Canning My Own 'Convenience' Foods

For me canning is somewhat romantic. It gives you pause to think of simple or weighty things as you wait for things to boil or gain proper pressure. It gives you the comfort of an exact routine each time you fill a jar and prep it for processing. And, it praises you with clear vessels showing you beautiful food waiting to be enjoyed. Yup, for me canning is just something I enjoy. Since I didn't can at all this summer I was feeling a bit bummed like I missed out. Well I was reading an old cookbook my mom gave me a few years ago in my renewed quest of simpler yet tasty food, and I ran across instructions for canning dry beans so that they are ready just like store bought canned beans. So I wanted to give it a try as well as get some stock in the pantry ready to go.

I started with stock. We are slowly getting our chickens butchered so I had a carcass from one bird I roasted and one I had stashed in the freezer from a previous chicken dinner. I put them in the really big stock pot with onions (skin left on for color), celery, carrots, bay leaves and peppercorns, covered with water and set on the wood stove for several hours. I them strained it and left it in the fridge to cool overnight so I could skim the fat off the next morning. I then returned the stock to the big pot and the wood stove to come to a boil while I got everything ready for the canner. My husband's bosses were kind enough to lend me their pressure canner for my projects! I have yet to get my own but, one will be coming my way as a housewarming present from my grandparents, I just need to pick it out. Anyway! Stock is just about as simple as it gets. You just heat it to a boil, pour into hot jars, seal and process. I ended up with 10 quarts plus a little more which I just poured into my moose stew. I will caution you from using too many herbs or flavorings in your stock if you are going to can it because canning will intensify the flavor. One quart jar is equivalent to one standard box of stock minus the MSG, plastic lining and mystery ingredients. I hope to get a good stash of beef stock put up before I return the pressure canner. We have a ton of moose so I often needs beef stock to make stews and quick gravies to accompany steaks. I could make stock from the moose meat but I just can't bear to boil that beautiful meat to death!



Wednesday I canned the beans. I had recently bought an assortment of dry beans for the pantry since I am restocking (more on that later), so I canned a pound each of navy, pinto and garbanzo beans. I soaked them all overnight so they were fully re-hydrated yet not softened. Each pound filled a bit over 3 pint jars so I made a combined jar of pinto and navy beans. The garbanzos got cooked and went to the chickens because I forgot about them and they cooked unevenly (my bad). I chose to can pints because they hold about the same as a standard can which I thought would serve my pantry better. I am not to going to give instructions on how to can beans but there are plenty of resources which I used available either on the internet or in books. From the looks of things from the outside of the jars the beans might be slightly mushy. I read after the fact that softened water can cause this which is what we have. It might also be because the pressure was higher for a bit while I was trying to find the sweet spot for maintaining the proper pressure.

I would really like to try canning soups and things like baked beans as well in the future. Why bother? Well, right now we have about 300 pounds of moose and deer in the two deep freezers in the basement and the upstairs freezer is a drawer style in the fridge that always seems to be packed with odds and ends. Needless to say I do not have much room for stock and ready made items. Also, I am not real good about remembering to take things out of the freezer ahead to thaw. When I want some stock it's nice to just pop a top like the store bought stuff. Just way better.

So the kitchen has been busy! Not only with canning but I also made venison jerky and was on a quest for the perfect gluten free cinnamon roll. Add in making 3 meals a day and I have pretty much been spending all my time not nursing the baby in the kitchen. And, sometimes I nurse the baby in the kitchen. I have food prepping problems...

I'll be sharing about my pantry and how I am trying to both simplify and stock it up soon. In January I will be giving the Pantry Challenge another go to encourage me to use up bits that have been hanging around too long or are just hanging out because it's easier than figuring our what to do with it. So, I will try to blog daily on the challenge to share how I make it work beginning January 1st!

Til next time!

Final (maybe) Canning Totals for 2013

I say maybe because I do have the temptation of make some soups and canning them just for fun and convenience. Yes, I really did just say that. Let's move on shall we?!

So this year was my first year canning more than jam or dilly beans and also my first time using a pressure canner! Let me assure all you who are scared of the pressure canner, it's not going to blow up, if you can read at a 5th grade level you will be able to follow the directions to safely can those low acid foods that are oh so delicious and nutritious. So relax! Get one.

Top shelf: piccalilli, pumpkin, pickled beets.
What is on my shelves right now is not exactly what I have canned this year. Some of it I have used to bartered for items or just given as gifts to friends just because or eaten because, let's face it, some stuff is just too good to wait for! This will give you a pretty go idea though.

