Pressure canning

Ended up pressure canning some green beans and wax beans for the first time. 19 pints. Next is going to be pickled beets unless I get another batch of beans. I’m looking forward to trying some soups, chili and meat. Chickens are giving me 12+ eggs a day. Food supply is looking okay so far!

Good on you, you're going to learn a lot and always have food on hand.

I did 9 pints salmon last Friday and 13 pints of salsa today. Want to do some sweet corn here soon too..I also got couple gallons sauerkraut brew in basement. What I like about things I can. I can take jars to my camper leave them there and there is no refrigerator or freezer. Is nice when things are not taking up room in freezer here at home. And if they go a little long in jar they don't freezer burn like long in freezer.. I have jars jelly that are 4-5 years old. Don't scare me a bit to use them if lids sealed and not rusted.
Might surprise your self what you decide you like to can.


Mac

Canned 28 quarts of Blue Lake green beans the last two days. Tomatoes are starting to ripen and will put up 40 quarts of those for Chili but will use a water bath canner for those.

We can tuna every year. Have had salmon as well. Any fish might work. For pints of tuna, fill jar with fresh tuna, cook 100 minutes at 11 lbs of steam pressure. Last for thee years I know.

good job

We put up a few tomatoes used the water bath canner.

There's a lot of information out there on canning.
I like pressure canning , shorter times and once you get it down pat.
Fast and easy to do.
I'll never buy a water bath canner again.
I can use the pressure canner for it, and my great grand kids can use the same canner.

We grew blue lake bush green beans this year and really liked them…..as did everyone we were giving them away to! Happy trapping! ScottW

I grow Blue Lake bush green beans , and really like them.
Pick them clean , ( don't leave any part of a bean on plant ) and they keep producing all season.
Leave a half part of a bean, and the plant will stop producing.
Great canned or frozen if blanched first.

I have never had luck freezing beans always get rubbery, So I pressure can. I have never pressure canned tomatoes. How long and at how many pounds do you pressure can them.

Just blanched some green beans a few days ago, laid them out on a cookie sheet, froze them, then vacuum sealed them for the freezer. They hold up well for us that way. We did some regular pressure canned beans also. Beets are all done. Got another crop still growing that we replanted some more.

Check out the USDA guide, it depends on what elevation you live at. Also your local ag extension might have stuff, ball blue book is a great one to see. There are many things not in the USDA guide, or the ball blue book because some time ago a few industries paid the USDA to not study it. The main thing to understand is that you just want to kill the botulism spores, which is not easy depending on the food, juice, etc. How do you ensure the center of whatever your canning is at the same temp as the rest? The older USDA guides are better in my opinion, they actually have useful info on them.

Milk for example is one of those, you will hear don't can milk, etc etc. I canned it at 15 psi, for 60 minutes in quart jars, you get condensed milk that is great for baking.
I have pressure canned pickled eggs the same way, although I have not tried any, they are still sitting on my shelf and I cant remember but I think I might have done those 15 PSI for 90 minutes. One of these days I will take it to my extension to get them tested for bacteria to see. This is just what I have done though, use your own mind to determine if you want to do it. Something else that most canners do is heat the food up to where the botulism toxin is destroyed as a double check, so boiling food also works after to make sure.

We prefer blanched and frozen beans over the canned ones. We also freeze our carrots, sweet corn, broccoli, cauliflower as well as the beets. We blanche for 3-4 minutes and put in pint bags except the beets which get fully cooked. Most pressure canners come with very good books on usage and times etc. for many products. If you don't have one you can download what you want or need. I can most of my pickles and relishes and all of my tomato products and I do that with two pressure canners.

Bryce

Found some times in Ball Blue Book for pressure canning tomatoes. I Blanch, Peel, Chop then Boil with 1 TSP Salt and Sugar per quart then jar and water bath like my mom taught me but will try my pressure canner on the next batch. 17 quarts today will do more in a couple days as they ripen. Sitting now listening to lids ping as they seal.

We hot pack our tomatoes just like my family has done for many generations. No need for a canner on them IMO. My wife made a dozen or so pints of applesauce yesterday, those got water bathed. We almost never use the canner as we prefer frozen over canned in most instances.

I was thinking about canning some bake beans.

Got these done today

I freeze some stuff but like knowing that even if my power goes out for a few days won’t lose anything

Is there a advantage of presser canning stuff that can be water bath canned? It looks like more work to me.

MJM your post got me to do some research. I have been pressure cooking some items that are best for water canning. I will look into getting setup for some of that. I liked pressure canning because it seems very consistant and faster. I can use my pressure canners for water. I just need to add a lot more water. Pressure canners do kill a lot more germs and bacteria as they reach 240 degrees with the steam but that is too high for some food items as it destroys the nutrients in the product, or actually cooks it right out. There is decent literature on most of that.

Bryce

No. Especially things like fruits you don't want to pressure can, it'll turn them to complete mush.

That said you CAN use your pressure canner to water bath, instead of buying another pot. Just fill her up with enough water to cover the jars, and put the lid on, but not sealed. Viola... water bath canner.

If I'm doing a small batch of jelly or something, I'll usually just use my stock pot to waterbath in instead of hauling out either canner.

But cooking time is shorter in PC so more nutrients are left is what I have read. I pressure can tomato’s now and like them better than water bath.

