Canning and Preserving That Wonderful Harvest

 

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind, this is how I do things when I am preserving our harvests. I just want to share my ideas, tips and tricks with you in hopes it might give you some inspiration of things to try. 

I will list as many things as I can that I can, no pun intended. lol In other words, I will show you all the things I have canned and will continue to can and how I can them. I did it again didn't I? lol 

 Also, this is a written tutorial, however, we do have a YouTube channel and I have a playlist of all our Canning and Preserving videos. I will link each video I have  in with the written tutorial too. Please note that this page will be updated frequently as we learn more things and make videos. Feel free to bookmark this page so you can visit it occasionally or if you can't read it all at one time, you can get back to us at your leisure. Scroll until you find something you want to try or a particular thing you are looking for.

This page might contain some affiliate links. 

Whether you are harvesting your produce from your garden or you are shopping the sales and buying produce to stock your pantries or freezers, you need to come up with a plan as to how you are going to preserve all your bounty. There are so many ways to preserve food that I will try to cover them all. And that way, you can determine what fits your families needs and can plan a strategy from there. Maybe it would help if you watched the first video in our playlist first so you can see all the different ways to maybe help you understand and come up with a plan. You can watch it here:

 First thing to do is know what kind of and how much space you have. If you don't have freezer space, then you know you might need to find a freezer on sale some where or try another preserving method. If you don't have shelf space, you might consider freezing. Let's jump into it shall we?

Pressure Canning: 

First of all, let me stress to you: FOLLOW PRESSURE CANNER MANUFACTURER INSTRUCTIONS!

I can’t tell you how important this is. For when you do this you avoid many accidents and mistakes. I should follow my own advice sometimes. Just because I do mine one way doesn’t mean its always right. I would not want to jeopardize your safety. Pressure Canning is cooking food to a certain temperature to guard against botulism and bacteria. It cooks the food under "pressure". You will still need to cook your food when you open up a jar. When pressurized, the pressure creates a vacuum seal on your lids and bands. The seal is vital to keep your food from spoiling. 

One of the most familiar sounds I could hear when I was growing up was the sound of my Grandmothers pressure canner. My grandparents grew a garden until finally their health just would not allow it. I can remember shelling butter beans until I thought my thumbs would fall off. We use to pick corn by the truck loads. All that shucking, shelling and picking, I wouldn't trade it for nothing. This is my grandmothers pressure cooker and it got handed down to me. I use it with pride and usually have to wipe a few tears every  time I use it. The noise brings back memories.   

Many years ago, my husband bought me my first pressure canner. I could remember how my grandmother used it and I got mine out proudly and here we go. Remember when I said I should have followed my own advice? Well, to my horror, I made the mistake of opening the lid before jars cooled down and saw there was no water in the bottom. So I thought I should just add a little water. Thank goodness the Lord was watching over me, because 7 jars blew up right in my face. Some how I managed to get out of the way, but they did not miss my ceiling, walls, kitchen counters, and floor. I was picking up green beans and picking out glass from my kitchen for weeks. Needless to say, I packed that sucker up and didn’t touch it again. I was scared to death of pressure canner.

Well, years went by and here I was gardening again. I really needed to use a pressure cooker. All this stuff would not fit into a freezer. So, I asked my mother in law to re-teach me how to use a pressure cooker. I went to her house one day and she was canning my favorite…green beans. It was really nothing to it she said. Humph! I thought, but after she walked me through the steps…turned out, it really wasn’t. She said those magic words, “Just follow the directions in the manual.” Well, there you have it people. lol She made it look so simple. And really, after doing it for so long, it is. I count it a joy to use mine all the time now. I’m so confident that I can run two at the same time with many prayers sent up. lol 

I use my pressure canner year round. Even in the winter. Canning is not just for summer you know. There are some things we cannot grow. So if I buy some things when they are on sale, we will buy ALOT  and I will bring it home and preserve it. Some things I freeze, some things I pressure can.  Things such as low acid foods like beans, potatoes, carrots, corn, etc., get pressure canned. 

I will walk you through a few simple steps. Let me also say that everyone has their own style of canning, from their set up to, how they pack the jars, to the finished product. You have to try different things until you find that pattern that suits you. You can do these steps in any order you want to.

First, I begin with preparing my food. After you have shucked or shelled your produce, you need to wash it really good to get rid of any dirt or debris. There are two ways to pack jars. There is the cold pack and the hot pack. Cold pack is when you put the produce in your jars washed and raw. Hot pack is when you blanche your produce and then put into jars. Blanche is when you just boil or cook it a little in a pot on the stove. I like the cold pack myself, this cuts out a step.

