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Farm Kitchen:  What is your favorite thing to can?  |
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 08:43:24 AM
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I have been getting all of my canning supplies organized and ready to go, and have been looking at alot of canning recipes lately, so I was wondering what are your favorite things to can? Or your least favorite?
For some reason, I like the things like chili sauce that take alot of chopping. I have no idea why, but it just feels good to chop up all those veggies! For some reason, my pressure canner intimidates me a little bit, so I tend to go more for things that can just be done in a water bath. But, I have lots of beans in the garden, so I will just have to get over that now, won't I?
I saw a recipe for something called Fireballs that are green cherry tomatoes that are pickled in a spicy mixture. I think my husband might like those, so I am going to give it a try this year. Anyone else made these?
Happy preserving, everyone! |
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elphie0503
True Blue Farmgirl
500 Posts
Samantha
Gilmer
Texas
USA
500 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 08:56:22 AM
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I did a ton of strawberry preserves last year, but my fav of all time is peaches...however, this year my peaches didn't make, but my pears and figs are rockem sockem...my Grandma said to look into making pear butter! I have a booty load of beans and okra coming on too....
A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort~~Albright
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Betty J.
True Blue Farmgirl
1403 Posts
Betty
Pasco
WA
USA
1403 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 08:58:38 AM
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I have a healthy respect for my pressure canner also. I watch it like a hawk so that the pressure doesn't get too high and that it stays just right for whatever I am canning. My grandmother used to cook her green beans in a water bath, but I won't do it for safety reasons.
My favorite is tomatoes. Just shove them in the jar, add salt, clean the rim and put the lid on and put it in the water bath. Besides, I don't particularly care for those extra sturdy tomatoes one gets out of cans at the store. I want mine all gushy so they almost disappear when I use them. Even in stewed tomatoes, I don't want whole tomatoes. I'm growing green tomatoes this year--wonder what they will look like canned? Will I be able to eat them because of their looks?
Betty in Pasco |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 09:17:08 AM
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I was given a couple of boxes of organic pears last year. Since they were kinda wormy I cut all of the good pieces out and made pear butter- it was divine! My favorite thing to can is pickled jalapenos. The ones you get in the store just don't compare to home canned. Probably the second would be apple sauce or actually any thing I can run through the squeezo. Green beans are one of the few things that are on my must freeze list. We just like our green beans to have that "crunch" to them.
My "new" thing to can this year is blackberries. They usually go in the freezer but I thought, why? They are going to mush up in a pie anyway so why not give it a try. This will actually free up more space in the freezer for beans.
Lillian |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 09:56:24 AM
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I usually buy a couple of small tuna off the boat and jar those in the fall. Sure doesn't make your house smell very nice for a day or two though!! Last year I made a mild, yellow plum marmalade that was divine...it was all gone in a month. This year I really want to make some of Aunt Jenny's pie filling.
Di |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 10:50:35 AM
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We always can wild brambles for jam, but this year I think we're going to make Brambleberry Cordial (Blackberry cordial)
I made bread and butter pickles last year, too.
Love to can Salsa, but I'm going to find a better recipe than the one I used last year--too much vinegar.
Anyone have a favorite salsa recipe for canning?
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 11:43:29 AM
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I think my two favorites to can are pie filling (I like to do apple, peach and cherry) and salsa. Pickles too, if I get enough cukes. Last year something ate all my little cucumber seedlings and I got only enough for salads. This year I want to do some baby dills for sure...lots of them..even if I have to BUY (gulp) cucumbers..I planted plenty so I can hope.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 12:25:34 PM
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I think I may try some pie filling this year. We have two fruit trees that are full of fruit in our yard, but right now I can't tell if they are apples or pears. I feel kind of dumb for not knowing, but one day I go out and they look like apples, the next, I am sure they are tiny pears!
I am with Jonni, I need a better salsa recipe. I tried a couple two years ago and just wasn't too impressed with either.
For some reason, only a very small number of the cucumber seeds I planted have come up and survived. Hopefully I will have enough for dill pickles because those are my husband's favorite.
Maybe if my fruit trees turn out to be pears, I can try some pear butter. I have made apple butter in the past, so I assume it is basically the same? |
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mellaisbella
True Blue Farmgirl
1862 Posts
melanie
living on Anne of Green
Gables land
Canada
1862 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 12:35:50 PM
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Hey ladies
I have a GREAT salsa recipe. Friends always ask me to bring it when we have a get together. I don't have it right here. But I promis I will post it in the next day or two!!
"learn to watch snails" SARK |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 12:41:18 PM
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That would be great, Melanie--can you preserve it, though? I have some wonderful fresh salsa recipes, but I'd like to be able to can and save some, too.
If I get pears this year from the old pear tree, I'd like to try the pear butter. The pears are the small, harder type--don't know if that means anything, but the tree is probably 40 years old or more.
