My canning Journey

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larry_stewart

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I didnt want to keep hijacking the Potato canning thread, so I figured this would be a spin off.
I said in that thread that I wouldn't continue to pressure cook any more potatoes until I sampled the results. I haven't yet, but I didnt say I would pressure can other things lol.

I was about to put the canner away, then I kinda looked around the internet for some simple recipes that could be pressure canned (from reliable sources). I came across a vegetable soup recipe in which I had all the ingredients on hand ( so I thought). Didnt look like the greatest recipe in the world, but a place to start. Got all the ingredients together ( this is at like 3am). Everything in the pot ready to be preheated prior to canning. Thats when I realized the Pint sized jars I thought I had were only 1/2 pint. I didnt want to do quart sized ( which I had), cause it was doubling the time needed to can, and I didnt want to babysit the pot for that long.

I waited until 7am, when Walmart opens. I went over there, got the pint sized jars, came back, and picked up where I left off. So far so good. Everything seemed to go without a hitch. Still have to sample both to see what I did right, wrong, and where I go from here on my canning journey.

***To kill time waiting for Walmart to open, I marinated the mushrooms I had picked the other day, so wasn't a total loss of time. Also spoke with my Son in China, and Daughter in Hawaii who will be unreachable for the next week or so cause she is going on a submarine. Time well spent. ***
 

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Congrats on your journey. I just wanted to mention, for anyone else reading this thread, that unless the recipe you're using includes times for larger containers, you can't safely increase the canning time for larger amounts. Safe canning involves several factors, including density of the food. So if a certain combination of ingredients has been tested for a pint, you can use half pints with the same canning time, but you can't use quarts and guess at how much more time it would take to process it safely.

Also, the only thing that has been tested and approved for canning in containers larger than quarts is acidic juices.
 
With cooking I'm usually a fly by the seat of my pants, taking risks, experimenting ...
With canning, I realize its a science, and having science background, I read everything, then read it again, then look for another few reliable sources to confirm what I'm about to do, before doing it. Taking a risk where you may have to throw it out or someone doesnt like it stinks. Taking a risk that may cause someone a trip to the hospital, no good.
 
Larry, I know you're going to be careful about this. I did honestly intend to add to what you said for anyone else reading this who might not be familiar with the principles of canning.
 
@larry_stewart the soup looks great!
I have cases of quarts left but only maybe 3 cases of smaller pint and 12 oz jars now--so I'm debating whether to buy them new or put out an ad for them in the neighborhood. Pints are a better size for mr bliss and myself. When I had kids here, the bigger jars were the best size for us.

When I look for recipes I google "university extension...and the thing I want to can", or "nchfp...and the thing I want to can".
Did you make the 'your choice soup'....? Where you can switch things in or out of it depending on what you like?

Keep up the good work!
 
Larry, I know you're going to be careful about this. I did honestly intend to add to what you said for anyone else reading this who might not be familiar with the principles of canning.
I know ;) . I didnt think it was directed at me, and I know its for the concern and well being for others who may not be as careful. Just figured I'd get my thought process out there. Its important information that shouldn't be overlooked, and can never be displayed or repeated too many times.
 
@larry_stewart
Did you make the 'your choice soup'....? Where you can switch things in or out of it depending on what you like?

Keep up the good work!
Thanks!
I the recipe I followed was specific with no option for substitutions. I kinda like that idea to be able to personalized accepted ingredients ( without imposing any risk).

I'm making baby steps. Starting very simple and then (hopefully) working my way up.

Ill probably experiment with some store bought veggies over the winter ( like string beans and other things I grow in the garden). If im going to screw something up , I'd prefer it not to be on something I grew myself.


I am looking forward to expanding the recipes so I will start searching. Thanks for the tips.

Ill keep you posted .
 