Second, I prepare my jars. I like to just throw mine in the dish washer. Inspect them after they are washed to make sure there are no nicks or cracks. I check my lids and bands. I throw away any that are rusted or have nicks in the seal or around the seal on the lid. The lids are reusable, but to a certain extent.  The key to making your lids last longer and not damage them is to be very careful not to lift up too high on the lid as you remove it for the first time after sealing a jar.  Also, if you will put your lids in a little pan of water and heat them on low on the stove this will create a better vacuum seal on the lid. It swells the rubber seal, then you fill the jar, screw the band or ring on and viola'! Do not screw them on too tight. This will cause buckling of  the lids. Only finger tip tight which means only tightening until you feel the resistance, then just a hair more. NOT TORQUING.  Some people like to keep the jars  warm in the oven  on the lowest setting and take them out one at a time while they fill another jar. oh, when its time to wash lids, I do so in warm soapy water, rinse and  dry with a towel so the seal does not rot. Any damaged lids gets thrown away.

You want to make sure there is a good seal on the lid, this is what seals your jars to keep your food from spoiling.

Now, I start filling my jars with the produce to about the neck, do not pack all the way to the top. Add water if its things like green beans, peas, beans, etc. If its sauces, then fill jars with liquid to about the neck also. Wipe the mouths of the jars off to make sure there is no food on them. Then place the lids on and then the bands. Wipe your jar off really good. Set aside until you have all jars filled and capped.

Third, before I use my canner, I wash it with soap and water. Warm water helps the seal to swell a little which in turns helps you create a better safer seal when you put the lid on. Pressure or steam will not escape when you have a proper seal. I like to lubricate my seals with a little oil also to help keep them from cracking and splitting. I do this step before each use too, especially if my canner has been stored somewhere over the winter.

This is where it gets tricky, you will need your instruction manual for this because every pressure canner is different.

Most pressure canners will tell you to fill the bottom of the canner with a qt. or two inches  of water. If you have hot jars, like hot liquid in your jars, then the water in your canner needs to be heated a little first. If you have cold contents in your jar, then your water in your canner needs to be cool or cold. In other words make your jars, contents and water in the canner all match with the same temp. Otherwise if you put hot jars into cold eater, CRACK!!!!!!! You can crack a jar or bust a jar. 

Then  put your jars in, making sure you only put the amount in that your canner says to put in. Do not over crowd. Then carefully put the lid on and by all means, make sure its locked good. Turn the eye on. You will then start to see steam come out the little spout on the top. Let this come to a steady, continuous stream for 10 minutes.  This is called "venting". This pushes all the air out. Then place the bobbler on top according to the lbs. of pressure that is called for the produce you are canning. For ex., my green beans needs 10 lbs.  of pressure for 45 min. I will put the bobbler on my cooker in the 10 lb. hole. Make sure you follow the lbs./per minutes in your book. When the bobbler starts making a jiggling noise, then you start timing. That means it has reached the desired pressure. You don’t start timing until you hear or see the bobbler jiggling. You have to let it get to the lbs. of pressure first. Then start timing. Time for the minutes indicated. Then turn off eye or move canner carefully to the side, if you need to keep the eye on for another canner. “UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, DO YOU OPEN A CANNER UNTIL IT IS COOLED” please. That is a good way to blow the lid off and burn yourself really badly. NEVER REACH IN AND JUST GRAB JARS. Get a towel or a jar lifter and lift the jars out and set them on the counter to finish cooling and seal. When you hear “pops” your jars have sealed. You can check the seal on our jars by tapping them. You will hear a sound difference in a jar that is sealed and a jar that is not. The sealed jar will kind of make a thud sound, the jar that is not sealed will kind of echo or sound hollow. I know that may not make sense but once you learn to listen for the difference then you will understand.

Some canners have the lb. gauge on top. This is easier since you can “see” if its reached the pressure limit or not, you will need to monitor it and keep checking it to make sure it stays the same.  I have both types. If the pressure goes over what you need, then just cut the eye down to med. or something to reduce the heat. This is the one I have 

I told you it was pretty simple, but you still need to follow the manual. Sometimes I take shortcuts but that's only because I've done it so many times. Until you get into this routine, don’t try that.

Water Bathing:

Soft things like, tomatoes, peaches, pickles, sauces, anything high acid needs to be water bathed.  This method is easy. You fill the jars the same way. Put the jars in and cover jars completely with water even over the jar lids. Turn the eye on, bring water to boil and process for the minutes indicated in the manual. Do not start timing until they come to a boil.  Then follow the steps for removing jars as mentioned above for pressure cooker. Not isn’t that simple.

