Garden/Canning ‘22

ctsnow

Six Pointer
i was putting them in one jar at a time. It fell over when putting them in. One jar tipped and it was like dominos from there. The quarts have been fine, but the pints were a pain. I wish i could find a better rack for the canner. It looks like the newer canners have a rack with more wire.
I meant we leave all the jars in the canner after preheating and only take one out at a time to pack the jar and then place it back in the canner before we get another jar out. That way the canner is always full minus one jar.
 

Dick

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Yotes got most of our watermelons the last 4 or 5 hours we planted them.
you need to buy the Ball book for canning. It has everything you need to know and proven recipes.
You have to heat your jars. fill them with water and all but submerge them in the canner while heating it up. Pull one jar out at a time pouring the water into the canning pot. Fill with what you're canning, seal jar and put back in canner.
 

Justin

Old Mossy Horns
@pattersonj11 im willing to bet today after your stuff has cooled, it’s set up and thickened. My were running until about 12-16hrs later. Then again I always lay a dish towel down, then set the jars in a dish towel, and cover them with another after I’m done, so it takes a while to cool.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
you need to buy the Ball book for canning. It has everything you need to know and proven recipes.
You have to heat your jars. fill them with water and all but submerge them in the canner while heating it up. Pull one jar out at a time pouring the water into the canning pot. Fill with what you're canning, seal jar and put back in canner.
So with this method, if you have a 10 minute process time, some of your jars will be processed for 10 minutes and others for 20 mins while you pack the jars?

i seriously think it is a poor design on the basket. The new ones dont have the same design.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
@pattersonj11 im willing to bet today after your stuff has cooled, it’s set up and thickened. My were running until about 12-16hrs later. Then again I always lay a dish towel down, then set the jars in a dish towel, and cover them with another after I’m done, so it takes a while to cool.

ill ride over and check them. I left them on the table beside the cooker.

This year is my first attempt into “open bath” canning.

we have used pressure on meat and greenbeans.

for tomato items, we used to fill jars and they would seal themselves.
 

Rescue44

Old Mossy Horns
you need to buy the Ball book for canning. It has everything you need to know and proven recipes.
You have to heat your jars. fill them with water and all but submerge them in the canner while heating it up. Pull one jar out at a time pouring the water into the canning pot. Fill with what you're canning, seal jar and put back in canner.

Lol. I read my previous post and see I really need to make a correction. Should have been "years" rather than "hours". Dang, guess phone did a suggestion or something, or I goofed.

"Yotes got most of our watermelons the last 4 or 5 years we planted them.:

I have a very old Ball book. Possibly came with the canner likely purchased by my dad's mother. Thought about taking the canner to the local extension agency. A lady there can "test" it to see if the gasket needs to be replaced. Need to see if there are instructions for canning yotes. Lol
 
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Blackwater

Twelve Pointer
For some as yet unexplained reason I planted 21 tomato plants this year. Living alone there's just no logical reason other than I just love growing stuff as well as giving it away. In the last week I've given away around 8 gallons of fruit and what I gave away yesterday, this morning, and what you see here totals over ten gallons which I picked yesterday.

Anyone living near me can have tomatoes for free if they want to show up.

Oddball Cherokee Purple, 6.5 inches long.
 

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Hunterreed

Twelve Pointer
That's a lot of tomatoes. I have the same affliction with growing stuff. Plenty for friends and neighbors keeps good relations with all. Now that we getting regular rain my daily haul has increased, starting to dig a few tater plants as needed, picking up the aborted peppers and tomatoes are starting to look better 20220717_142611.jpg
 

Dick

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
So with this method, if you have a 10 minute process time, some of your jars will be processed for 10 minutes and others for 20 mins while you pack the jars?

i seriously think it is a poor design on the basket. The new ones dont have the same design.
I'm not positive, but time of boil is the minimum needed to get the veggies/fruit up to canning temp. The longer time will not hurt. only a few minutes anyway. my basket has indents on the handles and will sit half in half out when used. I fill the jars then submerge them all once ready.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I'm not positive, but time of boil is the minimum needed to get the veggies/fruit up to canning temp. The longer time will not hurt. only a few minutes anyway. my basket has indents on the handles and will sit half in half out when used. I fill the jars then submerge them all once ready.
I did exactly as you guys. The basket was hanging on the canner by the handles. The water was about an inch deep on the basket at that point. I loaded 5-6 jars and one of them toppled over. At that point it knocked most of the other slowly over. While standing them back up, one of the jars blew a ring and lid off. It doesnt make much sense at all. I loomed at all three components today and the jar and lid loon fine. Cant find anything wrong with the ring....but thats the only thing it could be. The new silver ones dont seem to have the same strength as the old brass looking lids. If you have one in each hand, the silver ones have a lot less rigidness. This may just be a freak thing.

my canner and basket came from my grandma/grandpa. The basket has two wires around the bottom. I dont think you could do half pints without then falling through. The newer baskets have more wire in the bottom and holes are smaller. I think that may solve the toppling over deal. Quarts did fine a couple weeks ago, but the pints were just a shade smaller.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I'm not positive, but time of boil is the minimum needed to get the veggies/fruit up to canning temp. The longer time will not hurt. only a few minutes anyway. my basket has indents on the handles and will sit half in half out when used. I fill the jars then submerge them all once ready.

i dont know if boiling them to more doesnt lead to mushiness. Seems like it would but i have no proof there.
 

