Tell Me About Your Cans
Ok…so last week I told you about my adventures in pantry stocking and my concern over the complete lack of local options. Now that I have whined about it I guess I should actually attempt to DO something about it. I can get my hands on plenty of local produce from about June-November. Last year I even tried my hand at preserving a few items from the CSA through freezing. The results were mixed. The zucchini held up well and I still have a few bags left for zucchini bread. The tomato based sauces like ratatouille I tried to cook and freeze came out not so great…in fact freezer burnt, watery, with a lingering gym sock sort of quality. Everything else ended up down our greedy little gullets within seconds of coming home. I still plan on freezing a few things this year, like zucchini and maybe fresh berries, but in a power outage all the freezer goods in the world aren’t going to feed my ravenous brood.
So…that leaves me with the obvious…yet painful…and labor intensive choice of canning. My grandparents canned, and my parents canned and as a youngster I canned. All I remember of the process was it being a huge pain in the rump and it requiring the boiling of enough equipment to create a shuttle to the moon…which I would have gladly boarded free of charge on any given canning day. So my big question for all of you out there with some canning knowledge is how does one can on a very small, very urban, very lazy scale? Do you need all of that equipment? What is the easiest to can? I would definitely like to can tomatoes considering I, in my CSA season opener enthusiasm, ordered an extra 20lb share of the beauties without a whole lot of thought as to how I am going to preserve them. I also would like to do some fruit…but without all the sugar. What fruits can be done without sugar? And how? Maybe corn? Rhubarb? Beets? Peaches?
I need help…idiot proof canning instructions. Botulism prevention would be a plus.
I also need equipment. Any thoughts? There is the simple or the fancy. The black is about $25 and is …just a pot with a rack. The silver number goes for about $90 and is also a pressure cooker. Both do about 7 quarts at a time. 
Any recommendations for jars? I thought about Craig’s list…but might not get exactly what I need. Any good source recommendations?
Oh…one more thing…can one of you actually fly here…do the canning for me…clean up afterward…and then spoon feed my the preserves. Thanks. Oh…and watching you can may make feet sore…so maybe a little foot rub to top it off. If its not too much trouble.
As far as supplies, ask around. We’ve been given tons of stuff (jars, a water bath canner, etc) from people who used to can and now the stuff is just taking up room in a closet. You can also go in with a friend and do it together so you both don’t have to buy everything (just split the costs).
The only thing I’ve bought was a pressure canner and you only need that if you are doing meats or veggies (other than tomatoes). I got the Presto from Amazon for $80 (I think they’re a little more now). And I love it.
Just don’t buy everything at once. Ask around (maybe at the farmers market too) and see if you can get any second hand stuff.
As for food, I find jams, tomatoes, and beans/peas are SUPER easy! I canned corn this weekend and it was a bit more labor intensive, but not hard. I try to do as much as I can at one time so that I only have to clean up the kitchen, heat the stove, etc once.
The best resource on canning I’ve found is Pick Your Own (http://www.pickyourown.org/) They have tons of tips on canning just about everything.
If you have more questions, feel free to email me. I’ve only been doing this for a year, but I’ve done a wide range of canning and will be happy to help.
I know! I want someone to come teach me how to can too. I don’t feel confident it’s something I can learn from reading about it. I need someone to show me.
Also, I’m scared of botulism too. But maybe I can just inject into my forehead if I accidentally create it.
I’d start with buying the water bath canner set. Usually comes with the canner, the jar holder, the magnet thing for retrieving lids, a canning cookbook, a funnel and a dozen jars. Do some jam or chutney and see how it goes. I don’t find those too labor intensive. If you can get your hands on ‘em, go for blackberries to jam as the only prep is washing and smashing. I guess the same goes for raspberries but I prefer blackberries.
Don’t forget about dehydrating. It works great for fruit!
Ebay, all the way. I agree on the website suggested above, it has TONS of info- I’d buy the black pot with rack and jars on ebay.
Also, rhubarb freezes really well! I just took some from my freezer for a pie that had been there longer than I know and it was great.
Also, you’ll know if your canned goodies aren’t safe b/c the tops of your jars won’t “pop” when you open them.
Happy Canning, and of course, please share any tricks you learn!
My favorite website for canning info is the National Center for Home Food Preservation. I second the recommendation to start with waterbath canning. It’s easier. Pick up the current Ball canning guide for recipes and information. Either it or the link above probably have information about reduced sugar canning. Do find recipes for that, though, as sugar helps preserve food.
Dehydrating is a low-sugar option as Green Bean suggested.
For supplies, I bought my waterbath canner at a hardware store for $20. I’ve picked up many of the canning jars at thrift stores, where I check each and every rim for nicks or cracks before shelling out any cash. Once you get hooked, you can decide whether to order new lids in bulk online at a better price.
I don’t know anything about canning but I had good luck with freezing berries last year. Just wash them and then freeze them–no prep needed.
Oh, and how funny that Unclutterer just did a post about canning as well: http://unclutterer.com/2009/05/30/canning-meal-planning-months-in-advance/
You guys are awesome. I have a lot of reading to do. Great links!
2 words for you. GARAGE SALES! It’s actually kinda fun once you get started. TUrn your dishwasher hot and put your jars and rings in there…it works! I found all my jars, half my lids and my jar tongs all for less than 25c each… I picked up some stuff off freecycle and my funnel and lids at wal-mart. I used my regular stockpot for the sealing b/c i was too cheap to buy a canning pot. I was tryign to /save/ money after all. You just have to put something at the bottom of the pot to keep the jars off the bottom. the bottom of my sprinform pan worked great for me…