canning and freezing thread

[Avalon]

I'm new to this. I know collectively there is a lot of experience here. I have been watching videos but am confused about tomatoes. I don't have a canner but I do have a pressure cooker. It has no gauge on it. I decided to freeze beans and can tomatoes since it seems safer. Is the pressure cooker ok for tomatoes. Im seeing everything form they just need a water bath to they need 25 minutes under pressure?

 

[Jarrod32]

Tomatoes are acidic enough that they do not need to be pressure canned, and can be safely water bath canned. Beans and corn, though, are not acidic enough and those must be pressure canned. A pressure cooker does not generate enough heat to safely pressure can anything. You need an actual, bona fide pressure canner (All-American or Presto are a couple of top brands). I water bath can tomatoes (pasta sauce, pizza sauce, salsa), pickles (cucumbers can be pickled but requires a vinegar mix brine, at least 5% acidity in the vinegar). Berry and peach jam, peaches, and apple butter and apple sauce can all be safely water bath canned.

Beans, corn, meat, potatoes, carrots...all of these must be pressure canned. I do not do any pressure canning. Beans and corn can be frozen for preservation, and I have no desire to can meat.

 

[Avalon]

Tomatoes are acidic enough that they do not need to be pressure canned, and can be safely water bath canned. Beans and corn, though, are not acidic enough and those must be pressure canned. A pressure cooker does not generate enough heat to safely pressure can anything. You need an actual, bona fide pressure canner (All-American or Presto are a couple of top brands). I water bath can tomatoes (pasta sauce, pizza sauce, salsa), pickles (cucumbers can be pickled but requires a vinegar mix brine, at least 5% acidity in the vinegar). Berry and peach jam, peaches, and apple butter and apple sauce can all be safely water bath canned.

Beans, corn, meat, potatoes, carrots...all of these must be pressure canned. I do not do any pressure canning. Beans and corn can be frozen for preservation, and I have no desire to can meat.

thank you very helpful... How long do you water bath the tomatoes?

 

[coopersmith]

How to Can Tomatoes Using the Water Bath Method

Last year I began my quest for expert tomato preserving processes. Here's what I learned about how to can tomatoes using the water bath method.

farmflavor.com

 

[Jarrod32]

This is a good resource. Ball also has mixes with specific directions for things like pickles, salsa, pasta sauce, etc. Those make it easy, and you know you have a safe tested recipe.

https://www.ballmasonjars.com/recipes?fdid=recipes

 

[Jarrod32]

Another easy-with-instructions option is a product called Mrs. Wages. This is what I use; we like the taste and flavor of the pasta sauce and pizza sauce. Easy directions, and a known tested-safe recipe.

 

[Avalon]

This is a good resource. Ball also has mixes with specific directions for things like pickles, salsa, pasta sauce, etc. Those make it easy, and you know you have a safe tested recipe.

https://www.ballmasonjars.com/recipes?fdid=recipes

I guess I need to break down and buy a canner. I am rather overwhelmed. The garden is coming in like crazy. I'm fighting squash eating varmints and early blight on the tomatoes. I have bug bites all over from fire ants and assorted other bugs. I'm thinking if eating depends on my gardening we might go hungry Still, I am stubborn and will keep at it.

 

[Jarrod32]

thank you very helpful... How long do you water bath the tomatoes?

Depends a bit on a couple things. The various sauces have a base time of 40 minutes, but I am a couple thousand feet above sea level so I have to add a few minutes. So many little things...don't put your jars directly on the bottom of a pan, use a canning rack to keep them from direct touching the heat and allow water to flow around the jar. Make sure there is an inch or more of water over the top of the jars when you water bath them.

 

[Jarrod32]

I guess I need to break down and buy a canner. I am rather overwhelmed.

