Pressure Canning

Any fellow canners? This weekend...I've got a lot planned. Perhaps I'm being ambitious...But, I've got carrots, potatoes, mushrooms, asparagus, chicken, beef, pork, and stew! YIKES!

I'm getting worried about the food supply, so..I've went into full canning mode over here!

Comments

  • chimboodle04
    chimboodle04 Posts: 286 ✭✭✭

    We have been canning more (and planning more!) as well :) It is early days for our garden here yet, so trying to get as many winter preserving projects completed as we are able to... So far, we have done some potatoes, beef bone broth, chicken bone broth, and mango jam. We have also rendered lard and dehydrated shiitake mushrooms, apples, pineapples and bananas. We also froze some extra organic produce while we wait for our garden to ramp up and I finally got around to turning those infused oils I made in the fall into salves.... :) I have a bag or two of whole tomatoes from last years harvest chilling in the freezer still downstairs and that will be my next project.... now to turn them into sauce, chili base, or just can them whole....????

  • Ruth Ann Reyes
    Ruth Ann Reyes Posts: 577 admin

    Whole!

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Ketchup if you have enough.

  • Leediafastje
    Leediafastje Posts: 97 ✭✭✭

    I think you are smart @Ruth Reyes-Loiacano! I too am concerned about the food supply. I started pressure canning about 2 months ago. I started water bath canning last year. I also preserve some things in the freezer.

  • nksunshine27
    nksunshine27 Posts: 343 ✭✭✭

    @chimboodle04 i did the sane with tomatoes last year didnt want to do tomato sauce during the summer so put them through the foodmill and froze it till winter then cooked down to sauce, Have you ever dehydrated tomatoes? ive done that instead of taking the long way and cooking then down to make sauce

  • burekcrew86
    burekcrew86 Posts: 248 ✭✭✭

    I started pressure canning two years ago and am hooked. I was intimidated about doing it at first, but after watching some great tutorials and videos online, I finally tried it. I think more and more people are looking at their food supplies especially after this year and the scarcity of some items in the grocery store. Sounds like you are going to be busy. Have fun!

  • chimboodle04
    chimboodle04 Posts: 286 ✭✭✭

    @nksunshine27 I have - but just with small cherry tomatoes to date... Do you think they would be too mushy and watery after freezing??? I may have to try though because you brought back memories of my grandma by mentioning drying them - she used to marinate dried tomatoes in oil and spices and them eat them on top of crackers with cream cheese - delicious! 😊

  • SherryA
    SherryA Posts: 314 ✭✭✭

    @nksunshine27 I have a friend who has a whole process for canning cherry tomatoes. She makes tomato sauce first and somehow fills the space around the tomatoes with tomato sauce. Now that I think of it, though, I can't remember how she gets the water out of the cherry tomatoes. I'll see if I can find out. 😊

  • SherryA
    SherryA Posts: 314 ✭✭✭

    @nksunshine27 I found the instructions she sent me last summer. She says "I make tomato sauce out of the paste tomatoes. Then heat up the raw cherry tomatoes in the tomato sauce for 5 minutes. Scoop the heated raw tomatoes into the jar and fill the jar with tomato sauce, not water." Hope that helps! I know she ends up with full jars of cherry tomatoes that are not watery.

  • nksunshine27
    nksunshine27 Posts: 343 ✭✭✭

    @chimboodle04 i did freeze tomatoes then thawed them out and mashed and put on fruit roll trays to dehydrate. i did try to run through my food mill after freezing not a good idea they clogged it up better fresh lol, does this help. the reason i dehydrate my tomatoes after puree is i dont have to peel if i want less seeds i put through the food mill but i dont have to cook it down to sauce consistency and i can make paste or sauce out of the dehydrated tomato powder

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    We are also getting worried about the food supply. Especially as most food in stores here in Alaska is shipped in from the lower 48. Planning to can a lot of things as we are off grid (as in not hooked to the power company.)

    Was wondering has anyone ever canned larger chunks of meat? Have some steaks as rather do a bit bigger than stew meat. Just wondering how big is safe?

    Any fruits or veggies have to be store bought for now. We can't even plant anything outside till the first of June (and maybe later this year.) Still have several feet of snow in most areas on my property.

  • nksunshine27
    nksunshine27 Posts: 343 ✭✭✭

    @vickeym i have canned steaks kinda rolled up in the jar, raw packed but they dont come out like "steaks " that you'd cook. so i just did stew meat. Pork chops came out ok but chunks of pork from a roast is what we decided was better. hope this helps

  • herbantherapy
    herbantherapy Posts: 453 ✭✭✭✭

    Thanks everyone for sharing! I water bath canned some jellies last year and lots of salsa. This year I upped the ante on my veggie garden and plan to pressure can for the first time. Idk why it’s intimidating but it is. I just signed up for a canning Masterclass with Melissa K. Norris and hope with her guidance I will confidently can and feel safe to eat it later! Lol

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @vickeym I have also canned meat in a variety of sizes. It all comes out very well done; like stew or pot roast. I have taken a jar of stew chunks and added a jar of potatoes and a jar of carrots for an almost instant stew. The larger chunks can be sliced for sandwich meat, if they don't fall apart. Steaks can become "Swiss" steaks. Really tenderises a tough cut. Do you have salmon coming up the Susitna? Another great canning project!

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    nksunshine27 Good to know. I figured it would not be quiet the same and of course you could not grill it afterward like you would normally. Just hoping to have more options than stew, or meat and gravy over noodles or something.

    torey I have canned it for stews or mixing with gravy over noodles type of dish. Just wondered how large a piece I could do for other uses like sandwiches and such. Has to look up Swiss steak. LOL We always called that a cube steak. That would be fine for us. Could bread it and turn it into chicken fried steak, use it with cream gravy like a country fried steak. Sounds perfect.

    Could either of you tell me how large or thick a piece of meat you used for this type of meal?

  • Ruth Ann Reyes
    Ruth Ann Reyes Posts: 577 admin

    It's not as scary as people think! And, yes...it's addicting!

  • Ruth Ann Reyes
    Ruth Ann Reyes Posts: 577 admin

    How big are you thinking? I think if you stuff them in there real tight...you're likely to be fine.

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    @vickeym You can put in fairly large chunks. I would cut it to fit the jar. In a pint jar I would put just one piece but two in a quart jar.

  • vickeym
    vickeym Posts: 2,134 ✭✭✭✭✭

    torey and Ruth Reyes-Loiacano Thank you both. Can't wait till I can give this a try. Not only will it make meals faster when I get home from work, but will free up valuable freezer space. We are off grid, and hate having to run the generator to keep the freezer cold. But don't always have enough sun for the solar panels to keep things frozen. We have a very small system so the less I have to freeze while still keeping a good supply on hand the better.