Does anyone have good tips on canning?

Wnat are you going to be canning?

Tomatoes, peppers, cabbage. I think I can slice zucchini and freeze them.
I know Im a little late in the game, but my gut tells me this winter is going to be hell.

which one? Eli? Peyton?

Oh, wait. I thought you said "Manning."

sorry... :(

I almost feel a panic about getting prepped, even a little. It feels like (Im late for a test in college) kind of panic!

Have you ever canned before?

There is a ton of great info on the internet.

USDA and Ball both have great instructions and canning times you'll need to know.

No,I havent personally, I used to help my Nanna when I was a wee one. Thanks, I really appreciate it.
I know you guys on glp have some of the best tips, though.
Been lurking for years and years.

Buy the Ball Canning book. It gives good information and recipes.

Also, if you're canning non-acidic food, you will need a pressure canner to achieve higher temperatures. All American Pressure canners are the best, but pricey.

Acidic foods can be canned with a water canner.

If you are storing beans or rice long term, it's good to dry can them.

To dry can, place dry food in canning jars and place open in the oven at 200 degrees for one hour. Immediately place lids/bands on jars while hot. When they cool the lids will create a vacuum. Dry canning prevents weevils and other insects from developing.


YouTube has many videos for reference.

Zucchini or yellow summer squash makes great sweet pickles, add sweet green and/or red peppers, sweet onion with pickling spice, way too much sugar, some apple cider vinegar and citric acid. Recipe on line. Made a case of quarts 3 weeks ago.

Tomatoes, applesauce this time of year, peaches and pears..all pretty easy if you have lots of sugar, peppers need a sugar/salt solution (see recipes on the sites mentioned above), you can do green beans in a water bath canner if you pickle them (see recipes for 'dilly beans'),

Pro -tip, if you have a good feed mill nearby, you can ask them to sell you a bag of organic evaporated cane juice. It's sugar and it is much more affordable than the equivalent at walmart, but you get a 50lb bag. Put the leftovers in a 5 gallon pail with a lid for longer term storage.

Cabbage is better to make sauerkraut if you have a cool place to store the crock. There's super cool (and expensive) fermentation crocks available, but we just use the old fashioned kind and a very big ziploc full of water (double bagged) on top to keep the air out. You can also make or buy wooden lids for the same purpose. Or you can repurpose one of your big buckets with a lid (not a fan of this, I just don't trust that plastic, even in the food grade buckets.

another pro tip - if your kraut looks spoiled on the top, don't dump the whole crock until you have skimmed off the top couple inches. Usually it's still perfectly fine underneath. You can easily can the kraut in a water bath, but you lose the probiotics that way.

I have canned. It is all in the prep work. I do meats, pork, chicken, beef.

I have a pressure canner by T-fal. [link to www.amazon.com (secure)]

Do not buy from Ebay. Ebay has become a gouging scammer website.

I would start with dehydrating. It too has some prep work.

Thinly sliced pineapple is beautiful.

Mushrooms sliced are easy.

Pomegranate seeds are fun & easy.

Organic greens like spinach & arugula are easy.

Sliced celery is easy, just dehydrate.

Corn on Cob, I cook for eight minutes, plunge in cold water then cut off cob. And dehydrate.

Last Edited by Giselle22 on 09/29/2021 08:45 PM

Buy the Ball jar canning book, it tells you everything you need to know!

Forget canning and buy a dehydrator

Thank you so much!

Oh that sounds so good!

Wonderfully helpful! Kraut is the way to go

I have a dehydrator in the garage, I guess it's time to dust that off. The pineapple sounds scrumptious..I do believe Im going to do that. Never thought of pomegranate seeds but thats a fantastic idea!

Thank yoU!

Hoooold your horses...

You can't just do that willie nillie without some research first. Get a good book from the library on canning from Ball.

Then canning jars from Dollar Tree are more expensive. You can get a dozen from Wallie World for 9 dollars...and they will be Ball or Kerr, good jars for the heat they will have to take.

You will need a pressure canner for most items that you'd can. Read the book that comes with it, and follow the directions to a T. A few things you can use a boiling water bath, but only some things can be canned by that method.

Don't mess around with canning unless you follow directions, and not from people on GLP. This is serious. You can die from Botulism poisoning.

Get the canning book from Ball and take a lot of notes.

If you want some videos to check out.. This channel cans all kinds of things. They also dehydrate and freeze-dry, but tons of canning tips, I especially like the way she does her tomatoes so it is nice and thick for sauce.

[link to www.youtube.com (secure)]

Also if you are over run with say tomatoes, you can freeze them whole if you plan to can them later.

Useful info!

I'm more of a grower than a canner, bump to follow.

Generally, it costs more than it's worth.

But.... it's a skill and a capability that is useful.

Food is getting ever more expensive. If you have enough produce that you can do some serious canning it's worth it. 50 jars in a day is good. A half dozen is a joke.

That's just my opinion.

Im good at willy-nillying! Yes, it seems i have some research to do first..but you know, the dehydrating thing seems like easier way to go!

oh thank you, Tangy!!

Hi
Visit "RedRose Homestead--That "Woman with a gadget" " on YouTube. She is wonderfully knowledgeable and informative.

I learned how to can butter! It's called ghee and will last for years. She also came up with a emergency hygiene bug out bag for women. It can be made for babies, kids, and men too.

God bless

Thank you, I'll go check her out! That sounds really helpful, since Im a woman..lol

Good tips here already. I can only add: Don't skimp on prep. Make sure everything is CLEAN. Sterilization isn't necessary, particularly if you use a pressure canner. NEVER can meat unless it's with a pressure canner. Cheap Presto ones from Walmart do a great job. Use caution, but if you follow the directions, you're not gonna blow anything up.

Two caveats: It's really messy AND it can be addictive as hell. I love canning season.

For canning, you use cans rather than jars.