It seems overwhelming at first. I felt the same when I first started. I have really gotten into it over the past few years, though, and now it has become an easy, familiar process. Yes, you want to spend some money on a canner. You can get a basic canning pot with rack, or go fancy if you want to spend a few bucks on a gadget and get one of these:

It is expensive, but really handy. It doesn't tie up your stove, and if you have a glass top stove you want to be careful with canning pots anyway.
Another toy you may want to get that will make your canning much, much easier is some sort of strainer/saucing tool. You need to skin tomatoes, and that is one of the worst jobs in the canning process. One of these makes that job easy.

https://www.amazon.com/Norpro-1951-Original-Sauce-Master/dp/B0000DDVMQ/ref=pd_lpo_2?pd_rd_i=B0000DDVMQ&psc=1

There are all kinds of those, from basic hand crank to electric to an attachment for a Kitchen Aid mixer. Note that this can also be used to strain apples down to applesauce, and I ran mulberries through mine the other day to get juice to make syrup. If you are going to do a lot of canning and food preservation, one of these will be a real time and work saver.

 

[coopersmith]

You can water bath in the pressure cooker if you leave the weight off. I do it all the time.........

 

[Avalon]

You can water bath in the pressure cooker if you leave the weight off. I do it all the time.........

do you mean not put it under pressure?

 

[coopersmith]

yes.......water bath is just boiling water.

 

[Avalon]

yes.......water bath is just boiling water.

it is higher than my regular pots. I sure hope I dont kill us.

 

[Jarrod32]

it is higher than my regular pots. I sure hope I dont kill us.

Yeah...again, use a rack to keep the jars from directly touching the bottom. As long as you can keep the jars under at least an inch or two of water, and keep the water at a rolling boil for the entire canning time, you can use most any covered pot.

 

[Avalon]

Yeah...again, use a rack to keep the jars from directly touching the bottom. As long as you can keep the jars under at least an inch or two of water, and keep the water at a rolling boil for the entire canning time, you can use most any covered pot.

Im looking at canners. I have been freezing snap beans and squash today. The freezer will fill quickly.

 

[rte]

Rose Red Homestead on YouTube.
Two thumbs way up

 

[Avalon]

Rose Red Homestead on YouTube.
Two thumbs way up

I have been subscribed to Rose Red for a while. She is incredible. What a wealth of knowledge. I found the most interesting video last night. I am not going to try Amish canning as I am too inexperienced but here is a video on how they do it. Its long but worth the watch. They water bath everything including meats. Its funny because the Amish have been canning this way for hundreds of years but today its called rouge canning. I was wondering how people canned before pressure canners. There are other Amish canning recipes if you search. I'm just taking baby steps with tomatoes and jam till I get a canner.

 

[wallew]

Avalon,

I have been canning for at least the past 25 years - the caveat to that is when we moved to San Angelo, the water has such a high limestone levels that I stopped canning, mainly because the water started turning the glass a whitish color.

So I stopped canning here in San Angelo. But once we move back to Denver, Colorado and we will start canning again.

MAINLY jams and jellies but we also have canned a LOT of peppers, though we do can tomato sauce and the wife makes several killer soups that we do can. But we stopped canning all of those because 'why'? Because she loves cooking them and serving them fresh all the time. We still have 20 plus cases of glass jars in storage.

Jarrod, sorry bud, but in all my years of canning I have never used a pressure cooker. We do not use a rack on the bottom either.

I ALWAYS steam them longer than the directions say, which is normally boiling for at least 30 minutes. I generally go an extra 15 minutes.

 

[Avalon]

Avalon,

I have been canning for at least the past 25 years - the caveat to that is when we moved to San Angelo, the water has such a high limestone levels that I stopped canning, mainly because the water started turning the glass a whitish color.

So I stopped canning here. But once we move back to Colorado, we will start canning again.

MAINLY jams and jellies, though we do can tomato sauce - the wife makes several killer soups that we do can. And we stopped canning those because 'why'? She loves cooking them and serving them fresh all the time.

Here are a couple of pix when we lived in Keller, Tx. Can't wait to start canning again. We both miss making food that we give away especially around Christmas.

View attachment 264990


View attachment 264991
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that's a beautiful; site!

