View Full Version : Canning recipes, food preservation and food sales
Hi all!
I hope this isn't a repost. I know there are several people that can (both water bath and pressure) on this forum, and there are some that are just starting out. I was hoping that this could be a thread in which we swap recipes, discuss means and options of food preservation (pickling, canning, dehydrating, smoking, etc) as well as give a heads-up for sales going on in the grocery stores.
This is the time of year that I can pineapple. King Soopers has pineapples on sale for .99/each, through the 28th. I buy a minimum of ten. Ten may seem like a lot, but not when you think about it long-term. Jalapenos are also usually on sale for @ .99/lb.
Together, they make Hawaiian Cowboy Candy.
Here's the recipe:
Hawaiian Cowboy Candy
1 lb jalepenos
2/3 c. apple cider vinegar
1 cup chunk fresh pineapple, without juice
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons mustard seed
Slice jalepenos. Mix cider vinegar, sugar and mustard seed and bring to a low boil. Reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add jalepenos and simmer for 5 minutes more. Loan hot sterilized jars with 4-5 chunks of pineapple. Using slotted spoon, add jalepenos first and then add the liquid, leaving 1/4 " heads[ace. Remove air bubbles with a rubber spatula or a chopstick and refill to headspace if needed. Wipe rims with damp towel. Add hot lids/rigs and place in water bath canner. Process at a full boil for 15 minutes, plus one minute per 1000' above sea level.
Makes 2 pints and 1 half pint, or 5 half pints.
Let these mellow in a cool, dark place for a minimum of two weeks. The peppers get a nice sweetness to them, and the pineapple gets a bit of heat to it.
Good thread idea, nothing to contribute yet.
I made some Hawaiian cowboy candy last year and really liked it. They were great on brats and dogs. I'm gonna use crushed pineapple and dice the peppers and make a relish next time.
Great idea! I've got a friend that uses them for homemade pizza topping. I give a lot of jars for Christmas gifts.
Good thread idea, nothing to contribute yet.
Thanks! I look forward to sharing lots of recipes and ideas. :)
I guess we're having a green chili vs red chili cook off next weekend. I'd like to can half of each. Just need to get the canner already. If I can't find one on craigs, I'm going to break down and buy one from Walmart.
I guess we're having a green chili vs red chili cook off next weekend. I'd like to can half of each. Just need to get the canner already. If I can't find one on craigs, I'm going to break down and buy one from Walmart.
Awesome! So, now I have questions. I've read that when you can chili, if it has both meat AND beans in it, you can't safely do quarts- only pints. Does your chili have beans in it? Good luck with finding a PC...the end-of-season sales wiped out the Walmart and Target near us. You might get lucky and find one at Kohls. I've found Ace to be ridiculously overpriced.
Madeinhb
10-30-2014, 12:32
I just canned some pineapple chunks. We will see how they come out. Was my first time.
Awesome! So, now I have questions. I've read that when you can chili, if it has both meat AND beans in it, you can't safely do quarts- only pints. Does your chili have beans in it? Good luck with finding a PC...the end-of-season sales wiped out the Walmart and Target near us. You might get lucky and find one at Kohls. I've found Ace to be ridiculously overpriced.
I have canned chili. (Pressure canner) I use dry beans and meat (because the dry beans hold up the the extended pressure processing time of quart jars. I soak them overnight according to directions and then make the Chili then process them. The processing time is like an hour an 45 or 50 minutes or something like that for quarts though if I remember right.
There are many layers to "preserved food security":
Do you sanitize everything? (I put EVERYTHING in my dishwasher in the "sanitize" cycle.)
Follow a reputable recipe? (USDA, Ball, Kerr, SureJell, etc.) (For example, here is one from the NCHFP for Chili with meat and beans (http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/chili_con_carne.html).)
Is the Acid content right? (If boiling water bath canning) Acid keeps the spores dormant.
Is the Sugar Content right? (If boiling water bath canning) High sugar keeps the spores dormant.
Did you keep it at the right pressure for the right length of time? (if it dips below the pressure I always restart the clock)
Store it well (I do not leave rings on or stack jars... reportedly this could prevent or delay spoiled food to "pop" the lids when they really should have due to spoilage.)
When you eat it inspect it. (Lid Popped? Smell Bad?)
When practical, heat it. (Heat destroyes toxins if they are by chance present after all of the above)
What i like to do with "Reputable recipes" for preserving my own food is use MY recipe for Chili con Carne for example or Spaghetti sauce, or green chili, and process it using the NCHFP processing instructionsor the processing instructions in the Ball Blue Book for the same type of food and I feel fairly confident it will be safe.
clodhopper
10-30-2014, 15:53
Anything with lower acid content, containing meat or otherwise unsure, use a pressure canner. Yeah, it takes longer to cycle through, 'sokay. I own two pressure canners to cut down on time. I wouldn't can soups or chili in a water bath canner as it just doesn't get hot enough. Make sure the canned food is hot (like boiling hot for several minutes before canning), and everything that touches it is prepped in boiling water (jars, lids, ladles, everything).
Watch your recipes. If you are making soups to can, leave out the milk, butter, cream ingredients. The soup will look strange, but that is OK. The milk products will likely go rancid during storage. When you pop the top months later to eat it, add the milk products then. It will taste just fine. I will put the left out ingredients and quantities on a sticker on the jar, or tie a tag to it. That way, a year later when you cannot find the original recipe, you can still make the soup.
If you are unsure on what should be left out, follow a canning specific recipe book as suggested earlier.
...
Watch your recipes. If you are making soups to can, leave out the milk, butter, cream ingredients. The soup will look strange, but that is OK. The milk products will likely go rancid during storage. When you pop the top months later to eat it, add the milk products then. It will taste just fine. I will put the left out ingredients and quantities on a sticker on the jar, or tie a tag to it. That way, a year later when you cannot find the original recipe, you can still make the soup.
...
I have also read in many reputable recipes to leave out stuff like Beans and noodles and add them when you are ready to eat the canned food. Pressure canning these things can make them mushy etc.
clodhopper
10-31-2014, 08:48
I have also read in many reputable recipes to leave out stuff like Beans and noodles and add them when you are ready to eat the canned food. Pressure canning these things can make them mushy etc.
I don't can things with the goal of culinary perfection. Sustainable calories with enough variation to limit boredom. Canned soups are good on those cold days when you just want to heat up a quick lunch or when you are sick (stock rotation), who cares so much on the texture. I wouldn't serve it when the Queen comes to visit.
I don't can things with the goal of culinary perfection. Sustainable calories with enough variation to limit boredom. Canned soups are good on those cold days when you just want to heat up a quick lunch or when you are sick (stock rotation), who cares so much on the texture. I wouldn't serve it when the Queen comes to visit.
I agree with you there. We eat what we store and store what we eat.
While I may not be as picky... My offspring may not be too keen on eating some things (Also, when SHTF and that is all we have to eat, and they turn their noses up at the stuff I do have stored for calories, etc) then I guess my food storage will go a longer way for me then.
I definately would and do put the stuff that gets a little mushy *(beans, noodles, zuchinni, etc) after an hour and a half of pressure processing. I just figure that many people starting out into the canning and food preservation realm may want to be informed that things do not start out and end up the same way when you process recipes. They probably would be better to start out with something that is more like their recipe when they open it up to heat it up, to prevent getting discouraged. Something as simple as reserving the noodles to add to the soup until serving time may be a good trick for them. Also, many folks just getting into the canning world have expectations that the finished product will be much like a can of Campbells soup and I am trying to prevent them from being surprized.
I do however agree with you, canning is a great way to set aside some calories for when needed, and the shelf life on this stuff is amazing. I have soup stock and jellies/jams that are 100% delicious after 5-10 years.
Dairy stuff does not do well in preserved food... ick. However, One of the two things that I intend on attempting that I have not are canning butter, and dry heat canning (in the oven). I have read somewhere that this can be done with safe results. I do not like experimenting a whole lot with something like this, but It could be another tool in the shed to sock stuff away for when SHTF.
Having recently gotten into gardening and realizing that only a few zucchini plants can make more than I can ever eat in one season. I have a recipe with zukes that seems to have stood up to processing. I'll add it this weekend.
clodhopper
10-31-2014, 10:50
Also, many folks just getting into the canning world have expectations that the finished product will be much like a can of Campbells soup and I am trying to prevent them from being surprized.
Truth. I will look at canned goods in the grocery store for ideas on what else I can try canning, with the full knowledge that what I create will not look the same. I don't have all the fancy preservatives and stabilizers that get used in commercial canning, but then again, my canning doesn't have any of those chemicals and preservatives commonly used in canning, so win for me! I am always looking for ways to move what normally would be stored frozen, out of the freezer for no power required storage, so canning and drying. Kind of a challenge to figure out alternative storage to the freezer. Mostly driven by the freezer always being way too full.
I garden, but the clay soils where I live suck and the elevation doesn't help much. Mostly a salsa garden, lots of tomatoes, tomatillas, herbs, lettuce and peppers. We do a CSA with a farm that lets us select what we want. Most of that gets canned or dried, which covers nearly all the vegetables for the family all winter and all the dog food for the year.
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/11/10/79c7a60af4f53e39b80fdb0e8ca40917.jpg
I tried some Hawaiian cowboy candy relish. It didn't turn out like I had hoped. Wrong ratio of peppers to pineapple, too much pineapple. Also the liquid that seemed like extra should have gone into the jars anyway. It's ok but I hope the next batch is better.
Nice! I'm sure it'll still taste good. I've found there are several recipes with Hawaiian Cowboy Candy, variations involving pineapples and even hotter versions of peppers. I haven't made relish; just the chunks of peppers and pineapples. This last batch I made double the amount of syrup, since it proved to be a favorite part of the candy.
I'm posting a link for canning caramelized onions. I chopped up 10# last night, threw them in the crock pot for 12 hours with some butter and olive oil, and ended up using some for the beef stew I made for this evening. They are WONDERFUL and make the whole house smell amazing. I ran out of time to can them (I'll be using half-pint jars, pressure canning them at 14# for 70 minutes) but I can easily heat them up again to can tomorrow. It was easy as can be, and we'll use them in everything from scrambled eggs to roast beef sandwiches.
I'm posting a link because there are a lot of photos, and lots of additional information in the comments.
http://canninggranny.blogspot.com/2011/05/canning-caramelized-onions.html
I purchased a large jar of nacho style jalapenos with the intention of just water bath canning them again into smaller jars. I've yet to do so, but I'll be sure to report my experience here once I do. I called Jerry to ask if this is something I should be okay to do and we couldn't think of a reason why not. If anyone else has any input, please share.
**What's holding me up is my lack of an actual water bath canner or rack. I have several large pots I can use. I looked online to see if I could water bath without the rack, and several people pointed out that people water bath canned for a long time before racks were invented. More than one person stated that they use a dish cloth in the bottom of the pot to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot. That's likely what I'll try.
I'm posting a link for canning caramelized onions. I chopped up 10# last night, threw them in the crock pot for 12 hours with some butter and olive oil, and ended up using some for the beef stew I made for this evening. They are WONDERFUL and make the whole house smell amazing. I ran out of time to can them (I'll be using half-pint jars, pressure canning them at 14# for 70 minutes) but I can easily heat them up again to can tomorrow. It was easy as can be, and we'll use them in everything from scrambled eggs to roast beef sandwiches.
