$0.99/10lb bag russett potatoes at albertsons this week.
http://albertsons.mywebgrocer.com/Ci...422/Weekly/3/3
Looks like potato canning time!
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$0.99/10lb bag russett potatoes at albertsons this week.
http://albertsons.mywebgrocer.com/Ci...422/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.Quote:
Originally Posted by rbeau30
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/-R...28HDR%2529.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-x...510_172623.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-O...510_172633.jpg
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Irving
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.....Quote:
Originally Posted by rbeau30
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?
Apple sauce, and filling for Apple pie.Quote:
Originally Posted by Irving
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.
Tasty too. Home made sauce and filling always better than store bought.Quote:
Originally Posted by Irving
Dehydrated Apple slices. Kids love em.Quote:
Originally Posted by Irving
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]Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave
Caramel Apple butter.
http://crockpotladies.com/crockpot-c...-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.
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!
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.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RCCrawler
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. :)
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?
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aloha_Shooter
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.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by TheGrey
Wow. I had no idea. Just like eggs at the store being a few months old.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hummer
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 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.)Quote:
Originally Posted by rbeau30
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.
This is GREAT to know- thank you! I'm going to start hitting farmer's markets and cutting out the middle man.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hummer
I think we killed ours after two cases of zaycon chicken breasts last night....Quote:
Originally Posted by crays
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.
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! :)