Pressure canning saves time.
The temerature is above 250 degerees.
People say that for it to get to pressure and then time it, and allow cool down time is just as long as waterbath.
Depends on what you're canning.
Don't forget for water bath canning , it takes time to get the water boiling.
Again it depends on what you're canning.
Tomatoes normally 25 minutes at pressure.
Water bath I believe 40 minutes , and again it takes time to get it boiling.
Not a time saver , but I'm comforable pressure canning , and I can do 20 quarts or around 40 pints at a time.
Meat and most water bathed vegetables are 3 hours.
Pressure canning is meat 90 minutes , dry beans for bean soup ( my favorite to pressure can) is 90 minutes .
They're perfect and didn't take an over night soak , or all day to cook.
Fish and sea food , around 2 hours , haven't seen a water bath method for fish or sea food.
Once you get used to a pressure canner and know what to listen for and watch the dial every so often .
You'll get comfortable using them.
I seldom ever water bath any more.
I open kettel can jams , jellies and pickled produce.
I remember my mom doing it , like jam or jelly , how would you waterbath wax sealed jars?

I cant speak too much on the taste differences but I can for the botulism spore part. Water bath canning would be on the very very low end required for killing the botulism spores. This is due to primarily 1 factor which is the temp of the inside contents. The pressure canner can almost guarantee you that you killed the spores since you can push it to higher temps. The scale though is temp and time based assuming the contents are up to the same temp in the jar. The spores make the bacteria that make the toxin which is what kills you.

Things like acidity play a factor in jams or jellies because it prohibits a suitable growing environment. Its just for that reason that I pressure can everything and not worry.

Y'all are making it more confusing than it is, lol.

If you're new to canning, spend the $10 and buy the Ball Blue Book which will cover canning all your common foods... both pressure canned and water bathed and which method you should use for what.

Once you have a few seasons canning under your belt, you can decide if you want to branch into doing things in ways other than the normal, approved ways.

My mom used to can, can, and can some more. I used to help all the time and I wish I had paid more attention. She followed most of the "new" guidelines and such, but some of her methods were more old school and outlying. I wish I had paid closer attention and took more notes etc. as amazing only 10-15 yrs later now I am having a hard time recalling details and exactities to her methods. She would say "pack all these beans in those jars", "help me lift this", "go get 4 more cases of pints from the basement" etc......and I would just do it without question or much thought. If you have someone in your life that has been doing this their whole life and learned from previous generations, don't squander that opportunity to learn for the long term like I did to some extent.

And many state extension services have a lot of good info online for free. These online resources along with the blue book will get you a long way!

https://extension.umn.edu/food-safety/preserving-and-preparing
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/humansciences/preserve-taste-summer
https://extension.psu.edu/

Now if only there were more time in a day...........Happy trapping! ScottW

I agree100% , it all depends on the equipement you're using.
I've canned on electric stoves and gas stoves.
I only use them if I have no choice.
I prefer a propane turkey fryer burner, faster heating up and can stay outside where it's cooler.
It gets hot in the kitchen canning during canning season.
Each to their own.
Might add that I use the big pressure canners, and once full , you don't move them.
The propane turkey fryer burners are at a perfect height for loading and unloading the canner , while the canner stays in place.
If you can find a Ball Blue book for $10 , buy all you can get , for friends and family.

Ditto on the turkey fryer. I have been using one for over a decade. I like outside or in my garage. Funny thing I have never put a turkey in one.

Bryce

All of our beans get blanched and put in quart freezer bags. I think 25 bags. After I pick tomorrow they will be done. Starting to dry up.

Walmart, if you need one or a dozen, lol. https://www.walmart.com/ip/JARDEN-HOME-BRANDS-1440021411-37Th-Edition-Blue-Book/44754594

My wife was making some pickled green beans today and threw a heaping table spoon of crushed red peppers instead of pickling spice. Those are going to have some bite to them. She saw what she did and threw the pickling spice in on top of the peppers. Those may last a while.

I see that now, that's the cheapest I've seen in a few years.
Thanks for the information.
I've noticed WalMart has become a huge competitor to Amazon , which has become very pricey any more.
I don't buy from Amazon anymore .
You can get free shipping from Walmart any more.

I just tried those hot pickled green beans. They are warm, but not bad. My wife said she was making more like that.

Did a batch of beets and beans last night! Probably do some pickles tonight if all goes well. Happy trapping! ScottW

right in the middle of pressure canning 38 quarts of tomato juice. I have two smaller pressure canners one holds 4 quarts or 7 pints and the other 7 quarts or 10 pints. One I can't use on open flame and the other I do outside with the fryer. Been adding some processed hot peppers to the juice to spice it up a bit.

Bryce

I spent some money today. Bought an All American canner model 930. Will hold 14 quarts or 19 pints

Have a couple of canner loads of tomatoes on the go right now.

Jelly!

Very nice canner , you'll love canning with it.
Once you get used to venting , bringing up to pressure, you'll learn short cuts to time spent.
Hope you use a propane turkey fryer burner , and get used to it.
Just remember , use a good flame , not all it can produce , but more than a gas kitchen stove.
You'll be surprised how low a flame you need once to pressure.
Both gauges make it easier to use and gives you ease of mind as you can listen to the weight gauge hissing/rattleing .
Just remember to turn down the heat as much as you can , and keep the weight hissing.
Less chance of running dry and use less propane.
Once you get used to it, it's like any job , work until you learn how.