I'm posting a link because there are a lot of photos, and lots of additional information in the comments.
http://canninggranny.blogspot.com/2011/05/canning-caramelized-onions.html
Holy cow, I had no idea you could can caramelized onions. We love onions. Mmmmmm
I purchased a large jar of nacho style jalapenos with the intention of just water bath canning them again into smaller jars. I've yet to do so, but I'll be sure to report my experience here once I do. I called Jerry to ask if this is something I should be okay to do and we couldn't think of a reason why not. If anyone else has any input, please share.
**What's holding me up is my lack of an actual water bath canner or rack. I have several large pots I can use. I looked online to see if I could water bath without the rack, and several people pointed out that people water bath canned for a long time before racks were invented. More than one person stated that they use a dish cloth in the bottom of the pot to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot. That's likely what I'll try.
Yeah I think it's only to prevent heat spots and let the water equalize temperature all over the jar, so you don't scorch anything or break a jar due to direct heat.
You can also use a bunch of your old jar rings in the bottom of the pot, assuming you're like every other canner I know who has a drawer full of bent, broken, and rusted rings that you wouldn't use to actually can anything in. As long as you keep it flat-ish.
I purchased a large jar of nacho style jalapenos with the intention of just water bath canning them again into smaller jars. I've yet to do so, but I'll be sure to report my experience here once I do. I called Jerry to ask if this is something I should be okay to do and we couldn't think of a reason why not. If anyone else has any input, please share.
**What's holding me up is my lack of an actual water bath canner or rack. I have several large pots I can use. I looked online to see if I could water bath without the rack, and several people pointed out that people water bath canned for a long time before racks were invented. More than one person stated that they use a dish cloth in the bottom of the pot to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot. That's likely what I'll try.
I did the same thing! The massive jar of jalepeno slices was something like $2.50 at Sam's, so I figured, why not?
From what I understand, the rack helps to keep the jars from touching the bottom, as well as touching each other. It also helps you lift the jars from the pot, so you're not having to worry about accidentally touching another jar when you're lifting it out.
I thought about getting a metal trivet for a cast iron pot, as I'm bound to buy a cast iron pot in the future, but I bet it's the same price.
buffalobo
11-11-2014, 06:04
I thought about getting a metal trivet for a cast iron pot, as I'm bound to buy a cast iron pot in the future, but I bet it's the same price.
Keep an eye out for 8 or 10 gauge aluminum wire and cut, bend and wrap your own rack.
King Sooper's has frozen turkey (Kroger brand) for .69/lb through Thanksgiving. 1 per transaction, with a King Sooper's card. At that price, make a couple trips to your car and stock up! :)
Also- in case you didn't know, Honeybaked Ham sells hambones for soup stock. They're usually frozen, but often have sliced ham leftover on them. You can get a lot of stock from one of these bones. They're usually @ $8 each, except when they have 2/1 sales near Easter time.
jerrymrc
11-15-2014, 06:08
King Sooper's has frozen turkey (Kroger brand) for .69/lb through Thanksgiving. 1 per transaction, with a King Sooper's card. At that price, make a couple trips to your car and stock up! :)
Also- in case you didn't know, Honeybaked Ham sells hambones for soup stock. They're usually frozen, but often have sliced ham leftover on them. You can get a lot of stock from one of these bones. They're usually @ $8 each, except when they have 2/1 sales near Easter time.
I preach this every year. Turkeys come on sale but once a year. Been known to can 2-20lb birds.[Flower]
buffalobo
11-15-2014, 08:50
Can't beat 9 bucks for a 14lb bird. Picked up one last night, will put several more in the freezer.
Just a reminder, folks- the turkey sale of $.69/lb ends at 6 pm on the 27th, while supplies last.
Ham is also on sale for $1.69/lb, bone-in butt portion or shank. Again, while supplies last. This is at King Soopers, although I saw Safeway was also selling their brand of turkey for the same price.
Get some before it's too late! :)
I canned 3 turkeys already this year. got em all at .69/lb
Save the bones for stock!
Simmering the carcasses today.
Canning the gallons of stock tomorrow.
:-D
Save the bones for stock!
:-D
Like so!
TPG91ROfyDo
Had Turkey day Tuesday. Took all the chicken and turkey bones throughout the year plus the three turkey carcasses we canned last weekend and added a roaster chicken into my tamale steamer, cooked at just below simmer for 12 hours.
Strained the liquid gold into my hot water bath canner and chilled overnight to coagulate the fat. Removed most of the fat (I still like some in my stock).
And here it sits warming up while the jars are getting sterilized.
52929
Going to process these in Quarts for 30 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. 1 inch head space. (From Ball Blue Book guide to preserving)
It never occurred to me that you could can just a liquid.
It never occurred to me that you could can just a liquid.
Stock also does not process as long in the pressure canner because there is nothing other than liquid to heat to 225 degrees or whatever. Processing time is directly from Ball Blue Book guide to preserving.
This is a yearly tradition. Chicken bones, scraps leftovers not getting eaten, all get foodsavered, and frozen until the day after turkey day.
I just started buying an extra couple turkeys for .69/lb during the sales and canned that this year. This is going to be another yearly tradition.
All the carcasses and leftover juices from the roasting pan go right into the stock pot for stock-making. This year the wife found some boxes of "poultry mix" fresh herbs in the produce section and we tried that. i also threw in 2 large onions and a bunch of celery and bag of carrots. Usually whatever I have in the fridge left over from turkey day.
This stock is 1000 times better than the shit in the cardboard box.
Great-Kazoo
11-27-2014, 13:48
Stock also does not process as long in the pressure canner because there is nothing other than liquid to heat to 225 degrees or whatever. Processing time is directly from Ball Blue Book guide to preserving.
This is a yearly tradition. Chicken bones, scraps leftovers not getting eaten, all get foodsavered, and frozen until the day after turkey day.
I just started buying an extra couple turkeys for .69/lb during the sales and canned that this year. This is going to be another yearly tradition.
All the carcasses and leftover juices from the roasting pan go right into the stock pot for stock-making. This year the wife found some boxes of "poultry mix" fresh herbs in the produce section and we tried that. i also threw in 2 large onions and a bunch of celery and bag of carrots. Usually whatever I have in the fridge left over from turkey day.
This stock is 1000 times better than the shit in the cardboard box.
Nice. We use the entire bird, be it standard meal, leftovers for salad, burritos, cheese steak sandwiches, right down to a good stock. This year, since we don't can, I'll try the stock in food saver pouches.
You guys are killing me, sounds awesome! But I'm not a canner or much of a cook, and the wife would never mess with all of that.
You guys are killing me, sounds awesome! But I'm not a canner or much of a cook, and the wife would never mess with all of that.
Making stock is easy, just throw it all in the pot... (if you don't have enough, throw a whole fryer chicken in the pot with the scraps and carcasses and vegetable scraps you have laying around) Add water and don't let it boil. A slow simmer until the wing bones snap easily. And the large bones' joints don't have any cartilage on them anymore.
If you don't want to can the stock, freeze the stock in ice cube trays and keep them in the freezer, or freeze the stock in 1 cup sized tupperware. Then you can add them to anything. Anything that calls for water (rice a roni, hamburger helper, etc) use the cubes in place of some or all of the water. YUM!
Here you go Ron. Short video and a great explanation of why you do what you do.
http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2010/08/homemade-chicken-stock-buy-low-sell.html
Here you go Ron. Short video and a great explanation of why you do what you do.
http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2010/08/homemade-chicken-stock-buy-low-sell.html
Nice vid. I love when my chicken stock gets to about refrigerator temperature, it turns into Turkey/Chicken Jell-o!
That's awesome!
I had a hambone left over from a shank, so I tossed it in the crock-pot with some veggies and bay leaves and peppercorns and filled it to the brim with water. Left it on 'low' for 12 hours. I dumped the liquid into a pot, and refilled the crock-pot and did it all again with the same bone, 3 times. The first batch of liquid made Redeye ham and bean soup, and I canned the rest of the stock. I got nine quarts of stock, all told. Not bad for one big bone and some scraps!
Well, my first water bath canning experience could have gone worse, but not by much.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jpGE7KUfBJc/VHqfTqxahQI/AAAAAAAANpc/k2jWzJTVZBU/w999-h562-no/20141129_213830.jpg
I picked up a water bath canner with a rack (but no lid) at the thrift store for something like $3. The rack needs cleaned up, and is made for quart jars, and not having a lid meant it took the water over an hour to come to a boil. Other than that, I think things went well. I guess we'll see.
Edit: Oh yeah, I basically just did this recipe: http://www.theyummylife.com/Pickled_Jalapeno_Peppers, except I didn't use fresh jalapenos. I bought a 64oz jar of nacho jalapenos and was just re-jarring them.
My eyes could be whacko right now but it doesn't look like the rack is in there.
I have had jars break from time to time. Usually they are due to the temperature differential (hot stuff in jars, and colder water outside or vice versa) or a scratched or used (from thrift store) jars that probably were mishandled before I got them. If you had the jars on the bottom of the pot without the rack this could be the culprit too.
Or using a pressure canner with a turkey fryer burner.... don't do that.
Well, my first water bath canning experience could have gone worse, but not by much.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-jpGE7KUfBJc/VHqfTqxahQI/AAAAAAAANpc/k2jWzJTVZBU/w999-h562-no/20141129_213830.jpg
I picked up a water bath canner with a rack (but no lid) at the thrift store for something like $3. The rack needs cleaned up, and is made for quart jars, and not having a lid meant it took the water over an hour to come to a boil. Other than that, I think things went well. I guess we'll see.
Edit: Oh yeah, I basically just did this recipe: http://www.theyummylife.com/Pickled_Jalapeno_Peppers, except I didn't use fresh jalapenos. I bought a 64oz jar of nacho jalapenos and was just re-jarring them.
Bummer!
Walmart. $20 will get you a canner WITH a lid and a rack that can be used for pints and quarts.
Did the jar bump the side or another can when you were taking it out of the canner?
Bummer!
Walmart. $20 will get you a canner WITH a lid and a rack that can be used for pints and quarts.
Did the jar bump the side or another can when you were taking it out of the canner?
This is quite easy to do, and when the jars are this hot anything really can set them off. Even a stiff wind, no really. I used to can outdoors when I was using a turkey fryer burner. Yeah don't do that.
I didn't bother with the rack because the jars won't stand up straight with it in there anyway. There were only 3 pint jars in there to start, then one broke. When I put the last one in, I immediately started seeing stuff that was in the jars floating in the water of the pot. I went back in with the jar holder because I thought I had a lid on wrong or something, and everything poured out of the bottom. I strained out the the jalapenos and just kept boiling.
Now that the jars have been cooling, they both have sealed, so that's good. On the plus side, I'm trying a cheddar, jalapeno version of my no knead bread.
I didn't bother with the rack because the jars won't stand up straight with it in there anyway. There were only 3 pint jars in there to start, then one broke. When I put the last one in, I immediately started seeing stuff that was in the jars floating in the water of the pot. I went back in with the jar holder because I thought I had a lid on wrong or something, and everything poured out of the bottom. I strained out the the jalapenos and just kept boiling.
Now that the jars have been cooling, they both have sealed, so that's good. On the plus side, I'm trying a cheddar, jalapeno version of my no knead bread.
Awesome!
I think the culprit was the absence of the rack. My G'ma said to never can without the rack at the bottom. The heat is too intense on the other side of the pot of the burner.
