Canning And Preserving

[chaofun]

Shoppers Food Warehouse has them. I picked up some lids last week at the one at Potomac Yard.

Did they have Jars? I saw only lids at Harris Teeters in Ballston.

[lperry]

Did they have Jars? I saw only lids at Harris Teeters in Ballston.

They did. I know I saw pints, but I wasn't paying close enough attention to see if they had quarts. It's also in a weird place - I'm thinking second to the last aisle toward the back wall, up from the paper products. They have them all year, and the prices are low. I paid about $1.50 for a dozen lids.

[chaofun]

Just for the next person who might be looking for canning supplies in Arlington, I ended up getting them from Bills True Value Hardware right off Lee highway just past glebe. They had a good selection of jars, lids, and canning kits. They have them year round.

[mdt]

Just finished up with my last batch of strawberries. I made the following from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.

Strawberry Jam Sauce - I cannot read and added too many strawberries for the pectin.

Strawberry Black Pepper Jam

Maple Strawberry Smooch - A thick maple & strawberry sauce

Bring on the other berries!

[Heather]

Just finished up with my last batch of strawberries. I made the following from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.

Strawberry Jam Sauce - I cannot read and added too many strawberries for the pectin.

Strawberry Black Pepper Jam

Maple Strawberry Smooch - A thick maple & strawberry sauce

Bring on the other berries!

Mrs. B & I are canning strawberries this weekend & I've been trying to think of what to do besides straight-up jam. Do you like their recipe for strawberry/black pepper? Might get some rhubarb if it's not too late for it.

Your sauce will be delicious on waffles & ice cream.

[mdt]

Mrs. B & I are canning strawberries this weekend & I've been trying to think of what to do besides straight-up jam. Do you like their recipe for strawberry/black pepper? Might get some rhubarb if it's not too late for it.

Your sauce will be delicious on waffles & ice cream.

I like this recipe. They have you stir in the black pepper after the boiling is complete. A recipe that I previously used had you add the black pepper during cooking and it muted the flavor. I used about 1/2 - 3/4 tsp. of freshly ground pepper and it provides a hint of spice on the back end. I don't think anyone would guess black pepper, but when tasted side by side with the jam without it is certainly different.

[mdt]

Blueberry jam today and raspberry tomorrow. I am using the low/now sugar powdered pectin and I like the taste so far. I used a little less than half of the sugar that is needed with the regular pectin. The blueberry taste is vibrant without the super sugary sweetness of regular jam. Anyone else use it?

[Pool Boy]

Made a bunch of strawberry freezer jam -- followed a recipe and am a little disappointed since it is a bit too sweet for me (too much sugar!). Ah well, it still tastes good. Also made a bunch of strawberry syrup, too.

[lperry]

This weekend I made pineapple date jam with vanilla beans and rum from Christine Ferber's book. I added a little sour salt to keep the color and to make it less sweet. I'm also feeling proud of myself for figuring out why my cooking times were always longer than hers. The instructions for nearly every recipe indicate that you bring the mixture to a boil, then pour it in a ceramic bowl and cover it to macerate in the fridge overnight. I let the mixture cool completely in the uncovered pot before I put it in the fridge, and a lot of moisture must have evaporated out, because it only took about five minutes to cook to temperature the next morning. Less energy, less heat in the house, and less of that "caramel" flavor and more true fruit. I don't have a "real" preserving pan, so I'll continue to use this method. As a bonus, it makes the house smell fantastic.

[lperry]

Norton grape jam is macerating in the fridge overnight for canning early tomorrow morning. I thought I might add something to it, like a smidge of port, but I tasted it and was really surprised by the depth of flavor. Mr. lperry picked up the grapes at a market around Richmond - I have no idea why they were selling Norton grapes, but I'm glad they were.

[Choirgirl21]

I just ordered my first 2 canning/preserving books yesterday:

Preserving Summer's Bounty: A Quick and Easy Guide to Freezing, Canning, and Preserving, and Drying What You Grow, Rodale Food Center - for the education part

and Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry, Liana Krissoff- for the recipe part

A friend clued me in on a grocery store with jars/lids right by our CSA pick-up so I'll be getting those tomorrow.

