Does anyone here can their own produce? [Archive]

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gimmethesimplelife

9-3-13, 7:36am

I'm just curious as we are having the pool in the back of our house, which has sat empty and unused since the house was purchased back in 1991, filled up with dirt probably in October and I will be planting cool season crops. It is quite a big area of ground for an urban lot, and I am thinking that I will have the chance to can some things.

Easy skills to learn? Just curious. I have a magazine to guide me and there is always youtube to go to for instructional videos, but I just thought I'd ask here. This strikes me as a frugal skill all of us who have some soil to plant in could embrace. Rob

Rosemary

9-3-13, 7:48am

I don't can any low-acid produce but canning is easy to learn. Canning tomatoes, jams, fruits, and pickled items is very easy. Canning other produce requires a pressure canner - a slightly larger investment and a different technique to learn.

Blackdog Lin

9-3-13, 8:27am

It's very easy to learn. You read the directions, you follow 'em. It is important not to cut any corners when home-canning, in the interests of food safety.

I don't find the process exactly fun, but it is a very satisfying endeavor, one I would recommend highly.

KayLR

9-3-13, 9:00am

Like Rosemary, I don't can low acid veggies, but do tomatoes, pickles, jams, etc. The rest are frozen. I love the idea of you using that pool space, Rob! Good for you!

CathyA

9-3-13, 9:24am

I used to can everything. But then I had children and it was just too much work to can. Plus, the USDA gave new canning times which were ridiculous, and probably wouldn't leave any nutrition in the canned product.

Plus, I have a weighted pressure canner and an electric stove and I had a heck of a time adjusting things to maintain correct pressure, and would lose alot of the liquid in the jars.
Ball Blue Canning book has good instructions.
I have gone to freezing beans and tomatoes. Yes, I would feel better preserving things in a way that didn't need energy, but canning is alot of work and I just don't want to do it anymore.......unless I would absolutely have to.
Check out the Gardenweb Harvest forum for lots of good info.
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/harvest/

goldensmom

9-3-13, 10:55am

I've canned produce for many years and it is easy but it is time consuming. I freeze quite a few things now because it is easier. What my mother didn't teach me I learned from the Ball Blue Canning book

Tussiemussies

9-3-13, 12:19pm

Hi Rob, I highly recommend that instead of following any other book or magazine, that you follow the book "Ball Blue Book of Canning." In the front they show you step by step what to do which there is no improvising with it. Then they have recipes in the rest of the book. I don't use recipes from friends etc. since you never know if they are safe enough. Maybe when you become really versed in it you would be able to tell, but I am not at that level yet.

I bought this year's issue and was slightly disappointed that all of the pie fillings were for the freezer instead of canning. They do have past issues where you can make pie fillings and can them. You probably are not that interested in that.

Good luck, sounds like a great idea to be able to use the pool area as land now!

Have fun canning! Chris

happystuff

9-5-13, 7:17pm

I used to can alot also, but - like others - with the onset of children, time became a more of a factor. These days I tend to dehydrate most of my foods for long-term storage. But when I did do it, I always found canning to be fun. So enjoy!!!

iris lilies

9-5-13, 9:18pm

Like most people here, DH cans tomatoes and makes jellies and jams. I don't know how frugal that is.

Any more I like putting it all in the freezer.

But there is nothing like DH's homemade apricot jam, you can't buy anything like it.

gimmethesimplelife

9-6-13, 4:04am