Canning & Gardening Nerdiness

[Suz_anne]

This could be my worst idea for a thread ever, but let's give it a whirl.

A few weeks ago I tried my hand at canning fresh produce - specifically, a bushel apples in the form of cinnamon applesauce and a crap ton of tomatoes & jalapenos in the form of salsa.

It was immensely satisfying. The whole process gives me that self-reliance feeling and I also feel a bit like a doomsday prepper with a couple of dozen jars of sustenance stored in the basement.

I really want to start doing more of this and I'm already thinking about next year's garden and what I could plant.

So my questions...
Does anyone else here can their own food?
Any suggestions on veggies, herbs and fruits to can?
Any recipes you want to share?
Any websites you'd recommend to read more about canning?


I would love to hear any canning or gardening advice, stories, memories, etc.

 

[Suz_anne]

I've never scanned but I've wanted to learn.

I will, however, send you my address so you can send me some apples.

No way, lady. When the zombie apocalypse hits, I'll be in my basement gorging myself with applesauce and salsa.

 

[tnman03]

I've done so in the past. My mom had me break the green beans and get all of the other stuff ready to be canned. On my own, I've canned green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, made hot sauce from jalapenos and done soup starter mixes. Of course, all of this was when I had gardens at other houses.

Another thing that you might want to try your hand at it sun drying, oven drying and using a food dehydrator on veggies and fruits. Then seal them up in gallon-sized freezer bags. One trick I learned with green beans is to take the whole green beans and thread them onto long sections of fishing line. Then let hang them along the ceiling lines in your house to dry. I believe these are called leather beans when done this way. They taste great when you cook them later in the winter.

Other than the above I've just frozen a lot of veggies.

 

[JustAnotherFlower]

This could be my worst idea for a thread ever, but let's give it a whirl.

A few weeks ago I tried my hand at canning fresh produce - specifically, a bushel apples in the form of cinnamon applesauce and a crap ton of tomatoes & jalapenos in the form of salsa.

It was immensely satisfying. The whole process gives me that self-reliance feeling and I also feel a bit like a doomsday prepper with a couple of dozen jars of sustenance stored in the basement.

I really want to start doing more of this and I'm already thinking about next year's garden and what I could plant.

So my questions...
Does anyone else here can their own food?
Any suggestions on veggies, herbs and fruits to can?
Any recipes you want to share?
Any websites you'd recommend to read more about canning?


I would love to hear any canning or gardening advice, stories, memories, etc.

Pickles are a great for beginning canners! I've done dill, "zesty" dill, and bread & butters. I tried doing pickled banana peppers but they didn't come out quite right... the recipe needs to be tweaked.
Oh! Jams! My husband and I made various fruit jams and added various peppers to them. Peach habanero was amazing- especially when spread on a baked ham. *drools* Strawberry jalapeno was tasty served warm over cream cheese and served with crackers. And now, I'm hungry.

 

[greeneyedvirgin]

My mom taught me how to can when I was old enough to sit on the table and pack green beans in a jar, so I've been doing it for over 40 years.

Words of advice, start out small with easy stuff that you can hot water bath. And once you are comfortable with that, then and only then start pressure cooking. And never, I mean NEVER leave a pressure cooker unattended. If it gets too much pressure, it can blow, loses pressure and you have to start all over again or you are going to end up with jars full of botulism, the deadliest form of food poisoning there is. And always follow your most current Ball Blue Book, it is your canning Bible.

If I haven't scared you off, have fun. If not, you can contact me at anytime if you have questions. My mom was a Master Food Preserver for several years.

There should be classes you can take at your local Extension Service, usually offered through a College/University.

 

[AlpineFresco]

Never canned anything but I have pickled onions and garlic (separately, I should add). I actually have some onions pickling right now - very basic, just with some salt, honey, and chili flakes.

 

[JustAnotherFlower]

My mom taught me how to can when I was old enough to sit on the table and pack green beans in a jar, so I've been doing it for over 40 years.

Words of advice, start out small with easy stuff that you can hot water bath. And once you are comfortable with that, then and only then start pressure cooking. And never, I mean NEVER leave a pressure cooker unattended. If it gets too much pressure, it can blow, loses pressure and you have to start all over again or you are going to end up with jars full of botulism, the deadliest form of food poisoning there is. And always follow your most current Ball Blue Book, it is your canning Bible.

If I haven't scared you off, have fun. If not, you can contact me at anytime if you have questions. My mom was a Master Food Preserver for several years.

There should be classes you can take at your local Extension Service, usually offered through a College/University.

Dear God... I'm still spooked of pressure cookers since my grandmother's blew up and pockmarked her ceiling with beans.

In good news, brand new pressure cookers have safety features to keep things from going sky high.

 

[barefootgirl69]

I love canning and making jams/butters. The orchards and produce were amazing when I lived in Michigan...not so much in the desert.

I learned how to can from a fellow military spouse...starting with green beans and applesauce.