I've wanted to do this for a couple of years now, am hoping I can get on top of it quickly enough to store a good bunch of stuff for the winter.

[goodeats]

Norton grape jam is macerating in the fridge overnight for canning early tomorrow morning.

Hark! I hear the call of sampling at the Fall picnic....(-:

[zoramargolis]

I've wanted to do this for a couple of years now, am hoping I can get on top of it quickly enough to store a good bunch of stuff for the winter.

As a general rule, canning works best for preserves, pickles, chutney and the like, and tomatoes. Maybe peaches and applesauce. But most everything else is much better frozen. Anything that has to be pressure canned will suffer, texture and flavor-wise, from the high-heat processing. When I lived in Vermont and had big gardens and was "putting food by" for the winter, I was very glad for freezer space and ziplock bags, which I used for corn, beans, sugar snap peas, strawberries, blueberries. It's a lot easier to blanch, spread on a tray, freeze and then bag.

[lperry]

I've wanted to do this for a couple of years now, am hoping I can get on top of it quickly enough to store a good bunch of stuff for the winter.

Have fun! I'm in full grasshopper mode and am trying to use up what's in the jam cabinet before making too much more. I've been somewhat successful...

Hark! I hear the call of sampling at the Fall picnic....(-:

It made three half pints, and Mr. lperry has already absconded with one for almond butter and jam sandwiches. If he heads down south again anytime soon, I'll have him pick up more grapes. The taste is sort of like Concord grapes, but more complex.

Edited to say - I meant ant mode, but the voice of the guy from Kung Fu kept running through my head...

[Choirgirl21]

As a general rule, canning works best for preserves, pickles, chutney and the like, and tomatoes. Maybe peaches and applesauce. But most everything else is much better frozen. Anything that has to be pressure canned will suffer, texture and flavor-wise, from the high-heat processing. When I lived in Vermont and had big gardens and was "putting food by" for the winter, I was very glad for freezer space and ziplock bags, which I used for corn, beans, sugar snap peas, strawberries, blueberries. It's a lot easier to blanch, spread on a tray, freeze and then bag.

Thanks! The first book I listed covers various ways to preserve food, including freezing, which is why I picked it so I will definitely be trying to do this as well. I just wish the books would get here! <Stamps feet>

[zoey_k]

The USDA seems very insistent about adding lemon juice to tomato sauce prior to canning (hot water bath). Is this necessary? It seems like it would compromise the flavor.

[lperry]

The USDA seems very insistent about adding lemon juice to tomato sauce prior to canning (hot water bath). Is this necessary? It seems like it would compromise the flavor.

The acidity is necessary to prevent the growth of various things including botulism.

[mdt]

The USDA seems very insistent about adding lemon juice to tomato sauce prior to canning (hot water bath). Is this necessary? It seems like it would compromise the flavor.

Does it depend on the tomatoes being used? My Italian grandparents bottled hundreds of quarts of tomatoes each year for over 50 years and no lemon juice was ever used. Just crushed tomatoes (seeded and skinned) and salt.

[chaofun]

Does it depend on the tomatoes being used? My Italian grandparents bottled hundreds of quarts of tomatoes each year for over 50 years and no lemon juice was ever used. Just crushed tomatoes (seeded and skinned) and salt.

It does. You need a pH under 4.6, some tomatoes are above that. To be safe you would want to check your pH, or just go ahead and add the lemon juice.

[goodeats]

mdt mentioned bottling and it made me wonder if the pH only applies to canning due to the metals? The 2 techniques are different, right?

[zoramargolis]

mdt mentioned bottling and it made me wonder if the pH only applies to canning due to the metals? The 2 techniques are different, right?

canning is a method, and home canning is done in glass jars.

[goodeats]

canning is a method, and home canning is done in glass jars.

can home "canning" be done in bottles? Somewhere in my back memory, I recall coming across a picture of tomato bottling, possibly in Life Magazine? Can one do that?

[chaofun]

The other option is pressure canning, then pH isn't an issue.

[zoramargolis]

The other option is pressure canning, then pH isn't an issue.