When storing your canners, put in a cool dry place if you have room in your cabinets. As for me, I have to pack them into a box and seal it up and put them somewhere. I don’t have enough cabinet space yet. You can also use your canners to can any time of the year. If you can’t grow something, go buy it in bulk and have a canning day. You could do this in the winter time to help heat the home.

Another great book I use is the Ball Blue Book, Guide To Preserving. I love this book. It has alot of great recipes too. They are also on face book.

Freezing:

Another way to preserve food is putting in freezer. I love, love, love my food saver that wonderful hubby bought for us. 

We got tired of working so hard and putting things in freezer bags just to get freezer burnt. So now, we don’t have that problem. It creates that vacuum tight seal, also works good on meats. Look at all the fun stuff I put in the freezer.     

There is a sense of pride knowing you worked hard and put all this up for winter use.

Dehydrating:

Another way to preserve food is to dehydrate it. We love to use our dehydrator to make deer jerky and summer sausage. Dear Hubby is good at this. 

These pics are an example on one of our YouTube videos. 

Here is one of his videos:

Remember, don’t just take my word for it, USE YOUR MANUALS AND SAFETY PRECAUTIONS. If you have a few mishaps don’t let it discourage you, keep trying.

Now, let's start showing you how I do some of these wonderful things. 

Squash and Zucchini:

Let's start with two of the easiest things to grow and preserve. These two vegetables are so versatile and just go good together. These are a staple in our freezer. These are so easy and grow so well that you will have an over abundance. I see so many people saying, "I've got squash and zucchini coming out of my ears and I'm having to give it away!" Oh my, unless you are just being kind, by all means, share, but don't feel like you have to "get rid of it" because you don't know what to do with it. I also hear so many people say they don't like the taste or texture after it has been frozen and thawed out. Let me say this, anytime a vegetable or fruit is frozen, it is not going to have the same taste and texture as it would if it was to remain fresh. You just have to get creative. Alot of people can their squash and zucchini. I do not. I freeze ours. To combat the bitter flavor of a vegetable that has been frozen and thawed out is to blanche it first for 3 minutes in boiling water, then laid out to dry, then flash frozen and bagged. To me, this takes alot of time on the forefront and I have found a way that works better for me and goes a whole lot faster. I choose to remedy this right before I am going to use it in a recipe. You see, we vacuum seal our produce in vacuum seal bags which are also steamable in the microwave. This is how I get rid of that bitter taste. I thaw out a bag I'm going to use in a recipe, open the bag a little, squeeze out all the water, steam in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes, squeeze out any remaining water and use accordingly. If any has gotten out of shape by the squeezing, I just reshape it. Simple. 

Squash and Zucchini can be used as a substitute in keto and diabetic diets. There are tons of recipes out there with creative ways of using these highly nutritious vegetables. Now, here is the part I love and hope will help you. I cut up my squash and zucchini so many different ways according to how I'm going to use them in a recipe. For example, I cut cubes for stir frying or for tossing into a pan with some onion and potatoes to fry. Then I cut rounds for deep frying, augratin, scalloped, veggie burgers, grilling, roasting, etc. I have even cut zucchini into long layers to substitute for sheets of lasagna for a KETO lasagna dish, or zucchini boats, mini pizzas for keto instead of the pizza dough. There are so many creative ways to use these vegetables, the possibilities are endless. You an even ferment and pickle. I also shred them to sneak into things such as chaffles that my grandchildren love. Soups, stews, casseroles, etc. I have two videos that I can show you how to process these two wonderful vegetables so you will have more dishes to add to your recipe collection. This is how I cut up mine for so many dishes. I hope you learn to enjoy these as much as I do. 

 SAUERKRAUT:

Here is one way to make  homemade sauerkraut. I got this method from the West Ladies at Homestead Blessings. They have wonderful how to dvd's. There are so many ways you can prepare sauerkraut. The possibilities are endless. Just do your own research and find the method and recipe that is appealing to you and go with it. If you don't like it when you open a jar, you can always tweak it and find a new method or recipe. Just have fun in the journey. 

Step one: take cabbage head and cut it up however you want to. Whether it be with a knife and cutting board or in your food processor. I preferred my food processor or my hands would have been killing me. Then put in big container.

Step 2: Add salt to draw out the water and to help give it that sour flavor of sauerkraut and to help ferment it.  With clean hands, thoroughly squeeze the cabbage til it will start making water. Seriously, squeeze the juice out of it. lol or after you mix the salt in, and stir it up, you can leave it out on the counter to sit until it draws out moisture on its own. Do a taste test to see how much salt to your liking. 

