Canning 2024

[blissful]

15 1-cup jars of concentrated raspberry jam w/sugar, water bath canned 1/4 inch headspace, 15 minutes boiling, labeled and stored in the pantry, yesterday.

The purple mustard is beautiful so I picked 2 solid 2-gallon buckets of it. I threw in some purslane too. Washed, steamed, cut, into pint jars, 1 inch head space with boiling water.
Pressure canned 9 pints 75 minutes at 11 lbs (mine has a rocker for 15 lbs and a gauge).

First time using the pressure canner this year, the seal usually shrinks after not using through winter. I ran it, took it off, adjusted it and ran it again until there were no leaks between the lid and kettle.

What are you canning?

 

[larry_stewart]

Only thing I did ask far was Sauerkraut ( had a bunch of cabbages get rid of).
Although I did pick a lot of currants, so I foresee some berry jam in the future. Right now, I just cleaned and froze them for later use.

 

[taxlady]

I probably won't be doing much canning. I used to make lots of jam, but I don't really eat much jam anymore. I do want to can some pickled red cabbage and maybe some pickled beets. I don't have a pressure canner, so there is a lot of stuff that I won't be canning. Most water bath canned food has some sugar, if only to soften the vinegar. I seem to have less of a sweet tooth as I get older and I notice the sugar more now, even in foods where it's just trying to soften the vinegar harshness. If I still had my pressure canner (ex-dh got it when we split up), I might do more canning, because I wouldn't be so pH dependent and need to counter the sour from vinegar. Hmm, is citric acid as sour tasting as vinegar at the same pH? I'm going to guess it is. The Danish word for acid is "syre" which means sour.

 

[blissful]

@taxlady, sugar and salt are usually optional in most canning recipes. Read them carefully and the ones written and approved by ncfhp and university extensions say 'optional'. In the general canning guidelines for waterbath and pressure canning there are statements to say salt and sugar are optional so you can lower the amount or omit them. The exception to that rule for salt are fermented sauerkraut and fermented pickles. https://extension.psu.edu/salt-in-canning Not all jams or jelly recipes work as well with less sugar, though there are many low sugar recipes, the lowest sugar option is plain fruit puree.

With a small household, you might consider making partial batches of pickles to your taste to keep in the refrigerator. 2 or 3 jars at a time.

 

[caseydog]

With a small household, you might consider making partial batches of pickles to your taste to keep in the refrigerator. 2 or 3 jars at a time.

I don't do shelf stable canning. I do pickled onions and jalapeños, and a few other pickles, but they are refrigerator pickles. Those are easy. I use spices and herbs for some pickling, but not salt.

CD

 

[taxlady]

@taxlady, sugar and salt are usually optional in most canning recipes. Read them carefully and the ones written and approved by ncfhp and university extensions say 'optional'. In the general canning guidelines for waterbath and pressure canning there are statements to say salt and sugar are optional so you can lower the amount or omit them. The exception to that rule for salt are fermented sauerkraut and fermented pickles. https://extension.psu.edu/salt-in-canning Not all jams or jelly recipes work as well with less sugar, though there are many low sugar recipes, the lowest sugar option is plain fruit puree.

With a small household, you might consider making partial batches of pickles to your taste to keep in the refrigerator. 2 or 3 jars at a time.

Yeah, I know that sugar and salt can be optional when the pH is low enough. Usually when the pH is low enough, it's sour enough that one wants something sweet to counter that sour flavour. I have accepted that pickle red cabbage and pickled beets have to have sugar to balance the vinegar. I'm trying to avoid crowding my fridge.

 

[Kathleen]

There are only two of us. I enjoy doing some small batch canning, Taxy. You can find many recipes and ideas for canning small amounts of things such as your beets and things. There are even small pressure canners that hold no more than four quarts. These could fit your needs nicely! Plus, small batch often does not need to be costly.

 

[dragnlaw]

I'm seriously thinking about those other water/steam canners. For want of a better word I've been calling them "upside down canners" ... shrug!...

 

[Kathleen]

I purchased one last summer. It's so much easier for me to move it about and so I've ditched the big, heavy water bath canner that I had been using. Also, I got mine last year on prime day where it was $45 dollars delivered.