However, since it broke immediately; It could have also been that the contents of the jar were either too cold (the liquid you used to fill the jar was cold and you put it in hot water) OR the contents of jar were too hot (you hot-packed the contents and put the jars in cool water)
I had the bad luck with 16 quarts of chicken stock Thursday. I decided I was going to try out some Tattler reusable lids and not read the directions. Had to reprocess ALL of them.
Probably a bad jar. None of the jars I used were brand new, and everything was hot inside and out.
Always use a rack- they sell racks separately as well. They keep the cans from the direct heat.
I'll have to grab a rack to go into this thing. It's so large I had to use a cutting board and a crock pot lid TOGETHER to try and make a lid to keep the heat up. It worked perfectly, but was less than ideal...
I have also successfully used my tamale steamer to hot water bath can. Usually they have a rack a few inches above the bottom. A great multitasker. It has been a brew kettle (6.5 gallons), stock 'simmerer' (6.5 gallons), tamale steamer, and a hot water bath canner. It also holds more jars than my blue canner like you got there.
This one can hold 7 quart jars in the rack. I can't imagine making that much food at once, but maybe one day I will.
I put a turkey carcass, as well as extra roasted bones, veggie trimmings, etc into my roaster oven, added water and stock and simmered it for 24 hours. I canned seven quarts of stock, and have three more quarts to can tomorrow. :)
Once you start, you'll be amazed at how much food you can put up.
This one can hold 7 quart jars in the rack. I can't imagine making that much food at once, but maybe one day I will.
Shoot! This sale lasts only through the 24th, but it's still a good one!
Sprouts has pineapples on sale for .98 each.
Asparagus is $1.98/lb
Certain brands of apples are .88/lb.
Time to break out the Canners and the dehydrators!
ChunkyMonkey
12-23-2014, 10:02
Sub!
King Soopers has their "buy 5, save $5" sale this week (January 1 - January 6). Skippy peanut butter is $1.79 each. when you buy 5. Peanut butter is an item that has a long shelf life, and as long as you and your family members aren't allergic to peanuts, there are numerous benefits to having peanut butter as an item in your supplies.
Pineapple is again $1 each. This is an easy product to can or dehydrate.
There are several more items on sale- as long as you have a King Soopers card, you can take advantage of the deals.
ChunkyMonkey
01-02-2015, 06:31
Just a quick info that Kwando shared with me last night...
$20/year SAMs membership:
1-Year Sam's Club Membership + $25 Sam's Club Gift Card $45 (In-Store Only) - http://slickdeals.net/share/iphone_app/fp/141662
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I've been busy. I bought Roma tomatoes at Sprouts when they were .44/lb- I bought a case of 25#. After washing them, I shoved them into a bunch of gallon Ziploc bags and put them in the chest freezer until I could devote ore time to them. Freezing the tomatoes makes them a snap to peel...but next time, I'm going to wash and core them (not a full core, but basically twisting the knife around the stem, and removing the white core) before I freeze them.
Peppers went on sale about a week after that, so I seeded them and froze them, too. I bought 5# of sweet onions and 5# of purple onions.
Today I finally had time, so I roughly chopped the onions and dumped them into my 18-quart electric turkey roaster along with the frozen pepper pieces. I realized then that I forgot to pick up garlic, but I had some minced garlic in the fridge so I threw in a heaping spoonful as well. I put my biggest pasta pot on the stove with water and set it to boil, scrubbed the sink clean and plugged it. I dumped in the frozen tomatoes, and dumped the boiling water on the tomatoes. The skins slicked right off! I tossed the skinned tomatoes into the roaster whole, set it on 375 degrees for about 5 hours, stirring occasionally. At the end of five hours, things had roasted and broken down to very soft pieces. I used my immersible blender to turn it into a chunky sauce, transferred it into wide-mouth pints with 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice and water-bath processed it for 25 minutes. I got 14 pints of tomato sauce that can be used for anything from chili to spaghetti sauce, depending on the spices I choose. Not bad for an afternoon!
One more thing: Zaycon foods (http://www.zayconfresh.com) is having an incredible sale on their chicken breasts- $1.67/lb. Most grocery stores will say they're having a good sale at $1.99/lb, and this is often chicken that has been processed in China. Zaycon bypasses all of that. If you're so inclined, PM me for a referral link (I get a little bit knocked off my next order) but there's no obligation. Don't wait for long, because the chicken will sell out fast at this price! The pick-up date is June 27.
RCCrawler
05-01-2015, 08:51
One more thing: Zaycon foods (http://www.zayconfresh.com) is having an incredible sale on their chicken breasts- $1.67/lb. Most grocery stores will say they're having a good sale at $1.99/lb, and this is often chicken that has been processed in China. Zaycon bypasses all of that. If you're so inclined, PM me for a referral link (I get a little bit knocked off my next order) but there's no obligation. Don't wait for long, because the chicken will sell out fast at this price! The pick-up date is June 27.
I've always missed out on the chicken breasts for whatever reason, they usually sell out quick. I was able to get in on this order, got 80lbs coming. Thanks for the reminder, I've read reviews that this chicken is super good quality.
I've been busy. I bought Roma tomatoes at Sprouts when they were .44/lb- I bought a case of 25#. After washing them, I shoved them into a bunch of gallon Ziploc bags and put them in the chest freezer until I could devote ore time to them. Freezing the tomatoes makes them a snap to peel...but next time, I'm going to wash and core them (not a full core, but basically twisting the knife around the stem, and removing the white core) before I freeze them.
Peppers went on sale about a week after that, so I seeded them and froze them, too. I bought 5# of sweet onions and 5# of purple onions.
Today I finally had time, so I roughly chopped the onions and dumped them into my 18-quart electric turkey roaster along with the frozen pepper pieces. I realized then that I forgot to pick up garlic, but I had some minced garlic in the fridge so I threw in a heaping spoonful as well. I put my biggest pasta pot on the stove with water and set it to boil, scrubbed the sink clean and plugged it. I dumped in the frozen tomatoes, and dumped the boiling water on the tomatoes. The skins slicked right off! I tossed the skinned tomatoes into the roaster whole, set it on 375 degrees for about 5 hours, stirring occasionally. At the end of five hours, things had roasted and broken down to very soft pieces. I used my immersible blender to turn it into a chunky sauce, transferred it into wide-mouth pints with 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice and water-bath processed it for 25 minutes. I got 14 pints of tomato sauce that can be used for anything from chili to spaghetti sauce, depending on the spices I choose. Not bad for an afternoon!
One more thing: Zaycon foods (http://www.zayconfresh.com) is having an incredible sale on their chicken breasts- $1.67/lb. Most grocery stores will say they're having a good sale at $1.99/lb, and this is often chicken that has been processed in China. Zaycon bypasses all of that. If you're so inclined, PM me for a referral link (I get a little bit knocked off my next order) but there's no obligation. Don't wait for long, because the chicken will sell out fast at this price! The pick-up date is June 27.
You've got a PM coming.
Got the PM, crays!
I'm glad you were both able to take advantage of the chicken deal. I don't think you'll regret it.
I told crays this in a PM, but I'll put it out there for everyone: 40# of chicken needs a fair-sized space to store, and you're going to want to process it (chop it up, freeze it, can it, whatever) within a day of receiving it. The chicken itself is placed in thick blue plastic bags, and the whole thing is in a sturdy waxed cardboard box, but it was not meant to be stored like that. When I order chicken from Zaycon, the day I'm to pick up my order is the day that I clear my sideboards and my schedule, and have my pressure canner/jars/Food Saver at the ready. This isn't your average supermarket chicken that's been doused in preserving chemicals.
Been wanting to get the Zaycon chicken breasts, I just don't have the space to store 40 lbs right now. I did get their wings once and learned that the bags they package in are not sealed so I had to scramble to get my vacuum sealer ready. I also like their ribs which I go through all 12 racks rather quickly and just grabbed a case of kielbasa that are tasty and fit 6 to a quart size vac sealer bag. For the ribs I cut the racks in half and seal into gallon size vac seal bags.
Just ordered a pressure canner the other day. Should be here Tuesday.
Well it's ABOUT TIME, Pickles. I thought you were NEVER going to get one. ;)
It's been sitting on the want list in my Amazon for most of a year now I bet. I just added it to another order for the heck of it.
Been wanting to get the Zaycon chicken breasts, I just don't have the space to store 40 lbs right now. I did get their wings once and learned that the bags they package in are not sealed so I had to scramble to get my vacuum sealer ready. I also like their ribs which I go through all 12 racks rather quickly and just grabbed a case of kielbasa that are tasty and fit 6 to a quart size vac sealer bag. For the ribs I cut the racks in half and seal into gallon size vac seal bags.
This deal is a really good one. Do you know anyone with extra freezer space? Have you thought about canning it?
It's been sitting on the want list in my Amazon for most of a year now I bet. I just added it to another order for the heck of it.
What kind did you order? How big? What brand?
I don't know, some big Presto.
I've got a Presto. It's a good brand.
Looks like it was this one.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000BYCFU/ref=od_aui_detailpages00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Yep, that's the one I use. It's a good one!
Let me know if you need help or have questions. And when you're pressure-canning, add 2 Tbsp of white vinegar to the 3 quarts of water, or you'll get a white film on the outside of your jars.
This deal is a really good one. Do you know anyone with extra freezer space? Have you thought about canning it?
No one at work is willing to go in for a case, and I don't have canning equipment yet.
No one at work is willing to go in for a case, and I don't have canning equipment yet.
If all else fails, you could wrap them in tinfoil and put them in the freezer. You can flatten each one so it doesn't take up too much space...
The nice thing is that you have a little bit of time yet.
No one at work is willing to go in for a case, and I don't have canning equipment yet.
I'll go halfsies. Cant make the pickup, but can meet you soon after. I drive along 225 from the tech center 5 times a week just after 6 pm.
Hell, I may be able to go for 1.5 case...
If all else fails, you could wrap them in tinfoil
Then the gov wouldn't know you had preps!
JK. Lots of ways to freeze. Good protein to deal with the potential T2 onset.
I do have a foodsaver sealer, it's what I used for the other items I purchase through them. I just have quite a bit in the freezer right now between Zaycon orders and King Soopers having recent sales on whole chickens and pork shoulders. Though with bird flu threatening poultry supplies I probably should just grab a case so I'm not having to pay $4 a pound in a few months.
I do have a foodsaver sealer, it's what I used for the other items I purchase through them. I just have quite a bit in the freezer right now between Zaycon orders and King Soopers having recent sales on whole chickens and pork shoulders. Though with bird flu threatening poultry supplies I probably should just grab a case so I'm not having to pay $4 a pound in a few months.
I understand- my freezers overfloweth right now too. :) Do you plan on getting a pressure canner in the next few weeks? I've heard a rumor that Target is having a sale on canning jars right now, although I haven't validated it- you could get a canner and a couple of cases of pint jars (I've found widemouth jars are easiest for canning meats) before the Zaycon pickup date of June 27th. Canning chicken breasts is about as simple and straightforward as you can hope for, and pressure canners are no longer the scary "my aunt's best friend had one explode in her kitchen" devices that used to be the stuff of urban legends.
That being said, Zaycon normally has chicken for sale about three or four times a year. This is the lowest price I've seen, though (it's usually anywhere from $1.89/lb-$1.99/lb) and I am not sure how the bird flu is going to affect future offerings.