Step 3: Using a food funnel, start packing your jars.

Step 4: Take your fingers and tightly pack and push down as much down as you can in your jars. Leave a one inch head space in your jar because as the cabbage ferments it will foam and rise to top. If you do not have enough liquid you can boil up just a little more water with some salt and finish filling jars to neck. 

Step 5:  Then make sure around jar mouth is clean and put your lids on fingertip tight. Store jars in cool dark place to ferment for several weeks. Fermenting takes time and the longer it sits the better the flavor. Every day you might want to take lids off and skim off foam and keep the top of the kraut clean. Replace lids. 

You can actually can this after the fermentation process is complete if you want a more stable shelf life. It will loose some of the probiotics from the fermentation process but it will still have some. You water bath it for 30 minutes. That's all. Then store back into pantry.

Another process I use for sauerkraut is canning it. I will leave a pic of the recipe below. I will also leave video versions.

In the same pic is a jar of coleslaw that you can can. Why, yes, you can can coleslaw. Now that I've confused you, enjoy the pics of these beauties. The purple one is the cole slaw.We opened a jar and it was delicious.  When you get ready to eat it, just open the jar, drain the liquid, and add your mayonaise dressing, dressing of our choice or a vinaigrette dressing. Do not rinse the cabbage. Viola!  It still has a little crunch too. Perfect for opening up on a summer day and having with BBQ.

SPAGHETTI SAUCE:

This is how I process my tomatoes to get them ready to make spaghetti sauce: (honestly, I have processed them several different ways, but this is one way:

First, I washed all tomatoes and let them dry. I got an assembly line going. You can go ahead and get you a dish pan and start heating up some water on stove.  While my water was heating up I got my trash can ready and cored them. I do not peel them yet.  I took them over to my stove.  I stared putting them into the hot water gently. Only for a few seconds enough to loosen skin. Then I remove them from the hot water and immediately put them into cold water.  I take them out and put on a cookie sheet to cool and then I peel off skins. I then put them into ziploc bags to save for making spaghetti sauce and salsa. When it is time to make spaghetti sauce I will take out bags and let them defrost, drain and I will cook them down with my seasonings. Then I will laddle into jars and process in a water bath.

If you want to go ahead and process whole tomatoes in jars after you peel them, you just put them into jars whole or crushed and process in a water bath. Make sure jars are fully submerged past lids in water. Process for 45 minutes I think. You can google that just to make sure. Then remove from water canner and let cool and you should start hearing……POPS then you'll know jars are sealed. Viola! Hope you enjoy them.

Now I will tell you how I make my spaghetti sauce and can it.
I will get all those wonderful tomatoes out of my freezer the night before and set them some where to thaw out overnight. Uh…I had 19 ziploc bags so I put them in my tub. lol

The next morning I got all my jars ready and caps and lids. Then I set up an assembly line. I put a strainer in the sink and I would take one bag at a time and strain any left over juice and water out. If you want to keep the juice just remember to use a thickener like tomatopaste or corn starch when cooking down or you will have watery sauce. You might can reserve the juice and do something with it. Google it.  
After straining, I put in blender and blend til I get a puree.  Next, I pour that into a stainless steel pot and cook down.

One year I had so much sauce, I used my roasting pan to cook down in. It worked great. 
I add my spices.  I just use salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and sugar. Ooops, I forgot to put that in the picture. My bad. The sugar is to cut down on the acid taste in the tomatoes. People also use a little lemon juice to cut down on the acidity. You can use any spices of your choice. Just note that if you add vegetables like onions or peppers or even meat you will then have to pressure can it.

Um…I just eyeball everything. I don’t really measure. I have tried many different recipes and tweaked here and there until I found what I like.

I will let that cook down to the desired consistency. Then I remove from stove or roaster and laddle into warm jars. I put the caps and lids on making sure tops of jars are wiped clean.
I will put my jars into my water bather and then pour water in until it covers tops of jars.  When the water starts to boil then I will start timing. I let them process for around 30 to 45 minutes.
I then remove jars from water very carefully with a jar lifter and pot holder. Caution jars will be extremely hot. Just set somewhere for them to cool and after a while you should start hearing….POPS!!!! This is to let you know jars are sealing good. Viola! You have spaghetti sauce.

Salsa: I process the tomatoes the same way as for my Spaghetti sauce and I use Salsa seasoning packages and follow directions for processing.

