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After having double knee replacement last year, I wasn't able to do any canning or freezing. I vowed to get better! This year, I've just about worked myself to death and loving every minute of it!
I have canned:
tomatoes, tomato juice, potatoes, green beans, okra, plum jelly, strawberry jelly, pink grapefruit jelly, green tomato chutney, pinto beans, great northern beans, chili, 15 bean soup, vegetable soup, corn relish, pepper relish, squash relish, apple sauce, apple butter, peaches, chow chow, and purple hull peas. I've also froze: corn, okra, green peppers, jalapeno peppers, onions, and squash casserole.
How about you?

Busy little ant aren't you? Some of us grasshoppers may have to come eat with you this winter.

I remember when I worked this hard. Most of it was gone within the year. 1st DH was a country boy and preferred home cooking.

It's a different story now. I found that I was giving the kids most of the canned goods so I preserve and freeze just a bare minimum.

Yes, you have worked yourself to the bone but you will enjoy it all this winter and not have near as much work to do. Lucky you!!!

My little patch doesn't produce enough to do much with...but I'll have more space next year one way or another.
I do have a batch of keeper onions I need to trim & clean up.
My maters got early blight on the bottoms and then the horn worms destroyed the tops in one day. I pulled them all. My green beans were planted WAY late and are just now producing a few beans every day...not enough sun/light for good production.
But I've got some winter crops started in my garden house...6 kinds of onions, 2 kinds of cabbage, broccoli & celery. I have a bunch of other stuff I'll be direct seeding into my patch.
And I just spread some horse manure on my patch today (before it rained, yippee) and will turn that under tomorrow.

I haven't canned anything this year. Until today, I didn't even know where my pressure canners and pressure cookers were. The Husband surprised me today and brought both the canners over from the old place to our new place.

Now, where are the jigglers? Hmmmm.....

I hope they show up by next year!

I find what I use most are canned broths (chicken and beef) and cubed beef, applesauce, and soups.

One thing I'd really like to try once I find the jigglers is beets with a tiny bit of carrot in it for a borscht recipe I have.

I could just start with cooking the potatoes, and when nearly done, add the broth, beef, and beet/carrot mixture, then add seasonings and simmer just a bit.

Fast food the canned way.

Another thing I want to try is putting all of it raw pack into a jar, with beef broth, and canning it that way. I've tried canning leftover borscht, but it's waaaaay overcooked doing that. Yummy but complete mush, almost saucelike.

I always put the jiggler IN the canner. If I didn't....

Having done a lot of caning in the past, I had stopped but this year I did put up some quarts of tomatoes and some pints of tomato jam and some crab apple jelly. If other produce comes my way I may put up something else. I did remember the satisfaction it gives to put one's on food by!

Martha

Canned green beans, whole tomatoes and tomato juice. Froze corn, cabbage and carrots. Coming is applesauce, peas, onions for the freezer. Of course, anything the neighbors, friends or family gives me will go in the freezer or in jars!

You've lost me, what's a jiggler?

quote:

what's a jiggler?

A jiggler is the thing on top of a pressure canner that jigglers with the steam coming out. They are weighted to control the pressure.

But, yesterday, I think The Husband brought over the box they are in.

Jiggler -
Some pressure canners have a gauge. Other have a weight with different size PSI holes...same concept as a regular pressure cooker. I like the weight/jiggler because you don't have to pay as close attention to it as you to a gauge.

My canner is the large old-fashioned speckled enamel pot. I've never use pressure cookers of any kind. They scare me!

Ca Lori, the newer pressure canners are MUCH improved over the old ones that used to explode. But they still are not something you should just let go on top of the stove...they need to be checked often.
I've used mine for around 40 yrs. I just have to replace the rubber ring every few years so that it seals properly.