Farmgirl Sister #80, thanks to a very special farmgirl from the Bluegrass..."She was built like a watch, a study in balance ... with a neck and head so refined, like a drawing by DaVinci"...
NY Newsday sportswriter Bill Nack describing filly, Ruffian.
http://www.buyhandmade.org/ |
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N Marie
True Blue Farmgirl
102 Posts
Marie
Seattle
Washington
USA
102 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 1:07:32 PM
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For me, it's got to be Mom's home made concord grape jelly. Hmm...
One year, when I was in junior high, we made canned peaches, cause the peach tree out back had a bumper crop it's first productive year. They were pretty good, but not very pretty.
My latest favorite is spicy pickled green beans, NO SUGAR. I can't stand spicy vinegary pickles with sugar added. Even Bo loves them. (We were both surprised.) But the secret is adding celery salt, that really makes it.
Farmgirl #181
Blue-collar born and raised, and dang proud of it!
http://yarnfoodcoffee.typepad.com/
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Sarahpauline
True Blue Farmgirl
672 Posts
sarah
Ringgold
GA
USA
672 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 4:04:37 PM
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I always enjoy making marmelade because in the winter when the seville oranges are in season and I havent canned anything for months it feels really good to do them.
I love to can peaches though, they look so beautiful in the jars. I also like to make spaghetti sauce and chili etc so its ready to go and easy to use. I also can baked beans so my son can just grab a jar. (He loves beans on toast...eek)
Not all those who wander are lost... |
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electricdunce
True Blue Farmgirl
2544 Posts
Karin
Belmont
ME
USA
2544 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 7:09:04 PM
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OOh, all those things sound delicious, I haven"t cannedmuch the last couple of years except for jalapeno jelly, my friends like it, so I try to do a coupole batches, it's lovely on rye toast with an omelet, of on a cracker with farmer's cheese. Years ago I used to make pear butter, it is such lovely stuff, I may have to try that again too. My most favorite thing I make is my recipe for peach chutney, I like to do a couple big batches so I have lots to share. Haven;t had a source for pears lately, and I'm too cheap to buy them, but I'll chat up the vendors at farmer's market, maybe i can get a deal on some organic ones.
Years ago, when I was first married and we had a big garden, I'd can tomatoes, make and can corn relish, pickled crabapples from my sweet old crab apple tree. I'm trying to grow some raspberries to make jam with, they are so expensive now I just eat em fresh when I'm lucky enough to get some... I like to make prune plum jam too, it's tasty and such a beautiful color, sort of reddish. One year a woman I was buying a flat of blueberries from offered me some tiny plums from a tree in her yard. No one wanted to buy them so she thought if I would like em I could take them home. They wer very small, like grape sized.
They didn;t have much flavor raw, but i cooked them up with a bunch of other things and made a really nice sweet and sour sauce.
I have just filled all my big canning jars with buttons. i may have to empty them. Karin
Farmgirl Sister #153
"Give me shelter from the storm" - Bob Dylan
http://moodranch.blogspot.com
http://domesticnonsense.etsy.com |
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herbquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
891 Posts
Kristine
Bonney Lake
Wa
USA
891 Posts |
Posted - Jun 12 2008 : 8:53:50 PM
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I have two favorites;
Roasted Tomatoe Sauce - This is like eating the garden, fresh, in the winter, especially with metticoti!!!
(set up the roasting pan, fill with 2/3 parts quartered tomotes & 1/3 part coarsly chopped onions, a couple handfuls garlic cloves & a few bunches of mixed fresh Italian herbs. Drizzle all with a little olive oil. Roast till softened. Pressure can as per directions.
Mixed Berry Jan - Living in the WA we have an abundance of berries free for the picking. We freeze blackberried, raspberry, strawberries & elderberry juice for a cold winter day and make kettles full.
I use low-methoxide pectin with 1 part sugar to 2 parts fruit. Then steam can for sealing. Tastes so fresh, fruity & yummy. The only way to have a P&J!!!!
Blessings,
Kristine ~ Mother of Many, MRET & Wellness Coach
Farmgirl Sister #97
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Annab
True Blue Farmgirl
2900 Posts
Anna
Seagrove
NC
USA
2900 Posts |
Posted - Jun 13 2008 : 03:47:29 AM
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I can make jams in jellies in my sleep now, so that's always fun.
Salsa is good- and easy too. We'll have a ton of tomatoes. And that's just as well, considering the recent 'mater recall. I usually blanch the tomatoes and puree these in a blender with peppers onions and basil. I use a little vinegar, but it's usually by sight, so I dont have an exact measurement. Simmer the puree, pour into hot jars and process for 8 minutes in a water bath.
The mash could use a little salt. This also makes a good start for spaghetti sauce, but it is runny.