Dick

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I put extra jars in if there is extra space. the new stuff is weak. I'm sure you can find a good rack online. I'm just cheap and it takes away from the thought of savings.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I'd bet that those rings are expanding when they hit the heat and failing to hold the pressure of the contents against the lids.
Just a thought.
Change to different rings and see if it makes a difference.
 

bigten

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
So with this method, if you have a 10 minute process time, some of your jars will be processed for 10 minutes and others for 20 mins while you pack the jars?

i seriously think it is a poor design on the basket. The new ones dont have the same design.

For just that reason, I remove my jars one at a time, fill and cap. When all are done they all go back into hot bath and brought back to boil for time needed. I do use a set of jar tongs for removal and replacing.
On another post you mentioned smaller jars being able to fall through. That can easily be remedied with my old redneck method (before I got a canning pot with a basket and needed something to hold the jars off the bottom) I used an aluminum pie pan with holes punched in it for air to escape inverted in the bottom of my pot. You could do very similar by either flattening a pan or just cuttting needed amount to support your jars.
 

Zach's Grandpa

Old Mossy Horns
June was really dry and hot, July has been hot, but we've had almost four inches of rain. The result is the best garden I've ever had. Granted I've had more time to work in it this summer, but the reward has just been spectacular.

I bought a new tiller last spring, not cheap and probably can never justify the expense of it, but this is really the first summer that I haven't worked at a job at least part time. The garden has kept me busy and kept me sane, or reasonably so. When you have worked practically your whole life you have to have something to occupy your time. Gardening will keep me busy until hunting season.
 

LR308

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Not sure these will be any good, first time I have grown Brussels sprouts. From what I have read, they are best after a frost. Been growing since spring, but not gonna make it to November.
 

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LR308

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Well our power went out about the time I was peeling garlic for dinner. So Brussels sprouts survive another day. Time to buy a gas range......
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Well our power went out about the time I was peeling garlic for dinner. So Brussels sprouts survive another day. Time to buy a gas range......

gas does make cooking more fun and seemingly more reliable.

Gas range/electric oven is my favorite.

replaced the oven door hinges today. Back up and cooking.
 

Dick

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Looks like salsa day to me!
I've made big batches before and still may. The way I canned alot if my tomatoes, I can use it to whip up a batch. We just don't do salsa very often and when we do I prefer fresh.
 

Dick

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Hot sauce question.
I got a batch set up to ferment but added the vinegar without thinking. recioe says to let it sit for a day or 2 before adding the vinegar.
will it ferment?
how long should I let it go if so?

got a few jars of jalapenos and some banana peppers canned also today.
made 2 tomatoe pies also.
 

Justin

Old Mossy Horns
Hot sauce question.
I got a batch set up to ferment but added the vinegar without thinking. recioe says to let it sit for a day or 2 before adding the vinegar.
will it ferment?
how long should I let it go if so?

got a few jars of jalapenos and some banana peppers canned also today.
made 2 tomatoe pies also.
I don’t use vinegar. I use a brine solution then blend it all when it smells like I want it to taste
 

Dick

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
I don’t use vinegar. I use a brine solution then blend it all when it smells like I want it to taste
following a recipe. peppers, onion, garlic. little water to help blend. Then ferment for a day or 2. stir in a little vinegar and ferment a week.
 

bigten

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
^ My hot sauces have 3 ingredients.. Pepper, vinegar and canning salt. Once prepped and heated properly, I let it cool completely and puree the heck out of it, jar the slurry and refrigerate for a month. It is then strained through cheesecloth, cut with more vinegar to taste and bottled...
 

Justin

Old Mossy Horns
following a recipe. peppers, onion, garlic. little water to help blend. Then ferment for a day or 2. stir in a little vinegar and ferment a week.
Gotcha. I cut about half a quart jar worth of cayennes, then fill the rest of the jar with butternut squash, and then add 5-6 crushed cloves of garlic. Pour brine solution over it, and ferment for a week-ish. Blend, strain if need be, and bottle. Sometimes I strain for a thin sauce. Sometimes I leave as is for a thicker sauce.

Fermenting correctly alleviates the need for vinegar (a fermented liquid). It’s essentially making its own vinegar.
 

pattersonj11

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I want in on this hot sauce discussion. So when you ferment the sauces you guys are doing....im taking that as if to say “let it rot, once rotted it cant get any worse. At that point you can put it up?

Say a feller wanted to jar some and can it like a batch to last the year......any suggestions on that. I was thinking of heating it, beating it, reheating, jarring, and canning it.

Probably use pint or half pint jars. Anyone know of any bottles that could be used in the canner just like mason jars?
 
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