I also tried another recipe for salsa. I used my tomatoes, bell peppers (all colors), onions, cilantro, fresh minced garlic, cumin, sugar (to cut down on acidity) and lime juice. No, once again I didn’t measure anything, sorry.  I used my big roasting pan again and eye balled everything. I cooked it down most of the day and overnight on very low. Like simmer. Then laddled into jars and water bathed for 45 minutes. Viola! Heavenly. I don't have a video yet of me making salsa. I have also made salsa using Ms. Wages Salsa Mix seasoning packets and following the directions on the back.

Homemade Enchilada Sauce:

I use Pioneer Woman's recipe for her sauce. We love it. You can google her recipe from Food network.
I prepare my tomatoes the same as I do for my Spaghetti sauce and salsa (see above directions), then follow her directions and recipe. Next, I cook the sauce down and ladle it into jars and process in the water bather. Her recipe is a hit in our home. 

CHICKEN OR TURKEY STOCK:

Making Stock is easy. This year I made Turkey Stock from the carcasses of two turkeys. All you need is the carcass of a turkey, any desired vegetables you want like onions, celery, carrots, garlic, peppers. Is actually added some butternut squash to mine. Then spices like salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, parsley, etc. I would not add too much salt due to some recipes call for extra salt as well. Then your water. That’s it. Here are the directions:

Step 1- chop/dice desired vegetables. Put in stock pot with spices and turkey carcass. Cover with water until carcass is fully covered. You can simmer this on the stove for most of the day or you can transfer to crock pots or roasting oven and simmer overnight. It needs to simmer for at least 18 hrs.

Step 2-3- after stock has simmered and cooled down, strain carcass and vegetables, reserve liquid stock.

Step 4- ladle stock into jars and put caps and lids on jars.

Step 5-prepare canner and place jars into canner.

Step 6- pressure can 25 minutes under 10 lbs pressure for quart jars.

Step 7- pull canner off to cool, remove jars onto towel to cool and seal. When you hear each jar pop they have sealed.

Vegetable Stock: video version:

There are more things to do with your veggie scraps and I can show you here:

APPLE JELLY:

I washed, rinsed, cored, seeded and sliced my apples. I put slices into a stock pot and filled with just enough water to cover apples. Then I cooked down the apples to get the juice. It will turn to kind of a mush like consistency. Strain the apples in a colander and retain juice. Now, at this point you can pour into a container or pitcher and store the juice until you can complete the process. It’s alot to do in one day.

When you do get ready to process, pour juice back into a stockpot, gather all your ingredients, which will be your sugar and Sure-jell like I use or Jell-Ease etc. Prepare your jars by washing jars and lids and drying. Don’t freak out when I say I reuse jelly jars or any kind of jars with the pop top lid. They are perfect. However, you can only use them a few times due to the seal eventually wearing out. Now, I follow the directions to the T inside the box of Sure-Jell. I remove the cooked juice, and ladle into jars, wipe jars off around rim and sides, tighten on lid and put on a towel to cool and set. Now, don’t freak out again because you can set them this way. You turn them upside down making sure they don’t leak. You also can follow the directions to process them in the water bath. If you do them the way I did, by turning them upside down, work quickly cause the liquid needs to remain very hot in order to make the seal pop in the lid when it is cooling. After a while you should start hearing the jars pop. This is a good sign, it means your jars have sealed. Check them after several hours to see if they are setting, which means they are getting thicker like Jello. Viola!  You have made Jelly.

JALAPEÑOS:
Now for my Jalepenos’:

I prepare my jars by washing and rinsing jars and lids and dry. I fill my jars with peppers and then water up to the neck of jar. I tighten on lid and ring. I put my water bath on stove and place jars into tub. Fill with water, enough to cover jars, even over the lids. Put lid on canner and bring to rolling boil. Process for 30 minutes. Remove from canner and set on a counter or somewhere to cool and seal. CAUTION: please remember the jars and water are extremely hot so use a hand mitt that goes over hand, and use grippers to grab jars and lift out of hot water while using a pot holder to hold onto the bottom. After a while of cooling you will start hearing pops which lets you know the jars are sealing. Store in your pantry. They should keep for a long time if sealed properly. Homemade canned jalepenos’.

GREEN BEANS:

Freezing green beans:

You can freeze green beans too. You wash, rinse, and string your green beans. Transfer them to a stock pot and cover with water. You just want to blanch them at this point for about 3-4 minutes. You don’t want to bring them to a boil. You still want them a little crisp. Remove from the hot water and immediately put into ice bath to stop the cooking process. Remove from the ice water and put into ziploc bags and seal or you can use a vacuum sealer like we do. They should keep in the freezer for a long time.

