Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have a big garden now that we moved to the country. I have no idea how to can anything. I would like to can my garden bush beans, tomatoes, okra, and corn. Any help would be appreciated.
Location: In the Rainbow Forest beside the River of Mist
14 posts, read 142,864 times
Reputation: 53
Buy a "Ball" canning book (you can find it at Walmart around the canning supplies)....it will tell you what to can in a water bath and what to can in a pressure canner, shows you how to pack it, how long to process, everything.....that's how I taught myself to can!
You may want to invest in a deep freezer. Freezing is so much easier than canning.
canning still hard to beat... especially when the power goes out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Moon Water
Buy a "Ball" canning book (you can find it at Walmart around the canning supplies)....it will tell you what to can in a water bath and what to can in a pressure canner, shows you how to pack it, how long to process, everything.....that's how I taught myself to can!
great idea..... good book to follow. Hard to beat nice green beans during the winter that you canned....
According to it, you can't water-bath-can low-acid veggies, meat, fish, and soups/stews.
Low-acid veggies are: asparagus, green beans, lima beans, beets, okra, corn, carrots, leafy greens, cultivated mushrooms, black-eyed peas, sweet green peas, bell peppers, hot peppers, potatoes (sweet and white), pumpkin and winter squash, root veggies.
However, the very same book has water-bath recipes where these veggies are mixed up with higher-acid ones and everything's then okey-dokey (salsas, stewed veggies).
You can also dehydrate vegies and meat. I made some deer jerky this year with spices that WE like; no preservatives. Of course I didn't need any - it was gone in less than a week! I dehydrate tomatoes, green peppers, apples, onions - practically everything, including herbs. I like to can, but I need a LOT of produce all at once when I do, so dehydrating is what I do when I have those periods of 'not enough'. A friend of mine introduced me to cukes, cherry tomatoes, and onions all pickled together this year, too; so I tried that as well. And I like the availability of frozen fruits and vegies too - squash holds up really well. I freeze blueberries and just break off a piece and thaw them to put them in morning pancakes. You are only restricted by how much imagination you have, how much vinegar you can buy, and how many fruits and vegies you have at any given moment!
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