We don't have any canning supplies yet. We are in the process of trying to move more to the west side of town and after we do we plan on setting up a canning process. We'll probably start with water bath canning jellies and high acid foods since I have an old brew pot from my stove top extract brewing days we can use for that. Neither of us have real experience in canning yet except the times I helped my mom when I was a kid, but that was 20+ years ago. I thought someone in CO Springs was going to have a class, but I think the thread disappeared.
I'm ordering a case anyway to vac pack, I'll stuff my hops freezer with them if I have to.
jerrymrc
05-07-2015, 21:37
I understand- my freezers overfloweth right now too. :) Do you plan on getting a pressure canner in the next few weeks? I've heard a rumor that Target is having a sale on canning jars right now, although I haven't validated it- you could get a canner and a couple of cases of pint jars (I've found widemouth jars are easiest for canning meats) before the Zaycon pickup date of June 27th. Canning chicken breasts is about as simple and straightforward as you can hope for, and pressure canners are no longer the scary "my aunt's best friend had one explode in her kitchen" devices that used to be the stuff of urban legends.
That being said, Zaycon normally has chicken for sale about three or four times a year. This is the lowest price I've seen, though (it's usually anywhere from $1.89/lb-$1.99/lb) and I am not sure how the bird flu is going to affect future offerings.
That is why I bought a case. Since I am no longer going to Germany I have lots of canning jars in need of stuff to put in them. We will freeze some but also looking at the sausage links to can as well.[Flower]
We don't have any canning supplies yet. We are in the process of trying to move more to the west side of town and after we do we plan on setting up a canning process. We'll probably start with water bath canning jellies and high acid foods since I have an old brew pot from my stove top extract brewing days we can use for that. Neither of us have real experience in canning yet except the times I helped my mom when I was a kid, but that was 20+ years ago. I thought someone in CO Springs was going to have a class, but I think the thread disappeared.
I'm ordering a case anyway to vac pack, I'll stuff my hops freezer with them if I have to.
You know, I seem to remember you posting something about your moving. I forgot! Mea Culpa. :)
Jerry was going to give a class, but that was before he was going to TDY/PCS. I may try and do a class sometime, but it would be mid-to-late summer.
That is why I bought a case. Since I am no longer going to Germany I have lots of canning jars in need of stuff to put in them. We will freeze some but also looking at the sausage links to can as well.[Flower]
Whoa- you're not? I didn't realize that.
Not a canner. There is a canner , up here, that covers most all of my southern pepper/vinegar tasties (okra, peach salsa, corn salsa, relishes). One thing she doesn't do is chow chow. I loves me some chow chow.
http://www.mtnlaurel.com/recipes/752-southern-sweet-chow-chow-relish.html
http://www.cooks.com/recipe/in0e62id/chow-chow-relish.html
Chow Chow! Everyone's got their own special version of chow chow. :)
$0.99/10lb bag russett potatoes at albertsons this week.
http://albertsons.mywebgrocer.com/Circular/Aurora-Mississippi-and-Buckley/045678422/Weekly/3/3
Looks like potato canning time!
$0.99/10lb bag russett potatoes at albertsons this week.
http://albertsons.mywebgrocer.com/Circular/Aurora-Mississippi-and-Buckley/045678422/Weekly/3/3
Looks like potato canning time!
Great price! I wish we ate russets. We eat the Yukon Golds and redskins, because they are lower in starch and we've got dietary restrictions. But maaaaaan, russets are the BEST potatoes for mashed potatoes and baked potatoes.
We did the jalapenos again tonight (http://www.theyummylife.com/Pickled_Jalapeno_Peppers). I went and bought 5lbs of jalapenos so it felt like I was doing something more substantial this time. Considering that I am currently functionally blind, and I commandeered my wife to read the directions and run the assembly line at the last second, I thought we did alright. 5lbs of peppers fills 10 jars with 1/2 pound sliced peppers left. The only thing we forgot was the 1/4 tsp of kosher salt. Except for the taste being different, will they still be safe to eat?
No broken jars this time and had a proper trivet and a proper lid. Makes things much easier with the correct tools.
I apologize if any of these pictures are blurry, I really can't tell at this moment.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-RIERw7aHhLo/VU_fxzib_EI/AAAAAAAAQXY/zFnRBDQUrFQ/w1538-h865-no/20150510_164542_Richtone%2528HDR%2529.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-xGduPKKk3JE/VU_pTWfRoJI/AAAAAAAAQYc/_UegjtuJ360/w1538-h865-no/20150510_172623.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O0KoFUz9P90/VU_pRpRGC0I/AAAAAAAAQYQ/YJiYRo0vqAg/w1538-h865-no/20150510_172633.jpg
... The only thing we forgot was the 1/4 tsp of kosher salt. Except for the taste being different, will they still be safe to eat?
...
I would say if you followed the vinegar ratio right you should be good. Generally salt in that low amount like is in this recipe is for taste. The real preservative is the percentage of acid. It is what keeps botulism spores dormant.
Looks delicious! Want to trade a jar for some Grape Jelly? [Coffee]I have some made from backyard grapes.
Ohh! And what canning session would be complete without Margaritas???
thedave1164
05-11-2015, 07:07
I would say if you followed the vinegar ratio right you should be good. Generally salt in that low amount like is in this recipe is for taste. The real preservative is the percentage of acid. It is what keeps botulism spores dormant.
Looks delicious! Want to trade a jar for some Grape Jelly? [Coffee]I have some made from backyard grapes.
Ohh! And what canning session would be complete without Margaritas???
Well, at least we know what happened to the salt.....
Salt did get into one jar, but it was the jar that went straight into the fridge and didn't go into the bath. I'm going to let it sit in the fridge for at least a week before I try that jar, as the jalapenos are still very green. I'm interested to see how long it will be before these are "done."
Wife and I both went to Costco tonight, and due to a slight lack of communication (on my part), we both bought a bag of apples and a bag of oranges. So now we need to look up some canning ideas for apples asap. Got any simple ideas?
buffalobo
05-14-2015, 04:21
Wife and I both went to Costco tonight, and due to a slight lack of communication (on my part), we both bought a bag of apples and a bag of oranges. So now we need to look up some canning ideas for apples asap. Got any simple ideas?
Apple sauce, and filling for Apple pie.
Mom used to make tons of apple sauce.
Can also grind/chop and squeeze for Apple juice and can it.
Looked some stuff up and those two ideas, on top of just slicing and canning them, seem to be the most popular routes.
buffalobo
05-14-2015, 07:13
Looked some stuff up and those two ideas, on top of just slicing and canning them, seem to be the most popular routes.
Tasty too. Home made sauce and filling always better than store bought.
Looked some stuff up and those two ideas, on top of just slicing and canning them, seem to be the most popular routes.
Dehydrated Apple slices. Kids love em.
Make apple juice, add honey and yeast and in a few weeks you have a cyser. [Coffee]
Make apple juice, add honey and yeast and in a few weeks you have a cyser. [Coffee]
Sounds like you've already been doing some sampling Dave. [emoji102] [emoji481] [emoji41]
Caramel Apple butter.
http://crockpotladies.com/crockpot-caramel-apple-butter/
Make orange marmalade out of those oranges, or just slice them and can them up.
Sprouts has Roma tomatoes on sale through Tuesday, 2 lbs for $1.00. This is a pretty good bargain, especially considering that Walmart and Kings usually have them priced at over $1/lb. Sprouts carries them in crates of 25#, and all you need to do is find one of the workers setting out produce and ask them for a crate or two (instead of bagging them yourself.)
My plan is to put up enough tomatoes to carry us through the year, instead of spending over $1 per can. We go through a lot of tomatoes: pasta sauces, chili, salsa, soups, pizza sauce, etc.
Here's a tip: when sales like this come up, plan to buy as many as you can. Clear out space in your freezer, stock up on gallon freezer bags and vinegar. When you get your tomatoes home, scrub out your kitchen sink, rinse well and fill it halfway with cold water. Dump in about a cup of vinegar and then place your tomatoes in the sink. Make sure they are covered by the water. Let them soak for at least a half hour, and then examine them carefully for bruising or rotting sections. I line a colander with towels and take the opportunity to wash and rinse them and check them over- I usually find at least one that has a rotten spot. Put the clean tomatoes into the colander and let them drip-dry a bit before putting them into the gallon freezer bags in a single layer. I find I can fit about 17-20 tomatoes per bag; when they are all in bags, put them in the freezer until you're ready to process them. A quick dip in boiling water, followed by a bath in ice water will make coring and peeling the tomatoes a breeze. After that, you can dice them, chop them, roast them, or whatever else you care to do before canning them- just be sure to add a bit of lemon juice or vinegar to each jar, to ensure the acidity levels remain high for water-bath canning.
Thanks for that heads up! 50 lbs of tomatoes for $25 can't be beat!
Yum diced Maters!
The garden produced enough tomato sauce to last us for the year. This should augment the storage nicely.
Madeinhb
06-14-2015, 21:23
Thanks for the heads up. Bought 5 lbs so I can try this marinara sauce and can it if it comes out good.
Sprouts: 72-hour sale on Pineapple, .88 each. GO GET THEM! I must warn you, there were so many shoppers there this morning that the pineapples may not last for the full 72 hours, but that would simply mean you get a raincheck. Don't wait too long!
RCCrawler
06-26-2015, 15:18
Picked up 80lbs of chicken breasts this afternoon that I ordered a few months ago through Zaycon. Getting ready to spend a few hours vacuum packing them.
Picked up 80lbs of chicken breasts this afternoon that I ordered a few months ago through Zaycon. Getting ready to spend a few hours vacuum packing them.
I'm picking up my 40 lbs tomorrow.
Me, too! Food Saver and pressure canner at the ready; cats are primed to grab anything that hits the floor. :)
Aloha_Shooter
06-26-2015, 20:30
It's a bit late but for future reference, apples will last for weeks or even months if stored in a cool, dry dark place. Do NOT store them in plastic, they need to breathe.
Tan. My froze/quartered/peeled/canned maters all float to the top of the jars. I follow Ball's Blue Book recipe. Am I doing something wrong?
Nope. Mine float as well. Before you use them, give them a shake. As long as the seals on your jars are good, and there's no sour smell when you open the jars, it's all good.
The tomatoes float because the fruit has oxygen bubbles inside. Did you raw pack them, or hot pack? Water process or pressure can?
It's a bit late but for future reference, apples will last for weeks or even months if stored in a cool, dry dark place. Do NOT store them in plastic, they need to breathe.
Always good advice! I'm searching for a dark, cool area in my house and I'm inclined to believe that it simply doesn't exist yet. :) Keep apples well away from potatoes; they're a bad influence on each other and will release ethylene gas, which causes faster ripening/rotting.
Chicken today as well.
I think I killed my foodsaver. Time to shop for #4.
Kohls may have some decent sales on Foodsavers, especially if you have a Kohls card.
Yeah, I meant to get there before father's day, as I had a 30% off mailer but I procrastinated too long. I'll be heading there soon.
Thanks for the heads up though.
I'll check all the packages after they freeze, to see if any need to be marked for first use. I only had to redo 4 this morning.
FWIW, apples store best at 32-34F degrees. Large apple distributors store them in a darkened oxygen-free nitrogen gas environment for up to three years. Apples from USA that you buy in summer are last years Sept-Oct crop, and possibly from two years ago. The big distributors dump their old stock at cheap prices just as CO apple growers try to market their fresh crop. They fuck the farmers at the expense of the consumer. The old stored fruit goes bad quickly, lacks flavor, sugars and crispness which discourages people from buying apples. But, you can't beat the quality of a fresh Colorado apple in season.