Piccalilli (a green tomato relish): 9- half pints, 1- twelve ounce, 5- quarts
Pumpkin: 8- pints
Beets, pickles: 6- twenty-four ounce
Beets, plain: 7- pints, 2- quarts
Cucumber, pickles: 3- pints, 6- quarts
Dilly Beans (pickled green beans): 4- pints
Tomatoes, plain: 4-pints
Salsa: a lot of all sizes!
Carrots: 6 pints
Cayenne Pepper Sauce: 1- half pint (in use), 4- quarter pints
Banana Peppers, pickled: 1- half pint, 3- quarter pints
Jalapeno Peppers, pickles: 1- quarter pint
Chicken Stock: 7- quarts
Applesauce: 3- pints, 7- quarts
Blackberry Jelly: 7- half pints
Wild Grape Jelly: 10- half pints

Middle shelf: cucumber pickles, chicken stock, plain beets and applesauce.
No, it's not as much as some put up but honestly I think it's pretty impressive for the fact that most of it I bartered for as produce with my eggs. The rest either came from the greenhouse or local farms/farm stands.

Last shelf: carrots, plain beets, tomatoes, cucumber pickles and dilly beans, salsa, banana peppers, hot sauce, etc.
A few tips I have for storage:

1. Take the rings off. Not only will this help in showing you a spoiled jar sooner but it will also allow you to stack some jars easier. Ideally you wouldn't need to stack but we don't all have the ideal shelving that looks like this. Although, someday I'd like to! Maybe two jars deep though. Three deep starts getting annoying.

2. Store in a dark place with a fairly constant temperature. These are in the basement and I will store them in my basement in the new house as well. Light and temperature fluctuations will effect your nutrition values of the food. Sorry to squash your dreams of the sunlight sparkling on your pretty jars. The bare light bulb in your basement or pantry will have to do.

3. Check them over every so often. Is anything leaking or bulging? If it is then the contents need to be destroyed. By destroyed I mean either sealed up like hazardous material and thrown away or burned. Sound like over kill? It won't if you find your dog suffering from poisoning because he ate it in the garbage. Please take it seriously.

Well, that's pretty much it. Have a good weekend everyone!

Til next time.

Pressure Canning Pumpkin (On My Anniversary)

I have to say that of all the veggies out there, pumpkin has to be one of my most beloved. It tells me it's my favorite season, makes one of my favorite pies and my very favorite certain latte. Yup, I love pumpkin. But, have you noticed the stuff in the can doesn't taste so good unless it is doctored up quite a bit (i.e. in a pie)? I have, ever since last year when I made my own pumpkin puree (and froze it). What a difference! This year due to my canning bug I wanted to can it. Pureed. But you can't! It's a safety thing. So I had to decide, freezer or canned? I chose canned, obviously, and I canned it reluctantly cubed. Although, honestly this really makes no difference because I can just drain it and mash it when I need it for something like bread or pie. No biggie.

So! This particular canned item started with 3 small/medium Small Sugar heirloom pumpkins from a farm a few towns over that we have been going to ever since our wedding in 2010. This is where we got the pumpkins to decorate our October wedding with, we made the small ones into vases and filled them with sunflowers and blue hydrangeas for centerpieces. They were beautiful. *sigh* Anyway, I am getting on a tangent... 'cause yesterday was our anniversary. Yes, I canned on my anniversary.

Let's break it down shall we?

I peeled, split and scooped out the seeds. Then...

... I split the halves in half and cut into strips then chunks, about 1/2"-1" dice.

Filled up a large pot and then covered with water (as best you can because pumpkin floats!). Bring to a boil and cook for about 2 minutes. You do not want to cook it through at this stage, the canner will do that for you.

Fill your jars and cover with cooking liquid leaving 1/2 and inch of head space (make sure to de-bubble). Wipe rims and place lids and rings on, tighten ONLY finger tight.

As you can see I have a double pressure canner which can hold about 18 pints or 9 quarts. Personally I do not like my jars to touch so I don't put more than 7 jars in one layer. And, also, as a side note this canner was made in 1942 and is being lent to me by my great-great aunt. No really. People in my family live a long time! My great-great-grandmother was still alive when my brother was little before I was born, therefore we have once had a true FIVE generation family! Currently we have four generations. Sorry that's another tangent. My bad.

Anywho! This canner has preserved probably thousands of jars of food. I cleaned it, put in a new seal and it was good as new. I will need to replace the gauge and petcock at some point but for now I just over shoot my pressure by and pound or two and call it good.

Put the canner over high heat and with your vents open wait for the steam to flow "freely". When it is set your timer for 10 minutes to exhaust all the air. When time is up close your vents (or whatever your canner's manual says) and bring up to pressure.