I do have a pressure canner to0, but the boiling water method is far less cumbersome and I don't have to worry about the lid blowing off. |
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Canadian farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
482 Posts
Lori
Ontario
Canada
482 Posts |
Posted - Jun 13 2008 : 07:31:10 AM
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Since we've been married (20 years) I've been making my mother-in-law's old mustard relish recipe. It's loved by everyone who ever tries it, and is a great way to use up a bumper cucumber crop. It's a two-day recipe, you have to grind all the cukes and onion the night before and put salt on them overnight.
Last year I did not get any cucumbers in my garden, it was a terrible year. We are in serious withdrawal right now; and, I use this relish in my potato salad, too! I'm having to buy junk at the store that's made in India! Can't wait for some cukes this year--the seeds are up now!
Lori
Farmgirl Sister #183 |
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Jun 13 2008 : 6:18:35 PM
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I love to do relishes and pickles the best I think. I use a great end-of-the-garden relish recipe from a friend. It's the best. Uses things like green tomatoes, carrots, whatever is left in the garden.
"Nature always has the last laugh." Mrs. Greenthumbs
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herbquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
891 Posts
Kristine
Bonney Lake
Wa
USA
891 Posts |
Posted - Jun 13 2008 : 6:54:56 PM
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Marcia,
Would you mind posting the end-of-the-garden relish recipe?
Sounds yummy!
Blessings,
Kristine ~ Mother of Many, MRET & Wellness Coach
Farmgirl Sister #97
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Celticheart
True Blue Farmgirl
811 Posts
Marcia
WA
USA
811 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2008 : 2:11:21 PM
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I'll dig it out. Most of my cookbooks are packed in boxes right now(due to kitchen work) but I'll try to find it.
"Nature always has the last laugh." Mrs. Greenthumbs
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herbquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
891 Posts
Kristine
Bonney Lake
Wa
USA
891 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2008 : 7:24:45 PM
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Marcia,
That would be great!
Thanks!!!
Blessings,
Kristine ~ Mother of Many, MRET & Wellness Coach
Farmgirl Sister #97
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Sarahpauline
True Blue Farmgirl
672 Posts
sarah
Ringgold
GA
USA
672 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2008 : 9:06:58 PM
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has anyone ever canned the beets and pickled eggs recipe for easter? Apparently the eggs turn pink. Ive heard its delicious but I am afraid to try it!
Not all those who wander are lost...
www.SarahPauline.com
www.AbraxasBaroque.com |
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shepherdgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1008 Posts
Tracy
California
USA
1008 Posts |
Posted - Jun 14 2008 : 9:55:09 PM
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Toni, do you have the recipe for "Fireballs?" They sound like something my boys would LOVE. And Ms Lilly? Would you share your Jalepeno recipe with us? I buy TONS of the commercially canned stuff for my boys, but they taste so bland and the boys always complain that they aren't hot enough. I bet the homemade ones are MUCH better. And Lori, care to share your mother-in-laws Mustard relish recipe? I'd really appreciate it if you ladies could share those recipes with us. Thanks ~~~ Tracy
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. ~~ George Carlin |
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2008 : 03:23:52 AM
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Tracy, here is the recipe that I found for the Fireballs. In another very similar recipe, the author said that she always left out the celery, so I think I will do that when I try them. I am going to try to home-can my jalapenos this year, too. Your boys sound like they have similar taste to my husband! Good luck canning!
Fireballs
14 lbs small green cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
4 stalks celery
4 hot red peppers
4 heads dill
1 quart water
1/2 cup pickling salt
2 quarts white vinegar
1 Pack 3 1/2 pounds of cherry tomatoes in each of the clean,
hot jars.
2 To each quart jar add a clove of garlic, a celery stalk, a
hot red pepper, and a head of dill.
3 Combine water, pickling salt and vinegar.
4 Boil.
5 Fill jars to 1/2 inch head space from top.
6 Process 10 minutes in boiling water bath.
7 Makes 4 quarts.
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LauraH
True Blue Farmgirl
305 Posts
Laura
North Creek
New York
USA
305 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2008 : 05:49:07 AM
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Thoses fireballs sound great! I will try it! I also love to can pickles, dilly beans and jams..
to have that taste of summer in the middle of winter. YUM!
Laura |
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joyfulmama
True Blue Farmgirl
1175 Posts
Debra
Silver Springs
NV
USA
1175 Posts |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Jun 15 2008 : 11:33:22 AM
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Tracy, I'm just popping for a quick moment to eat lunch. I am pretty sure that the recipe I used for the jalapenos were from the Ball Blue Book, but I will check a little later tonight and get back to you.
Lillian |
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Farm Kitchen: What is your favorite thing to can? |
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What is your favorite thing to can?