Canning Green Beans:

We pick, wash and snap our green beans and raw pack them into jars. I fill with water to the neck, debubble, wipe rims of jars off  and tighten lids and rings. I process them in the pressure canners according to my Ball Blue Book directions. It's 25 minutes at 10 lbs pressure for my altitude. 

CORN:

This is how we process our corn. I tried canning it but didn’t like it as well.  So we like to freeze it. 

First, we pull our Ranger and cart to the garden and just park it in front of the stalks. We pick and drive and throw it in the cart, pick and drive and throw it in the cart. We fill our cart and bring it under the shade trees and someone  shucks it. I get my kitchen set up and prepare for someone to start bringing them in to me in 5 gallon buckets. I wash and silk them and lay them on our island on a towel to dry. When they are dry, I portion them into meals and put them in vacuum seal bags and use our Food Saver to seal them. They go into the freezer.  I use to take the time to cut some off the cob but this was taking too much time. So they go in on the cob. When I get ready to use them, we take a bag out and thaw them out. If I want cream corn, I will cut and scrape it off when I get ready to cook it. If I want whole kernel corn, I will do the same right before the meal. If I want corn on the cob, it is simple, vacuum seal bags are steamable in the microwave too. I cut open the bag, put on a plate, and steam in the bag in the microwave. It comes out delicious. If you put them up whole on the cob, it retains its moisture and they don't dry out. 

 First Corn Processing Video Version:

PINTO BEANS:

I don’t grow pinto beans so I buy them in bulk. I can pick anytime I want to, to can beans this way. I have canned them in the winter. There are two ways I can them. One is the soaking method and the other is the no soak method. 

Soaking Method:

The day before, I will soak the beans over night.  Some people will fully cook them first and then pour into jars and can, but I don’t.
I will take soaked beans, drain and rinse, then  fill jars only about 3/4 full. They will swell a little more when cooked in pressure canner. Then I fill to the neck with water. Use something to debubble the jars with to get rid of any air pockets. I wipe the jars off around the rim, tighten on lids and bands, and place in canner. I follow the Ball Blue book for processing which is 10 lbs pressure for an hour and a half for quarts. You can do any dried beans this way. Follow direction though.  When I open a jar, I always just add a little more water and cook on the stove a little. 

Now, I have searched and searched for a better and easier way to can them, and let me say, I love this method better. Disclaimer: This is not USDA recommended. I am just a rebel and wanted to expierment. I always think, where there is a will , there is a way. 

 No Soak Method:  

Step 1 and Step 2: Wash beans and pick out any debris, rocks, or bad beans. 

Step 3: I get a little vinegar and paper towel ready for wiping jar rims.

Step 4: Wash, dry and sanitize jars and keep warm in a warm oven. 

Step 5: I warm up some water in a big aluminum pot on the stove, and in another pot I will boil my lids and rings. 

Step 6: I prepare my canner with water in the bottom and rack. Check your manufactures directions for how much water to put in your canner. 

Step 7: I get a work station set up with my boiled water, pot with hot lids and rings, jars, bowl of vinegar and a paper towel, wooden spoon and my funnel. 

Step 8: I put one cup (you might can add a 1/4 cup more) of dried beans into each jar. 

Step 9: I pour the hot water from the aluminum pot into each jar about 1" head space from the top. 

Step 10: I take a wooden spoon and stir really good to loosen any debris or bad beans, and get out air bubbles. 

Step 11 and 12: Bad beans and debris floats so you will want to remove them.

Step 13: I will wipe each rim of jar off with the vinegar I have in my little bowl with the napkin. (not pictured, sorry.) Then I will place hot lids and rings onto jars and just screw them on finger tight. Don't torque them too  tight or use alot of elbow grease. 

Step 14: Place jars in canner and put lid securely on the canner. 

Step 15: I process at 10 lbs pressure for 90 minutes. Be sure to check you manual too for lbs pressure for your altitude.  In this photo, my pressure got a little high, so I had to back down my heat some. You have to find your stoves sweet spot some times when canning. 😄😄😄

Step 16: After they have processed, I move the canner off stove to cool and let pressure come down so I can safely take off lid and take out jars to cool. And you know they are sealed when you hear those "pings". You need to check the lids to make sure they have all sealed too. You can thump the top and if one is not sealed, you will be able to hear the difference. It will sound more hollow. 

To me they look so much better than the way I was doing them. 