Nope. Mine float as well. Before you use them, give them a shake. As long as the seals on your jars are good, and there's no sour smell when you open the jars, it's all good.
The tomatoes float because the fruit has oxygen bubbles inside. Did you raw pack them, or hot pack? Water process or pressure can?
I froze em all. Dipped them in boiling water for 2-3 seconds, skins came right off. Quartered them, simmered for 5 minutes and packed em in jars with lemon juice/salt. Processed in a boiling water bath for 45 minutes.
GilpinGuy
06-27-2015, 21:31
FWIW, apples store best at 32-34F degrees. Large apple distributors store them in a darkened oxygen-free nitrogen gas environment for up to three years. Apples from USA that you buy in summer are last years Sept-Oct crop, and possibly from two years ago. The big distributors dump their old stock at cheap prices just as CO apple growers try to market their fresh crop. They fuck the farmers at the expense of the consumer. The old stored fruit goes bad quickly, lacks flavor, sugars and crispness which discourages people from buying apples. But, you can't beat the quality of a fresh Colorado apple in season.
Wow. I had no idea. Just like eggs at the store being a few months old.
I took a bite out of a Granny Smith today that looked awesome, but it was spongy and tasted like cardboard. From '13 I guess. [fail]
I froze em all. Dipped them in boiling water for 2-3 seconds, skins came right off. Quartered them, simmered for 5 minutes and packed em in jars with lemon juice/salt. Processed in a boiling water bath for 45 minutes.
I froze mine, too, and skinned and cored them. I cut some in half, otherwise packed them whole in jars with vinegar and water. Used a pressure canner. They not only float, but look a little like red brains (the whole tomatoes do.)
Here's a mistake I made: after dipping into boiling water, I tried to skin too many at once and left them sitting in cool water. Tomatoes absorb water like nobody's business, and layers began sluicing off of them when I tried squeezing some of it out. Don't do what I did. :) Skin them in small batches.
FWIW, apples store best at 32-34F degrees. Large apple distributors store them in a darkened oxygen-free nitrogen gas environment for up to three years. Apples from USA that you buy in summer are last years Sept-Oct crop, and possibly from two years ago. The big distributors dump their old stock at cheap prices just as CO apple growers try to market their fresh crop. They fuck the farmers at the expense of the consumer. The old stored fruit goes bad quickly, lacks flavor, sugars and crispness which discourages people from buying apples. But, you can't beat the quality of a fresh Colorado apple in season.
This is GREAT to know- thank you! I'm going to start hitting farmer's markets and cutting out the middle man.
Chicken today as well.
I think I killed my foodsaver. Time to shop for #4.
I think we killed ours after two cases of zaycon chicken breasts last night....
I'll see how mine holds up soon, we are foodsavering half and canning half after I can get some quick chicken stock made up.
RCCrawler
06-28-2015, 12:08
My food saver is probably 5 years old and gets used all the time. It made it through 80lbs fine. What the hell are you guys doing to yours?
I had one Foodsaver give up the ghost just because- the damn handle stopped going down about halfway, so the sealer wouldn't engage. I think it died out of pure orneriness. I got a better Foodsaver (read: a more expensive model) that didn't have the handle you press, and it's been working like a champ.
Mine was 8-10yrs. Hasn't automatically activated the sealer for about the last 2 yrs (I had to hit the seal button every cycle), but still pulled good vacuum.
About 3/4 or so through this batch, it seemed to be struggling to pull a good vacuum.
When searching for canning jars on sale, check Kmart, Walmart, Target, Big Lots, and big grocery stores (in addition to yard sales, craigslist, freecycle, estate sales, and friends that have stopped canning.) Big Lots sells the brand Golden Harvest, which are good canning jars. Walmart sells Mainstay jars which are okay for waterbath canning, but not for pressure canning- the jars tend to break or lose their seals. Right now, Kmart is having sales on jars, as is Big Lots. Walmart will match Kmart's prices, but may limit the amount.
Remember, when buying jars from used sources, run your finger along the lip of the jar to make sure there are no chips or cracks. Always use new lids when canning, unless you're using Tattler lids. Go forth and can! :)
Tattler Lids take some getting used to.
If you don't follow the instructions it is very frustrating.
I totally agree. That's why I stick with the regular lids that go "pop" when they seal. I've heard of problems with Tattlers, but I know there are some people that swear by them.
For sure. I have some I would use for stuff that I frequently go through and eat on a regular basis. But Plastic is a little more porous than metal. I wouldn't use them for long term.
So you have to process them looser than normal lids and immediately tighten them down when taking them out of the canner.
This video inspired me to get super thick and grippy silicone gloves. I have had this happen (a little bit of siphoning) on one or two jars with regular lids so I feel much better with the gloves that I now use.
What most likely happened is that jar was probably tightened too much prior to being processed and that is what made the lid bulge like that. the gas had nowhere to escape while processing. When you have canned for so long, and you throw in a new procedure, you get into auto-pilot and it is easy as heck to tighten a tattler just like you would a normal jar lid before processing.
Not a fun way to get 2nd degree burns. The one spot on his hand probably was 3rd degree.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5EkoMFGBA8
Sprouts has peaches for sale. $.48/lb. They also have oats in their bulk section for $.69/lb. Jumbo Cantaloupes are $.98 each. Can or dehydrate the fruit, put the oatmeal up in jars or long-term containers.
King Soopers
Northwest cherries for $1.77/lb. Now's the time to grab some cherries, pit them and dehydrate them or can them for cherry pie filling.
Kings also has Cottonelle toilet paper (12 double rolls) or Viva paper towels (6 rolls), 2/$10 (when you buys 2.)
Safeway
24-packs of 16.9 ounce ottles of water for sale for $1.99 each, limit of 4. Refreshe band.
They have boneless skinless chicken breasts for $1.88/lb.
Red or green seedless grapes are $.99/lb- great for freezing and having for treats when the weather does turn hot. You can also dehydrate grapes.
C & H sugar is $1.99/ per 4-lb bag.
Carrots are $.99 per 2-lb bag.
I would highly recommend visiting the farmer's markets in your area- most of them have amazing sizes and varieties of produce and by purchasing food directly from the local farmers, you're supporting them instead of chain stores, and you're almost guaranteed fresher food.
Madeinhb
07-08-2015, 23:07
I've never had any luck Canning peaches. Any advice?
Where does it seem to go wrong for you? I have the best luck canning peach halves.
...Big Lots sells the brand Golden Harvest, which are good canning jars. ...
Take a mental note with the Golden Harvest Jars... They are wider than standard Ball or Kerr jars. IE: In my Presto canner I can only fit 18 Pints of Golden Harvest Jars, when normally it would fit 20.
Thanks for the Heads up again! I don't frequent sprouts, but I have taken advantage of some good prices several times because you posted them up here!
Madeinhb
07-09-2015, 18:57
Where does it seem to go wrong for you? I have the best luck canning peach halves.
Pressure canner or water bath?
I tried once and when I opened the jar 2 months later, they didn't taste that good. I did try them before canning and they were good.
What recipe were you using?
Pressure canner or water bath?
I tried once and when I opened the jar 2 months later, they didn't taste that good. I did try them before canning and they were good.
Hm. Okay- did you use Fruit Fresh on them before you put them in the jars? Did you pack them in a syrup, apple juice, or water? Do you happen to remember if they were hard or soft when you canned them? Did you peel them first? Where did you get them?
I canned mine in a water bath, using Fruit Fresh and a very light sugar syrup I made.
Take a mental note with the Golden Harvest Jars... They are wider than standard Ball or Kerr jars. IE: In my Presto canner I can only fit 18 Pints of Golden Harvest Jars, when normally it would fit 20.
Thanks for the Heads up again! I don't frequent sprouts, but I have taken advantage of some good prices several times because you posted them up here!
I did't realize that! That's good to know about the Golden Harvest jars. Thanks!
I'm glad to hear my posts are helping you save money. :) Sprouts has some awesome deals at times.
I did't realize that! That's good to know about the Golden Harvest jars. Thanks!
I'm glad to hear my posts are helping you save money. :) Sprouts has some awesome deals at times.
I thought that would be something important. We had 20 pints sterilized and filled, then we all of a sudden could not fit them into the canner.... They had to wait until the next batch!
Hm. Okay- did you use Fruit Fresh on them before you put them in the jars? Did you pack them in a syrup, apple juice, or water? Do you happen to remember if they were hard or soft when you canned them? Did you peel them first? Where did you get them?
I canned mine in a water bath, using Fruit Fresh and a very light sugar syrup I made.
Yup! We need a narrative of the process you took. I am sure we can figure out alternatives or a different process to make them tasty for you!
Madeinhb
07-10-2015, 00:40
Hm. Okay- did you use Fruit Fresh on them before you put them in the jars? Did you pack them in a syrup, apple juice, or water? Do you happen to remember if they were hard or soft when you canned them? Did you peel them first? Where did you get them?
I canned mine in a water bath, using Fruit Fresh and a very light sugar syrup I made.
I don't remember the recipe as it was a year ago. But I did peel them. They were filled with water. And they were more on the soft side than hard.
I use many recipes from this site- I've been very satisfied with the results. Here's what I used for canning peaches (again, I used the water bath method. )
http://www.pickyourown.org/peachescanning.htm
One thing I feel I need to share- I know it states that you can use Stevia or Splenda instead of sugar, and you most certainly can do that, as long as the sugar substitutes are for flavor enhancement only (although I personally don't care for the taste of Splenda.) If you're making jelly or jam, use low-sugar/no-sugar pectin and the amount of sugar the recipe calls for. The sugar combines with the pectin and acts as a preservative. The sugar replacements such as Stevia don't have the same preserving properties, and your jellies/jams won't last as long on the shelf.
Madeinhb
07-10-2015, 21:51
Sweet. Thanks for that. Will give that a shot when I get some peaches from the farmers markets
Sweet. Thanks for that. Will give that a shot when I get some peaches from the farmers markets
I hope they turn out sweet and juicy!
I've come across a few articles on foods that you should never can at home. The articles all used state and county extension offices as sources.
Before I list them, I know some of the people reading this will have experience in canning the items (or will know someone that has) that are considered verboten. I ask that you take into account the fact that food science is ever-evolving, and that something that may have worked for Grandma or Aunt Jenny may not work for your family. Botulism is invisible, tasteless, and odorless. It can take up to ten days' incubation time. It's scary stuff, and you have to weigh the known dangers against what you know or have always done.
1. Pureed pumpkin. You may can cubed pumpkin safely, but pureed pumpkin is simply too thick to be certain of the food in the very center reaching that 240 degrees that is crucial for killing botulism. This includes pumpkin butter.
2. Bacon. I know this will be a bone of contention, but every extension site I've looked at says the same thing: bacon cannot be safely canned at home. There's simply too much fat in it to be able to can it safely. I've also seen recipes online as to canning bacon, and suggest using brown paper bags to fold and wrap around the meat- I'd suggest that brown paper bags aren't really made to cook in. Have you seen how brown paper bags fragment and shred when they are wet? Canning bacon would partially cook it (again, never knowing if you've reached the 240 degrees necessary) but would also wet the bag enough to let tiny fragments of brown paper to get into your food. A double whammy.