But you need a pressure canner ($$$). Waterbath canning can be done in any pot large enough to submerge the jars you are using.

[thistle]

Figs? Don't use them alot, nor know what to do w/ them, but I planted a bunch a few years ago & one tree in particular (Battaglia Strawberry Verte) is pumping out fruit. I'm going to have to prune them all back drastically soon (we're doing some home reno), but what's the best way to use all these figs?

[chaofun]

But you need a pressure canner ($$$). Waterbath canning can be done in any pot large enough to submerge the jars you are using.

This is def true. But if one is concerned about adding acid (lemon juice) to their tomatoes it is a solution if you want to spend to get the tools. That said I'd rather just add the lemon juice and use the water bath method.

[leleboo]

Figs? Don't use them alot, nor know what to do w/ them, but I planted a bunch a few years ago & one tree in particular (Battaglia Strawberry Verte) is pumping out fruit. I'm going to have to prune them all back drastically soon (we're doing some home reno), but what's the best way to use all these figs?

Make this.

I'll buy it your yield from you. Figs' fig-and-prosciutto pizza (fine, it's a flatbread, whatever) kept me alive for the seven years I lived in Boston -- I'm pretty sure I ate more of them than was actually legal. This jam is phenomenal with cheese, particularly pungent blues (think gorgonzola, Stilton) or chèvres, or dolloped on little pieces of crisp ham/salami/prosciutto. I love this stuff; you can buy many different jarred fig jams, but might as well make your own now, right?

[thistle]

I can do this, but instead of using dried figs, just sub fresh? Just leave the skins on, right? My rosemary bushes are huge (i have thai basil & vietnamese coriander , but those would be strange-but maybe interesting), & these figs are so pretty-bright red inside w/ green skin-if I can figure this out (ht can or freeze), I'll bring them to the picnic...

[goodeats]

My rosemary bushes are huge (i have thai basil & vietnamese coriander , but those would be strange-but maybe interesting), & these figs are so pretty-bright red inside w/ green skin-if I can figure this out (ht can or freeze), I'll bring them to the picnic...

Actually, thistle, could you bring them to the Pizzeria Orso event? Pretty please?? Some fresh figs would be so lovely.

[thistle]

Absolutely, I will...-the Violet Negronne are ready, about 3 of the trees have not produced fruit, after pruning last year....We'll be there, with a bucket of fruit...

[zoramargolis]

Figs? Don't use them alot, nor know what to do w/ them, but I planted a bunch a few years ago & one tree in particular (Battaglia Strawberry Verte) is pumping out fruit. I'm going to have to prune them all back drastically soon (we're doing some home reno), but what's the best way to use all these figs?

Roasted figs are fabulous just by themselves, or as a side with pork or duck, or in a dessert tart or upside down cake--I also make a roasted fennel and fig slaw with lemon/olive oil that is really tasty.

Also, when I have had an abundance of figs from my tree and friends' I have oven dried them--easier when you have a convection oven like I do, but also possible with an ordinary oven. Put them on a rack, single layer, turn your oven as low as it will go--like 160 or 170f and prop open the oven door a crack with a wooden spoon, so the moisture can escape. Leave them overnight--it might take longer if the figs are really juicy.

Fig membrillo--puree the figs and cook low and slow with sugar and orange or lemon zest (a bit of aniseed or Pernod is really good, too) until it is really thick. Stir frequently so that it doesn't burn. Keeps for months in the fridge, or put in jars and waterbath can. Really good with sheepmilk cheese.

[Choirgirl21]

I think I screwed up my bread and butter pickles, 3 1/2 pints of them. I didn't have enough cider vinegar so I subbed in white vinegar for the rest (about 1/3 of the total vinegar). I considered using rice wine vinegar and am now not sure why I didn't. Since my 4th jar was only half full, I didn't process that one and just stuck it in the fridge. Tasted the pickles this morning and they are harsh. Someone please tell me they will mellow over time if I store the canned ones for a while? Otherwise, I'm going to be really disappointed. I made them with the last lemon cukes of the season from the orchard at GFM. They were so flavorful and crisp pre-pickling and I went to the trouble of pasteurizing rather than processing since it supposedly leaves you with a crisper pickle.

