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nilajones

What have you put up in 2013? Page 2.

NilaJones
10 years ago

One of my favorite threads has reached 150 posts :).

I'm a wimp this year compared to you folks, but have got my first 3 quarts of tomatoes in, and a few more pints of frozen green beans and leeks (together) with Indian spices.

Oh my golly, I have so many beans this year!

Comments (48)

  • nugrdnnut
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    besides what we have already done:

    30 quarts of pears,
    3 gallons of frozen blackberries,
    8 pints of Bruschetta.

    Still have apple sauce, more peach blackberry syrup, squash soup, and (possibly) sauerkraut!

  • theforgottenone1013 (SE MI zone 5b/6a)
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So far this year I have done 6 half-pints of wild grape freezer jelly, 6 half-pints of apple freezer jelly, and 6 half-pints of violet freezer jam. I will make regular jams/jellies from now on, no more freezer jams.

    I'll be making spiced crabapples today, I'm going to make crabapple jelly (using pink fleshed crabapples) tomorrow, I'll be making spiced orange jelly sometime in the very near future, and hopefully I'll have enough yellow raspberries to at least make a half batch of raspberry jam soon.

    And I'm not sure if it's considered "putting up" but I have two gallons of dandelion wine fermenting, one gallon of raisin-mulberry wine fermenting, and I plan on making five gallons of either honey-apple mead or hard cider (can't decide yet). It's my first year/time making wine so I hope these taste good.

    Rodney

  • canfan
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    20 pint and a half jars of sweet pickle chunks
    11 10 oz jars sweet and hot pickled onions
    11 pints salsa verde
    17 lbs green/yellow beans blanched and in the freezer
    9.5 pints Bread and butter pickles

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I was wondering where all my jars went this year. I know I've bought over 25 dozen jars new, plus a huge collection. I made a list of what is still here, and what I know I sold. It has added up to close to 70-80 dozen jars. This does not count the 18 cu ft freezer FULL of fruit that I could have canned. That would have added another 30-40 dozen jars, depending on what size (probably qts).

    WOW!!!!

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow for sure Marla! You must can from sunup to sundown!

    I only can what we grow, and haven't canned any tomatoes yet (other than in 3 pints of chili sauce and 5 pints of salsa) but will be soon since market is ending. I have to get through the apples first though - got more than 3 bushels off 1 tree and there's another almost ready (the rest don't have any this year and they're up high, trees need pruning). So far:

    Feb Reprocessed 19 jars of grape jelly that hadn't set since Oct.

    May made 6 jars of Blueberry Lime and 8 (?) jars of Gingered Blackberry Preserves from frozen berries (all sold out)

    June 13 jars Mint Strawberry Preserves (a la Ferber) and 15 jars Old Fashioned Strawberry Jam (only 1 left!)

    7 jars of Blueberry Syrup (Ball Complete page 195) with wild blueberries (raw pack, about 1/3 of the jar)
    used the blueberry pulp to make 8 jars of Blueberry Chipotle Preserves with Triple Sec

    3 pints of Bread and Butter pickles (in fridge)
    2 quarts of B&B pickles (in fridge)
    1 pint of Linda Z's Zucchini Preserves (in fridge)
    9 pints B&B pickles (canned)
    4 quarts and 4 pints Really Quick Dills (canned)

    Need to make more Blueberry Lime Preserves since I sold out, and trying a Blackberry Cardamom (?) jelly or maybe just plain Blackberry jelly and then do a Blackberry Cardamom jam later. Sold out of Gingered Blackberry preserves but I really want to try Cardamom and I don't have enough berries to do both (darn SWDs!)

    11 jars of Summer Squash Marmalade (1 batch of Ball Gingered Zuke plus 1 batch of Topp's version, plus a quart of lemon juice with 4C sugar and 1 pouch liquid pectin, all mixed together and reheated, processed in 2 batches to get right density)

    6 pints sliced peaches in light syrup

    2 quarts (?!) blanched and frozen edamame (bad year, this was off 27 plants)
    9 quarts blanched and frozen green beans (and more in the fridge, probably more in the garden)
    3 pints lobster stock (frozen in 2 pint-and-a-half jars)
    2 Tupperware containers (app 6C each) clam chowder, frozen

    2 quarts blackberry juice (in the fridge waiting to be made into jelly)
    1 pint peach "light syrup" in fridge waiting to be made into jelly
    6 gal half sours (half eaten already)

    3 pints chili sauce (plus another 1.5 pints used fresh)
    6 jars Autumn Fruit Jam
    1 quart grape juice waiting to be made into jelly
    6 pints and 3 half pints of apple butter
    and more apples and tomatoes in the basement (and berries in the freezer)!

