Canning season

[SeabeeMan]

It's not quite a recipe so I'll put it here...how many others on here can food? We put up 12 quarts of tomatoes, 10 pints of pizza sauce, 8.5 pints of tomatillo salsa, and a few random pints of tomato juice (AKA Bloody Mary base) with the leftovers this weekend. This weeks goal is 40-50 quarts of apple sauce and a bit of apple pie filling. It's nice to crack open the spoils of my ongoing garden warfare with the deer, turkeys, and bears in the middle of December. That, and knowing that there is A LOT of food that requires no attention or cooling if anything ever happens.

[oneokie]

Let me put it this way, I am sick of looking at tomato's.

As to your deer, turkeys, and bears, want to trade for grasshoppers?

They have eaten my peas and beans, half my sweet corn, all my popcorn, working on the bell peppers and the jalapeno's, all the habanero peppers, stripped the peanuts of all leaves, same with the okra, and am having to pick the tomato's as soon as they start showing any sign of pink color.

[sljacob]

The last few weekends have been spent gathering currant and wild hawthorn berries for jellys and pancake syrup.

Next weekend it will be wild chokecherrys and some elderberrys if I can find some.

[firefly1957]

Yes, not done yet for the year but we have had a frost the last of my peppers will be dried they are more compact that way.

[jpatm2]

We have done Asian pears, applesauce and apple jelly. First time on the pears and apple jelly.

[retread]

Just got back from the season's first goose hunt and canned 41 pints of goose meat. Followed that the next day by canning 6-1/2 cases of tuna. Wife just put up a couple of cases of green beans and is working on some tomatoes as I type. Life is good.

[dragonrider]

We will be doing some applesauce this week. Also do jams and jellies in season. Blueberry and peach mostly. Pickles when the cukes cooperate. Tomato, usually as sauce. Sometimes green beans. Did some turnip a few weeks ago.

[rl69]

Our garden burned up months ago tomaters taters and peppers went in the ground in feb still have the bell peppers. green beans and purple hulls wen in the ground first part of march I tried a fall garden but the rabbits cleaned me out

[MT Gianni]

We picked tomatoes # 3,4, and 5 off our plant today. A 95 day growing season has it's limitations.

[Idaho Mule]

Just finished up with 34 quarts of peaches a couple hours ago. Wife and I did 30 some (?) quarts of pears a couple weeks ago. Salmon River grapes are coming on as well so we will be processing them shortly. Our huckleberries seem to have suffered global warming and are all burned up. JW

[MaryB]

6 pints of pickled green beans (only way I will eat a green bean), 13 pints and a quart of crushed tomatoes, 12 pints of sauce. Picking up some granny smiths to can as slices in syrup for pies or just eating. Grasshoppers hit the CSA hard too so kind of slim pickings this fall.

[mnkyracer]

So far I've done:
~70 lbs worth of grape juice into jelly (minus 2 gallons for something special!!)
1.5 bushels of tomatoes into soup
1 batch each of red and black rasp. jelly
9 pts Hot pepper jelly
9 pts Brandied pears
and a bunch of apple and pear sauce.

Still on the list to do:
Pizza and spaghetti sauce
Stewed maters

[FISH4BUGS]

We have been eating veggies directly from the garden since early July - tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, beets, bush beans, peas, and just now starting on squash. I'll be freezing tomatoes, green beans, squash, brussels sprouts and celery soup.
Haven't gotten into canning yet, but we certainly have a freezer full of vacuum sealed veggies of all types. Generator with 50 gallons of gasoline is our backup.
The garden is organic, and I use 1 tbsp molasses, 1 tbsp dish soap to 1 qt of water for the insecticide. Kills the bugs deader than Elvis, and keeps them away, but we have to do it almost daily.
Nothing like a garden..........

[Hickory]

We have been eating veggies directly from the garden since early July - tomatoes, celery, cucumbers, broccoli, carrots, beets, bush beans, peas, and just now starting on squash. I'll be freezing tomatoes, green beans, squash, brussels sprouts and celery soup.
Haven't gotten into canning yet, but we certainly have a freezer full of vacuum sealed veggies of all types. Generator with 50 gallons of gasoline is our backup.
The garden is organic, and I use 1 tbsp molasses, 1 tbsp dish soap to 1 qt of water for the insecticide. Kills the bugs deader than Elvis, and keeps them away, but we have to do it almost daily.
Nothing like a garden..........

How does your home made insecticide work on squash beetles, not to be confused with the cucumber beetle?
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=squash+beetles&id=31524CCF4975E49F3064A7229F4F2328CFCE57AA&FORM=IQFRBA
Squash beetle pictured in tbe upper left corner.