3. Butter. I've seen recipes for creating "ghee," otherwise known as clarified butter. Extension sites suggest that butter is too high in fat, and just like bacon, is impossible to reach that temperature of 240 degrees. The good thing is that butter freezes beautifully. Personally, I think that the powdered butter available is all kinds of vile, although it's okay for baking. Really, though. Ick.
4. Eggs. There's just no canning eggs safely. Raw, scrambled eggs swell in a jar, so you can only fill a jar halfway. That's still a lot of eggs. After processing, they turn sort of grainy. And green. And foul. You can preserve eggs far more effectively by freezing them (I like using those little square Ziploc containers; I can scramble two or three eggs per container, and they stack nicely. Just be sure to scramble the eggs first, and freeze them outside of the eggshell) or dehydration. You can also pickle them, but after about three days' time they have to live in your refrigerator (and can do so for a disturbingly long time.)
The King Soopers by me has a sale on canning jars and lids/rings. Jars are $10 for a case and under, lids are $1.79/pack, a dozen rings and lids are $3.99. Check at the Kings nearest you, and take advantage of the sale!
hollohas
07-23-2015, 18:45
Jar $7.59/case for quarts, $6.59/cs pints at Costco. Best deal around.
Jar $7.59/case for quarts, $6.59/cs pints at Costco. Best deal around.
WOW! Is that regular mouth, wide mouth or both?
Yellow onions, 2 lbs for $1, at Sprouts. I'm late getting this sale up, but it goes through Wednesday. I picked up 10# and will slice them and cook them in the crock pot with a little olive oil before canning them in small jars for those times when a little onion would taste good. I have a devil of a time keeping onions from molding and/or rotting. Can't keep the temperature and humidity levels steady in this house.
hollohas
07-25-2015, 10:41
WOW! Is that regular mouth, wide mouth or both?
I think regular mouth pints and wide mouth quarts. I think...
King Soopers has Ball Quarts for 9.99 /case. It isn't as cheap as Costco right now but all the costco's around me do not have Quarts.
Westminster costco has a pallet left of quart mason jars 5.97 each. They are marked down so this is probably all they have left
hollohas
09-02-2015, 11:06
River Point Costco still has one pallet of Pints for $6.49/dz. The little asterisk on the price sign means they won't be getting any more.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/02/c7c04283ee3316cf6bea7c6eb617e865.jpg
Thanks for the info, guys! Excellent prices.
This is very, very late to post, but King Soopers is having an eggs sale for its "simply truth" brand. 2 dozen grade AA large brown eggs for $5. This sale goes through Wednesday.
This is what I did: I previously bought Ziploc snack containers from Walmart. I think there are 6 or 12 to a pack. They're tiny square containers. BHA free.
Each container can hold 2 large eggs. We go through eggs like nobody's business. I broke 2 eggs into a bowl, scrambled them and put them into a Ziploc container. Now it's safe to freeze them, so they can be thawed and used for scrambled eggs or baking or whatever- as long as you scramble the eggs, you can freeze them safely.
So scoop up! :) Apologies for not posting this earlier.
I am canning chili beans today.
I sorted through some dried pinto beans, making sure there were no rocks or dirt clumps. After rinsing, I dumped them into my large stock pot, filled it with water and set it to boil for 3 minutes. I then removed the pot from the burner, and let it sit overnight.
In the morning, I dumped out the nasty water, and rinsed the soaked beans with cool water until it ran clear. I cleaned and sterilized my canning jars, filled them with beans (leaving a bit more than an inch of headspace) and added a tablespoonful of dried onions, and about a half spoonful of chili seasoning. I then filled the jars with biling water, using a wooden skewer to make sure there were no air bubbles, filling with water until there was an inch of headspace.
I wiped the rims with a cloth dipped in vinegar, and put the jars into my pressure canner.
Pints were processed at 13 pounds of pressure for 1 hour and 15 minutes, quarts were processed for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Easy peasy!
I am canning chili beans today.
I sorted through some dried pinto beans, making sure there were no rocks or dirt clumps. After rinsing, I dumped them into my large stock pot, filled it with water and set it to boil for 3 minutes. I then removed the pot from the burner, and let it sit overnight.
In the morning, I dumped out the nasty water, and rinsed the soaked beans with cool water until it ran clear. I cleaned and sterilized my canning jars, filled them with beans (leaving a bit more than an inch of headspace) and added a tablespoonful of dried onions, and about a half spoonful of chili seasoning. I then filled the jars with biling water, using a wooden skewer to make sure there were no air bubbles, filling with water until there was an inch of headspace.
I wiped the rims with a cloth dipped in vinegar, and put the jars into my pressure canner.
Pints were processed at 13 pounds of pressure for 1 hour and 15 minutes, quarts were processed for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Easy peasy!
Thanks! I want to add to my bean storage in this manner. Dry beans take so much energy to make edible. Canned beans are pretty much ready to eat.
I was also thinking about changing out my dry bean storage for lentils as lentils take less energy to reconstitute. Taking my dried Pintos and canning them in this manner would be a great way to do this.
I am canning chili beans today.
I sorted through some dried pinto beans, making sure there were no rocks or dirt clumps. After rinsing, I dumped them into my large stock pot, filled it with water and set it to boil for 3 minutes. I then removed the pot from the burner, and let it sit overnight.
In the morning, I dumped out the nasty water, and rinsed the soaked beans with cool water until it ran clear. I cleaned and sterilized my canning jars, filled them with beans (leaving a bit more than an inch of headspace) and added a tablespoonful of dried onions, and about a half spoonful of chili seasoning. I then filled the jars with biling water, using a wooden skewer to make sure there were no air bubbles, filling with water until there was an inch of headspace.
I wiped the rims with a cloth dipped in vinegar, and put the jars into my pressure canner.
Pints were processed at 13 pounds of pressure for 1 hour and 15 minutes, quarts were processed for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Easy peasy!
Don't tell anybody...but you're my hero. [emoji33] [emoji41] [emoji106]
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Glad I could help, guys! :)
Two of my quart jars of chili beans didn't seal, dangit.
For any newbies- if your jars haven't sealed, just pop them into the refrigerator until you decide what to do with them (you can either eat them up over the next couple of days, or you can try reprocessing the food again if you have ore canning to do.) If you decide to reprocess, move your food into a clean jar, and use a new lid.
I've read differences of opinion as to how long you should wait to see if your jars will seal; I've seen some people suggest waiting overnight. I'm a little too paranoid for that. I wait until the jars have cooled down, and I test them by pressing my finger in the middle of the lid. It should not pop up or down. If it does, I wrap my hands around the jar- if it's still hot/warm, I wait until it cools and then put it into the fridge. Do NOT put food that is still warm into the fridge. Bacteria LOVE that.
Tomorrow, we're having Yardbird Chili, made with diced tomatoes, chili beans, chicken and caramelized onions- all of which I've canned!
We have lentils in reserve as well- I'm still learning how to cook them/how not to overcook them. ;) I'll get there one day.
Albertsons has 2 pounds of Tillamook cheese for $6.99 with coupon in their flyer.
This cheese waxes well, and I have been storing this cheese like that for a year now with no issues, and rotating it through. It is a real good premium cheese to store.
Sam's club has entire pork loins for $1.88/lb. The total cost is usually under $20. About a year or so ago, the price skyrocketed to over $2.50/lb.
I usually buy one, chop off the ends for pulled pork in the crock pot, and slice pork chops out of the middle.
Otherwise, I chop the loin into chunks, add some dried onion and a little salt, and stuff it into jars and can it. No need to add water or broth; the meat will provide its own.
Albertsons has 2 pounds of Tillamook cheese for $6.99 with coupon in their flyer.
This cheese waxes well, and I have been storing this cheese like that for a year now with no issues, and rotating it through. It is a real good premium cheese to store.
Tillamook cheese is SO tasty.
King Soopers has the same cheese blocks for $6.99 without a coupon currently. I grab the Medium cheddar, chop it in half, and wax it. A year later it seems not all that much "sharper" in flavor. I have a double-boiler dedicated to cheese wax. When it is time to use a block of cheese, peel the wax off the block of cheese and put in fridge. Wash removed wax, air dry, and melt next time I wax more cheese blocks.
I store them in the basement pantry (66-70 degrees on average) on cookies sheets with parchment paper. Rotate them every few months to combat gravity.
Only problem I have ever had in the last year is a block came in contact with another block and the wax stuck to each other. When I tried separating them the wax cracked. And another block had an air bubble trapped and allowed a bit of mold to start under the wax. I un-waxed the cheese, and cut off the mold, and ate it. Yum.
Is waxing cheese as easy as it seems?
Is waxing cheese as easy as it seems?
I think so. However I have not waxed any cheese like Swiss with little holes in it. I purposely chose cheddar for its versatility and smooth surface. I also chose Tillamook, because it is a premium cheese and I am probably over-cautious, but I just trust it better than a store brand for example. (and like TheGrey just said, it is friggin' delicious!) If I was back where I grew up, I would be buying the cheese I store from the cheese factory where I know it is literally just cheese.
Get a double boiler from a thrift store or a super cheap one from walmart (had to seriously spend a day trying to find one). You will never use the top pot for anything else as wax is hard to clean out. I bought true cheese wax from my neighborhood home brewing store as paraffin is not flexible enough.
I didn't really bother with leaving the cheese out for a day to "sweat" the cheese. So far I haven't had negative results.
Once wax is melted, I grab the block of cheese and lower it (corner first!) into the wax just over half way (beware of displacement! you don't want wax flowing onto burner!) and set it on the parchment wax side up.
I dip the wax a total of 4 times. And store like I said above.
The purpose of waxing cheese is to get air away from the cheese. As long as there is no air, there is no mold!
The article I read about waxing cheese was talking about using a brush to apply the wax. You've already had cheese last at least a year with your technique?
Can you talk a little about wax temps? I know with candles, if you get the wax too hot, it goes into a thin liquid form that won't coat things (I was making fire starters) and will just soak into material. I imagine heating cheese wax is similar.
The article I read about waxing cheese was talking about using a brush to apply the wax. You've already had cheese last at least a year with your technique?
Can you talk a little about wax temps? I know with candles, if you get the wax too hot, it goes into a thin liquid form that won't coat things (I was making fire starters) and will just soak into material. I imagine heating cheese wax is similar.
Successfully ate and survived the 1 year old cheese. It actually tasted just like it did when I got it from the store. I bought Medium Cheddar and It may have been a little sharper, but I could not really tell. I also (as an experiment) waxed some Colby-Jack in the same first ever batch, and it turned out just fine as well.
The brush, folks use to get in the nooks and crannies of cheese with holes in it and waxing larger wheels, that you cannot fit in your pot to dunk in the wax. The trick with that from what I have read is to use a natural bristle brush. They should have them at kitchen stores.
I chop my 2 lb blocks in half so they fit in my double-boiler so all I have to do is just dunk them in there, and it leaves a air tight coating of wax. let cool for 30 seconds, flip over and coat the other side. let cool for 30 seconds, and coat the opposite side. 30 seconds and coat the last side. you can coat them more, and some folks dip them 4 to 6 times more.
Temperature is precisely why I use a double boiler, water boils at 210 degrees (203 degrees in Denver because of altitude) The wax will never get above that temperature unless you boil it dry. This is why you melt chocolate, temper eggs, etc in a double boiler because it is a much more gentle way of heating the material inside the pot. And prevents scorching like what you are describing. If the wax gets too hot it separates.
Seems like dunking is a waybetter method for cheese with holes. Do you find you can save money by purchasing in bulk then saving in dry storage?
