Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Food, Cooking, and Game Preparation Canning?

What have you canned and how did it turn out? Favorites?

Always wanted to try it. My grandmother used to can everything her husband grew in his extensive garden. What I remember best is her grape jelly. They maintained a concord grape vine.

Not much better out there than Grandma's home made jellies and jams. I have made freezer jam's. I tried my hand at water bath canning last year for the first time. I did some pickled jalapeno peppers.

Save for meats and items requiring a pressure cooker we've done it. It all comes out of our garden and only requires a water bath. We ditched the pressure cooker a while ago. One thing for sure is you'd better know what you're doing or you'll wind up one sick puppy if not done right.

Relishes
Jams
Jelly
Pickled okra
Pickles
Pickled beans
Tomato sauces of all kinds
Pickled beets
Vegetable soup base
etc., etc., etc.,

Hated it growing up but now I am so thankful the art was passed down. We've also have perfected the art of freezing. It's not like you just stick it in a bag and transfer to the freezer.

One of the favorites around here is pickled green maters with jalapenos & garlic cloves. (green cherry tomatoes are great for this btw!!)

Oooh!! and Dilly beans!!

Smoked salmon, it was too dry, but it was still verry good.

Pork loins and lots of venison. My aunt canned all kinds of vegetables which I miss dearly.

Already done beans, jalepenos, pickles and blackberry jam this year. If the tomatoes ever turn I'll be canning those as well. Can't beat it.

If you pressure cook your food, any jar you find later with a bulging lid is bad.

What's the water bath process? It involves boiling water, I assume.

Correct. Boiling water, science and good ole fashioned ball-mason jars.

It's all about acidity matching up with the products you're canning. That's where the knowledge/science of a water bath is handy. Balance acidity and say tomatoes and no pressure or long term canning process is required. Good SHTF technique to be familiar with as well.

In short, 10-16 minutes in boiling water and a mason jar with a quarter to half inch headroom and one inch+ boiling hot water...jar lid-to-h2o surface ...and you CAN all day with no worries years out.

Got to have a big blue canning pot. But you can steam lobster and boil peanuts in it as well.

You got a recipe for those pickled tomatoes?

How do you do your pork?

Won a blue ribbon at the county fair for my green beans. But my favorite is canned smoked tuna.
We do lots of apple sauce and tomatoes when we have them. Can't beat home canned food.

Raghorn, Take a big pork loin, cut the fat off, and trim pieces to about 1.25 inch squares. Get your jars hot by filling with hot water first. Then once the canner is all ready to go, empty water and fill quart jars to about .5" from top. Add 1 teaspoon of canning salt and commence to pressure cooking for 90 minutes.

Results in great barbecue pork sandwiches, shredded pork for a variety of dishes and an easy way to make pork green chili in a hurry on the stovetop.

I came home once and my wife was canning dried pinto beans. I laughed like hell at her and told her that dried beans would keep just like they were. Her reply was wait and see how handy it is. She was right. I don't know exactly how she did it, whether they were just soaked and cooked in the jar or whether they were cooked first and then canned, but they were handy since we both worked and if you wanted pinto beans it was just a short heat up instead of waiting for them to cook. I hate to admit but I will say again she was right. miles

Miles, I'd like to hear just how she did that actually. Love the beans but hate the long cook times.

this reminds me of the old andy griffen show, with Aunt Bea and her pickels....lol funny. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz4AKkOlc8Q no u tube/at work? then read it- http://www.tv.com/the-andy-griffith-show/the-pickle-story/episode/8371/recap.html?tag=episode_recap;recap

After talking about this with her and getting some more "I told you so's", here is her method or very close. She had more water and less beans but then she likes the bean juice when eating them to soak in cornbread or crackers. Most methods have them cooking a little bit before canning but she said that she just soaked them, so this is close. miles

canning beans