WHAT ARE YOU CANNING TODAY?

[~gd]

I've seen a LOT of jam type recipes that all say to use a large stainless steel pot - for instance: http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/all_recipes/215.php?recipe=132&recipID=216&catID=

Is this REALLY necessary? I have non stick & some ceramic but I have no stainless steel pots. :/

The Non-stick should do very well unless it is very badly strached on the interior. Jam is usually very acid and with heat and long contact time will attack cast iron, aluminium or copper more than you would think. I ruined a nice cast iron dutch oven and a batch of jam to learn this the hard way. Non-stick is covered with a polymer ( plastic) that the acid will not dissolve to get to the metal underneath.
Good Luck with your jam!

 

[DawnSuiter]

Thank you, so stainless steel would not have a reaction with the acid, like the teflon? All previous recipes call for a non-reactive pot, and so I use the ceramic or teflon coated. I figured steel WOULD have a reaction with acid... which is why I wondered why they would call for such a thing.

I have so much to learn about this stuff!

Also... does anyone think the 23 quart presto canner is a solid buy? I have the smaller one but cannot "safely" hot water bathe quart jars with it... and would SURELY like to do more than 9 pints at a time when I can stuff.

 

[Ldychef2k]

I have the 23 quart Presto. I love it. Wish it were even bigger !

 

[Greybear23]

Hi all, I posted this a few back, anyone have ideas on using watermelon rinds for sweet relish!!!?????

Watermelon Jelly???? I want the recipe!!! Sounds good!!! Lynn Any ideas on my question about using watermelon to make a sweet relish???? Lynn

 

[sufficientforme]

Sorry I must have missed it! I found a great website that has several recipes for using watermelon and rind check them out here!
http://www.watermelonrind.com/
They have tons of great looking recipes

Watermelon Rind Relish

Ingredients:
6 Cups Of Fresh Grated Watermelon Rind
1 1/2 Tablespoons Of Colman's Dry Mustard Powder
3 Quarts Of Bottled Mineral Water
1/2 Teaspoon Of McCormick Celery Seed
1 Cup Of C&H White Sugar
1 Cup Of Hengstenberg Cider Vinegar
1/2 Teaspoon Of Fine Ground Kosher Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoons Of Tone's Ground Ginger
2 Teaspoons Of Tone's Ground Turmeric

Information:
Serving Size 40
62 Calories Per Serving
1 Grams Of Fat

Preparation Instructions:
To begin this recipe you will first need to take out a large saucepan, add in three quarts of bottled mineral water, and then bring the water to a boil over high heat. Once you have attained a rolling boil, add in six cups of grated watermelon rind, and then let it cook for three full minutes. Once done, drain the water and then set the saucepan aside. Next take out a second saucepan and add in the sugar, mustard powder, celery seed, cider vinegar, kosher salt, ground turmeric, and ground ginger. Bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for another two minutes while stirring continuously. Moving along, next pour in the cooked watermelon rind, and then let all of the contents simmer together for roughly half an hour, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed into the grated rind. Make sure that you stir the contents often to prevent any burning from occurring. Once you are done add the watermelon rind relish to an airtight container, and then store it in the refrigerator. That concludes this recipe, please be sure and check out our other fun and interesting watermelon rind recipes. Don't forget to bookmark our site, as we will continue to add new content regularly.
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[sufficientforme]

Watermelon Jelly courtesy of Epicurean.com

Ingredients:
4 cups seeded, diced watermelon
3-1/2 cups sugar
2 tblsp lemon juice
1/2 of a 6 oz pkg liquid fruit pectin (1 foil pouch)

Directions:
Place diced watermelon in a blender container or food processor bowl. Cover and blend or process until smooth (should have 2 cups watermelon puree). In a 6 to 8 quart kettle or Dutch oven combine the watermelon puree, sugar and lemon juice. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil ( a boil that cannot be stirred down) over high heat, stirring constantly with a long handled wooden spoon. Stir in the pectin all at once. Return mixture to a full rolling boil; boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove kettle or Dutch oven from heat; skim off foam. Ladle jelly into clean, hot half-pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids. Allow to cool completely away from drafts, then store in cool, dark place.

Makes 4 half pints.

 

[pioneergirl]

I received a lot of help in canning my potatoes from one of those TV advertised "Vidalia Onion Choppers". I peeled and sliced the potatoes (Yukon gold and new potatoes were not peeled) and then whacked them through the chopper into 1/2" dice. They are absolutely perfect for both potato salad and for frying. Used them for onions and peppers as well to make some jars into potatoes O'Brien!!

Really did decrease the amount of prep time.

good idea!!

So I counted my jars...over the last 3 days I've canned 63 pints of potatoes, and waiting on 7 pints of peas. Tomorrow I'll be doing green beans!

 

[DawnSuiter]

Cinnamon Watermelon Rind Pickles
http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/all_recipes/215.php?recipe=146&recipID=209&catID=

 

[mamaluv321]

So I did some more research and found I do need to pressure cook anything with corn or meat (my friend wants to can her corn chowder, YUM!) so my question now is: can I use my 7.5 liter Tfal pot that has a lock on pressure lid? Would it get hot enough? Thanks in advance ladies!

 

[Ldychef2k]

Don't know a thing about T-Fall with pressure lids, but I am guessing the answer is no. Someone with more technical expertise than I have will be able to give you all the details.

Suffice it to say, the temperature inside the jars has to get up high enough to kill a deadly poison: botulism. I ask myself all the time if I am confident enough in my processing that in five years I would confidently open a jar and feed the contents to my grandchildren. For that reason alone, I stick precisely to the processing instructions for both pressure canning and water bath canning. It took a while to pay for it, but in the end I bit the bullet and bought the right canner because in the end the girls are worth $80 !!!