[zoramargolis]

You didn't say how long ago you made the pickles. Generally, canned goods and jams do need a couple of weeks, at least, before the flavors have fully developed. That said, cider vinegar and white vinegar are both 5% acidity--rice vinegar is lower in acidity, so you can't do a straight substitution with rice vinegar in canning, as you can between cider and white. What you will miss will be some of the flavor that cider vinegar brings. Did you follow the recipe in terms of the sugar/vinegar/water ratios? If so, they should be ok--assuming, that is, that it's a good recipe.

[Choirgirl21]

You didn't say how long ago you made the pickles. Generally, canned goods and jams do need a couple of weeks, at least, before the flavors have fully developed. That said, cider vinegar and white vinegar are both 5% acidity--rice vinegar is lower in acidity, so you can't do a straight substitution with rice vinegar in canning, as you can between cider and white. What you will miss will be some of the flavor that cider vinegar brings. Did you follow the recipe in terms of the sugar/vinegar/water ratios? If so, they should be ok--assuming, that is, that it's a good recipe.

Sorry, I made them immediately before posting (day before I think). I otherwise followed the recipe pretty exactly. Will keep my fingercrossed that they just need more time.

Does this mean I shouldn't take my pickled okra to my bbq tomorrow? I pickled them about 1 1/2 wks ago.

[zoramargolis]

Does this mean I shouldn't take my pickled okra to my bbq tomorrow? I pickled them about 1 1/2 wks ago.

They'll probably be ready to eat.

[Choirgirl21]

They'll probably be ready to eat.

Thanks. I took them, I would have liked the okra to be a bit less tough, but the flavor was good. The b&b pickles have improved some, but still not great, still waiting to see about those.

So I have yet another question (really don't know what I would do without you guys). Fermented long beans. Let's say the instructions said to skim scum after 2-3 days and then daily after that, but when you checked initially there wasn't scum yet and then day after day you kept saying you'd do it later and then forgetting. So the week has now passed and you check on them and oops, there's mold where the scum used to be. The mold is not touching any of the beans, just sitting along the outer rim of the liquid attached to the bowl. You are able to remove said moldy scum before removing the beans so no contact is made. Do you throw out the beans or keep them? I drained them and stuck them in the freezer until I could get your verdict.

[zoramargolis]

Thanks. I took them, I would have liked the okra to be a bit less tough, but the flavor was good. The b&b pickles have improved some, but still not great, still waiting to see about those.

So I have yet another question (really don't know what I would do without you guys). Fermented long beans. Let's say the instructions said to skim scum after 2-3 days and then daily after that, but when you checked initially there wasn't scum yet and then day after day you kept saying you'd do it later and then forgetting. So the week has now passed and you check on them and oops, there's mold where the scum used to be. The mold is not touching any of the beans, just sitting along the outer rim of the liquid attached to the bowl. You are able to remove said moldy scum before removing the beans so no contact is made. Do you throw out the beans or keep them? I drained them and stuck them in the freezer until I could get your verdict.

Next time you do okra, blanch them in boiling water before packing in the jar. As far as the long beans go, I have never done beans that way--I used to make pickled beans in vinegar and hot water bath processed them. I've only fermented cukes and green tomato pickles. Were you making the beans in a bowl, or were they in a jar sitting in a bowl to catch overflow? I'm not getting a clear picture of where the mold was--if it was in with the beans and their brine, I'd probably pitch them.

[chaofun]

So I have yet another question (really don't know what I would do without you guys). Fermented long beans. Let's say the instructions said to skim scum after 2-3 days and then daily after that, but when you checked initially there wasn't scum yet and then day after day you kept saying you'd do it later and then forgetting. So the week has now passed and you check on them and oops, there's mold where the scum used to be. The mold is not touching any of the beans, just sitting along the outer rim of the liquid attached to the bowl. You are able to remove said moldy scum before removing the beans so no contact is made. Do you throw out the beans or keep them? I drained them and stuck them in the freezer until I could get your verdict.

