Canning and Preserving 2013: Whatcha Got Planned?

I'm itching to break out the canning gear this year :DI planted lots of things this year with canning in mind. Peppers, tomatoes, ground cherries, beans, squash.
We have a fantastic forum on canning and preserving food. Just thought I'd give it a little bump and maybe get some wheels turning and perhaps spark some interest for new gardeners and folks who may want to start thinking about putting up some of their own food.
https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/f59-canning-and-preserving
What do you have planned for canning and preserving this year?

Hi Rooster....

We are hoping to get started with dehydrating this year. We did not plant with "storing" in mind this year so our veggie output is somewhat limited, but it will be fun learning nevertheless. Hoping to dehydrate some of my garlic harvest this week and then pulverize it to a garlic powder.

That sounds interesting. Keep us posted on that bnoles
I had some carrot chips the other day that were great! I may have to break out the dehydrator too

we always can our hot pickles using a slice of serrano pepper in with the rest of the regular stuff. Everyone we give a jar to really likes them. This year I'm going to try brining on the counter top in jars instead of a croc pot. We are also going to do peppers and carrots if I get enough. Everything is really slow. We also do apple and peach chutneys, spicey peach jam and rubarb chutney. Is a ground cherry the same as a tomitilla?

Nothing from my garden this year.  This summer is all about experimenting with growing over 50 types of veggies, just to see if I can.  Glad I found SFG during the winter or it would have been near impossible for my tiny back yard.

This summer I will buy produce to practice pressure cooker canning.  Bought some re-usable canning lids to play with.  Also try "canning" in mylar.  I want to make some spicy spaghetti sauce or salsa in mylar.  Maybe two months later, I want to have one tested at the lab for plasticizers.  Another experiment.

Last summer I experimented with sun dehydrating.  Husband built 2 wood boxes with screened shelves.  I sealed dried food in mylar with oxy tabs, and it is still good.

I vote for more pics on that dehydrator built by your husband
Looks really nice!

I will get them out of storage and take better pics for showing how they are constructed.  Time to start dehydrating anyway.

Originally it was built for alternating hot air currents between the shelves.  Modified so the the front and back panels have large fly screen insets for the hot breeze to blow over each shelf.  Later.

WOW! sanderson... that is what I call a SERIOUS dehydrator. +1 with Rooster on additional pictures and maybe even a little tutorial on how to make one if possible.

Johnp - I think the ground cherry is in the same family as the tomatillo.  They also have the papery husk around it.

Last year was my first year canning.  I realized that there was no such thing as too much jam, because they made great teacher/hostess/thank you gifts.  The salsas were great to take with a bag of chips for last minute pool party invites.

Made
Strawberry balsamic thyme jam canned on our anniversary.  I made a special label for the lid and marked the exact date, usually I just mark month/year.

Lemon zesty berry jam - Strawberry jam with lemon zest.  DD helped up to the point where the lids when on the jars.  She wrote the labels, and the plan is to give these out when she has thank yous (teacher gifts, carpool help, etc.).

Strawberry vanilla jam



Plan to make
Rhuberry jam - DS's name for strawberry rhubarb jam.  This is what DS would like to help make.  He really likes rhubarb and strawberry.

Peach salsa - will make in pint jars this year.  I can inhale a 1/2 pint in one sitting, lol.

Tomato salsa

Chocolate Raspberry Jam

Peaches & peach jam

Quartered tomatoes - will probably make more of this instead of tomato sauce.  Someone told me I can cook down the tomatoes to make sauce.  The tomato sauce took every burner and so much time.

Applesauce - determined to make this.  Last year was a rough apple year around here.

Apple jam - Will definitely make more of this.  It's more like apple pie filling.  I only made 3 last year, gave 1 away, and we're saving the last jar.

Sanderson, I hope you post the results of your testing here.
This has long been a concern of mine for canning.
For this reason, I have planned my crops this year around things that stored easily, such as winter squashes and dried beans.
I have started to dry my herbs, and freeze my pesto. Have already frozen a few lbs of strawbs.

Great idea for a thread

Currently have a pot of Organic Blueberry Fruit Spread cooking on the stove.  Double batch, with the next double batch already run through the food processor and waiting for stove space.  Pack in quart jars for Hubby's pancakes!

