Canning time

WV Sawmiller · August 20, 2015, 12:55:09 PM

Mom, SIL and nephew came up from Fla for a visit last week. Brought pears, muscadines, figs and blueberries. We have been busy since and more to do. Canned 14 quarts of pears and made batch of 7-8 pints of pear preserves. Made 8-1/2 pints of muscadine hull preserves which are my favorites. Still have 2 gallons of figs and 4 gallons of blueberries in the freezer ( plus a couple gallons of blackberries we found when we moved some fish and venison around) to put up. Will get to them in the next week or so.

Best crop of apples we have had yet here. Squirrels got every apple off the small tree in the front yard but 2 bigger ones in the pasture had about 30-35 gallons or so. First time we ever got enough to fool with. So far have canned 14 quarts, 15 pints of pie filling, 4 pints of apple preserves, dried 10 trays (2-1/2 quarts of dried apples) and second, larger batch drying now. Still have enough left to make one more batch of pie filling which I'll finish today.

Made my first fried apple pies yesterday from a pint that did not seal properly during canning. Used canned biscuits and deep fried. Not pretty and pretty messy but they were pretty good. Next time I will cook them at lower temps and in less oil. I can see making many more in the future with the granddaughters. That will be a project they will enjoy for many months to come. I figure putting the filling in and crimping the edges should be their jobs and adequate labor to justify getting a fried pie or two.

This is the first time I have used my apple peeler I got from flea market last year. Sure makes peeling apples and pears a lot easier. I see I am missing an attachment that would have made apple rings at the same time I peeled the apples. I will keep my eye open for another complete one but this one did make life easier.

21incher · August 20, 2015, 02:23:44 PM

We have very few apples this year. A late hard frost hit the blossoms and killed most of them. We have one of the apple peeler, corer, slicer units and use it to prepare apples for dehydrating. It is only a low cost one from china, but it works great. Just got done canning a batch of pickled sweet red peppers and all day tomorrow we will be making and canning tomato sauce.

POSTON WIDEHEAD · August 20, 2015, 05:43:11 PM

Fried Apples Pie are sooooooo good.

I knew a guy that shipped some fried apple pies once to a friend. I thought that was pretty nice. ;D

Good thread WV.

Magicman · August 20, 2015, 06:47:16 PM

Our pears will be ready soon.

Weekend_Sawyer · August 21, 2015, 02:12:10 PM

WV Sawmiller, sounds like it's time to have squirrel pot pie!

WV Sawmiller · August 21, 2015, 03:03:37 PM

WE Sawyer,

If I do that who will tell me when the deer are coming to my tree stand or shooting house? I very seldom shoot them any more because they are a great early warning system. I do have an 18 month old rat terrier as my knock around buddy who may convince me otherwise. If he trees them I will have to shoot them.

I finished canning 24 more pints of apple pie mix and the second dehydrator full of dried apples today. Took the last dozen or so small, bruised and bird pecked apples up to my shooting house. Maybe the doves won't carry them off like the do the corn from my feeders.

SLawyer Dave · August 21, 2015, 11:55:03 PM

I'm waiting for the new crop of apples to come in. I built a solar food dehydrator and love to make apple chips. Been making sundried tomatoes all summer. Time to switch over to fall fruits.

I have also made about 30 pints of different jams. I give most of them away as gifts, (those that my grandkids don't eat). =)

Tomatoes did real well this year, I have more sauce and dried tomatoes than I know what to do with. I will have lots of holiday gifts.

SwampDonkey · August 22, 2015, 02:16:04 AM

Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on August 20, 2015, 05:43:11 PM
Fried Apples Pie are sooooooo good.

Are they what we call apple turnovers?

The local processor

http://www.mccainfoodservice.ca/en-CA/Desserts/about/Pages/McCainAppleTurnoverswithsleeves.aspx

Warped · August 22, 2015, 06:54:23 AM

Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on August 20, 2015, 05:43:11 PM
Fried Apples Pie are sooooooo good.
I knew a guy that shipped some fried apple pies once to a friend. I thought that was pretty nice. ;D

Good thread WV.