They do look different than the other way of processing. I personally love it better. When it is time to have a jar for a meal, I just open the jar and empty into a pot on the stove and cook for a few more minutes. Viola'

I have canned beans with ham pieces before too and you can see it here:

Purple Hull Peas:

Yes we grow them and we also barter with a family member and trade vegetable for vegetable. All we do is shell, wash, place in jars up to the neck, add water leaving one inch headspace, de-bubble, wipe rims of jars so nothing interferes with the sealing, place lids and rings on. They need to be pressure canned at 10 lbs pressure for 90 minutes for my altitude. These are so easy even my grandchildren helped me. You can see that here:

POTATOES:

After I was and scrub my potatoes I lie them on my counter on a sheet so they can dry just a little. Then I get my jars, lids and bands ready. (You can find out how to do this further up in my post.) You can choose to peel or not to peel. I sometimes do both.  I cut up the potatoes into cubes, fill the jar to the neck, and then add water to the neck also. You can add a little salt but it’s optional. Then I follow the instructions in the Ball book. It’s 40 minutes with 10 lbs pressure. When they are done, I remove cooker to cool. Then I remove lid and take out jars with lifter and pot holders. Extremely Hot. Then I put them on a towel to cool and wait for the “pops”.

There is another way you can pressure can potatoes. It is called Dry Canning. The only difference between the two processes is this one you just omit the water. That's right, just cut potatoes the way you want to preserve them like wedges, cubes or french fries and put in jars raw and put on lids and rings. Process for same time and lbs pressure. If you want to eliminate alot of starch, you can soak them overnight or just 20 minutes and rinse off and towel dry the pack raw in jars. 

 

Freezing potatoes:

Freezing potatoes is another way I like to preserve them. Buy potatoes when their on sale, wash and dry, cut into desired pieces whether it be French fries, cubes, rounds, hash browns, etc. Rinse potatoes again to get rid of any debris. You also rinse again to remove any starch. You can presoak your cut up potatoes overnight, or you can soak them for just 20 minutes to remove starch before the processing. You will want to blanch or partially cook the potatoes for the next step. This helps the potatoes cook up crisp and not turn brown when thawing out before you cook them. You can do this two different ways. You can place in boiling water and boil for three minutes which is called blanching, then dip into cold water to let cool and stop the cooking process. Or you can dump into a colander and rinse with very cold water after boiling to stop the cooking. Choose you a method that works for you. The way I partially cook mine is I will place them into a ziploc bag and place in microwave with bag open and I will steam them for 4 minutes then flip bag over and steam for another 4 minutes. Immediately remove from oven, being careful not to burn myself, and pour into a colander and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Drain, spread onto a lined cookie sheet with parchment paper, pat dry some more to remove excess water as not to form ice crystals. Then I place in freezer and flash freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and divide into meal portions, and store in our vacuum seal bags and seal them and store in freezer. If you do not have a vacuum sealer, you can put in ziploc bags and make sure all air is removed then store in freezer. When you are ready to cook them just remove from freezer and let thaw at room temp or thaw in the refrigerator what ever your prefer. Cook as desired. 

Sweet Potatoes:

We do grow these and we purchase them when they are on sale. We love sweet potatoes in so many dishes. They are a great substitute for diabetics over the regular potatoes. We freeze and can these. When I can them, we peel, cut up into cubes, place into jars, you can either add water or do the dry packing method which we love better. If you add water, do so to the neck leaving one inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars, place lids and rings on fingertip tight. Process in the pressure canner for 90 minutes for quarts at 10 lbs pressure for my altitude. I also will bake whole sweet potatoes and after baking, remove from the oven, let cool and peel the skins off. Then I puree in a blender or food processor and then portion into 1 cup servings into a vacuum seal bag and freeze. I use these in baking things or sweet potato pie and sweet potato casseroles. 

 

 

 

 

Here is the video version:

BELL PEPPERS:

We freeze our Bell peppers with our vacuum  sealer. I bring them in and wash them and cut them up in strips. Put them into the bags and seal them. Perfect for easy meals.

BROCCOLI:

We also freeze our broccoli. I will bring it in and wash the heads. Then I cut the flowerets. I even cut up some of the stalks for extra crunch especially in broccoli and cheese soup.  It is a good idea to blanch the broccoli first. Boil in water for three minutes, then remove from boiling water and dip in cold water or you can pour into a colander and rinse under cold water. Another quick way is to place in a ziploc bag and steam for 2 minutes in the microwave.  Place on a lined cookie sheet with parchment paper and flash freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer and place in a ziploc bag and remove all air and place in freezer for storage.  I use our vacuum  sealer to store ours in the freezer. You can skip the blanching process if you want to but somehow it tastes bitter in the raw state when you pull it out to defrost and cook it. It is a process you will have to figure out which one you like best. Update: If I don't blanche or steam before I freeze them, when it is time to cook with them, I take them out, let them defrost, cut a little slit in the vacuum seal bags, (foodsaver vacuum seal bags are microwave steamable) and put in microwave and steam for 3 minutes. Then I proceed to use them in the intended recipe. This method also takes the bitter taste out of frozen foods. 

