So what do you like to can or freeze? Do you grow your own produce or buy it from a Farmers Market or you have good friends that give you some of your veggies or fruits?
This will actually be my first year of doing this. I hope to preserve fruits into jams and jellies, which I have made before but given away rather than saving and using it myself. Plus I will be doing my first real garden this year, so I want to can and freeze as much as I can!
My cousin will plant whatever veggies we want to can as long as I can it and split it with him He grow's peppers, cukes, pumpkins,onions,tomato's and squash's. Last year he brought me up over 100 pumpkins at about 10 lbs each to make pie filling
I grow rasberries, apples,grapes, blueberries and rhubarb. The rest I usually get at the u-pick or at the farmers market at the end of the street.
We make: green tomoto chow, mustard pickles,salsa's, dill pickles, corn relish, millionaires relish, apple sauce, strawberry/ rasberry/blueberry/rhubarb/blackberry jams, apple jelly, grape jelly,mincemeat, pumpkin pie filling,ice pickles, bread and butter pickles, bean relish,sour mixed pickles,rose hip jelly,apple butter, ruby red jam ( beets and carrots ummm) pickled beets, pickled eggs,lazy pickles Also we make apple cider, frost wine, fruit wine, rhubarb wine and various fruit pie fillings that we just get ready then freeze in ziploc bags enough for 1 pie per bag.
Dh likes doing this with me so does fil, they never did this stuff before and get a real kick out of. We have a screen tent in the back and get all the veggies ready outside in the tent on the picnic table, less clean up. during the day then cook and can in the evening/ next morning.
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Where do you get all of your information to can or freeze the vegges and fruits. I know there are lots of books out there but what would you suggest for a beginner?
Othiela we do most of our canning or freezing outside too. We have a farm about 3 hours from us (we bought dh uncle's farm), so we live in trailers (dh parents, us and another uncle comes up and stays during the summer too) and we plant a large garden.
It is easier to do it all outside and throw the garage in the fire pit or compost area.
I make Icicile pickles, dills, and red beets too. Yummy!!!!
Would you start a new thread for the pie fillings? They sound great!
Jackie: I got most of my recipes from my mom and mil.
This is from one of the lists I'm on:
The “bible of canning”, The Ball Blue Book (about $5.00 and available at most grocery stores) - if not, order one from the Alltrista Corporation, Post Office Box 2729, Muncie, Indiana 47307-0729. It is a good resource for beginner and experienced canners as well.
or you can call their order department at 1-800-392-2575 and also request a catalogue and two newsletters. Their catalogue is filled with all kinds of neat canning equipment including sets of designer lids and bands for Christmas gift giving. BTW, Ball and Kerr are now part of Alltrista Corporation. They used to be two separate companies but they still sell lids and screw bands under both trade names.
Hope this helps! Also, BerNARDin and Company's Coming has books out as well.
Thanks so much for the information. I will be looking into the web site that you posted and I will also look for the ball canning book. I will definately be a beginner.
I am a little nervous because of bacteria that can be in the food if you don't seal it correctly. This really is my only fear. If you have any suggestions regarding this let me know. Is there any sure way of knowing if the jars sealed??
You'll hear the jars pop or plink! plink! Its a great sound! If by chance they don't seal. You can redo the syrup and try it again (doing this right away). If its jam you could put it in the fridge and use it first.
He grow's peppers, cukes, pumpkins,onions,tomato's and squash's. Last year he brought me up over 100 pumpkins at about 10 lbs each to make pie filling
. during the day then cook and can in the evening/ next morning.
