Thank you for the welcome!big brown horse said:
I picked up a copy of it last night. I have been reading and reading. Thanks for the tip!2dream said:
Thanks Pat for the info! I am so excited to get started on this new venture!patandchickens said:You can can your cherries no problem; and you can pickle your beans to can them.
However it is not a good idea to try to can vegetables (your pumpkin and peas) with just a water bath canner, as these foods lack the acidity to discourage the organism that causes botulism and a water bath canner does not heat the food hot enough to destroy the botulism organism.
Basically, things you can do in a water bath canner (following proper directions) are basically:
fruits, in water or juice or light syrup or heavy syrup
fruit pie fillings or compotes as per a safe recipe
jams/jellies/marmalades/chutneys and similar fruit-based high-acid spreads
pickles (except pickled eggs not recommended for safety)
most fruit juices
tomato products with sufficient acidity and no additional veggies added (or, added but acidity corrected, as per safe recipe)
Things that it is a whole lot safer to save for the pressure canner:
vegetables
fruit or tomato products w/ veggies added and acidity unknown or low
soups
salsas of unknown or low acidity
meat/poultry/fish
I second or third the recommendation to get the Ball Blue Book of Canning, it will tell you all the useful stuff (about methodology, safety and recipes) that you need to know to get going!
Good luck, have fun,
Pat
Excellent advice! I appreciate this insight!modern_pioneer said:
When using a new recipe, its best to make a small batch and make sure you like it. I did a salsa recipe that I thought I would like, but it wasn't to my taste. I made 7 quarts, 6 I gave away, so I wasted the food I grew for my family. Maybe didn't waste it, but I could have added more of somethig I like.
If I don't get a pressure canner by the time my veggies are ready, I will just freeze them again this year. I am keeping my eyes open for a good deal too.freemotion said:
Oh, good, we can learn together. How did your squash turn out? I can't believe you have some ready. Mine won't be ready until late July or early August! It is so hard to be patient!!!!Hiedi said:Hello and welcome to the forum! I can not give any advice about canning because I am in the process of trying to learn myself so I will (for the most part) be just reading this thread. I have the equipment, supplies, books etc. It is just a matter of getting started. We have a bunch of yellow squash that we are planning to freeze tomorrow...
Ohhhh, thanks for the ideas. I will do a search on here too!FarmerDenise said:DouglasPeeps, do a search on here and you'll get a few recomendations. I asked that same question last year and so has someone else.
I can solely by the hot water bath method, because I don't have a pressure canner yet either.
I make a lot of pickles, you can make relishes from a lot of vegetables, and they are quite good.
I made my own plum juice last year, using a method I read about in one of Helen and Scott Nearings books. I put about three plums (they were large) in a quart or jar and filled it with sugared water (same as if you were canning plums), and then processed it for the same amount of time I would for canning plums. Came out quite good. I'll do it again this year.