    9/14 canned 5 pints of really soupy Annie's salsa (my tomato paste had expired, so I skipped it, added it to the remaining salsa in the pot, added zucchini and meatballs and we're having it for dinner, just didn't trust it to be canned). That's OK, we like salsa soup (add beans and corn to the pot)!

    9/15 Salsa dones't look so soupy now that it's cooled. Spent all day doing laundry and cooking 10+ lbs of apples. 4 loads of laundry ;-), 1 pot of apples for pectin/jelly (still dripping) and

    4 pints and 9 half pints apple butter for a total of 12 half pints and 10 pints - I hope this sells, or we're going to be eating apple butter for a while (we're still eating some made in 2011)! And I *still* have more apples with more coming off another tree soon.

    DH is out picking up hickory nuts now..maybe an apple conserve or chutney next weekend?

    This post was edited by ajsmama on Sun, Sep 15, 13 at 19:00

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I thought we were really tired this year, and without doing much in the garden, was wondering why, now I know. We have been canning at least 3 days per week since June and sometimes 5-6 days.

    I still have about 400 pounds of tomatoes to either sell (I hope) or can. I haven't went to get my Concord grapes and hopefully some pears.

    This winter I'll be making up lots of the freezer into jams and jellies, plus my Mother says she has alot of peaches to be done up.

  • NilaJones
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It's not preserving exactly, but looks like this year I have found homes for my annual massive crop of absinthe herb!

    I grow it just because I like the looks of it, but it seems a waste to cut it down and compost it each year. I tried advertising it before, looking for someone who could use it, but no luck. This year I seem to have phrased the ad correctly because I got about a dozen responses. And there is plenty for everyone :).

    I am still overwhelmed with beans, zukes, and cukes. More pickling, more freezing... and now, with the SWD in my asian pears, I have to pick some of them every couple days, ripe or not. (I baked some of the not-quite-ripe ones last night and they were heavenly!)

    The tomato crop is small this year, so they should fit in my stuffed freezer. I made some space the other day :).

  • NilaJones
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Picked all the remaining asian pears.

    Cut up the ones with SWD or coddling moth, put the bad parts in ziploc baggies for trash day, the good bits in the fridge for nibbling.

    Cut up the not-yet-ripe ones in a dish with a little honey, coconut oil, and spices, now baking in the oven. I made this with a few the other day and they vanished before they had cooled. Delicious!

    The others are in the fridge, hiding from the lone SWD that roams my kitchen airspace, available for eating after the cut up ones are done.

    Also picked all the red tomatoes, even if not really ripe, in preparation for rain tonight and tomorrow. Will freeze them... resting now :).

    Oh, and I got miles of tulle at a garage sale this morning, for keeping out SWD and those little flies that get in chard and beet leaves, in the spring. Light green with tropical white flowers -- good camouflage colors for use in the garden.

  • NilaJones
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Zucchini pickles, using the Quick Pack Dill recipe:

    4 pints with fennel, allspice, cloves, cardamom, ACV.

    3 pints with mustard, celery seed, bay leaf, peppercorns, grape leaves, white wine vinegar (and the leftover ACV brine).

    1 broken jar :(.

    My first canned pickles!

    And, perhaps, my last 5 quart bags of frozen shredded zucchini for the season.

    And caponata, which I had never tasted before! Stuffed some Magda squashes with it. Might freeze the rest -- it is not the canning recipe.

