WHAT ARE YOU CANNING TODAY?

[Lazy Gardener]

Today, I'm canning spiced apple sauce. Scrubbed the apples with soapy water first, and plan to use the peels to make apple jelly. It took an hour to peel and prep 1/2 peck.

I have about 2 more pecks of apples to process.

 

[Mini Horses]

Guess we know where to find you today....You got a few hours left. I leave the peels on for my applesauce. Unless I WANT the peels for something else...rare.

I'm thinking about cooking a roast. Lot of carrots & onions I need to use up and time to fix some homemade "heat and eats". Plus, so far it looks like next weekend will be in the 55 nights & low 70 days, I'm off work and the roosters are fat. Lookin' like it's time! Will be a perfect time to cook and can some chicken. So, better check out freezer while I pull the roast. There's a LOT of milk and cheese in there...plus goat & pig...Hmmm. Need to cook more.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Well... it was not going to be apple sauce. It started out being chunky apples that could then be used for sauce or desserts when the jars get opened up. But... the macs started disintegrating as soon as they boiled. SO... apple sauce it is.

Do you stick blend or otherwise process the apples to puree the skins? I like the color, but not the texture of skins in the applesauce. Sometimes, I just core the apples, and cook them, Then, it's a simple matter to snag the skins and pull them out of the sauce before proceeding to can.

Maybe, the next batch, I'll leave the skins on and puree them. That will save about an hour of prep time!

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Guess we know where to find you today....You got a few hours left. I leave the peels on for my applesauce. Unless I WANT the peels for something else...rare.

I'm thinking about cooking a roast. Lot of carrots & onions I need to use up and time to fix some homemade "heat and eats". Plus, so far it looks like next weekend will be in the 55 nights & low 70 days, I'm off work and the roosters are fat. Lookin' like it's time! Will be a perfect time to cook and can some chicken. So, better check out freezer while I pull the roast. There's a LOT of milk and cheese in there...plus goat & pig...Hmmm. Need to cook more.

How sweet it is, to have a fully stocked freezer. Envious of you for your dairy products in that freezer! And, home grown meat. Yum!!!

 

[Mini Horses]

And, home grown meat. Yum!!!

You can, too! Raise a couple...find a good butcher, saves a LOT of work. Mine "kill & chill", I cut & wrap/vac seal.

Apples --I like the peels in the sauce, so no, I don't puree. But I do cut into chunks before cooking, so they are tender and not large pieces.

But core, cook some & puree or I'd use one of the stick blenders. I have one but use it ONLY for soap making. Just don't use one enough to buy another.

I have cored, then sliced on mandolin...fast. Just don't get your finger close or you will lose it. sharp!!

 

[Britesea]

Finished 11 pints of plum butter, 2 1/2 gallons of freeze dried plum halves, 1 gallon of dried plums, and I'm doing 4 pints of chile verde left over from dinner.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Tomatoes. 8 pints, with the rest simmering in the crock pot, seasoned to become pizza sauce. I have 3 huge bowls of tomatoes picked, with more on the vine. An other killing frost due tomorrow night. In spite of 3 - 4 frosts, the garden is largely untouched.

 

[PatriciaPNW]

Finished 11 pints of plum butter, 2 1/2 gallons of freeze dried plum halves, 1 gallon of dried plums, and I'm doing 4 pints of chile verde left over from dinner.

My Italian plum tree didn’t set any fruit this year after a record amount last year. I made so many plum tarts (New York Times recipe is amazing), canned plum jam and halves, dried more - all successful. This year I read on a Ag Ext site from ND about “cracking” the plums for drying. Do you know about this? Do you do it? I don’t think I will unless someone has experience that makes it worthwhile. Thanks.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I had never heard of "cracking" plums so I haven't done it. I had to look it up. Sounds like it might be a good idea though.

https://oddsandhens.com/2014/09/29/how-to-dry-plums/

 

[Hinotori]

It's supposed to help them dry faster. Popping them helps as well. We popped them but never cracked growing up. Mom and Grandma probably just didn't know it helped. Mom doesn't blanch tomatoes either, though.