Time for Gardening

How many people raise their own vegetables these days? There is nothing healthier for you, than eating fresh wholesome foods, picked, and prepared straight from your very own garden...Now is the time to be thinking about what you will plant. Also, home preservation of these foods is a hobby that is both fun and profitable. I have been doing this for many years, and love doing it. If you would like to start this spring, I would be happy to help with any questions you might have. I'm not saying I am an expert, by any means, but I do have a pretty good general knowledge.......

[Alex Linder]

Originally Posted by lucyjackson58

How many people raise their own vegetables these days? There is nothing healthier for you, than eating fresh wholesome foods, picked, and prepared straight from your very own garden...Now is the time to be thinking about what you will plant. Also, home preservation of these foods is a hobby that is both fun and profitable. I have been doing this for many years, and love doing it. If you would like to start this spring, I would be happy to help with any questions you might have. I'm not saying I am an expert, by any means, but I do have a pretty good general knowledge.......

My question is: is canning within the ability of the average gardner? What do you can, where do you store it, how long is it good?

[Paleface]

My Grandma and my Mom both can a ton of food every year. They eat fresh fruit and veggies all through the summer and early fall, then freeze and can the rest. Nearly everyone out in the boonies has at least one of those big chest freezers, usually packed with months worth of vegetables. And come hunting season there is plenty of turkey and venison as well.

My family tells me that canning food is actually really simple. None of them own any special equipment for it. Generally, the food seems to be good for about a year. You start running low about the time for the new garden.

I am going to try to learn all the tricks of it this weekend. I'll post them here if I get any good info. Pass on some ancient hillbilly secrets.

[LUX]

Properly canned vegetables will last much longer than just one year. I wouldn't hesitate for an instant to eat green beens, corn, potatoes, or tomatoes that were three years old. I've done this most of my life in fact.

Proper canning destroys 100% of the dangerous microbes causing food poisioning and even 20 years later a properly stored, unbreached can will be free of microbes. Of course by then many of the UV sensitive vitamins will have been lost to slow degradation, but the caloric content and flavor should change very little.

Canning your home grown or purchased vegetables is not hard to do, and really doesn't require a lot of expensive equipment. The most expensive part of canning, for the beginner, is the purchase of new jars and lids. After the initial purchase, however, these jars are used year after year, and all you need to purchase new each time, will be the lids. Garage Sales, estate Sales, flea markets are all good places to buy "new" jars for next to nothing. Also, you may know an older person who still has jars, but just doesn't can any more, and might want to get rid of the old jars. Foods with high acid content, tomatoes, apples, peaches, and some others can be canned using just any big old pot. A "Ball Canning Book" can be purchased at any discount store, during canning season, for a couple of dollars, or you can simple search the internet for directions for canning any food item you have. I make my own jellies, conserves, fresh canned fruits, beans, okra, tomatoes, pickles of all types, salsa, spaghetti sauce, catsup, corn, potatoes, and love doing it. I make my own sour kraut, and wine, as well. Meats can also be canned, and it is not hard to do. I raise my own horseradish, and make my own dips for shrimp and fish. I also raise some of my own seasonings...such as sage, garlic, basil, oregano. It just feels so good to open the door to your pantry and see literally hundreds of jars or food, just waiting to be used and enjoyed by your family. Believe me, if I can do this, anyone can do this. Start small and simple, and add new items as you go along. I'm not an expert, by any means, but I will be glad to try to help anyone who wants to try to get started.............Can you tell I love food preservation????

[Bonnie P.]

Originally Posted by lucyjackson58

Canning your home grown or purchased vegetables is not hard to do, and really doesn't require a lot of expensive equipment. .............Can you tell I love food preservation????

Thank you for this post! This is something I'm going to try for the first time this year, with some guidance from my granny. I seem to be the only one willing to take this up...none of my aunts or cousins are interested.

The jars being somewhat expensive is what prevented me from doing it last season. We had just purchased a new home and had very little cash for extras. But, looking back, I can see how going ahead and investing in some then would have saved us money this past winter because we would have been making fewer grocery store trips.

I'm anxious to try my hand at this, here's hoping I don't screw it up!

[Whirlwind]

Growing some tomatoes to try canning myself. My mother used to do some canning, and I am hoping to get refamiliarised with the process. Good to know how at least.

We have a small garden this year. Hopefully, the garden will get a bit bigger each year until we have a nice sized one. Right now, most of what we grow will be consumed this year. Nothing to can this year.

We are growing some corn, carrots, okra, squash, zuccinni, cantelope, watermelon, etc.

The motto seems to be;
"If you can can, can. If you can't can dont"

I'd like to hear from some of you who did can vegetables and fruit this summer. How'd you do, and would you do it again? Now is the time for Fried Green Tomatoes. If you have green tomatoes left in the garden, that didn't have time to ripen, pick, wash, and slice them thinly. Salt and pepper, and flour both sides of each slice. Fry them in a skillet, with about 1/2 inch of hot vegetable oil, until they are golden brown. This is a good old southern dish, and a good way to use those green tomatoes. Green tomatoes can also be used to make a good relish, to can, but that's another story, if anyone is interested..............