There are some very inspiring people here on GardenStew, and some have been helping me along on my journey of learning to can. I was so intimidated at first, but learned by doing jams and pickles and using a water bath canner. Then I bought a pressure canner and have been learning to use it, and I have to tell you ... I am hooked on canning! Yesterday, I canned some potatoes and organic carrots just because I could! Last week, I made and canned baked beans and applesauce! My pantry is now filling up with home canning, and I am anxiously awaiting the harvest from my gardens. Next winter I will have homegrown, organic vegetables to eat that I have canned MYSELF! Not only will this save money, but I will know exactly where my food came from. So I'm sending out a big THANK YOU to those of you that have answered my many, MANY canning questions and helped me become a confidant canner. And to those of you that have always wanted to learn to can and are intimidated by the whole thing ... don't be! It really is easier than you think!
Netty, I am so very proud of you! You are canning for the very best of reasons--using your produce and enjoying the canning process. Your jars look lovely and delicious. Your family will love that good-tasting food all year 'round. I'm sure someone mentioned this before, but you can remove the rings after the jars have cooled and re-use the rings on the next batch. Saves having all those rings hanging around. I have three dozen rings, and that takes me through the entire canning season.
Way to go Netty!!!! I did some canning years ago and you're right. It was intimidating at first, but after the first couple of batches, it just seemed so easy.
Congratulations! It's a great feeling to see jars of good home grown and home canned food lined up on a shelf...or several shelves.
I took that picture before I took off the rings and washed the jars, but that is exactly what I did. When I went to put them away, I re-arranged the pantry. It is almost half and half now, home canned and store bought. By the end of the summer, it will be all home canned. Only one problem ... I am going to need a bigger pantry!
I have never really understood the point in canning vegetables. Is it suppose to make them last longer? If you just leave the vegetables in a a cold dark cellar they won't spoil I thought.
Way to go! I grew up watching my mom can the veggies that I HAD to weed all summer. Now I know how my mom felt, it's a totally awesome feeling knowing that you did that for family and yourself!
Canning is very very hard work but so so very rewarding. You can be proud of what you put on the table. We are adding a pantry in our basement for my over flow... LOL it never ends. Remember now especially, we are only 2 people, but we do get company. They never know what is canned or not when they come here, unless they ask.
Vegetables left in the cellar do not last Riccur. Canned vegetables can last indefinitely if done properly. It is very important to me to know exactly what it is I am feeding my family, especially now days with all the GMO's, pesticides etc. This way, I am able to (hopefully) grow enough to feed my family and store it long enough to feed my family until the next gardening season - they way they did it in the 'old days'. Canning food also allows it to be preserved without the cost of running a freezer. We as a society are too dependent on grocery stores, so it is also a good feeling to be a little more self sufficient.
Home grown potatoes sprout more quickly, since the ones from the grocery are treated with a chemical that retards sprouting. You don't have to can potatoes, but since they are eaten cooked anyway, canning is a way of prolonging your supply of potatoes. Barb is the canning goddess here, and she can tell you about having a supply of food on hand for power outages, bad weather, and just "I don't wanna go to the grocery store today."
*LOL with an evil goofy eye* You guys are very cute calling me the Stewbie Canning Goddess. I do like to can and freeze and dehydrate and powderize and well just save things for long periods of time. I love to get things on sale and not buy high priced things for a long time. I do have 2 generators because I don't want to be without electric for very long. I am spoiled....I love my pantry to death and will add another one soon. It will be about 12 x 12. The other thing I want to add is that I like fresh, canned and frozen potatoes. Each one has it's own use. So Why not can potatoes????? Riccur, not all fruits and veggies will stay nicely in a root cellar. Ya have to save them for the Winter in some other fashion. Dehydrated carrots look ugly but are wonderful in chicken soup and casseroles. I also like canned and frozen carrots. I had build a root cellar in the ground years ago but never did anything with it. This July I will get it ready for Winter and try to use it. That should be a new and exciting experience... LOL
My basement it the right temperature for storing onions. in fact the ones I brought up the other day is just as good as the day we pulled them. Fresh potatoes we store in our insulated garage and it does an excellent job of storing them until March (? or so). Everyone has their preferences, and mine is to always freeze carrots, always can green beans, and so on. I've never tried drying anything or powderizing. Waretop. what is powderizing and what vegetables do you do this to?