Seems like dunking is a waybetter method for cheese with holes. Do you find you can save money by purchasing in bulk then saving in dry storage?
Sometimes if there are little holes on the "downside" of the dunking process little air bubbles can prevent the wax from covering the cheese. This happens as well if you don't dunk the cheese corner first.
I think if I wanted to do this the cheapest way possible I would get cheaper (Store Brand) cheese and buy a bunch of it at a time. When the Tillamook goes on sale I would say that it is around the same price as the store brand stuff at regular price.
The wax I don't consider a consumable, as I can re-use it over and over again, and it peels off the cheese very cleanly (like a baby bell). So really the only expense is the cheese, and the energy to heat the wax.
Sprouts has Roma tomatoes for $.48/lb!
Sprouts has Roma tomatoes for $.48/lb!
Be down there tomorrow. The only place in CO that carries fresh okra. Loves me some fried okra.
Getting spoiled, there is a local lady doing Southern picklings. Green beans, okra, corn, mixed veggies, etc...
We have two boxes of Roma's coming from bountiful baskets. Momma's gonna can salsa. Yummy, and it does end up saving us money because our friends love it and it's our contribution at get togethers.
I picked up 3 cases, and will be a canning fool this weekend. I'm going to core and blanch them to peel them easily, throw them into my giant electric turkey roaster and let 'em cook down for a few hours with some onions and spices. Make up some sauce to can. :)
We have two boxes of Roma's coming from bountiful baskets. Momma's gonna can salsa. Yummy, and it does end up saving us money because our friends love it and it's our contribution at get togethers.
I've heard about Bountiful Baskets, but don't know much about them. Can you explain a bit as to how it works? Is it a good deal?
I've heard about Bountiful Baskets, but don't know much about them. Can you explain a bit as to how it works? Is it a good deal?
Up here we have Door To Door Organics. They might be on the front range too.
Up here we have Door To Door Organics. They might be on the front range too.
Thanks for the tip! I'll look them up.
I'm so happy about these tomatoes; canning them now means I'm not going to have to put tomatoes into the garden this year.
encorehunter
02-06-2016, 07:38
I will be canning some salsa today as well. We aren't as lucky on prices. $1.89 a pound for Roma's. I need to have some salsa ready fornworkntomorrow.
Bountiful is a good deal, but unless you make effort to use what you get it can be wasteful. It's volunteer based except for the truck driver. The co-op runs through Internet orders and volunteers. Volunteers unload the truck and separate that week's order out onto baskets. In theory that happens before the "donators" i.e. People who bought the food, show up. It seems a good half the time, the truck is late. There is a website, you preorder, prepay, and buy the "extras". This week tomatoes next week could be apples, these are usually below retail and are usually quite good.
I will be canning some salsa today as well. We aren't as lucky on prices. $1.89 a pound for Roma's. I need to have some salsa ready fornworkntomorrow.
Yeah, that's been the usual price here. When I saw the sale, I jumped on it. They only drop the price a couple of times per year.
Bountiful is a good deal, but unless you make effort to use what you get it can be wasteful. It's volunteer based except for the truck driver. The co-op runs through Internet orders and volunteers. Volunteers unload the truck and separate that week's order out onto baskets. In theory that happens before the "donators" i.e. People who bought the food, show up. It seems a good half the time, the truck is late. There is a website, you preorder, prepay, and buy the "extras". This week tomatoes next week could be apples, these are usually below retail and are usually quite good.
I looked at their website. Interesting. Yes, I could see how things could be easily wasted (we really don't go in much for salad stuff) but it looks like it could be a good program.
Bountiful is a good deal, but unless you make effort to use what you get it can be wasteful. It's volunteer based except for the truck driver. The co-op runs through Internet orders and volunteers. Volunteers unload the truck and separate that week's order out onto baskets. In theory that happens before the "donators" i.e. People who bought the food, show up. It seems a good half the time, the truck is late. There is a website, you preorder, prepay, and buy the "extras". This week tomatoes next week could be apples, these are usually below retail and are usually quite good.
http://bountifulbaskets.org/
(http://bountifulbaskets.org/)
We've used Bountiful Baskets in the past, mostly in winter and spring before our own gardens produce. It's usually a very good deal price wise, and it helps us eat more fruit and veggies. The varied selection encourages experimenting with produce that we don't regularly use. We make a point of using all the food or giving away any excess.
It is run as a co-op. We try to volunteer to distribute from the produce crates into the baskets because any extra food on the truck is divvied among the volunteers. Pick up locations are usually in a business parking lot like this where buyers get two baskets each. You bring your own boxes and leave the baskets behind.
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Home/87-Bountiful-Baskets_zpso161tar9.jpg
(http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Home/87-Bountiful-Baskets_zpso161tar9.jpg.html)
I just finished reading One Year After (http://www.amazon.com/One-Year-After-A-Novel/dp/0765376709/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0GRXAFG2GCGTVQBNX7JY), the sequel to William Forstchen's novel, One Second After (http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-After-William-Forstchen/dp/0765356864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455040813&sr=8-1&keywords=one+second+after+book), about the effects of an EMP detonation over the United States. I've also read Lights Out (http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-David-Crawford/dp/0615427359/ref=pd_sim_14_12?ie=UTF8&dpID=41O-Bqz1abL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&refRID=05292YQ571X8GR4DV914) and Collision Course (http://www.amazon.com/Collision-Course-David-Crawford-ebook/dp/B0083P4AJG/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8) by David Crawford. All, highly recommended reading. These books address the scenario in which 80-90% of the US population is projected to die off within 6 months due to starvation, medical emergency, rioting and warfare. I'm now starting Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath (http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-Cyberattack-Unprepared-Surviving/dp/055341996X/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=412-bYDI0CL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&refRID=02YMY55TFKG0CNCDRK5P), by Ted Koppel. Whether the SHTF happens by and EMP or some other widespread disaster, the apocalyptic scenario seems very plausible to me.
For me (as an Eagle Scout), being prepared is one of my core values. I suppose I first learned from my grandmother who lived through the Great Depression and always kept a locked cold cellar pantry in the basement, stocked with canned and dry goods. My wife and I do much the same and we could possibly live for 2 years off what we have stored in the pantry and freezers. I do keep some bulk dry goods such as beans, rice, lentils, coffee, dehydrated fruit and veggies, etc., in buckets and tubs. Recently, our supply of pinto beans (that I packed 7 years ago) was running low so I picked up a 10 lb. bag and vacuum packed them in meal sized portions. 2 1/2 cups of pinto weighs about a pound and will make a crock pot full of food, enough for several meals. It's a great addition to elk steak, hamburger, or any other red meat. We usually freeze leftover beans but I like the idea of canning them and may put up a batch or two of that soon.
I want to increase my dry goods storage and am curious what types of dry goods you guys have put up for long term storage, what methods you use, and how long you've been able to keep it in good condition?
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Home/Pintos-vacuum-packed_zps1pldljyg.jpg
(http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Home/Pintos-vacuum-packed_zps1pldljyg.jpg.html)
I just finished reading One Year After (http://www.amazon.com/One-Year-After-A-Novel/dp/0765376709/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0GRXAFG2GCGTVQBNX7JY), the sequel to William Forstchen's novel, One Second After (http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-After-William-Forstchen/dp/0765356864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1455040813&sr=8-1&keywords=one+second+after+book), about the effects of an EMP detonation over the United States. I've also read Lights Out (http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-David-Crawford/dp/0615427359/ref=pd_sim_14_12?ie=UTF8&dpID=41O-Bqz1abL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&refRID=05292YQ571X8GR4DV914) and Collision Course (http://www.amazon.com/Collision-Course-David-Crawford-ebook/dp/B0083P4AJG/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8) by David Crawford. All, highly recommended reading. These books address the scenario in which 80-90% of the US population is projected to die off within 6 months due to starvation, medical emergency, rioting and warfare. I'm now starting Lights Out: A Cyberattack, A Nation Unprepared, Surviving the Aftermath (http://www.amazon.com/Lights-Out-Cyberattack-Unprepared-Surviving/dp/055341996X/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=412-bYDI0CL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&refRID=02YMY55TFKG0CNCDRK5P), by Ted Koppel. Whether the SHTF happens by and EMP or some other widespread disaster, the apocalyptic scenario seems very plausible to me.
For me (as an Eagle Scout), being prepared is one of my core values. I suppose I first learned from my grandmother who lived through the Great Depression and always kept a locked cold cellar pantry in the basement, stocked with canned and dry goods. My wife and I do much the same and we could possibly live for 2 years off what we have stored in the pantry and freezers. I do keep some bulk dry goods such as beans, rice, lentils, coffee, dehydrated fruit and veggies, etc., in buckets and tubs. Recently, our supply of pinto beans (that I packed 7 years ago) was running low so I picked up a 10 lb. bag and vacuum packed them in meal sized portions. 2 1/2 cups of pinto weighs about a pound and will make a crock pot full of food, enough for several meals. It's a great addition to elk steak, hamburger, or any other red meat. We usually freeze leftover beans but I like the idea of canning them and may put up a batch or two of that soon.
I want to increase my dry goods storage and am curious what types of dry goods you guys have put up for long term storage, what methods you use, and how long you've been able to keep it in good condition?
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Home/Pintos-vacuum-packed_zps1pldljyg.jpg
(http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Home/Pintos-vacuum-packed_zps1pldljyg.jpg.html)
I haven't read any of those books except One Second After, so I've got to catch up!
I have a dehydrator, but aside from drying cherries, I haven't used it much. One thing that concerns me about keeping things like dried beans and such is that they use up a lot of water to rehydrate. We're not really near a source of decent water, so if any sort of disaster happens and we're without city water for whatever reason, we must rely on the water that I've stored. If our electricity is knocked out, that means no crock-pot. Come to think of it, a Sun Oven may be the way to go with this. I can more food than I freeze, ever since we lost electricity in a house fire and everything in the freezer was gone.
I would love to know more about dry storage. Can you tell me more about how to secure coffee? Do you keep dry beans or grounds? How will it keep from going stale? What is the best way to keep flour and sugar? I have read books and blogs, but they all say something a bit different from each other.
I haven't read any of those books except One Second After, so I've got to catch up!
I have a dehydrator, but aside from drying cherries, I haven't used it much. One thing that concerns me about keeping things like dried beans and such is that they use up a lot of water to rehydrate. We're not really near a source of decent water, so if any sort of disaster happens and we're without city water for whatever reason, we must rely on the water that I've stored. If our electricity is knocked out, that means no crock-pot. Come to think of it, a Sun Oven may be the way to go with this. I can more food than I freeze, ever since we lost electricity in a house fire and everything in the freezer was gone.
I would love to know more about dry storage. Can you tell me more about how to secure coffee? Do you keep dry beans or grounds? How will it keep from going stale? What is the best way to keep flour and sugar? I have read books and blogs, but they all say something a bit different from each other.
Yes, dry beans especially take a lot of water and energy to cook, but they have a longer shelf life than canned foods. Without electricity, we'll be cooking on gas and wood burning appliances, mostly outdoors.
I have stored coffee beans in original packaging for 12-18 months, and notice it starts getting stale at about 6 months. I have some that I vacuum packed a year ago with the food saver. It seems to be fine. I've read that the best way is to buy green, unroasted coffee beans in bulk, and vacuum package it so it can last a few years. Then pan roast them over the camp fire or in the rotisserie on the grill. Some local coffee shops sell green beans and I've been meaning to pick up a 25 or 50 lb. bag.
