Any unconventional canners out there?

[okiegirl1]

I know this isn't unusual, but I'm confused.

I asked for a pressure canner for Christmas because I read in all my books I HAD to pressure can all meat & low acid veggies (green beans and such)

If I don't have to use a pressure canner, I really don't want to. But I REALLY don't want to make my family sick.

Are ya'll sayin' I can do ALL my canning with my water bath??

There aren't any books that tell me how long to leave my jars in the boiling water when they contain meat and low acid veggies.

can ya'll give me some times I can copy and print to keep with my canning recipes?

Have I told ya'll I love you today??

 

[FarmerDenise]

I'm with okiegirl1.
I was very young when my mother did a lot of canning, when I was a teen my grandmother did most of the canning and used a pressure canner.
I would love to get more info on hot water bath canning of stuff, that is not in todays canning books for waterbath canning.

I just don't have the money to invest in a pressure canner, and if there is a way to can more stuff with my hot waterbath canner I would love to try it.
We also don't have a deep freeze. The refridgerator freezer just does not do such a good job, even when you have it on it's lowest setting.

 

[Up-the-Creek]

Bee is the lady to ask about the water bath canning. All I have ever done is some veggies and jellies, no meats.

 

[abifae]

*

 

[freemotion]

I buy pectin that is for sugar-free jams and jellies and the instructions are in the box. My favorite is a mix of 100% pomegranate/raspberry juice and frozen raspberries. (I don't grow raspberries....yet!) I hope I get enough strawberries next year to try some strawberry combos, too. I don't add any sweetener of any kind, as the pom juice is pretty darn sweet.

 

[me&thegals]

I think the FDA is trying to keep food safe. I don't agree with how they do it sometimes (like irradiation), but I try to follow the modern guidelines for food processing. Just took one story in epidemiology about near death by botulism.

Anyway, I do the inverted-can method sometimes for my blackberry jelly. I don't get overly excited over high-sugar, high-acid foods, but I definitely pressure can low-acid veggies (only beans) and occasionally venison.

Obviously people have lived just fine by water-bath canning their meats, but I bet we've lost a few that way, too. Personally I would want to boil the heck out of it to be sure, in which case I may as well pressure can it in the first place.

 

[Beekissed]

Meats and such are recommended for 90 min. in a pressure canner, so I just do mine for 90, give or take, in the water bath. OR, you can precook your meats very well, pop them in a jar, put on the lids and they will seal themselves....then you can water bath them for about 45 min. Either way, you have some cook time....so you can pressure or not.

I wouldn't advise a newbie canner to start getting all brody and rebellious like myself. I'm pretty experienced with canning and canned foods, so I can take a risk here and there and not worry so much.

But....a newbie with a young family? Probably better stick with the Blue Ball Canning Book and be done with it, for now. I wouldn't want to be responsible if something went amiss.....

 

[me&thegals]

Isn't that funny, Bee? That's how I feel, too. I do it one way, but I'd be worried if someone else did. Maybe not for canning, but other things

Here's an tad bit unconventional canning method, but it's not really "canning" per se. My garlic was drying up a bit and showing signs of wanting to sprout, so I peeled almost 4 quarts worth, packing them into quart jars and then covered in olive oil. I'm hoping the garage will be just the right coolness for now, as I'm out of fridge space. As I use up the garlic, I will also use up the garlic-scented olive oil---mmmm!

 

[old fashioned]

when you hot water bath... does the stuff you can have to have any sugars in it? or is that just jams? my roommate said you can't change the recipes for sugar amounts safely and that confused me thoroughly.

My mother was a diabetic and one year I canned her some peaches without sugar and they turned out just fine. I just prepped the peaches, put them in a pot with water, brought to a boil, put em in the jars and sealed, water bathed about 45 min for quarts. Just peaches and water. So it is possible. I've not tried jams without sugar.

 

[Ldychef2k]

This question may belong in the "unconventional" category, not sure.

I was given a couple of gallons of enchilada sauce and bbq sauce. I know that I can break it down and can it in usable portions, but I don't know how long to process it. Both are tomato based, neither have meat. I have no clue how long to process.... Can anyone help?