  • mrsg47
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    12 half pints Black Currant jam

    8 half pints Italian Plum jam

    5 half pints Concord grape jam

    2 quarts of Caroline raspberries (in the freezer)

    Grew all of the fruit myself. Yummy stuff! Mrs. G

  • pattypan
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    hi, this is as good a place as any to ask- is there a way to search for GW members in my area ?` i am in middlesex county, ct. i do some bwb canning ( it's just the 2 of us) but, alas, sold my pressure canner in the early 80's. if i did buy one, i'd want the $200 all-american. i just don't need to can enough to warrant buying one. i love growing rattlesnake pole beans (50# this year) but am not crazy for frozen beans. i'd love to offer my beans for a few quarts canned. can 2 fit in a kitchen ? i'd have to be involved just to be sure the canner (a stranger) is using safe methods. back in the 70's i followed my aunt's advice and added a 1" cube of smoked ham/jar. tasty, but now i shudder at the thought ! (hey, would nitrates kill any C. b. spores ??) thanks, pat

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Pat, check with ajsmama, she's in CT also. Not sure what county.

  • cannond
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    60 quarts tomatoes
    60 quarts tomato sauce
    14 pints bread and butter pickles
    16 pints dill pickles
    14 half pints pickle relish
    17 pints strawberry preserves
    7 pints blueberry orange jam
    30 pints peach rum jam
    16 half pints jam for a cold morning (thank you thank you whoever posted that recipe!)
    4 pints cherry preserves
    12 half pints chili mango jam (I wish I could grow mangos)
    7 half pints apricot preserves
    16 pints apple butter
    14 pints maple apple jam with rum
    4 quarts elderberry rob
    14 pints salsa
    3 gallons fermented salsa
    7 gallons sauerkraut
    green beans: 20 pints frozen, 1 gallon fermented, some dehydrated (leather britches)
    kale, frozen and dehydrated
    15 pints pickled beets
    10 gallons scrumpy (cider wine)
    5 gallons elderberry wine
    1 1/2 gallons Liqueur 44
    1 1/2 gallons apple liqueur
    Would you believe I don't drink...except for the occasional celebratory beer?
    I still have scads of tomatoes and apples...and more kale. I need to harvest the potatoes and the pears are coming on.

    Deborah

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Was able to buy local pears, so I'm making All Natural Pear Butter, with only pears and lemon juice. they are sweet enough not to need sugar. But also got 4 1/2 qt of juice for Bartlett Pear Jelly, my nephews LOVE it.

  • gmgdvm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Pork picnic was on sale at the local Latin grocery store for $0.99/lb last week. Bought a 20# package, put up 9 pints of raw-packed pork chunks, plus 3- lb. packages in freezer, cut up for stir fry. Then roasted and simmered the bones with some veggies and ended up with 4qt and 3 pints of stock (nice, neutral tasting stock). Then I cut up the rind, rendered about about 1 1/2 cups of lard, and ended up with chicharrones as a bonus! Pretty good for $20 worth of meat!

  • NilaJones
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow, gmgdvm, that's great!

    Got my peaches and nectarines from last week almost all squared away -- some in freezer, some roasted for eating and/or chutney (nope, still haven't made that -- I have the flu, and it has slowed me down), just 3 left raw for eating.

    Started picking the grapes.

    And, inspired by the other thread here, I started my first-ever fermented food today - green beans, with carefully measured brine ratio :).

  • marycatt
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Wow - this thread puts me to shame :D.

    I do have a question and hope you don't mind. I just finished doing Raspberry jam from some frozen raspberries - I had a BUNCH and to make sure the measurements came out, I wound up straining out some juice.

    I was wondering if I could just add sugar and..cornstarch - or pectin or anything...and make raspberry syrup out of the juice. Then hotwater bath in pint jars to save it???

    Everything I've seen says to use the whole raspberry, but I just have this beautiful juice I don't want to toss.

    Thanks for this Forum!!

    Mary

  • tishtoshnm Zone 6/NM
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I cannot help you on canning it, but if it were my juice I would boil it down to concentrate it some more first and then consider making a raspberry sauce or reducing it further with some balsamic vinegar for a salad dressing or pan sauce to go with some beef or pork. If you do not want to eat it right now, boil it down and then freeze it. If you were to freeze it in ice cube trays, you could use some to add to a saute of green beans, etc.

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    How much juice do you have?

  • marycatt
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    about 5 cups - I just realized it's probably not that much - but I always like to try to do something.

    I didn't think about boiling it down and freezing it. That's an option...I was more interested in syrup if anyone can help me with that

    Thanks
    Mary

  • theforgottenone1013 (SE MI zone 5b/6a)
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    marycatt- Have you looked at the NCHFP recipe for berry syrup? Since you already have the juice you could just skip to the step where it says "The yield of the pressed juice should be about 4½ to 5 cups." and go from there.