[Reg]

Just finished 24 qts. stewed tomatoes last night. Also did 30 qts. spaghetti sauce, 34 pints green beans, 36 pints sweet corn canned, 20 qts. frozen and 30 some ears on the cob. Bags of frozen peppers in various forms, canned hot pepper cut and mixed, pimentos. Seems like I left some things out but will start salsa this afternoon. Great time of year then we also have fall fishing and hunting coming up.
Oh yes, will start another 5 gallons of wine in a couple of days, will match the 10 now cooking.
Come on winter !!

[Tdart]

As far as insecticides, I've gotten good reports of using rosemary water. Just steep a bunch of rosemary trimmings in hot water, then spray away. If you've got a rosemary bush, I'm sure it could use a trim! Think about it, has anything ever eaten your rosemary?

[FISH4BUGS]

How does your home made insecticide work on squash beetles, not to be confused with the cucumber beetle?
http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=squash+beetles&id=31524CCF4975E49F3064A7229F4F2328CFCE57AA&FORM=IQFRBA
Squash beetle pictured in tbe upper left corner.

The soapy water kills them in a few minutes. I THINK the molasses keeps them away. But know that it has to be done daily or every other day, and definitely after a rain.
I have gone totally organic with the garden. You can't kill every bug all the time, but it sure as hell cuts them down dramatically.
Tomato cutworms are the toughest. Watch for those white moths that lay their eggs on the plants. Those turn into the caterpillars that eat everything.

[Rex]

We are peeling, chopping and freezing tomatoes also making stewed tomatoes and freezing in quart bags.

[Hickory]

I ran across this and thought I'd share it.
Easy Sauerkraut.

http://www.ehow.com/yt/how-to-make-sauerkraut-mixkgu4tjp0/

[waksupi]

I'm canning salsa today. The peppers that I didn't think were hot are more so than I believed. Not too much to the taste, but man, are my hands burning from cutting them up!
I've got three types of peppers drying. Finished drying apples last week.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

After I cleaned the chimney this morning, I de-stemed a crate of grapes [mix varieties but mostly concord], then cooked and strained for juice concentrate...8 qts sealed, 1 qt in the frig. then I thawed some tart cherrries and mixed those with the pectin from the grapes for tart cherries/grape jam...a few pints and a dozen half pints.
Now the cleanup.
Jon

[Swamp Man]

Glad to hear some of you pulled in nice crops to can. This spring my R.A. was flaring up and I felt bad so never got my gardens off to a good start so most of this season was a bust for me. I may grow a few things over the winter in my greenhouse such as bell peppers,hot peppers,tomatoes and a few other things. In Fl I can get away with it most winters without running heat to often.

[Hickory]

This is some powdered hot peppers i make every year.
I start with red jalapenos, and slice them and put them in a one gallon zip lock bag.
Next, I mix about a quart of white vinegar, 4-5 oz. Liquid smoke, and 1 1/2cup Brown sugar.
Heat until sugar is melted, cool and cover peppers in zip lock bag. Place in large bowl in refrigerator for 24 hrs.


81976

Drain vinegar from peppers and place in dehydrator until crispy. The next step must be done outside.
Put dried peppers in blender and run on high until it turns into a powder.
Store in air tight container.
You have a hot jalapeno powder with a sweet, Smokey taste.

81977

[mnkyracer]

Hickory - I'm about polluted with serrano peppers. Think I might give this a try.

[Hickory]

Hickory - I'm about polluted with serrano peppers. Think I might give this a try.

I've tried it with other peppers and have found that jalapeno peppers have the best taste.
But if you really like hot and the "raw, acidity taste" of serrano, give it a try. Let me know how you like it.
Hickory

[dragon813gt]

I am sick of tomatoes. My plants won't die. They've had blight for over a month now. The bottoms are dead but the tops are still growing and blooming. I lost track of how many quarts of sauce and whole tomatoes I put up. There are to many pints of sliced tomatoes to count. While they didn't come from my garden I bought peaches on sale and put away enough to make a few pies over the winter. I started dehydrating the Roma tomaotes and this has been working we.

My peppers are starting to really produce. I've already dried five pints of cayennes. There are pints of banana peppers, some pickled and some not, put up. I've been making stuffed peppers w/ the bells as they come in. Unfortunately the plants were stunted so the yield isn't that great :(

[MaryB]

Smoke some of the romas and freeze them.

[firefly1957]

I cut up and filled the dryer with Bell peppers 6.5 pounds of peppers dried and fit in a quart jar and only when a couple ounces. I should have dried pepper for a couple years.

