Canning Season.

[imp]

Sometimes, because I KNOW I am sllloooww, prepping to get the jars filled takes me some more time than I think it ought to!

[Father'sDaughter]

Originally Posted by imp

Sometimes, because I KNOW I am sllloooww, prepping to get the jars filled takes me some more time than I think it ought to!

With a bit more practice, it’ll be a lot quicker. I was really slllloooww when I started canning, but eventually you get to where you know the prep and the steps and it goes much quicker.

[imp]

It's nice to pull those bubbling jars out and hear those ping sounds, make you feel good about the work to put it by.

[Zana]

Just found this thread...and haven't been on TV much lately. Canning season has gotten longer and longer for me. In fact, since I freeze some fruits for later jams/jellies/preserves, etc over the winter, it's pretty much all year now. That being said I've made over 20 kinds of jams and jellies, 4 different pickles and have apple butter on the stove right now, cooking down. Since I'm now working with a glass top stove, I've been told I can't use a pressure canner, so I'm limited to what I can do with water baths.

[clkeiper]

I use my glass tops to can with a pressure canner. Did the manufacturer tell you that? Or just word of mouth? Double check.

[Worth1]

Deleted.

[taboule]

I've used my canner on a glass top extensively (at previous house), Presto in the little booklet said I could. Heating element has to fit bottom of pot just right (mine did) and one has to be careful handling the pot over the stove. I wouldn't use a very heavy canner, but if I recall, someone here mentioned using a large AA on a glass top.

I'm having lunch while simmering my last batch of sauce. I thought i was done a few weeks ago, but a couple of plants kept going. Very humble little batch, still precious.

[imp]

Zana, haven't WB canned in way too many years, and that is a project I will be working on next year, to add to my skills and to save money, too.

Taboule, I figure any and all I can put up at a good price is a savings for me later and a safety factor, too; once had the electric go out here , urban, for about 10 days before the electric co. got it all figured out ( one side of the street had electric service, my side didn't ).

Plus, it's fun to learn a practical new kill for me. Keeps me from roving the streets, LOL!

[taboule]

Originally Posted by imp

... once had the electric go out here , urban, for about 10 days before the electric co. got it all figured out ( one side of the street had electric service, my side didn't ).

Absolutely. Aside from tomatoes and gardening, many of us here appreciate independence and self-sufficiency, and the confidence and peace of mind we derive from it.

A couple of summers ago, at the height of my tomato production, we had so much -even after gifting away copious amounts- that i didn't know what to do with it all. We filled a vertical freezer with sauce (using the 1 q square ziplock containers) and that was before I got my mill. We did lose power a few times, but got lucky and it didn't last long -everything remained solid.

Then last year I got the canning epiphany, i didn't want to worry about any limitations -the size of a freezer- or achille's heal -electricity. Plus it's a lot of fun.

[taboule]

And here's what could be the last batch.
5jars+oct17.jpg

The little bit left -uncooked- will go in a bloody mary.

Summer in a jar.
summer-in-a-jar.jpg

[imp]

Oh man, that is pretty!

How do you do your tomatoes, they look so smooth?

[Zana]

Originally Posted by clkeiper

I use my glass tops to can with a pressure canner. Did the manufacturer tell you that? Or just word of mouth? Double check.

Many of the manufacturers don't recommend it at all. I haven't got a pressure canner anymore...and haven't replaced my old one given that I'm using the glass top.

[taboule]

Originally Posted by Zana

Many of the manufacturers don't recommend it at all. I haven't got a pressure canner anymore....

Zana or anyone else who may know: which manufacturers, of the stove or of the pressure canner?

Not challenging anything here, I'm a low stress / conflict averse individual Just interested to learn: how is the canner to (glass top) stove interface any different than from a large pot to the same stove top ? I suspect that the main things to watch for are 1) the good fit between canner and heating element, and 2) no one gets rough dropping a full canner on said glass top

Any other variables that may come into play?

[taboule]

Originally Posted by imp

Oh man, that is pretty!

How do you do your tomatoes, they look so smooth?

IMP, I simply pressed them in a mill, results is juice with no seed nor skins. You can see pictures above in this thread. Then i cooked'em just a bit, to keep that fresh taste and color -and mostly because I had very little, and wanted to fill a few jars Pure stuff, nothing else but heirlooms.

BTW, how do you folks store your goodies? I wanted an easy "movable" system that protected the jars and also allowed them to be "relocated" if needed (I just went through a major move.) Also, a packaging system in case I wanted to gift some. I used some scrap lumber to build these.
stackkable.jpg

I made 2 sizes, pints and quarts. They're tall enough (for each size) so they can be stacked, top boxes only rest on the edges of the box below -never on the jars. Easy little projects to knock together while recycling a valuable natural resource.

[GrowingCoastal]

Nicely done, taboule!