    Rodney

    Here is a link that might be useful: Berry Syrup

  • marycatt
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Rodney - I didn't know about NCHFP - Thanks!! that's exactly what I was looking for.

    Thanks

    Mary

  • Seasyde
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Did 12 half pints of spiced apple rings. I suspect I may have ended up with 12 half pints of spiced apple mush, though. :(
    I haven't opened any yet to try them.

  • 2ajsmama
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I don't know about NCHFP syrup recipe for the juice from thawed berries, since that's likely to be more watery than boiling and straining the fruit and also boiling for only 1 minute doesn't seem long enough to get a thick syrup.

    A better recipe in this case might be Linda Z's (for fermented blackberry syrup, but would work for any juice). You might still want to boil the juice down a little to concentrate it, but then instructions are to:

    Combine the same volume of water as you have juice with twice that volume of sugar. Heat on Medium, stirring, until sugar is dissolved, raise the heat to High and boil until soft ball stage (or 235 at sea level). Remove kettle from heat.

    Stir the berry juice and lemon juice (about 2/3C for each 3C of berry juice, to taste) into the syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

    Pour the syrup into pint or halfpint jars and BWB for 10 minutes.

    I did this with some blackberry juice I had boiled and strained, just be sure to catch the simple syrup at the soft ball stage and not almost hard ball, because I let it go too long and ended up with some cloudy syrup, so I had to open the jars and reduce further to make it into jelly since I didn't think cloudy syrup would sell.

    This post was edited by ajsmama on Tue, Oct 8, 13 at 8:38

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would make Raspberry Jelly. I strain the juice off of my frozen fruit, make jelly out of it, and the pulp becomes jam.

    Syrup is basically the same recipe as jelly with less pectin or no pectin, depending on the fruit. You can cook it down more if you wish. I make mine the consistency for either syrup or ice cream topping.

    We've done up about 65 qts of our own apples, as chunks, and done working up 2 bushels of Concord grapes. Any other ideas for the concords except jam/jelly?

    This post was edited by myfamilysfarm on Tue, Oct 8, 13 at 11:08

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I think I'll be finishing up what I what for 2013. Just processing 6 pints and 1 1/2 pint of concord grape jam. Finished 4 pints of concord grape jelly. I want to use these for Christmas presents and I know that grapes take awhile to gel, so I'm hoping they should be ready for Christmas.

    I freeze my fruit, then when the temperatures cool down, and time allows, I do the jams and jellies. I can't do that with pickles, so this allows me more time for the pickles.

    I love this thread, it helps me to keep track of how much of what I've canned.

    Marla

  • seysonn
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We ate everything we grew. Nothing left for canning or preserving..LOL

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    seysonn, you need to grow more. I had that the first year that I was a farmers market vendor. Had to double to have anything and that wasn't enough. Finally had to start buying somethings from others that grew locally.

  • seysonn
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You are right. I grew mostly cherries and my Brandywine and Black Krim failed me. Then come September my tomatoes got grey mold disease.
    Next year I am going to have just 2 cherries. No more Brandywine and BK. I will have all kinds of early and determinants , Mortgage Lifter, Cherokee purple, Stupice.

    I liked to make sauce. I do a lot of Italian type of cooking that call for tomato sauce. Future is ours. LOL

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I like Big Beef for slicers and San Marzano for paste, I don't do cherries, just not enough tomato for me. I grow more San Marzano than anything, because I like a thicker sauce/juice.

    Marla

  • mrslee2002
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I didn't keep count of exact amounts. I think I will do a spread sheet next year!
    I did...tomatoes, tomato jam, salsa, enchilada sauce, spaghetti sauce, apples, apple butter, dehydrated apples, apple jelly, peaches, pickles, freezer pickles, pickled peppers, frozen peppers, plum jam, grape jelly, corn.
    I'm sure I'm forgetting something it's been a bountiful year!

  • Seasyde
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just finished 5 half pints of wine jelly.

  • NilaJones
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Fruit scrap vinegars. About a quart of grape, 1.5 of asian pear, and half gallon of quince. The quince and most of the pear are still in process. All are delicious :). The grape looks and tastes like raspberry.

    Fig jam, a bunch of batches, all slightly different :). With lemon peel, lemon and grapefruit and clove, carmelized...

