canning traditionally

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

this year being we are going to finally be in our off grid cabin, i want to have a nice garden again. we eat so many green beans, onions, potatoes, zucchini pickles, tomatoes and peppers. being from FL our growing season was....well..loooooooooooooooong  lol  but being in Montana we need to grow a lot in just a couple months and preserve a lot more than we did and freezer space is at a premium since we are off the electrical grid and cant have big freezers...and wild game fills that up easily.   
        so my wife is going to can some stuff so we can enjoy it longer than a month or 2 until it spoils..problem is we have never canned before.   any good websites or information on how to can traditionally.  and by traditionally i mean with out electric pressure cookers or anything like that.  we have a propane stove, and a wood stove and thats pretty much it. any thoughts?   might even consider trying to cann some meat...just iffy on that..lol

[JW_Halverson]

Go to your County Extension office and ask what resources they have.  The USDA has spent, literally, MILLION$ of our taxdollars on this subject since the 1920's and the research they have done has paid off in some of the best information available on the subject. 

As for canning meat, I've done it, the results can be amazing!  And the pressure cookers will save you some serious money in the long run because the cooking times are significantly shorter and the temps the food reaches are significantly higher (very important in food safety).  The stovetop pressure cookers are cheaper and larger anyway.

A good book to start with is "Putting Food By", written by Janet Greene, Ruth Hertzberg, and Beatrice Vaughan.

[Bevan R.]

Growing up, we lived on canned meat. Now it is my preferred way of processing deer or antilope. I use a pressure canner on top of the 'turkey fryer' propane burner so the heat stays outside when doing this. I also can fish. Then make fish patties out of it.

Bevan R

[Timo]

I've canned alot of meats in my days. Mostly deer,squirrels,rabbits and lots of fish. The main thing  to worry about would be the pressure, be sure to keep an eye on it and adjust according. Really nothing to it.

I do all mine in the shop on a Coleman stove, I can always find something to do while watching a canner.

[Eric Krewson]

I do all the canning in our house, real easy to do. One suggestion is to buy the biggest canner you can afford. It is easier to can 7 qts or 20 pints at a time than it is to have to wait to can two loads in a smaller canner. I think a 23 qt Presto is about as big a stove top as you can buy.

I have a glass top stove in the kitchen that is underpowered and takes forever to heat up so I use my propane Coleman stove hooked up to a 20LB gas bottle for canning, that baby throws some serious heat.

A survival tip; you can reuse canning lids if you boil them in water with some baking soda in it for 15 minutes. Might be useful information to know if a pandemic closes all the stores and lids become unavailable.

You can also buy lids in bulk much cheaper than you can at the local store. Her is a link for bulk lids.

http://www. lehmans.com/store/Kitchen___Canning_and_Preserving___Jars__Lids_and_Rubbers___Bulk_Canning_Dome_Lids___bulklids?partnerid=googlebase&utm_medium=shoppingengine&utm_source=googlebase&cvsfa=2926&cvsfe=2&cvsfhu=31313038323730

[jeffhalfrack]

  You  should have  a  pressure  cooker it  will  save  propane anyway   cornell  'U'  has a  co-op  extention  that  has tons  of canning help  they have a  100+ year old campas here in Geneva NY  if there is  Amish around you they have  stores w\supply's   just  this  past  summer  an  Amish  lady  showed  me  'canning acid'  for  canning  corn? it's  very good  right from  the  jar!  and  as allways  get  a  copy of  the  'Ball Blue Book'  good  luck  JEFFW

[M-P]

Howdy,  As Jeff mentioned, first time canners should definitely get a copy of the "Ball, Blue Book of Canning".  It's cheap and has some basic info.   There was thread here a couple of years ago on canning venison.   You might also look into drying some of your produce.  Green beans and sweet corn can both be dried and reconstitute well.    Ron

[JW_Halverson]

I love my dried peas!  A couple pounds of peas turns into just a few ounces overnite in the dehydrator.  Once dried I parch them in a cast iron skillet until they puff slightly and lose the wrinkly sufaces.  When dried they can also be added to soups and stews, but cannot be eaten withour parching or you will break your teeth.

This is a VERY old colonial trail food.  A handful of "parch'd pease" and all the water you can drink will hold you for about 6 hours on the trail.

[M-P]

I'll have to try parched peas.   I routinely let some sweet corn go mature and dry on the cob, just so I can make parched sweet corn.  Parched corn , of course, has a very lon tradition as a trail food as well.    Ron

[Hillbilly]

I can a bunch of stuff every year without using a pressure canner. Main things: sterilize your jars and keep them hot in the oven on the lowest setting. Boil your flip lids and rings and keep them in simmering hot water. Put the food hot into the hot  jars, filling them to the bottom of the neck, clean/wipe the rim of the jar to make sure there is nothing there that will interfere with the seal, and put the hot lids on immediately, pack the jars close together and cover with a towel. They will usually seal within an hour or two at the most.