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

Have pressure canned sliced potato's (make great american fries), Beans, Rutabaga's, Pea's
Water bath pickles, tomato's, tomato juice, salsa, pickled beans.

My wife is hoping to try pickles for the first time this year . May be a lesson or two in that 3 part vid link you posted

we have cukes sitting in the brine right now for pickles. Probably do bread and butter pickles and watermelon rind next week.

In years past we have done salmon, peaches, pears, plums, cherries, raspberries (especially good), pickled beets, green beans, pickles, and several types of jam. Just did a couple batches of raspberry jam this morning, and the better half did a bunch of strawberry jam last week. (berries out of our garden) It is something we are going to get back into as time permits.

Jam and jellies are the best and so easy to can. If you can find wild berries then by all means use them. The taste difference is indescribable.

I used to can a meat sauce. You can use it as a base for pizza, chilling or spaghetti. Really awesome and easy

Remember that you can not do some things in a hot water bath like meat or mushrooms or anything containing mushrooms. Those have to be done in a pressure cooker.

Yup. I pressure canned the meat sauce. Thanks for pointing that out

For sure. Best to pressure CAN anything with unacceptable amounts of acidity.

Good site for canning:

http://www.homecanning.com/index.asp

This is another I happened up on. Haven't perused it much yet but seemed pretty good place.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles/clay53.html

That is a good site boots. I'm going to make and CAN the pear honey. Thanks! David

Let's see how many I remember.
Stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, spaghetti sauce, tomato juice, green beens, pears, peaches, apricots, cherries, apple sauce, apple butter, pear butter, apple pie filling, several kinds of pickles including watermelon and cantaloupe, and about every kind of cucumber pickles, probably twenty kinds of jams and jellies, fish, and venison including real mince meat for pies. I am sure there are many I have missed.

Thanks for all the input. Keep it coming.
Recipes of your favorites?

If you want favorites then one of my all time best is a green tomato, cabbage, Vidalia onion relish, which can be used for just about everything including collards, pintos, black eye peas and even bbq. You can add hot peppers for heat. I back off the bell peppers because I am not all that fond of them in canning. I also use a cup of honey and apple cider vinegar instead of white.

5 cups finely chopped cabbage (about 1-1/2 med heads)
4 cups chopped cored green tomatoes, unpeeled (about 8 medium)
1-1/2 cups chopped onions (about 2 medium)
1 cup chopped seeded red bell pepper (about 1 large)
1 cup chopped seeded green bell pepper (about 1 large)
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup pickling spice
4 Tbsp coarsely chopped gingerroot
2 Tbsp mustard seeds
3 cups white vinegar
1-3/4 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp ground turmeric
6 to 7 (8 oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands
Directions:
1.) COMBINE cabbage, green tomatoes, onions, red and green peppers and salt in a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Cover and let stand in a cool place for 12 hours or overnight. Transfer to a colander placed over a sink and drain. Rinse with cool water and drain thoroughly. Using your hands, squeeze out excess liquid. Set aside.
2.) PREPARE boiling water canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.
3.) TIE pickling spice, gingerroot and mustard seeds in a square of cheesecloth creating a spice bag.
4.) COMBINE drained cabbage mixture, vinegar, water, sugar, turmeric and spice bag in a large stainless steel saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Uncover and boil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, for 1 hour, until thickened to the consistency of a thin commercial relish, about 20 minutes. Discard spice bag.
5.) LADLE hot relish into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot relish. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
6.) PROCESS jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

Fresh albacore tuna from our coast. It's to die for.

i can deer every year. had some today.

I can fresh tuna with a little salt in the bottom of the jar, fill with tuna chunks 7/8 to the top of the jar, covered with chicken broth, and another smidgen of salt on top.

I've always wondered why we call it canning when it is really jarring.

My wife does the canning. I handle the garden and dried goods.

She's got the cupboard full of green beans, salsa, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, corn, fig jam, blackberry jam, grape jam and pickles.

Freezer has yellow squash, green beans, peaches and okra.

I got a boatload of black eyed peas (without fergie), and lima beans.

Got a bunch of acorn squash (long story) & butternut squash ripening in the patch.

I do the sauerkraut because no one else eats it but me. Nine quarts fermenting as we speak.

would you share your recipe/method for sauerkraut? hoping to do some when it cools down a bit.

too easy, my man.

Either chop or shred your cabbage.

Pack your quart or pint jars with cabbage, leave an inch of headspace, then add some brine (about 1 tsp or tbsp of pickling salt to pint or quart respectively, then fill with water)

Screw on the rings and lid and then shake it up well, then loosen the ring enough to allow fermenting gas to escape the lid. Put it in cool dark place (mine are in the crawl space just inside the access door)

Let Mother Nature do her magic.

As it ferments, the gas should be able to escape the lid.

Every week or so, screw the lids tight and tip it upside down to ensure things are still mixed up well, the set upright, loosen lid, and let her go some more.

When it appears that no more gas bubbles are being created, your done. 5 or six weeks max typically.