| Author |
Farm Kitchen:  Hot Water Bath Canning  |
|
earthmamaT
True Blue Farmgirl
96 Posts
Tammy
portola
California
96 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 24 2011 : 1:08:28 PM
|
First let me say I am NOT suggesting anyone do this....
When I was growing up on a farm (40 Acres) in VA during the 60's & 70's. We grew all of our own veggies & raised all of our meat. Every year we would can 200-300 qts each of green beans, tomatoes, also meats, stews, soups and other veggies. We always used large metal wash tubs, built big fires and canned our food in the tubs. No pressure canning was used. Never was anyone sick from this... I know we were not just "lucky" because that is how I ate for the first 17 years of my life!
Did anyone else ever can food this way?
Tammy ~
"Be the change you want to see in the world" Gandhi |
|
|
HollyG
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
Holly
Hamburg
Arkansas
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2011 : 1:12:35 PM
|
You are lucky. I read I could do green beans this way. I have always been scared of a pressure canner. I did several batches of beans. The ones we ate immediately were fine. Those that lasted a bit longer all molded and got icky in the jars - and the lids were sealed firmly and "properly." I ended up losing an entire season of green beans, not to mention the trouble of preparing them, then cleaning up that horrid, stinking mess. It was SO not fun.
I've since invested in a pressure canner and have gotten more brave about using it. My husband (who is fearless) helped me the first few times, but I'm still uneasy about them.
HollyG
Farmgirl #2513
www.mydeepwoodslife.com |
 |
|
|
woolgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
901 Posts
Elizabeth
Great Lakes
IL
USA
901 Posts |
Posted - Feb 24 2011 : 2:01:12 PM
|
I grew up with eating canned goods that way. The Amish still can that way. I did just buy my first pressure canner though and I am so happy I did.
Farmgirl #1947 |
|
|
|
graciegreeneyes
True Blue Farmgirl
3107 Posts
Amy Grace
Rosalia
WA
USA
3107 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 08:41:54 AM
|
Every year I'm all intimidated about getting out my pressure canner, and then I refresh myself on the process and remember how easy it is:)
Amy Grace
Farmgirl #224
"use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without"
|
|
|
|
star-schipp
True Blue Farmgirl
942 Posts
Starletta
Middletown
Indiana
USA
942 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 10:52:06 AM
|
The pressure canners are sooooooo much safer than they were in the past - I was afraid too but took a class offered by my local county extension office. I cannot recommend that highly enough in that it really did give me the confidence to use my pressure canner. And trust me, using that is no where as scary as poisoning your family with botulism which is very deadly. Once you learn to use the pressure method, you will be so proud of yourself. Please feel free to ask me anything you want.
If you can't feed one hundred people, then just feed one. -Mother Teresa
Star - farmgirl sister #1927
Master Food Preserver |
|
|
|
Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 11:03:08 AM
|
I have been pressure canning in a large way since 1977 and have enjoyed every minute of it, including the results!! I have found that there just isn't anything you can't pressure can, waterbath can, dehydrate or freeze and so it makes for a wonderful variety of foods!! As long a directions are followed, pressure canning is as safe as can be.
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
|
|
|
CurlysQuilts
True Blue Farmgirl
569 Posts
Sarah
Northeast Kingdom
VT
USA
569 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 2:45:35 PM
|
I just purchased a book called "Put Em Up!" and all the recipes in there are boiling water bath, drying or freezing. No pressure canning. I have been so intimidated by my pressure canner, and this book has helped me realize that I can do quite a bit of canning without it.
Curly's Quilts
www.curlysquilts.etsy.com
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” - Micah 6:8
|
|
|
|
Betty J.
True Blue Farmgirl
1403 Posts
Betty
Pasco
WA
USA
1403 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 3:00:28 PM
|
I just purchased the 100th Anniv. of the Ball Canning Book. It is absolutely nothing like the very old one I have. There are a few pictures, but not the pictured instructions. However, there are some good and interesting combinations of veggies and fruits inside.
Betty in Pasco |
|
|
|
Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 5:02:23 PM
|
If anyone is interested, I have step-by-step photo instructions on canning, among other things, both waterbath and pressure at the blog. Pressure canning really is simple. For example, today I had the remains of the chicken carcass from supper and so I cooked it with celery, onions, orange peel, vinegar, salt, pepper and thyme in a big stock pot with water for 2 hours and then strained it, put the stock in pint jars and pressure canned them while I went about my other business. Awesome stock for soups, beans, etc. That one pile of bones and skin made 10 pints of stock. Think how much that would have cost in Swanson's! Click on the blog link below to see the most recent article on canning butter.