Calling nonsense on this.....going to need the name of the shipper/baker and the recipient/pie eater! :-\ :-\ :-\ ;D

Chuck White · August 22, 2015, 09:38:27 AM

Anybody got a recipe/procedure for canning Jalapinio's so that they'll still be crispy a few months from now, or even next year!

WV Sawmiller · August 22, 2015, 01:21:03 PM

Swampdonkey,

I always thought of apple turnovers as baked with a flaky pastry shell. Fried pies are cooked on top of the stove in hot oil. Great cooks make their own dough. The rest of us use things like canned biscuits. The filling is just sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, cornstarch, water, apples and lemon juice. Actually pretty simple.

The bachelor crusts I used were cheap store brand canned biscuits, rolled flat on waxed paper dusted with flour, add a couple of tablespoons of filling (one pint worked out nearly perfect for a 10 pack of biscuits), fold over, crimp edges shut with a fork and fry. I deep fried but pretty well greased the entire cook top with the splatter. Next time I'll cook slower and in less oil.

My only fear about having canned biscuits in the house is it might lead my wife to think it is acceptable to try to bake them and feed them to me as a substitute for a real live biscuit. A little over 38 years ago when we first married we were walking through the commissary on USMC Base Quantico Va on our first grocery shopping trip as married folks and she slowed down and picked up a TV dinner and I told her "Don't even think about it or a canned biscuit either". For over 38 years that message has stuck - I hate to spoil it now.

SwampDonkey · August 22, 2015, 02:18:39 PM

I just canned a jar of veggies and I hear the lid sealed. I am not sure what it will taste like. :D I used carrot, parsnip and waxed beans, but I par boiled them and added lots of spicy peppers, onion and garlic to the boiling brine, and also some raw cuke slices and green mater slices. I used one carrot sliced lengthwise, as big diameter as a Dixie cup. :D We'll see............I bet mother is the first to inspect them when she comes home from a trip to the city. ;D :D :D

21incher · August 22, 2015, 04:42:38 PM

Quote from: Chuck White on August 22, 2015, 09:38:27 AM
Anybody got a recipe/procedure for canning Jalapinio's so that they'll still be crispy a few months from now, or even next year!

I pickle mine and they stay good for a couple of years (not crispy though). If you try to can peppers they have to process so long that they turn to mush. With pickling they only process for a couple of minutes.

svart ole · September 06, 2015, 12:50:56 PM

Just finished 3 days of canning. Potatoes, green beans, apple sauce, apple pie filling, apple butter, apple jelly. Checked this morning and corn is next. MORE beans, have beans up the wazoo this year. With any luck in two weeks it will be Bambi's mother.

Just Me · September 08, 2015, 03:52:35 PM

I have been canning two batches of tomatoes a night the last few days, beans are about done.

I did not have a garden for about 15 years for various reasons, and I sure did miss it. I'm having fun.

BradMarks · September 08, 2015, 04:16:29 PM

Picked 38 pounds (yes, I weighed 'em) of tomatoes Sunday, off the ONE plant I dubbed the "50 pounder". It still has at least 20 pounds left on it. So I guess I should call it the 60 pounder ;D Needless to say, salsa, paste and stewed tomatoes. Best year for our tomatoes I can remember.

Just Me · September 11, 2015, 07:16:36 PM

I grew beets this year and have never canned them. Don't like pickled beets, just straight up like scotch.

Any hints on the best way?

Thanks, Larry

SwampDonkey · September 12, 2015, 06:42:09 AM

We pickle beets here. ;D 8)

21incher · September 12, 2015, 07:30:23 AM

Quote from: Just Me on September 11, 2015, 07:16:36 PM
I grew beets this year and have never canned them. Don't like pickled beets, just straight up like scotch.

Any hints on the best way?

Thanks, Larry

I pressure can them. Cook them just long enough to peel the skin off (5-20 min usually). Leave about a inch of stem and root on while boiling to eliminate bleeding. We then like to cut them into 1/2" cubes, put them in the jars while still hot and add boiling water. Use the processing time and pressure in the Ball canning guide for your elevation. I also have a batch to can tomorrow.

Roxie · September 12, 2015, 07:00:50 PM

We can beets without pickling also because they are more versatile that way. Prepare exactly as 21incher said, adding 1/2 tsp salt to jar, and leave a 1" head space. Processing time in pressure canner (1000 ft elevation) is 30 minutes for pints and 35 for quarts.

