What are you canning this year?

[Penny]

Looks so yummy Tonya!!

[Dianna]

  Tonya, you have really been busy, haven't you? Sure wish I had that much stuff canned or frozen...

Our tomatoes and cucumbers didn't do well this year...

[Bonnie]

All I have canned is fig preserves and blueberry preserves.

[landofoz]

This is what I canned at the beginning of last week: 4 quarts of crushed toms and 1 qt of okra/peppers.  You can see the lovely plywood that someone thought was pretty enough to glue to the walls around the dining room.  (I don't happen to share their opinion.)  I canned up 4 more quarts of toms yesterday and 8 pints of sweet relish.  I really need to stop canning cukes because I am running out of jars and I want lots of canned tomatoes!

[UNCLEG]

Fig preserves and fig syrup, great on pancakes.

[Bonnie]

Can vegetable soup be canned without a pressure cooker? I don't think they can, but I'm not sure. Also, do any of you freeze vegetable soup in canning jars? If so what method do you use?

[Patty S]

Bonnie, I don't think you should can your veggie soup (or any veggie, other than tomatoes) using a water bath method.  Too much chance for botulism.  The only things I ever canned without using the pressure canner were fruits & pickles.  I haven't canned for many years, but I don't think the rules have changed.  You might be well to check with your local Cooperative Extension (listed under county offices in your phone book) to make sure.

Don't freeze ANYTHING in glass, silly girl! The liquid expands & breaks the glass 99% of the time!

*Girls, don't forget to have your pressure gauges checked every year, to ensure safe canning.  
Wouldn't want all that food & hard work to go to waste!

[Triss]

The only way I freeze soups is in the freezer bags.  There are freezer canning jars out there but I believe they are plastic.  I have not looked much into freezer stuff cuz I just do not have the space for it.

I have canned tomato stuff without a pressure canner though and have never had a problem with it.  I do salsa's and stuff along those lines.

[Bonnie]

Thanks, I googled and found conflicting opinions on freezing in jars so I guess I'll freeze it in containers.

[barleychown]

Bonnie, if you look at the jars in the stores, at least the ball brand, if not the others, says freezer safe. I have frozen many, many things in jars. Just be sure to leave enough room for the food to expand up, and it will not break the glass.


I remembered to take a pic of a day's work...



Apple sauce, raspberry velvet sauce, and regular raspberry jam.

Hopefully, my tomatoes will start producing soon!

[Triss]

Looks good Sarah!  How do you like working with those tiny jars?  I think they are cute and great for gift baskets but sure not as easy when it comes to getting through the batch.

[Bonnie]

Thanks, Sarah. Your sauce sure looks yummy.

[landofoz]

I'm having problems with my pickled okra and pickled banana peppers having a very low head space.  I fill to around a half inch of the top but after processing it and cooling it isn't unusual to be 1-3 inches below the top of the jar.  Is this normal?  Do I need to refill and re process?

[Tonya]

Are you pickling them whole, Sarah?? If so- you may want to let them sit so that the juice/liquid is sucked into the peppers and okra before topping off/refilling. Since they are hollow- they absorb the liquid and that is why the headspace is so low.

[landofoz]

You have got to be kidding me -- that make so much sense!!     Thanks so much!

[barleychown]

Looks good Sarah!  How do you like working with those tiny jars?  I think they are cute and great for gift baskets but sure not as easy when it comes to getting through the batch.

Triss, I only do 4 of the tiny jars per batch of jam, if I use them at all.The rest of the batch goes into half pint jars. Works better for me that way!

[landofoz]

I made up a batch of pectin-less peach (with a little nectarine) jam, so it may wind up being chunky peach syrup (perfect for waffles or whole wheat pancakes).  I need to make another batch up tomorrow too.