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
|
|
|
earthmamaT
True Blue Farmgirl
96 Posts
Tammy
portola
California
96 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 5:14:00 PM
|
Mary Beth I LOVE your blog! Thank you for the wonderful info. I have sent my daughters to your site too..... You are canning things I never thought of!
Tammy ~
"Be the change you want to see in the world" Gandhi |
|
|
|
Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 5:42:02 PM
|
Thanks Tammy!! If you have FaceBook, you can go to the end of a post and "like" me on FB and then you will get news of new posts, giveaways, etc.
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
|
|
|
woolgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
901 Posts
Elizabeth
Great Lakes
IL
USA
901 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 6:17:23 PM
|
I was just going to try and do that for the first time this weekend Mary Beth! I bought a chicken today and was going to can the stock after I roast it. I'll have to check out your blog.
Farmgirl #1947 |
|
|
|
Sheep Mom 2
True Blue Farmgirl
1534 Posts
Sheri
Elk
WA
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - Feb 25 2011 : 6:36:17 PM
|
There is no reason to fear a pressure canner. It has a safety plug and if too much pressure builds (like when you don't turn down the heat at the appropriate time) the safety plug will pop and let off the pressure. You will have a mess and probably some broken jars but it won't explode. That is what the safety plug is for. Pressure canning is easy and safe if you follow the directions and pay attention. Please - don't try to can anything low acid like a green bean in a hot water bath. It can be very dangerous. If you are afraid to use a pressure canner it's better to freeze them.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran |
|
|
|
DebbieSue
True Blue Farmgirl
199 Posts
Debbie
TX
USA
199 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2011 : 09:26:38 AM
|
| Mary Beth...I just looked though your blog and loved it!! You are very creative! |
|
|
|
Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2011 : 09:32:38 AM
|
Thank you Debbie!! It is so nice to hear when people read my blog. I love writing it and hope that it is of service to others. And a little humor never hurts in life!! :-)
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
|
|
|
earthmamaT
True Blue Farmgirl
96 Posts
Tammy
portola
California
96 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2011 : 10:58:46 AM
|
Mary Beth your blog is now only informative, it is timely. I believe that food cost are reaching a point to where all of us need to learn how to "put food up". So a big THANK YOU goes out to you....
Tammy ~
"Be the change you want to see in the world" Gandhi |
|
|
|
coloquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
Susan
Co
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2011 : 11:13:01 AM
|
My farmgirl peeps and I canned chicken together a couple of weeks ago. I had always heard how hard meat was to can ,but it was easy ! I will do it again for sure .
Susan |
|
|
|
Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Feb 27 2011 : 11:16:58 AM
|
Tammy, I have been processing our own food for many, many years and it came as the result of one particular winter of the first year we had our farm. I was raised a city girl and so raising sheep, horses and cattle, as well as a garden were foreign concepts to me. I was raised as a good Girl Scout however and I did understand the concept of "Be Prepared" sort of - that is I THOUGHT I did. :-) I worked at a grocery store and so for me, getting groceries was an everyday thing. I didn't need to worry about having a "stock". Well, this particular winter, we had a snowstorm to beat all snowstorms. We had no electricity and no way to get out. Fortunately, we had an alternative heat source, but we had no food. After day two, we ended up putting the 'carryall' on the back of the tractor and I rode on that on a trip all the way into town on impassable roads that only a tractor could navigate. We tied the bags of groceries to the carryall and I rode between them back home - nearly 4 miles. That's a loooooong time way for a slow tractor!! Anyway, I learned my lesson and I have been careful to plan way ahead ever since.
And if there is anything that anybody wants me to try, I'm always game. Just give me your ideas!!
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
|
|
|
batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2011 : 9:28:57 PM
|
I learned that is you put white vinegar in the jars with your green beans when you water bath them they will come out fine...thats how I do mine....I do not have a presure cooker so I found this in an old canning book...I do notice that sometimes there is a gray milky film at the bottom of the jars if they aren't used for a while but it isn't mold, no smell so I wash the beans real well under water before cooking them...I also pour out the vinegar water & rince the beans & have never had a vinegar taste to the green beans. Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
|
|
|
coloquilter
True Blue Farmgirl
214 Posts
Susan
Co
USA
214 Posts |
Posted - Feb 28 2011 : 10:46:12 PM
|
When it comes to canning, I feel it's best to contact your local county extension office for the latest recommendations . There are a lot of old recipes and practices that were once considered safe that are now found to be unsafe. Too much love and effort go into canning to risk loss of product or illness.