We keep 100-200 lbs. of sugar in original packages and have never had it go bad. It gets rotated when I make fruit wines and feed hummers in the summer. We haven't stored or vacuum packed flour or grains in bulk beyond what's in the pantry that we would use in 6 months to a year. We don't use a lot of flour now but the demand might change if the SHTF. Was hoping to learn from others who do....
I need to figure out how to build a better cold pantry in the basement. Growing up in a rural area, even those who lived in town often had dug-out areas in the basement that were cooler than a normal basement for storing things root-cellar like. You just don't see that here in the city as much and I haven't figured out how to solve for it. Partly complicated in my situation by having a walk-out basement I guess. Humidity (lack of) is also a problem here too. I had a bunch of garlic and other root veggies from our mini-garden the last year or so, but they just don't keep as long as I remember them keeping as a kid. My garlic is already getting pretty dry.
I haven't read Collision Course yet, so I'll add that to the list. Another oldie but goodie is Alas, Babylon if you've never read it. I like it because it has less of a "mall ninja's dream" feel compared to some of the other popular books out that were more recently written.
You probably won't like Collision Course any better than I did because of the flawed mall ninja type characters. Still, it's worth a read to know what you may be up against. I really liked David Crawford's Lights Out because of the characters, the story of collaboration, weapons and tactics. I also enjoyed Forstchen's One Year After, though not as much as the first novel. Apparently there is another follow up book in the works.
Same idea for a cold cellar room as with building a wine cellar. In our colder climate, best on the north side of the basement. Insulate the walls facing the warm interior space and ceiling, and leave the exterior concrete walls and floor uninsulated. A pan of water with or without a fan can add humidity. Folks who build wine cellars often use small air conditioners timed to run only a few hours a day to keep things cold. 56-58F is good for wine, 45F is better for a root cellar. Apples, pears, potatoes and carrots like it closer to freezing, like 34F.
Sprouts has Roma tomatoes on sale for 2 lbs /$1. Go get them!
Cherries are still on sale at Sprouts. Actually, they're on sale everywhere, but Sprouts has the best prices at $1.98/lb.
I bought a few pounds to pit and dehydrate.
encorehunter
08-30-2018, 06:41
We have been busy putting up plums, apples, pears and peaches. We have put up at least 18 5 gallon buckets so far. The green and red plums made great jellies and fruit leather. 20 pints of apple butter, apples in the dehydrator now, along with one rack of pears. We used the apple peeler and core to peel and core the pears. I've never dried them before, so we figured to try and see what they would do.
My only problem is, my wife mentioned to a customer at the restaurant we were making jelly. Can I buy some?, turned into almost a business in itself. She has sold 18 jars of plum jelly at $13 a pint, and 20 jars of apple butter at $15. We used the money to buy more jars and a new SS juicer to try out.
We have 34 batches of juice for jelly in the freezer all ready with 6 more 5 gallon buckets on the table.
encorehunter
08-30-2018, 11:41
The pears in the dehydrator turnew out great. I made another 5 gallon bucket into slices and are in the dehydrator now, along with a few racks of peaches.
Does anyone have a plum pitter they use and like? I've been looking at them on the Internet today, none are in stock on amazon, most have a low rating. The big one I looked at is no longer made.
Watch for Sales on Mason Jars! King Soopers (7.99 - 8.99 per case of jars) and Bed Bath and Beyond have good prices.
Canning salt was $1.79 for a 3 pound box... That is awesome.
OKay, so in the spring we had an arborist come and do a "deep root fertilization" for our big Maple. Since they had the truck there, we had them also fertilize our peach tree (common Elberta peach) and our semi-dwarf Honeycrisp apple tree.
Since there was no hard "Mother's Day frost" this year, and combined with the fertilization treatment, our fruit trees were so heavy with fruit that some of the branches were nearly breaking.
I watched the Honeycrisp closely, but some sort of damn bugs got to every damn apple- they were wormy and some sort of beetle was eating the leaves. :( We didn't get a single Honeycrisp from our heavily-laden tree.
The peach tree, on the other hand, provided many, many pounds of the sweetest peaches I've ever tasted. Some peaches were sacrificed to the wildlife, but many went into a lovely spiced peach jam.
Here's the recipe. And when I say 'recipe', it's very loosely meant:
8 - 12# of peeled, pitted, ripe peaches. (After picking the fruit, remove any bruises or spots from the peaches, put them in boiling water for about 5 minutes, then put the peaches into very cold water. Make an "x with a knife at the bottom of the peach. In theory, the skin should peel away easily. Be careful- the pit will be very hot!)
2 1/2 - 4 c of sugar.
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice.
Put peeled peaches into a large pot on the stove. Do not turn the heat on yet. Sprinkle the sugar over the surface of the peaches, and stir. Do it again and again. You're essentially trying to put layers of sugar among the peaches, to make sure they are covered. Let the pot sit undisturbed for at least an hour, until the sugar is fully dissolved. You'll see a lot of peach juice, too.
Add the lemon juice, and stir.
Now turn on the heat- you want the heat to be medium at most. You're going to bring the peaches to a boil. Stir often, and don't let them scorch or burn. Boil them for ten minutes, and then turn off the heat. Let the peaches get to room temperature. Turn on the heat to medium again. This is also the point that you can taste the peaches and see if they need more sugar. I'll also add a spice recipe below if you want spiced peaches.
Repeat the heat and stir and cool down and heat again SIX times.
Now, this is going to take a ridiculous amount of time. The nice thing is that the sugar serves as a preservative, so you can let it sit covered (off of the heat) overnight with no issue. My first batch not only sat overnight, but I was only able to do one cycle of heat/boil/stir/turn off heat before I had to go work for the day. It's fine.
As you get to the fourth and fifth and sixth boil, you'll notice it getting thicker and thicker. The heat will not have to be as high in order to bring to a boil. That means you need to watch it very carefully so as not to scorch and burn it. If you want spiced peach jam, add the spices in before the third boil.
You'll notice this recipe does not call for pectin; it uses the peach's own pectin and sugar to help it gel and act as a preserve.
If you want smoother jam, use a hand blender to blend up chunks between the fifth and sixth boiling.
After the sixth boil, water bath can the jam while it's still hot.
Voila!
Spice recipe: for 8-10 pounds of peaches, use 1/2 tsp of the following, mixed in a small bowl before added to the jam: Allspice, Cinnamon, Ginger, Ground Cloves, nutmeg, and if you have it, Cardamom.
For over 10 pounds of peaches, increase the spices to 1 tsp each of the above spices.
Enjoy!
OKay, so in the spring we had an arborist come and do a "deep root fertilization" for our big Maple. Since they had the truck there, we had them also fertilize our peach tree (common Elberta peach) and our semi-dwarf Honeycrisp apple tree.
Since there was no hard "Mother's Day frost" this year, and combined with the fertilization treatment, our fruit trees were so heavy with fruit that some of the branches were nearly breaking.
I watched the Honeycrisp closely, but some sort of damn bugs got to every damn apple- they were wormy and some sort of beetle was eating the leaves. :( We didn't get a single Honeycrisp from our heavily-laden tree.
The peach tree, on the other hand, provided many, many pounds of the sweetest peaches I've ever tasted. Some peaches were sacrificed to the wildlife, but many went into a lovely spiced peach jam.
Here's the recipe. And when I say 'recipe', it's very loosely meant:
8 - 12# of peeled, pitted, ripe peaches. (After picking the fruit, remove any bruises or spots from the peaches, put them in boiling water for about 5 minutes, then put the peaches into very cold water. Make an "x with a knife at the bottom of the peach. In theory, the skin should peel away easily. Be careful- the pit will be very hot!)
2 1/2 - 4 c of sugar.
2-3 Tbsp lemon juice.
Put peeled peaches into a large pot on the stove. Do not turn the heat on yet. Sprinkle the sugar over the surface of the peaches, and stir. Do it again and again. You're essentially trying to put layers of sugar among the peaches, to make sure they are covered. Let the pot sit undisturbed for at least an hour, until the sugar is fully dissolved. You'll see a lot of peach juice, too.
Add the lemon juice, and stir.
Now turn on the heat- you want the heat to be medium at most. You're going to bring the peaches to a boil. Stir often, and don't let them scorch or burn. Boil them for ten minutes, and then turn off the heat. Let the peaches get to room temperature. Turn on the heat to medium again. This is also the point that you can taste the peaches and see if they need more sugar. I'll also add a spice recipe below if you want spiced peaches.
Repeat the heat and stir and cool down and heat again SIX times.
Now, this is going to take a ridiculous amount of time. The nice thing is that the sugar serves as a preservative, so you can let it sit covered (off of the heat) overnight with no issue. My first batch not only sat overnight, but I was only able to do one cycle of heat/boil/stir/turn off heat before I had to go work for the day. It's fine.
As you get to the fourth and fifth and sixth boil, you'll notice it getting thicker and thicker. The heat will not have to be as high in order to bring to a boil. That means you need to watch it very carefully so as not to scorch and burn it. If you want spiced peach jam, add the spices in before the third boil.
You'll notice this recipe does not call for pectin; it uses the peach's own pectin and sugar to help it gel and act as a preserve.
If you want smoother jam, use a hand blender to blend up chunks between the fifth and sixth boiling.
After the sixth boil, water bath can the jam while it's still hot.
Voila!
Spice recipe: for 8-10 pounds of peaches, use 1/2 tsp of the following, mixed in a small bowl before added to the jam: Allspice, Cinnamon, Ginger, Ground Cloves, nutmeg, and if you have it, Cardamom.
For over 10 pounds of peaches, increase the spices to 1 tsp each of the above spices.
Enjoy!
Might have to try that this year. Sounds yummy!![Dinner]
I made a smoked habanero salsa that I saw on a hunting show the other day. It was amazing and would be a great treat in the winter to crack open the jar and have that smokey flavor all ready to go. I'll give the recipe a shot.
6 Roma tomatoes
1 Red onion
1 Garlic (still wrapped)
1 Habanero
1 Lime
1 Lemon
Cilantro
Salt
On a hot, dry, iron place the whole tomatoes, red onion (cut into fourths), Garlic (in fourths but still in the paper), and the habenaro. Let sit on medium heat. You are basically charring everything on a few sides. Once everything is hot and charred, dump all your veggies into a metal strainer and put it into the smoker at around 250 degrees for about an hour. Once everything is smoked, bring inside and dump it into a blender (remove the paper from the garlic first!). Add your cilantro and squeeze a whole lime and whole lemon, then salt to taste. Blend and you're done.
If you're interested in seeing the video, it's from Eduardo Garcia on Season 2, Episode 13 of Meat Eater (Steven Rinella) on Netflix. Best salsa I've ever made by a long shot. Even my wife liked it.
ChickNorris
09-03-2019, 20:01
Seemed liked the right place to show this. Going to take a couple days to get caught up from what was picked just today.
Peppers tonight. Tomato prep tomorrow.
Seemed liked the right place to show this. Going to take a couple days to get caught up from what was picked just today.
Peppers tonight. Tomato prep tomorrow.
That looks like some of the silver tequila / jalape?o infusions I used to do for spicy margaritas.
hunterhawk
09-03-2019, 21:52
Jalapeno margaritas are delicious... jalapenos in general are. I had a ton this year but kind of on the small side.. but my whole garden has been off this year. You guys are making me hungry and making me wish i knew how to can!
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