Zucchini relish is amazing and easy to do.

Peaches, tomatoes, cherries...yum

 

[Shi_One81]

Last year, my step daughter never picked up and threw away her rotting pumpkins. In July, I noticed a small plant growing...well, we accidentally ended up with a pumpkin patch. It was huge, but it only produced two small pumpkins. Total accident.

When I lived in my house, prior to moving in with my hubby, I had a very nice garden. I mostly just grew tomatoes, green beans, and zucchini. When I was a kid, my parents had an epic garden that was the length of our house and my mom and grandma canned. I used to love going out and picking veggies. We also had several cherry, apple, pear, and peach trees. I have very fond memories of all of that.

 

[Suz_anne]

I've done so in the past. My mom had me break the green beans and get all of the other stuff ready to be canned. On my own, I've canned green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, made hot sauce from jalapenos and done soup starter mixes. Of course, all of this was when I had gardens at other houses.

Another thing that you might want to try your hand at it sun drying, oven drying and using a food dehydrator on veggies and fruits. Then seal them up in gallon-sized freezer bags. One trick I learned with green beans is to take the whole green beans and thread them onto long sections of fishing line. Then let hang them along the ceiling lines in your house to dry. I believe these are called leather beans when done this way. They taste great when you cook them later in the winter.

Other than the above I've just frozen a lot of veggies.

That leather beans thing was wild to read about. I will say that I have never heard of that so I started a'googling. It sounds really interesting and everything I've read said the flavor deepens a lot during the drying process and that the beans are really flavorful when you rehydrate and cook them later. I may try it next year. I think my neighbors will be raising eyebrows at the sight of beans strung up to dry all over my porch. Thanks for that suggestion!

Pickles are a great for beginning canners! I've done dill, "zesty" dill, and bread & butters. I tried doing pickled banana peppers but they didn't come out quite right... the recipe needs to be tweaked.
Oh! Jams! My husband and I made various fruit jams and added various peppers to them. Peach habanero was amazing- especially when spread on a baked ham. *drools* Strawberry jalapeno was tasty served warm over cream cheese and served with crackers. And now, I'm hungry.

Do you know how to make sure the dill pickles are nice and crisp? I dislike a soggy dill.

I'm SUPER excited to try making jam. My grandma's strawberry jam was always amazing and it seemed like she had endless jars of it in the basement. But I see that I'll need to expand my jam horizons - I never thought of combining it with peppers. I also have been reading that I'll need a crap ton of berries to make a halfway decent sized batch of jam. I will need to find a good "pick your own" farm nearby.

Any pitfalls to avoid when making jams?

Thanks for posting on this thread.

 

[Jada59]

I have apple and pear trees. I used to can those, but nobody would eat them but me. And I can only eat so much. I found people do not trust other people's canned food.

I also tried dehydrating but the instructions that came with the dehydrator said to store the finished food in the fridge. That seemed to defeat the purpose.

I loved the dehydrator though. Made delicious raw vegan onion bread. I loved the oniony smell in the house but my ex husband did not so I wound up giving the dehydrator away.

 

[Suz_anne]

My mom taught me how to can when I was old enough to sit on the table and pack green beans in a jar, so I've been doing it for over 40 years.

Words of advice, start out small with easy stuff that you can hot water bath. And once you are comfortable with that, then and only then start pressure cooking. And never, I mean NEVER leave a pressure cooker unattended. If it gets too much pressure, it can blow, loses pressure and you have to start all over again or you are going to end up with jars full of botulism, the deadliest form of food poisoning there is. And always follow your most current Ball Blue Book, it is your canning Bible.

If I haven't scared you off, have fun. If not, you can contact me at anytime if you have questions. My mom was a Master Food Preserver for several years.

There should be classes you can take at your local Extension Service, usually offered through a College/University.

I have only used the hot water bath method. Like JAF, traditional pressure cookers scare the crap out of me. I've never used one but remember an incident where one blew at my grandma's house and it seemed like she was cleaning tomato stuff out of nooks and crevices for weeks.

My aunt gave me one of her canning pots, a couple of racks, a jar lifter, etc. and a copy of the Ball book. I probably should pick up a new one and signing up for a class seems like a really good idea. Thanks for the suggestion!

Never canned anything but I have pickled onions and garlic (separately, I should add). I actually have some onions pickling right now - very basic, just with some salt, honey, and chili flakes.

How long do you pickle the onions? And then do you just eat them straight up or do you serve them with other foods? I think the only time I've had a pickled onion was in a Gibson and it wasn't flavored with chili flakes. But I like pickled stuff and I like onions, so this sounds promising...

Dear God... I'm still spooked of pressure cookers since my grandmother's blew up and pockmarked her ceiling with beans.

In good news, brand new pressure cookers have safety features to keep things from going sky high.

Lol - grandmother's pressure cooker stories are abundant, I think. I'm still wary about the new pressure cookers - maybe I'll feel more comfortable if I take the class that gev suggested.