I had that happen with the last batch of pickles, and they were fine. The mold was on the wall of the crock on the surface of the brine and not touching the pickles. As long as the mold is not inside the brine/touching the beans I think you'll be ok. Here is a pickle troubleshooting guide, which I don't remember if I posted before:

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/food/food_safety/preservation/hgic3101.html

[Choirgirl21]

The mold was on the wall of the crock on the surface of the brine and not touching the pickles.

Yes, this. Thanks for the link.

And thanks Zoro for the blanching tip. I am starting to doubt this new canning cookbook I picked up. I really loved the idea of it, but so far I seem to be 0/2 although the b&b pickles are probably my fault for using some white vinegar instead of all cider. Still, that's hardly a large enough sample size so I'll withhold judgment for the time being.

[josephine]

Just finished a batch of plum with vanilla bean jam. Got a box of seconds from the farmers market for $5, after trimming and cutting out the pits, ended up with around 14 lbs of fruit. Used the Christine Ferber method but reduced the sugar. Last batch started to burn so really had to watch it this time and it took forever to set but all that time paid off, so yummy. Also made the last 2 jars into plum sauce.

[zoramargolis]

Used the Christine Ferber method but reduced the sugar. Last batch started to burn so really had to watch it this time and it took forever to set but all that time paid off, so yummy.

I think the Ferber method works fine with plums (I made so much plum jam last year that I'm skipping a year), but I gave up on it for cherries. The long cooking left the cherries flat-tasting with a dark, brownish cast to the color. I went back to the short-cook with pectin method this year, and I have the bright flavor and color that I prefer. No reason you can't add the interesting flavor enhancers (vanilla, ginger, cardamom, orange, liqueurs etc.) that her recipes call for, while using pectin. Although, the only thing I put in the sour cherry jam is lemon juice and a tiny bit of almond extract.

[lperry]

I use Ferber's method and figured out a trick. If you let the pan of preserves cool completely, uncovered and out in the open after the first simmer, the cooking the next day will be very short. A lot of the water evaporates this way. It's not in the book, but it is the only way I could figure out that works with the times she gives.

[josephine]

I use Ferber's method and figured out a trick. If you let the pan of preserves cool completely, uncovered and out in the open after the first simmer, the cooking the next day will be very short. A lot of the water evaporates this way. It's not in the book, but it is the only way I could figure out that works with the times she gives.

That makes sense because my times were nowhere close to the brief times she mentions, will try it next time. I made some sour cherries last year and they were ok, didn't care for the consistency (?) since the cherries were whole and then there was syrup. If I do it again, would smush up a bunch of the cherries

[lperry]

I got industrious yesterday, pulled all the partial bags of dried beans out of the pantry and pressure-canned them. I now have 21 pints of various types of beans ready to use. If I had known they would make so many jars, I might not have done it.

[chaofun]

Anybody out there have any good green tomato recipes that can be canned?

[Heather]

Anybody out there have any good green tomato recipes that can be canned?

Large or small? If they are little you can pickle them whole. Larger ones make great relish and chutney. Let me know and I will post a couple of recipes.

[chaofun]

Large or small? If they are little you can pickle them whole. Larger ones make great relish and chutney. Let me know and I will post a couple of recipes.

Mostly small. Have a several medium and large ones though. Would love to see the recipes!

[lperry]

Tarragon and garlic went into a bottle of rice vinegar for salad dressings this fall. I figure you can't beat the intensity of flavor in herbs that are picked when it's 102 degrees outside.

Edited because I did a little searching, then went back out for lemon balm and chives. Yum.

[monavano]

34 quarts of tomato* sauce in the freezer. 8 basil, 5 with crispy proscuitto and the rest plain. All made with onion, garlic, butter and evoo (s&p).

I'm wiped and headed for the pool .

Garner's seconds @ $15 for 25 lb. box. Got 75 lb. on Sat.

[saf]

Garner's seconds @ $15 for 25 lb. box. Got 75 lb. on Sat.

I got 50 pounds.

Tomato soup in the canner right now, to be followed by chopped tomatoes, to be followed by tomato jam.