches anywhere around here - fresh, frozen, or canned. Occasionally a fruit stand will have good peaches but it's a chancy thing and they're usually pretty steep.

Other than the kinds of things I outlined above if we can something it's because we produced it.

Home food preservation is a very good thing, but think about the basics first.

Having said all of that, get a copy of the <i>Ball Blue Book</i> as it will save megabytes of explanation. Usually can find a copy at Wal Mart in their canning supplies section.

.....Alan.