 

[mnmom]

Avalon, I've been canning for a few years and learned there is a difference in tomatoes. Usually they have been fine but modern varieties are not as acidic as heirloom ones. A simple way to make sure is add 1tsp of lemon juice to each canned jar. Itll lower the ph enough for safe Water bath canning.

Also over on the survivalist boards there is an extensive canning section you'd like.

 

[Avalon]

Avalon, I've been canning for a few years and learned there is a difference in tomatoes. Usually they have been fine but modern varieties are not as acidic as heirloom ones. A simple way to make sure is add 1tsp of lemon juice to each canned jar. Itll lower the ph enough for safe Water bath canning.

Also over on the survivalist boards there is an extensive canning section you'd like.

thanks ! Ill take a look.

 

[coopersmith]

Just buy this and be done with it

https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Complete-Book-Home-Preserving/dp/0778801314/ref=pd_bxgy_sccl_1/132-5767802-5100338?pd_rd_w=2Pskw&content-id=amzn1.sym.7757a8b5-874e-4a67-9d85-54ed32f01737&pf_rd_p=7757a8b5-874e-4a67-9d85-54ed32f01737&pf_rd_r=PP727QM2SQDC69X2P3V9&pd_rd_wg=98ygq&pd_rd_r=17fc0c1c-9eac-46f3-8a51-1adfa31fde72&pd_rd_i=0778801314&psc=1

 

[Jarrod32]

Just buy this and be done with it

I second that suggestion.

 

[Avalon]

Just buy this and be done with it

https://www.amazon.com/Ball-Complete-Book-Home-Preserving/dp/0778801314/ref=pd_bxgy_sccl_1/132-5767802-5100338?pd_rd_w=2Pskw&content-id=amzn1.sym.7757a8b5-874e-4a67-9d85-54ed32f01737&pf_rd_p=7757a8b5-874e-4a67-9d85-54ed32f01737&pf_rd_r=PP727QM2SQDC69X2P3V9&pd_rd_wg=98ygq&pd_rd_r=17fc0c1c-9eac-46f3-8a51-1adfa31fde72&pd_rd_i=0778801314&psc=1

Haha, OK

 

[wallew]

I have that book and it's great

our KITCHEN library has over 100 books in it. we are going to either get a larger bookcase or a second one. we just love any books about food - preparing, cooking, canning - and recipe books (over twenty of those)


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

our actual library has over 2000 hardbacks and that does not include our 'foodie' books

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

we gotta get outta here... all our stuff is in an 1800 sq ft storage unit - I will go over to it and take a few pix and then post them here...

 

[Avalon]

I have that book and it's great

our KITCHEN library has over 100 books in it. we are going to either get a larger bookcase or a second one. we just love any books about food - preparing, cooking, canning - and recipe books (over twenty of those)


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

our actual library has over 2000 hardbacks and that does not include our 'foodie' books

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

we gotta get outta here... all our stuff is in an 1800 sq ft storage unit - I will go over to it and take a few pix and then post them here...

I know you are anxious to get back to canning.

 

[wallew]

Canning stuff in a plastic container

all of these shelves have glass jars and lids - lots and lots of them

I have also been saving empty beer bottles for a buddy of mine that brews his own beer

NOT MINE - the wife unit loves her beer - this is about a years worth .... more or less

This is just me being me by saving all this stuff

more of me being me - my deuce and a half - two of our canning pots - chairs and other stuff

those two pots are for deep frying turkeys - came with LNG burners that put out 55 btu's which I use out side to can with - once the weather turns, I take them inside on the gas stove we had - we could get 24 small glass jars for canning stacked four jars per level - six levels - had to watch the 'boiling point' of the water - it could get water everywhere if you did not

 

[dozer99]

Just found a copy of Ball, Blue Book- The guide to home canning and freezing. Old but very good to have a copy on hand. Yard sale for a quarter.

Also thinking of getting a electric canner, the one Jarrod32 suggested.