Susan |
|
|
|
Okie Farm Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
1674 Posts
Mary Beth
McLoud
Oklahoma
USA
1674 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 05:02:15 AM
|
Green beans is one of the most likely candidates for botulism, which is deadly. They have such a basic PH that it would take "pickling" them with a heavy vinegar solution like is used in dill pickles to make them safe enough to waterbath. One bad can of green beans can kill you - not just make you sick. Unfortunately, pressure canning of veggies with a basic PH is the ONLY safe way to process them except for freezing them.
Mary Beth
www.OklahomaPastryCloth.com
www.Oklahomapastrycloth.com/blog
The Sovereign Lord is my strength - Habakkuk 3:19 |
|
|
|
Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 06:44:34 AM
|
Michele-The vinegar needed would be about half of the liquid. Beans need to be Pickled to be safe if you are water bath canning. You CAN'T smell botulism. All it takes is one jar of unproperly canned anything to kill you, your children, someone else or anyone. I encourage everyone out there who is thinking about canning to either pick up the ball cannng book (about 6 dollars) or go to the website- http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/ and do some reading first.
Please don't go by your grandmas recipe or even some of them on the internet. I have found many out there in the cyber world that aren't safe to can. Do your research first and understand what is safe and what is not.
Lillian |
|
|
|
earthmamaT
True Blue Farmgirl
96 Posts
Tammy
portola
California
96 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 09:13:06 AM
|
I agree with all the safety tips from you ladies! I just remembered we always canned outside in large water bath tubs... I do believe that one of the reasons I never knew anyone to get sick from hot water bath canning is because the people doing the canning KNEW from experience correct recipes, tips, & canning times...Somehting maybe not always written down.
Now I have another question..Would any of you ladies be willing to share canning recipes?? I know many of us are looking for some. I would be real interested in recipes for canning meat! So I am going to start another post for canning recipes!
Tammy ~
"Be the change you want to see in the world" Gandhi |
|
|
|
Sheep Mom 2
True Blue Farmgirl
1534 Posts
Sheri
Elk
WA
USA
1534 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 09:36:06 AM
|
Please, please, please don't can green beans in a hot water bath unless they are pickled like dilly beans. There have been cases of whole families dying from it. The beans don't smell or look funny but can be deadly. The master canners here say that even when pressure canned, green beans should be boiled for at least 10 min. in and OPEN kettle before tasting just to be safe. Canning times change all the time with updates so it's best to check each year before starting. I have been canning green beans for 30+ years without any issues but I only use a pressure canner unless I am making dilly beans. If I sound like a broken record, so sorry. But with canning always err on the side of safety first.
Blessings, Sheri
"Work is Love made visible" -Kahlil Gibran |
|
|
|
earthmamaT
True Blue Farmgirl
96 Posts
Tammy
portola
California
96 Posts |
Posted - Mar 01 2011 : 09:57:39 AM
|
By the way I should add that I DO use a pressure canner when needed. YES green beans are the tough one! I have had greens beans go bad even with pressure canning. But out of 100 quarts I had maybe 2 that were bad...
Sheri you are not sounding like a broken record You sound like someone who cares....
Tammy ~
"Be the change you want to see in the world" Gandhi |
|
|
|
mywunderfullife
True Blue Farmgirl
113 Posts
Amanda
Douglas
WY
USA
113 Posts |
Posted - Mar 02 2011 : 8:15:19 PM
|
Mary Beth,
I too love your blog!! I have learned so much and have gotten excited about dehyrating and canning foods for storage. It has been so informative and boy do I wish I lived by you so I could ask you a million questions!! :) Thanks for sharing.
And for the recommendation about the pressure canning class, what a great idea. I haven't used my canner for several years so I may just do that. Besides, it would be a good idea to get it checked out anyway.
Mandy
"don't outsmart your common sense and never let your praying knees get lazy"
Farmgirl #2424!! |
|
|
|
Farm Kitchen: Hot Water Bath Canning |
|
Hot Water Bath Canning