 When it is time to cook, you can thaw it out and you can even steam the broccoli in the bag and serve, or cook it how you like. You can use this same method for cauliflower, carrots, celery etc. 

Baked Beans:

You can use any recipe you want to, to make your baked beans. I start with soaking dried navy beans over night in my roaster.  You can substitute pinto beans too. I have done this and it works well. That way you only have to buy one bean and get multiple uses out of them. Next morning I drain the beans and place back in cooker then I will add my ingredients from my recipe. I let them cook on low or you can cook on high. Then I ladle  in my jars and process in pressure canner. Same process time and lb pressure as pinto beans. See above. 

Chilli:

Choose any recipe you want for your chilli. After cooking, ladle into jars and process in pressure canner. You can also can vegetable soup this way too. Comes in handy and warm on a winters day. 

Meats:

We buy meats when their on sale or in bulk and bring them home and package into meal proportions, vacuum seal, and put in freezer.

Here is a few of  dear hubby's videos. 

Rolls and Buns:

I make up my rolls or hamburger buns using this recipe and then I place them on cookie sheets and flash freeze to keep from dough sticking together. Place by meal proportions into Ziploc bags and put in freezer. These I don't vacuum seal because the vacuum will crush them. When put in ziploc bags, I can open bag and take out what I need and close the bag. 

Pickles:

We pick, wash and slice or spear our pickles or we leave them whole. We raw pack in jars fill with hot brine from packaged seasoning mix, and tighten lids. You can do two different ways. You can water bath just long enough to seal jars or after filling jars to the neck with hot brine and tightening on lids, you can turn upside down and let cool. Jars will still seal this way and they turn out crispier.

Carrot’s, Onions, and Celery:

I can't grow carrots for the life of me so we buy them when they are on sale and process them. I cut them up how I want to and then put them into vacuum seal bags and freeze them. Some get canned.  We also do celery and onions this way too. 

Here is a couple of videos where I have canned celery to try and also what I do with all those wonderful scraps:

We also can our carrots. To do this, wash and peel your carrots, cut them into rounds or chunks or however your desire. I also buy baby carrots too when they are on sale.  Place raw carrots into jars up to the neck, shake jar occasionally to pack better into jars. Pour water over  carrots up to the  neck of the jar leaving a one inch headspace, add one tsp salt. Wipe jar rims off and place lids and rings on fingertip tight. Process in pressure cooker for 30 minutes for quarts at 10 lbs pressure. When pressure canner has cooled, remove lid and remove jars to cool. Listen for the pings. Check jars to make sure all have sealed before storing in pantry.

Video version here:

Here is a video where I show you what I did with 12 lbs onions:

Pineapple:

Oh, I love me some pineapple. But sometimes I also want to go to my pantry and find a jar of canned pineapple. I watch for sales on these and grab some and bring them home and preserve them too. Here is a video of me and one of my granddaughters processing some pineapple. She wants to help so bad so, why not? It was time to teach her culinary and cutting skills. No fingers were harmed in the making of this video. lol. We made cubed pineapple, syrup and I show you what to do with the peels and core of the pineapple as well. 

I even found something I can do with those strawberry tops instead of tossing them into the trash. Use them to make a vinegerette. You can see it here. 

I love to preserve eggs also. I have seen people can eggs and there is a method of water glassing eggs too. The old timers used this method. We freeze eggs and I love to pickle them. I have even done a quick pickle method by boiling eggs, peeling and putting them into a jar of left over store bought pickle juice. Let them sit for up to 7 days and then tasted them. Yummy quick snacks or to use in egg salad sandwiches, deviled eggs, or potato salads. Here is the video:

Here is the way I use our eggs that have been frozen:

I have also processed pumpkin to puree and have on hand to use in dishes. This video I show you how I cut a pumpkin, roast it and prep it to make a homemade pumpkin pie. It was delicious. It is easier to cut a pumpkin open, lay flat on a baking sheet and bake until tender. The skin pulls off so much easier. You can watch it here:

If you want to know how I use all our preserved produce and meats, I have a video where I take you on a freezer tour and show you our freezers and what all is in them and I give you ideas on how to use them in recipes. Same goes with a video on our pantry tour. You can watch them here:

Be sure to check out our YouTube channel for some of my canning videos and content

Keeper of the Home at 4D Farms