[Reg]

Had a bunch of red bell peppers, used the pepper roaster to fire roast them then canned them in vinegar and olive oil with a pinch of chopped garlic. They look neat in the jar, will give them a month or two to get acquainted then try them out.
Usually make up a batch of pimento cheese this time of year. Will try the usual pimentos but add some of these peppers as well.

[Adam10mm]

I want to get into canning. Tried my hand at gardening this year for the first time and did OK with what I had. Got three meals worth of peas and about 10 tomatoes. The last of which are green still and inside to turn red. This time of year the backyard gets a half hour of sun per day, literally. Just a late spring and hard summer this year for my area.

Next year I'm going all out with tomato plants.

[smokeywolf]

Wife just advised me that we finished the last of the canned spaghetti sauce last night. I'm going to have to put together another 4 or 5 gallons of sauce this weekend.

[Hickory]

From bush to bottle.
I have been growing Tabasco peppers for about 4 years. And put the hot sauce in wine bottles or any thing else that was handy.
This year I decided to use some of the money I made from my garden to buy hot sauce bottles.


82284


This morning I made a batch of Tabasco® sauce.
I used the redest of the Tabasco® peppers and tasted it. Man is it hot.
Now, I know why Tabasco® sauce is aged in oak barrels with the pulp removed.

Have labels on back order.

82285

[Rick N Bama]

From bush to bottle.
I have been growing Tabasco peppers for about 4 years. And put the hot sauce in wine bottles or any thing else that was handy.
This year I decided to use some of the money I made from my garden to buy hot sauce bottles.


82284


This morning I made a batch of Tabasco® sauce.
I used the redest of the Tabasco® peppers and tasted it. Man is it hot.
Now, I know why Tabasco® sauce is aged in oak barrels with the pulp removed.

Have labels on back order.

82285

My wife & one of her friends made 12 bottles of Tabasco sauce last year from the Peppers I grew. We've decided that as hot as it is we have enough to last us for years, so I didn't plant any Tabascos this season.

Rick

[Rick N Bama]

The soapy water kills them in a few minutes. I THINK the molasses keeps them away.

Doesn't the Molasses draw Ants?

Rick

[sparkz]

Sean and I have been Canning and Making Jellys / jams for past 3 weeks now lost count of jars
we had also a ton of old tomato sauce jars from supermarket there atlas jars and not quite a quart but use same Med lids so have those full of frute for winter
Have about 2 gal of Crab-apple Jelly put up (really shocking good stuff) and we hope to get some break from firewood to get up a few bushels of Black walnuts and hickory nuts, so we are all over as of late


First rule of making it in civil unrest,, Have food and water,
Second rule More ammo then you can use and shelter to Hold the line from,,

God bless
Patrick

[jaysouth]

About a month ago, I got a call from my 94 year old mother. "Son, get over here as quick as you can, I need you". What's up Mother. "Hurry, I need help".

I got in the car and started the 5 hour drive. About an hour later, she called and told me to pick up 4 or 5 cases of pint jars. Hmmm..............

Four hours later, I had stopped twice and found the jars, she calls again, "Where are you, I need help and you are out sightseeing. When will you be here?" One thing I learned years ago was to not mess with momma.

When I got to her house, she showed me two bushels of local cucumbers "from a neighbor". I spent the next two days making over a hundred pints of dills and bread and butter pickles. When I finished, her only comment was "boy, you are putting on weight and getting slow".

when I left, I asked for a couple of jars of pickles to take home. Nope, she was saving them for Christmas presents.

No good deed goes unpunished and you can't argue with your 94 year old Mother.

[oneokie]

About a month ago, I got a call from my 94 year old mother. "Son, get over here as quick as you can, I need you". What's up Mother. "Hurry, I need help".

I got in the car and started the 5 hour drive. About an hour later, she called and told me to pick up 4 or 5 cases of pint jars. Hmmm..............

Four hours later, I had stopped twice and found the jars, she calls again, "Where are you, I need help and you are out sightseeing. When will you be here?" One thing I learned years ago was to not mess with momma.

When I got to her house, she showed me two bushels of local cucumbers "from a neighbor". I spent the next two days making over a hundred pints of dills and bread and butter pickles. When I finished, her only comment was "boy, you are putting on weight and getting slow".

when I left, I asked for a couple of jars of pickles to take home. Nope, she was saving them for Christmas presents.

No good deed goes unpunished and you can't argue with your 94 year old Mother.

Be very, very thankful your mother is still able to give you a hard time.