GG

I have never ever canned or stored vegetables or fruit in my life. Wouldn't have known where to start. But now just maybe I do. Thats if we get any summer over here and stuff grows! :tiphat:

The usual.........canning: tomatoes, green beans, pickles, peaches, pears, cherries, mango chutney, fruit of some sort jam. I have to look at the Fair list and see what else I may take up as a challenge this summer.
A friend gave me a pressure canner last year for my birthday so I am going to try some low acid foods and maybe some meat and some baked beans..

Dehydrating: peppers, roasted tomatoes, eggplant, summer squash, fruits.

Of course there is honey too, but I don't cook that.

GooseGirl wrote: Double batch, with the next double batch already run through the food processor and waiting for stove space.

One for the Goose. One for the Rooster 

RoOsTeR wrote:

GooseGirl wrote: Double batch, with the next double batch already run through the food processor and waiting for stove space.

One for the Goose. One for the Rooster 

Actually, will come up to 6 qts, One for the Goose, FIVE for the Rooster! 

GG

Goosegirl wrote:Currently have a pot of Organic Blueberry Fruit Spread cooking on the stove.  Double batch, with the next double batch already run through the food processor and waiting for stove space.  Pack in quart jars for Hubby's pancakes!

GG

Wow! you already have blueberries? Nice!

camprn wrote:

Goosegirl wrote:Currently have a pot of Organic Blueberry Fruit Spread cooking on the stove.  Double batch, with the next double batch already run through the food processor and waiting for stove space.  Pack in quart jars for Hubby's pancakes!

GG

Wow! you already have blueberries? Nice!

Not my own - a friend was in Minnesota on Friday and she found organic blueberries for $1.25/pint.  She grabbed 12 CASES of them.  Each case had 12 pints, I bought 2 cases from her.  We are both freezing lots, and I just took one of the jars of homemade organic spread made with cane sugar over to her. 

GG

GG are blueberries already ready there??

GWN wrote:GG are blueberries already ready there??

Apparently so, and boy are they tasty! 

GG

I have 16 half pints of strawberry jam I made last Wednesday.  
This years fruit canning plan is blackberry, peach and blueberry pie filling as well as jams.  The plums and pears will be canned and some dehydrated like the berries.
As far a veggies, it will be green beans, dilly beans, salsa, tomato soup, tomato sauce and spaghetti sauce.  So I guess it is the standard yearly stuff for me. I have moved several jar cases to the pantry so they are ready when it is time.

Love to can and freeze what ever I can get ahold of. I make jellies, jams and Pasta sauce every year and give it as Christmas gift baskets with my home baked goods and homemade chocolates. I make fancy labels with my dogs pictures on them. Our "Wild Dog" labels look almost off the shelf and each year its a different theme.

I have raspberry bushes, a peach tree, an apple tree, a sour cherry tree, rhubarb and grape vines. So I make raspberry jam, strawberry and strawberry rhubarb jam, grape jelly, cherry pie filling, Pasta sauce, Salsa, pickled beets, apple sauce, peach jam. I make a nice jelly from apple cider and a really good quince jelly if I get any from my friend's shrub. Anything I can find or buy fresh and turn into a canned item I do. I made rose hip jelly one year and it was yummy. My Dad is crazy for homemade jam and I give him a dozen jars for Christmas, he hates store bought now. I always get a phone call if he runs out of it.

Would really love to get plans/pictures/dimensions for that dehydrator, it looks awesome. Have never tried it but would love to learn how.

We are going to have fun with this! I can't wait to see some pictures and finished goods from everyone

So far, have frozen 6 quarts of blueberries, made 6 quarts of blueberry spread, and am hoping for a good crop of corn, carrots, beans, and tomatoes to can and freeze.  LOVE homemade creamed corn!  Can't beat homemade tomato sauce and salsa. 
Also have about 200 onions planted, so hopefully that will take me through until next year.

GG

Also have about 200 onions planted, so hopefully that will take me through until next year.

I have 300 garlic, and I have the same hopes....
Also hope that I will have enough for planting next year.

The thought of having 300 garlic scapes makes me drool.  How are you preserving them?

I plan to can more roasted tomatoes this year and salsa.  If there is enough peppers my son hopes to make serachy sauce and can it.  If the snap beans do well I will freeze them but maybe try some dilly beans.  We have high hopes for dryed corn and beans from our 3 sisters garden as well.  And the heap of winter squash but with some new types in there.