Just Me · October 04, 2015, 09:43:59 AM

Thanks gentlemen. Probably next weekend. Good tip on the stems and roots. I was worried about the mess in the new house. I have a combination greenhouse canning kitchen on the corner of my garden but the kitchen part is not done yet.

Just finished up tomatos, ended up with 84 quarts and 7 pints. 28 pints of beans, 14 B&B pickles and few quarts of dried Kale. Still working on the house this year, but the outside is almost done so will have more time next year. New garden still has some soil issues I need to work on, too much clay. Carrots went down about three inches and stopped. Snubnose carrots.

All my radishes just got tall and had no radishes, what did I do wrong?

Larry

beenthere · October 04, 2015, 09:56:49 AM

Sounds like you didn't thin them out...

WV Sawmiller · October 04, 2015, 10:56:21 AM

Just me,

Probably first mistake was in planting radishes. Actually I suspect Beenthere is right on the money.

I still have 4 gallons of blueberries and 2 gallons of figs in the freezer my mom and SIL brought me a couple months ago. I need to remember to process them. Likely next thing I can may be deer since our bow season is in and I expect to harvest a couple in next week or so. I save all the little tidbits of meat off the carcass and can them. Usually get a cooker full (20-11 pints) off each deer. Easy to do just bring up on 15 lb pressure then cook 75 minutes, remove, tighter rings one last time and they seal right up. Great for BBQ or hash or add to can of mushroom soup and serve over rice for a quick and easy meal.

Just Me · October 04, 2015, 03:20:04 PM

WV

Try that on pancakes sometime. I take canned Venison and make a light gravy and spoon it over pancakes. I know it sounds weird, but it may be your favorite new breakfast!

Larry, the other one.....

Magicman · October 04, 2015, 03:50:58 PM

The dry weather wiped out our Pear crop this year, so no Pear Preserves. :-\

WV Sawmiller · October 04, 2015, 07:11:08 PM

MM,

Come out some time and I'll catch my wife not looking or talking to Pat about Yellowstone, broken noses, bears, quilting or picture taking and I'll slip you a jar. Mom and SIL came out 2 months ago and brought a bunch o pears from NW Fla and Becky made a batch. I don't eat them but eat up the muscadine preserves and blackberry jam. By then I should have the blueberry jam made.

Just,

I will keep that in mind for the pancake and deer gravy.

WV Sawmiller · October 25, 2015, 01:52:47 PM

My freezer has been filling fast with deer and catfish so I took out 2 gallons of figs and 4 gallons of blueberries my mom and SIL brought be a couple months ago. First time I ever did figs but used the Bayou woman recipe off internet and they turned out great. I think I got 10 pints a couple weeks ago. Last night I did the blueberries and got nearly 20 pints of jam. Only issue with them is cousin had picked them and did not wash them before freezing. I am sure I lost some juice by having them frozen then thawing to wash them after freezing but they still did pretty good. I should be set on sweets for a while now.

My 3 year old granddaughter comes over and I always get her to help me feed the leftover biscuits to the horse and mule (they like a biscuit as well as an apple) and she always grabs one and eats it on the way to the barn. She doesn't want any jelly or butter or gravy or anything on her biscuit and my wife gets tickled at her eating a cold biscuit like a piece of cake or something.

BradMarks · October 26, 2015, 12:25:59 PM

Yesterday was hot sauce time. Red ripe serrano's and cayano's (our own hybrid of cayenne and serrano) and a few red Jalapeno's. Deseeding those things takes forever, and glad I wear nitrile "exam" gloves. Peppers, onion, garlic added with vinegar at the end. Cook for 20 minutes and put in blender. Made over 20 small jars. Process for 10-15 minutes. Suppose to sit for a couple weeks but it tasted great out of the gate. It was a recipe from Emeril on the internet I believe.

WV Sawmiller · November 01, 2015, 03:38:14 PM

Think I am done. Made about 8 pints of cherry/blackberry jam and used up last frozen berries and 2 quarts of old canned berries. I thought both quarts were blackberries but discovered one was cherry. It is real good but must have canned it for pies and did not get all the pits out so have to be careful eating it.