    Hardy kiwi jam -- this stuff is fantastic!

    Green tomato lime salsa, recipe from this forum -- I love it!

    Froze a bunch of quince slices, and some blueberries.

    I think I may possibly be done with preserving for the year O_o. Last winter I did the frozen fruit to jam thing, but I don't think this year. I kept up more :).

  • spartan-apple
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would preserve a lot more if my wife and children helped
    more. Sadly they do not. The wife hates canning and
    freezing so I did what I could:

    3-quarts tomatoes (only had one plant)
    8 quarts applesauce (froze)
    12-quarts grape juice
    6-jars grape jelly
    6 jars pear jam
    12-quarts pears
    7-pints of pickles
    8-quarts winter squash (froze)
    8-quarts of pie pumpkin (froze)

    I have some cherry jam to make yet but the fruit is all in the
    freezer since picking and pitting this last July. I save it for
    the winter when I have more time to make and can it up.

    Most of my fruit that I raise goes to the brother-in-law in
    exchange for a pig. I raise the fruit and he raises the pigs.
    I know they canned 30 quarts of pears and peaches each
    since I had such a fantastic fruit crop this year. We are still eating some of the apples picked in October.

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My grandson's are planning for 2015, since our trees seem to have good years every other year. This year was the first year that they got to help with the picking. Of course, not everything went into the buckets, but still came out with lots. They are now picking up hickory nuts for Pappa to crack.

  • Seasyde
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just put up 4 quarts turkey stock from the Thanksgiving carcass.

    I'm beginning to long for a smaller pressure canner (in addition to, not instead of) than my 25 qt. I think Santa has already done his shopping this year, but maybe for my birthday......

  • luvncannin
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi everyone. this is my first time to report. I have been lurking around for 2 years.
    I am so thrilled this year to do some serious canning.
    I found a great price on organic apples so I put up 12 cases of 1/2 pint to quarts of
    apples
    applesauce
    applejuice
    apple pie jam

    out of my garden I put up

    6 1/2 pints pepper jelly
    frozen:
    pureed peppers banana, jalapeno and bell.
    plum puree for jam
    tomatoes [didn't have enough to can :[

    I froze several 1/2 pints of beets and 1 pillowslip 1/2 full of blackeyed peas from friends gardens

    I still have a few butternut squash and 1 acorn squash. next year I will plant a lot more of those. all in all I consider it a successful year as I learned a lot and should have enough applesauce for my 15 month old grandson.
    Kim

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    All of our 4 youngest grandkids were raised on home canned sauces. Plum sauce works really well and tastes better than that stuff they call baby food. I always put the baby food/sauce in 8 oz jars.

  • luvncannin
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I also did spiced apples and peaches. I have yet to write down exactly what and how much.
    I never canned when my kids were little but I always cooked fresh food for them not store bought.
    my little grandson vibrated with excitement when he saw the 12 cases of canned apples. It is such a thrill to me to can my own food and some for gifts. There are very few people here that can so everyone gets excited to get homecanned goodies.
    Kim

  • seysonn
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Attention all canners, stop canning and start enjoying what you have canned, jarred and have frozen. Time to break now. LOL

    I see, though , very little activity around here. Well, it is freezing cold everywhere (except Florida. They are still harvesting tomatoes.)

  • judo_and_peppers
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am just now getting into making jams, and will be giving some away as gifts for christmas.

    so far I've made
    3 pints strawberry hot pepper jam
    3 pints blueberry pineapple hot pepper jam
    4 pints chocolate strawberry hot pepper jam (absolutely delicious)
    3 pints pineapple hot pepper jam
    3 pints apple hot pepper jam

    I don't know why 3 pints seems to be the magic number. it's not deliberate. it just worked out that way. plus the way I see it they're all small test batches. but the blueberry pineapple and chocolate strawberry ones will definitely be made again. pineapples are on sale for 2 bucks each (and they're HUGE), so I might stock up on them now and make lots more.

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    this is the time to stock up on recipes. I've done more jams and jellies from the frozen fruit. Helps to heat the house and hopefully by the start of the next fruit cycle, my freezer will be empty and ready for 2014 fruit.

    I sell my jams and jellies and can only sell them a maximum of 1 year from processing. By making most in the winter, it's a good break point to remember, since I only sell at the farmers market which runs from April to October.

