Anyone canning?

Thanks Len.
I'll add that to my favorites

Hey... anybody have a good pickled eggs recipe?

We still can. 40 years now on our own. Both our families canned before that. It was a matter of having food to eat when we were growing up. Not so much now as wanting to know what we are eating! We still grow a large garden and put up everything we can. Most is done outside on a gas grill during warm weather. Has anyone tried canned rope sausage? We have been canning various meats ever since I can remember. Nothing better!
Keep our own chickens too. Lots of pickled eggs!

Did a little research and still unclear. Would someone be so kind as to explain canning say vegtables. Do you have to cook them first than can. I was reading about pouring a boiling liquid in the jar and than caning them. or do you just put the veggies in and then can them.


Thanks in advance to a potential newbi canner


Eric

Eric,

This website is the "source" when it comes to canning safely at home http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_home.html

To answer your question it depends on what vegetables you are planning to can. Sometimes it's a matter of safety and sometimes it's a matter of quality of the finished product as to if and how you prepare your vegetables for canning. Most often though since vegetables are a low acid food they MUST be canned using a pressure canner. The link I posted has a brief tutorial on both methods.

I just started work on my 2011 garden and can't wait to start canning again. If you have a specific vegetable in mind that you wish to can I can try and provide mroe info/recipes.

~Jeremy

Here's another that we've used before...
http://www.canningusa.com/TableofContentsGeneral.htm
-Len

Thanks guys I will check out the sites

If you're starting out, or it's been awhile since you canned, run by Walmart/K-mart/Ace Hdwe and pick up the Ball Blue Book. Around $7.95 and worth every penny. Ball also has a large real hardback book available that's great, but basics are well covered in the small one.

The site that RocketJeremy posted is the authoritative site on safe canning. Over the years the acidity of tomatoes has decreased drastically and other changes have made some of the old methods/times/recipes dangerous. If you really want to be safe, use times/methods/recipes that are currently approved. Botulism isn't something to mess around with.

One other question. Other than needing a frezzer to store foods. What advantages/disadvantages are there between freezing vs Canning???



Thanks again, Eric

For me, it's all about quality and what I like to eat. To me, canned corn is nasty, I only freeze it. Conversely, green beans are canned as I don't like them frozen. Also if I tried to freeze the quantity I put up, I'd need more freezers than I'd be comfortable powering all year. Canned items are almost a convenience food here. I can open a can, heat it and eat. Frozen foods generally require defrosting and them fully cooking which is fine unless I'm tired or late starting dinner or any number of other things. I freeze more meat than can, but, opening a jar of chicken is easier depending on what I'm cooking.

I agree with Stephen.
We freeze all the corn, much better than canning it. Tastes likes it's just picked!
We can most of the green beans, freeze a little I prefer the canned beans over frozen but they're both good. We both can and freeze beets and can and freeze carrots. We can all the tomatoes and both freeze and pickle peppers.
-Len

This is one of our enjoyments from canning; having the jars on the shelf in the kitchen.

Ayup, it's a real feeling of accomplishment looking at those jars all lined up. Here's just one of my storage spots, a wardrobe in one of the guest rooms: