WHAT ARE YOU CANNING TODAY?

[Mini Horses]

The pickles look yummy -- and what a great thought for the church to do this for it's members.

 

[lcertuche]

I know you're suppose to wait a few weeks to eat them but the Wildbunch can't wait. The dills are perfectly lip-puckering sour and a jar of bread and butter pickles were gobbled down like candy. I think the dills' were too, too much but my son who begged me to make dill pickles was delighted with them.

The church gave us more of cukes, bells, and tomatoes so of course I have been working them up. Everyone else had got what they wanted and they were going to spoil but everyone knows I never turn down free food!

I'm thinking pickle relish and a few jars more of pickles and I will be through. I'm chopped and/or sliced all the peppers and are keeping them in the freezer waiting for the dehydrator to be finished with the last bunch. I will probably keep a few sliced peppers in the freezer for stir frys but dehydrate the majority. I love pouring a couple of spoons full into sauces, soups, chilis, meatloaves... I grind up a lot into a powder and oh my goodness it is so good and the kids don't try to pick out the goodness of peppers. They are so sweet just to snack on when they are dehydrated. Now those the kids like! The smell from the dehydrator is so good everyone keeps commenting on it.

The tomatoes made such a thick hearty sauce. One lid didn't seal so I see spaghetti in the near future.

 

[terri9630]

I put my turkey carcass in the freezer but I sure would like to can some broth. Oh well, I've been hinting to DH for a pressure canner but he decided it's just too pricey.

Keep an eye on shopgoodwill.com. I've bought 3 used ones in good shape. Paid between $30 and $70 for them with shipping.

 

[lcertuche]

Someone gave me a new 16 qt. Presto for Christmas and someone else gave me a 1940's 16 qt. but I need to get a new seal and the dial replaced on it. I still keep my eye out for them. My neighbor that gave me the old canner also gave me several dozen jars. I have been blessed coming and going.

 

[lcertuche]

I just canned 3 pints of dill pickle relish. Looks good and it's very dilly (?) tasting. The recipe called for 3/4 cup of sugar so I thought it would be sweet but not so. I also put some more bells in the dehydrator.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Yummy!

 

[lcertuche]

I'm not a big fan of relish but DH loves the stuff. I do find it handy for potato salad, deviled eggs, tuna and egg salad for sandwiches though. I will probably make up a few more jars before summer is over. It used a lot more cucumbers than I expected. Of course this is a good thing when you have a whole crate of cukes to put up.

 

[terri9630]

Someone gave me a new 16 qt. Presto for Christmas and someone else gave me a 1940's 16 qt. but I need to get a new seal and the dial replaced on it. I still keep my eye out for them. My neighbor that gave me the old canner also gave me several dozen jars. I have been blessed coming and going.

This is where I have found parts for my old canner. They have parts for many different brands. http://www.mendingshed.com/nsearch.html?query=canner.

 

[lcertuche]

Thanks Terri.

I canned some pinto beans last week and I would like to can some more and some more pickled cabbage since I just opened my last jar last night but I am really low on lids so it will need to wait until I make a trip to Wally World.

 

[lcertuche]

Well our church got fresh strawberries and red grapes. A whole truckload of fruit. So now I have been working like a mad woman to put up 10 cases of strawberries but now it is cleaned, hulled and some (most) in the freezer and a couple of bags in the refrigerator that will be cooked into preserves today.

I will start on the grapes today. I got 6 cases of those. I'm planning on making grape juice and freezing the rest for now.

The recipe I plan on trying for juice is fill a qt. jar half full of cleaned grapes, add 1/3 cup of sugar and fill with boiling water. Process either 25 minutes in boiling water bath or 10 minutes in the canner. You then must let the jar sit for at least a couple of months before straining to drink.

So has anyone tried make juice this way? DH and the Wildbunch love juice (me not so much). I'm sure they will drink it no matter how it turns out.

I might end up canning some of the strawberries for cobblers. I'm hoping to beat the bear to the blackberries this year as we love blackberry jelly and cobbler.

I will try to post some pictures of the preserves and juice if I manage it.