I hope you grow and can some beets.
So do I !!! Unfortunately I have never been successful with beets. My radishes are bigger than my beets. Maybe one day I'll figure it out. One pic shows a single large purple radish, some smaller red radishes , and those dark, mis-shaped sorry looking things are my beets. The other shows purple and red radishes stacked . BTW I hate radishes! I only grow them cause they are one of the riots crops planted, they always do well, so it boosts my confidence for the rest of the year.
 

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BTW... I just read this on the Farmer's Almanac. It was an article and recipe for making ACV. Thought I would put this in here as it is more relevant to canning than actually making it.

Note: Since it’s difficult to know the exact strength of homemade apple cider vinegar, it’s best not to use it in canning or pickling recipes where a high concentration of acid is required.

Edit: didn't realize it was a link, I just copied and pasted. LOL Still a good read for canners.
For some reason, that quote is not on the page in the link.
 
Question. If I have a little bit extra, enough to fill up a pint sized jar, when all the other jars are quarts sized, can they all be processed together ( assuming Im using the pressure and time for the quart size)? Or is processing 2 different sized jars a no no ? I haven't run into his yet, but just curious.

Also, if it calls for 1 inch of head space, and one of the jars has more than that ( lets say 2 inches), will that be an issue? Obviously I wouldn't have any less than the headspace required.
 
So do I !!! Unfortunately I have never been successful with beets. My radishes are bigger than my beets. Maybe one day I'll figure it out. One pic shows a single large purple radish, some smaller red radishes , and those dark, mis-shaped sorry looking things are my beets. The other shows purple and red radishes stacked . BTW I hate radishes! I only grow them cause they are one of the riots crops planted, they always do well, so it boosts my confidence for the rest of the year.
That's a real surprise!
 
Question. If I have a little bit extra, enough to fill up a pint sized jar, when all the other jars are quarts sized, can they all be processed together ( assuming Im using the pressure and time for the quart size)? Or is processing 2 different sized jars a no no ? I haven't run into his yet, but just curious.

Also, if it calls for 1 inch of head space, and one of the jars has more than that ( lets say 2 inches), will that be an issue? Obviously I wouldn't have any less than the headspace required.
Q: you can put the pint jar in with the quarts, process at the timing of quarts. Sometimes I run short of soup for instance, and just fill a pint instead of a quart, and process them together.

Q2: All the jars need to have the 1 inch of headspace. For example soup, and you can add 1 inch of water to bring the level up. Your soup will be diluted. If it was potatoes, you'd just add water to the right headspace. This is in the preparation stage.

If you are talking about headspace AFTER processing, and the headspace has changed--then there is a different answer. It is called siphoning. As long as at least half the jar has liquid left in it, you can use it. It probably won't last as long as those jars that have liquid up to the headspace level. Avoiding siphoning is important to figure out.
 
@larry_stewart, have you ever tried roasting radishes? They really don't taste like raw radishes at all.
I gave a bunch to my daughter . She roasted them and liked them, so I gave it a try. Unfortunately, I still didnt like them. The only thing I do with them, is occasionally shave them ( very thinly) into a salad. %99 of them I give away.
 
taxy, that link was an accident, when I posted the quote I didn't realize it even was a link and that it went to another article by Farmer's Almanac.
this one should be it it will be towards the bottom. I haven't even read the other one.
 
Have you ever tried to pickle radishes in any way? I know they make a kimchi with radishes, so maybe a fermented pickle of some sort would work for you.
 
taxy, that link was an accident, when I posted the quote I didn't realize it even was a link and that it went to another article by Farmer's Almanac.
this one should be it it will be towards the bottom. I haven't even read the other one.
While I agree with the part of the article that says not to use homemade apple cider vinegar for canning, what they describe is not apple cider vinegar. That is apple scrap vinegar. I have a batch turning into vinegar right now. This process doesn't make apple cider, which is what you need to start a batch of apple cider vinegar. This has water in it. I don't know how you turn apple cider or wine into vinegar at home.
 
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