 

[Badjak]

I got sauerkraut on the go and I constantly make sambal (chili pastes), but I don't can as such.
I pickle green pawpaw and cucumber in vinegar. I eat them quite quick and if not, then I keep them in the fridge

 

[taxlady]

There are only two of us. I enjoy doing some small batch canning, Taxy. You can find many recipes and ideas for canning small amounts of things such as your beets and things. There are even small pressure canners that hold no more than four quarts. These could fit your needs nicely! Plus, small batch often does not need to be costly.

Are you sure those are pressure canners and not just pressure cookers? I looked on Amazon.ca and found one for more money than I want to spend. it's a brand I never heard of. And, it doesn't come with the canning rack. I don't trust that has been properly tested.

When you write a 4 quart pressure canner, is that the volume of water or the amount that can be canned at once?

 

[dragnlaw]

taxy, it is very true, I've never seen a pressure canner for under $200 cdn. Or at least not with a brand name that I recognize.

 

[blissful]

@taxlady you might find one on facebook marketplace, maybe. This is the one that can be used for small batch. Electric presto brand. https://www.gopresto.com/product/presto-precise-digital-pressure-canner-02144
The volume is around 12 qts, but it only cans 4-5 qts and 7-8 pints depending on whether you are using large or regular mouth, and can be used for less quarts or pints.

 

[taxlady]

@taxlady you might find one on facebook marketplace, maybe. This is the one that can be used for small batch. Electric presto brand. https://www.gopresto.com/product/presto-precise-digital-pressure-canner-02144
The volume is around 12 qts, but it only cans 4-5 qts and 7-8 pints depending on whether you are using large or regular mouth, and can be used for less quarts or pints.

You make a good point about checking FB marketplace. I'll keep my eyes open. I have bookmarked this post, so I will be able to find it again.

 

[dragnlaw]

Amazon carries them - for a paltry $531.30 cdn - free delivery with Prime.

 

[taxlady]

Amazon carries them - for a paltry $531.30 cdn - free delivery with Prime.

I better buy that right now, so I can start saving money on pickled beets and pickled red cabbage. I might save that back before I die.

 

[Kathleen]

Back in 2011, I bought a small 10 qt Fagor pressure cooker/canner. It came with a rack and will hold 3 quart-sized mason jars, 4 pint-sized jars, or 5 1/2 pint jelly jars. It was not spendy at all - $55 American back in 2011.

They no longer sell the one I bought. At a fast glance on Amazon, I saw several 10 quart canners. If I were buying one today, I would consider this one for a few reasons. 1. Storage space is an issue for me. This does not have a long handle that many of the 10 quart ones seem to have. (Mine from 2011 did not have a long handle but had two short grips. ) 2. With the current coupon offer, it would cost $76 American - plus Prime Days are next week so it may be worth seeing whether it would go even lower. 3. It seems like a nice little canner for small batch canning and will allow for taller jar sizes, if you wanted. 4. It's light-weight. For me, that is becoming important.

Just my two cents.

 

[blissful]

I better buy that right now, so I can start saving money on pickled beets and pickled red cabbage. I might save that back before I die.

i haha'ed your post because that electric pressure canner is SO EXPENSIVE, HOW COULD SAVE MONEY USING IT? outrageous.
any ways, pickled beet and red cabbage only needs a waterbath canner, or canner-steamer not the pressure canner.

 

[taxlady]

i haha'ed your post because that electric pressure canner is SO EXPENSIVE, HOW COULD SAVE MONEY USING IT? outrageous.
any ways, pickled beet and red cabbage only needs a waterbath canner, or canner-steamer not the pressure canner.

That was meant to be tongue-in-cheek.

 

[taxlady]

Back in 2011, I bought a small 10 qt Fagor pressure cooker/canner. It came with a rack and will hold 3 quart-sized mason jars, 4 pint-sized jars, or 5 1/2 pint jelly jars. It was not spendy at all - $55 American back in 2011.

They no longer sell the one I bought. At a fast glance on Amazon, I saw several 10 quart canners. If I were buying one today, I would consider this one for a few reasons. 1. Storage space is an issue for me. This does not have a long handle that many of the 10 quart ones seem to have. (Mine from 2011 did not have a long handle but had two short grips. ) 2. With the current coupon offer, it would cost $76 American - plus Prime Days are next week so it may be worth seeing whether it would go even lower. 3. It seems like a nice little canner for small batch canning and will allow for taller jar sizes, if you wanted. 4. It's light-weight. For me, that is becoming important.

Just my two cents.

If I order that from Amazon.ca, it will cost me over $200. https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=Granite+Ware+Pressure+Canner