 

[Suz_anne]

I love canning and making jams/butters. The orchards and produce were amazing when I lived in Michigan...not so much in the desert.

I learned how to can from a fellow military spouse...starting with green beans and applesauce.

Zucchini relish is amazing and easy to do.

Peaches, tomatoes, cherries...yum

Oooooh, zucchini relish sounds good. Any recipe you want to share?

Last year, my step daughter never picked up and threw away her rotting pumpkins. In July, I noticed a small plant growing...well, we accidentally ended up with a pumpkin patch. It was huge, but it only produced two small pumpkins. Total accident.

When I lived in my house, prior to moving in with my hubby, I had a very nice garden. I mostly just grew tomatoes, green beans, and zucchini. When I was a kid, my parents had an epic garden that was the length of our house and my mom and grandma canned. I used to love going out and picking veggies. We also had several cherry, apple, pear, and peach trees. I have very fond memories of all of that.

My mom put in a big garden when I was about 12 and my sister was 14. I think her goal was to keep us busy and out of trouble in the summer time. We overshot on the cherry tomatoes by a LOT. Those plants really put out.

We had blueberry bushes near my grandma's lake house when I was a kid - so we spent a lot of time picking berries knowing it would lead to pies or toppings for ice cream later in the day. Happy times.

 

[Suz_anne]

I have apple and pear trees. I used to can those, but nobody would eat them but me. And I can only eat so much. I found people do not trust other people's canned food.

I also tried dehydrating but the instructions that came with the dehydrator said to store the finished food in the fridge. That seemed to defeat the purpose.

I loved the dehydrator though. Made delicious raw vegan onion bread. I loved the oniony smell in the house but my ex husband did not so I wound up giving the dehydrator away.

Oh, I envy you for your fruit trees. Pears and apples are among my favorites fruits. I understand why people would be a bit leary of accepting other people's canned foods. So I guess I won't go too crazy and make too much.

I've never used a dehydrator before. I didn't realize you would have to store that stuff in the refrigerator. We have a chest freezer in the basement so I suppose I could store dehydrated foods there, too. Or just freeze it to begin with.

Thanks for posting here and sharing.

 

[Suz_anne]

So... my husband is at deer camp and texted earlier to let me know that he bagged a buck. My worst fears are now realized. I'm going to be forced to store and cook a shit ton of venison. *sigh*

Beyond venison chili and venison sloppy joes - does anyone else have suggestions for tasty venison dishes? Bonus points if it helps mask the gamey taste of vension.

 

[Miles Long]

Welcome to country living, Laura Ingalls Wilder!

https://media2.giphy.com/media/Ae7SI3LoPYj8Q/giphy.gif?cid=790b76112c23dc2048a3323348c6d6bea83cabf83d13fef6&rid=giphy.gif

 

[TTawhere]

So... my husband is at deer camp and texted earlier to let me know that he bagged a buck. My worst fears are now realized. I'm going to be forced to store and cook a shit ton of venison. *sigh*

Beyond venison chili and venison sloppy joes - does anyone else have suggestions for tasty venison dishes? Bonus points if it helps mask the gamey taste of vension.

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/venison-steak-diane-51773471

 

[Suz_anne]

Welcome to country living, Laura Ingalls Wilder!

Wait... are you Miles The Deer Hunter?

 

[Suz_anne]

https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/venison-steak-diane-51773471

That does sound pretty good. And I like garlic, shallots and cream. I might hardly notice the venison at all.

 

[tnman03]

So... my husband is at deer camp and texted earlier to let me know that he bagged a buck. My worst fears are now realized. I'm going to be forced to store and cook a shit ton of venison. *sigh*

Beyond venison chili and venison sloppy joes - does anyone else have suggestions for tasty venison dishes? Bonus points if it helps mask the gamey taste of vension.

Aside from venison summer sausage, venison jerky or grilled tenderloin, I'm indifferent to the stuff. However, if you have it ground with pork sausage or ground beef it's a pretty handy substitute in hamburger and sausage based dishes.

Otherwise, I've made a lot of stews and soups from chopped up venison.

 

[aussiegeekygal]

I'm a huge Gardener and canner.
I have a small homestead that feeds me and my family. As mentioned above, the Ball canning book plus the local University extension office are my go-to resources for starting out.
It's a lot of work, but it's so worth it.

And although I don't eat a lot of meat, I find that veal does well when it's cooked low and slow. I like to baste it in butter and garlic and roast off in the oven.

 

[AlwaysFara]

I read this as Caning.

To say I’m mildly disappointed would be an understatement.

 

[Lord Pmann]

I've gotten someone canned at work. Does that count?

 

[aussiegeekygal]

I've gotten someone canned at work. Does that count?

Did they leave in something barrel shaped? If not, then probably not.

 

[bunny4med]

Bread and Butter pickles
Peaches
Rhubarb
Green Beans with Cayenne
Strawberry Jam