Ten pounds please. Set your timer for 55 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts. Pints I feel are a smart choice for most home cooks unless you have a large family. One pint will equal about one can of commercial pumpkin (I assume) once drained and mashed.

After time is up I take the canner off the stove and let it rest on my wooden cutting board. Once it comes down in pressure to zero I open the vent (petcock) all the way and let it set a few minutes. Then I open the lid but don't lift it off, I just leave it resting on top for about 30 minutes. After that I take the jars out and set them on a towel in a draft free place to cool (like the above). Also, pictured is the book I have used this year for my instructions. It is a classic but it's the updated edition so everything is up to date (although it still gives instructions for using bail jars so it must be a die hard author). Bail jars are NOT considered safe anymore but those who grew up using them like my grandmother and mother-in-law still use them for acid foods like pickles. I see the appeal, I do. But, I prefer to use them for storing beans and rice dry.

I promise I will do a post this weekend on my canning totals! I know right now that I have filled over 100 jars with deliciousness. Wow, right? Not bad for my first year of serious canning and not a very good garden! Next year I plan to up that by about another 3-400. Wish me luck!

Til next time!

All Things Fall

Fall brings many different emotions to different people. Some morn the warmth and strong sun of summer, others can't wait to see summer go and welcome the colors! Here in Maine we have beautiful leaves, fields of orange pumpkins and crisp days. Fall is my favorite season hands down. This is what our fall is going to look like this year:

Finish canning. I started canning in August and have canned mostly foods from local farms and friends gardens who have traded for eggs. When I have finished I will share my list and totals and how I store them. Just so you know, I love canning. It's hard work but it's instant gratification as soon as you line up those beautiful jars and step back to see your food insurance policy.

Start on Christmas presents for friends and family. This is something I struggle with. I hate gift giving. Not because I am a crab but because of the message it can send. I feel like if I don't give them something perfect and meaningful that the recipient will feel I cheated them therefore I must not care much. Untrue, but it's so much pressure! Once I had kids I decided I need to really explore Christmas and how our family wants to celebrate not just follow my extended family's deep seated traditions. It's a touchy subject, but my first baby step that I am starting this year is that I will only be giving gifts made with my hands. I might need to do a separate post on this! To be continued...

Buy and raise meat chickens. Lord and money willing, I would like to buy 25 meat chicks and raise completely organic for slaughter. We have reduced or grocery bills to around $75 a month and that has consisted of a lot of sale chicken of all kinds and not organic. And, it bothers me. So, I did some research (of course!) and crunched some numbers and we should be able to raise these 25 birds for about $1/pound of finished chicken. Then I will have a freezer full of chicken for the winter and I can cross that of the list until spring when we do it again!

Homeschooling. This is our first "official" year homeschooling though I have been teaching Puzzle Boy the basics as he has grown. He knows his colors, can count beyond 20, knows his letters by sight, has improved his speech and is learning sight words. This year is kindergarten and I prefer to use this year to experiment with different types of learning and have fun! We school 3 days a week and are part of a co-op that meets all day Fridays. Our basic goals for the year are to start reading, start simple math, work on social skills (like stranger smarts, how to ask for help without mommy, working it out with friends), learn our states, homestead skills and so much more! Homeschooling is unlimited!

Build that house! Oh gosh, don't get me started! But, we should have walls and a roof by November. Perhaps moving in around Thanksgiving? Remember it won't be finished! Just needs to have hot water, hold heat and be functional.

Split wood. After discussing it with my parents, they have agreed to let me borrow their wood cook stove that came from my great-grandfather's home. I am so excited! Not only will this save me on propane cost for my cooking but it will also save a little on heating fuel as well. Cook stoves are not famous for heating but they do throw enough to help a small well insulated house. Plus I am nostalgic and like the idea of waking up to start a fire and set my percolator on the top to make me amazing coffee. It's been a dream for years.

Enjoy Maine. Yes, I live here. But, I rarely just drive out to the ocean or visit farms or go for a hike and enjoy my home state. Sad, huh? Fall is my favorite season to enjoy my state because it is just so beautiful! So we will be picking apples, go explore a trail, visit the lighthouses and enjoy the best weather all year!

Fall can be busy and slip right by. Winter is so long here, preparing for it is necessary not only physically (like firewood and buttoning up the house) but also mentally. I need a winter game plan! Fall gives me time to ease into winter and decide what I want those short and gray days to look like.