  • gmgdvm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LOL, seysonn, canning season is just getting underway here in FL…

    DH brought home a whole bunch of tomatoes last week, so I skipped Christmas baking in favor of canning. My Vita-mix was my best friend, let me tell you. Pureed most of the tomatoes and then used for different applications: Sauce. Lots and Lots of sauce. 14 quarts of plain,10 pints of taco sauce, and cooked some of the puree down to spiced tomato jam---so yummy! Also put up 7 quarts tomato juice and 7 quarts of veggie juice. Just when I thought it was safe to put the canner back in the pantry…he came home with a bunch of mandarin oranges! So I am making mandarin orange marmalade…my new favorite marmalade recipe for sure! Oh, and corn…have put up 26 pints of whole kernel corn. Did I mention that canning season is really just getting rolling down here? :-)

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    When I lived in FL, it was strange to me to almost reverse the growing season. Tree ripe mandarin oranges.....oh how we miss tree ripe citrus.

  • calliope
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh gosh...........I didn't keep count, but I had a fantastic fruit crop this year and a good garden. I put up tomatoes, tomato juice, salsa, green beans, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, bread and butter pickles, dills, crab apples, peaches, pears, apple juice, apple sauce, and made red raspberry jelly, orange marmalade, strawberry jelly, grape juice and froze blue berries, strawberries, sweet corn, green peppers, black and red raspberries and grated zucchini. There were a lot of things I usually make that I didn't make this year...........because I didn't need them in the pantry, or because my hubby is now on a carb restricted diet. I suppose I did about four hundred jars of canned foods and a half freezer full lof the other stuff. I have a big crock of sweet potatoes I got on sale dirt cheap I need to can tomorrow.

  • herbalistic
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    We weren't able to have a garden this year but we froze several gallons of blueberries from our patch& canned blueberry syrup for pancakes. We canned peaches from our orchard peach harvest and canned home made applesauce from our apple harvest.
    I tried canning meats for the first time and did a couple pints of turkey and a couple pints of ham. I also canned a few quarts of venison stew to use up some leg bones still in the freezer. I can't use my kitchen stove top now since we are out of propane [the big tank] so had to try canning on my camp stove & need to come up with a better solution than that - thinking of making a rocket stove for my pressure canner. We do most of our other cooking on a couple of induction cooktops using electricity.

  • myfamilysfarm
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    It's now 2014 and we need to start a new thread. It's been interesting hearing how everyone is preserving on this bountiful year. I'm hoping for another good year, but have canned enough (hopefully) to make it thru until 2015's season.

  • diane5770
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'm almost scared to post what crazy things I did this year. ;)

    I canned:
    400 Quarts of Peaches
    400 Quarts of Pears
    70+ Quarts of Dill Pickles (No one even waits for the 6 weeks to be over before they start eating them)
    35 Quarts of Bread and Butter Pickles (My cukes went nuts and I was desperate to find more recipes)
    13 Quarts of Tri Pickles
    10 Quarts of Tangy Dill Relish (Careful with the food coloring. Oopps)
    150 Quarts of Pickled Beets
    60 Quarts of Chicken Stock
    60 Quarts of Stew
    24 Quarts of Pasta Sauce with Meat
    12 Pints of Peach, Pear and Apple Butters
    6 Quarts Blueberry Syrup
    60 Quarts of Corn
    40 Pints of Peas
    50 Pints of Beans

    60 Chickens in the Freezer

    2013 was first year gardening and pressure canning.... and I have a market size garden... and it seems nothing I planted failed... thought I'd never get done.. :) My husband works out of town and lives in his trailer and I have 2 sons with their girlfriends, my parents and of course us... totally covered for 5 months worth of preserves and all my hubby's foods were done and ready to eat. Took me 2 months of canning after work (I hardly slept) but I'm pretty pleased with my results and loving this life. :D What was shocking is once I divided it all up about 800 jars left my kitchen and I wasn't left with all the much. :) But that's okay... keeping my kids fed and healthy is the goal... but next season THEY WILL BE HERE HELPING MOMMA WITH THE PRESERVING. LOL

    PS Spending the winter catching up on my sleep!!! ;)

    This post was edited by diane5770 on Sun, Jan 5, 14 at 0:41