Canning in Really Tiny Batches

This is the first year I have ever grown banana peppers. A few years ago I discovered the tangy deliciousness that is pickled banana pepper rings and I wanted to make these stupidly simple things at home. This year I decided to end my fear of pepper growing failure and try bananarama, cayenne, Chinese Giant and jalapenos. They are easier than I thought! Everything is very fruitful even if it did take longer than I though for them to bloom and fruit. But, it's been an odd growing season here in Maine. Yeah, lets say it's the weather *winky wink*.

So, anywho! There were two big banana peppers just hanging screaming "pick me!" from under those glossy dark leaves. I hesitated thinking that only two would barely fill a 1/4 pint jar. But, if I waited to long for a couple more to mature I would be out of luck on the first two. Well, what is wrong with making one small jar? Nothing! So I plucked them off and decided to pickle this afternoon.

I had bookmarked this recipe a few weeks ago. Knowing that I will be making more soon, I made a half batch of brine and the extra will stay in the fridge for the future. The only modification I did make to the recipe is instead of boiling the brine with garlic I put a small clove of garlic in the bottom of the jar with the peppers along with a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat. Banana peppers are not spicy, FYI.

Here are my personal steps:

1. Wash and slice your peppers (2, 50, it don't mattah). And, peel a small garlic clove.

2. Heat jar(s), lid(s) and ring(s) in your canning pot. Mine is a medium pot with a steamer in it for this project, heating my huge canner up seemed superfluous.

3. When your brine and jar(s) are hot, proceed to put the garlic and about 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes in the bottom of the jar(s). Then tightly pack in the peppers.

4. Pour in brine with 1/4 inch head room.

5. Wipe rim and lid it up.

6. Gently put in your water bath canner of choice and process for ten (10) minutes.

7. When your beeper goes off, retrieve your screaming hot jars carefully and place on a folded towel to cool. You have just made your own banana rings. You should feel amazing.

Remember that extra brine? Pour it in a spare jar and let it cool (for goodness sake don't stick it boiling hot in your fridge). Lid that up too and store in the fridge forever. Or, until you need it. Whichever comes first.

So what have we learned today? Was it that there is no such thing as too small a canning batch? Was it that I am a crap photographer? Nope, it was that I am completely contradicting because I used the word 'mattah' and then followed it with 'superfluous'. It's hard keeping up the image that I am all Maine-ah all the time. Secretly, I have a bitchn' IQ. Surprise!

Til next time people.

My Great-Grandmother's Canning Jars

Yesterday I got a wild hair and I thought, I want to can today! My mom had gone up to my great-grandmother's house (she passed away April 2011) to take pictures of the remaining contents before it's sold last week. Of course, there were canning jars in the basement. Instead of turning home after errands I just headed west toward Bridgton in a very unlike me spur of the moment way. There are a couple farm stands along the way so I planned to go get the jars and stop for cucumbers on my way back. While I was there I was a little over come with nostalgia. And I couldn't help taking pictures of this house my great-grandfather built for his family on land from his parents, much like we are. It also held many of the holidays of my childhood, occasional sleepovers and the much more precious last few years of my great-grandmother's life. It's nothing impressive at first glance but it shows it's craftsmanship if you spend some time with it. And, funny enough, I noticed things about it before that I never had. Like there was a small stream running by and through the rock wall. I was also surprised to see the crab apple tree still producing such good fruit.

After my trip down memory lane I headed back and stopped at the farm stand. I bought cucumbers and some very nice green beans. Then I stopped to get new rings and lids as well as vinegar to make pickles. Later my mom got a 5 pound bag of 'reject' cucumbers for $2.50. They were all a little funny looking but perfect for slicing up for pickles. All in all I got two pints of dilly beans, 2 pints of dill spears, 2 quarts of dill spears and 4 quarts of dill slices. I love pickling!

As for the jars? Well, there were about 60, all in good condition although the rings and lids were in throw away condition. So for the minor investment of new rings and lids I have quite a few 'new' jars.

I can't wait to be canning tomatoes. Grow plants grow! On an interesting note, after all my canning was done, water turned of and jars safely cooling... I went to put my dinner (chicken breast) in the frying pan and screaming hot oil splashed onto the palm of my hand. Yup, I got a nasty second degree burn. Between the pain, the frustration of my stupidity and my now tired disposition, I cried a little as I held it under cold water for 20 minutes. Then I was hungry and wanted to just sit and eat. So my mom helped me wrap it up lightly and cut my chicken for me. And I took Tylonol, a pain med and drank 2 beers. Finally it felt well enough by 11:30 that I went to bed. It felt fine this morning as long as I didn't touch it or jerk my hand. And, it looked like this:

May not look that bad in the picture but oh man did that hurt! I have kept in lightly covered with gauze and hope it heals quickly.

'Til next time!