Home Canning

(Check back from time to time as I plan on adding more information as time allows.)
Here's a list of the subjects you'll find on this page. Simply scroll down until you find the article you'd like to read:

A Brief History of Canning
Getting Started
Water-Bath Canning (coming soon)
Pressure Canning (coming soon)
Some Recipes to Get You Started (coming soon)

A Brief History of Canning


When we think of home canning, our mind's eye is quick to envision neat rows of jars lining pantry shelves, safely filled with food just waiting to be opened so we can prepare a variety of tasty meals for our dear families. Canning our own food seems the epitome of the industrious homemaker, but canning did not begin as an answer to the housewife's problem of what to have for dinner. Instead, canning was developed as an answer to a question posed by war.

In the late 1700s, Napoleon Bonaparte of France was concerned that his soldiers were not being fed well when they traveled long distances from home, and he realized that they needed a reliable method for keeping food safe to eat for long periods. So he offered a cash prize to the person who could develop a dependable method of food preservation.

Enter Nicolas Appert, a French candy maker, brewer, distiller, and chef. Appert discovered that when heat was applied to food in sealed glass bottles, the food was preserved. In the early 1800s, the French navy successfully experimented with foods preserved by heat on their long voyages. They ate preserved meat, vegetables, fruit, and milk. But it would take more than 50 years to provide the reason for why the canning process worked. Finally, Louis Pasteur demonstrated that the growth of microorganisms causes food spoilage, and that sealing food into jars or cans using high heat kills these microorganisms, thus rendering the canned food safe to eat months, and even years, later.
Several years after Appert's discovery, an Englishman by the name of Peter Durand figured out how to successfully seal food in tin-coated iron cans, and in 1813 the first commercial canning factory was established in England. These cans of food were very expensive, and a person needed a chisel and hammer to open the container, but even so, the food canning industry was launched. Canned food was largely used by the military and explorers, and it wasn't until the 1920s that home canning caught on with homemakers.

In the mid to late 1800s, glass canning jars and two-piece lids came into being (Mason jars, 1858; Ball jars, 1886; and Kerr jars, 1903). And even though the canning process itself has changed little over the last two hundred years, research and trials led by unive4rsities and government agencies have honed the safety guidelines for specific foods being canned, and these are constantly being updated as needed. So even though you may have a recipe that has been handed down from your beloved grandmother or aunt, it's best to rely on the most up-to-date data available. You can probably still use that old-time favorite recipe, but you may need to change the processing time or method. For the sake of your family's safety, you'll be well advised to do so.


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Getting Started

There are two basic canning methods--boiling water-bath canning and pressure canning. And essentially, there are two groups of foods--high-acid foods with a pH of 4.6 or lower and low-acid (alkaline) foods, with a pH of more than 4.6. High-acid foods generally use the water-bath method and low-acid foods require pressure canning at higher-than-boiling temperatures to render them safe.

Boiling Water-Bath Canners

Boiling water-bath canning is used for high-acid foods such as jam, jelly, fruit butter, preserves, and marmalade; fruit pieces, fruit juice, and fruit pie filling; tomatoes, plain tomato sauce, and tomato juice (lemon juice or some other acidifier is added to tomato products to ensure that the acid level is high enough to safely can these foods with the boiling water-bath method); and pickles and relishes.

Any large pot with a tight-fitting lid will do, but water-bath canners made especially for canning foods are inexpensive and sized appropriately and are well worth the small investment. You will need a rack that sits on the bottom to keep the jars up from the floor of the pot, and the pot must be tall enough that the jars are covered by 2 inches of water with another 1 to 2 inches of air space above that. You can also use a pressure canner for water-bath canning as long as it is tall enough.

Boiling the jars of food in the water removes the oxygen. This helps form a tight seal and is sufficient to kill the mold, yeast, and bacterial cells present in the food. And even though boiling at 212 degrees doesn't kill the clostridium botulinum spores--which cause botulism, a potentially deadly toxin--the high acid levels in foods with a pH that is 4.6 or less doesn't allow the spores to grow. Therefore, the canned food is safe to consume.

Also, many people prefer to "get their feet wet" by water-bath canning before they take the plunge into pressure canning. But that's really just a matter of preference (or possibly courage!), because pressure canning is just a simple--in fact, pressure canning green beans is probably the easiest food of all to preserve.

Pressure Canners

Pressure canning at temperatures higher than 212 degrees is required for vegetables, meat, poultry, fish and seafood, and combination recipes that include low-acid foods. This is because the pH level is too high in these low-acid foods to prevent the growth of clostridium botulinum, which is the microorganism that causes botulism. When the spores are in an anaerobic environment (lacking oxygen, as happens to jars of food that are canned) they are able to grow and produce deadly levels of botulism toxin. Therefore, pressure is needed to raise the temperature, and pressure canning does that, raising the temperature inside the container to 240 degrees. When correctly processed for adequate periods of time, the botulinum spores are eliminated and the canned food is safe to store and eventually eat.

Unlike a water-bath canner, you'll need to invest in a specially made pressure canner. And while the purchase price of a pressure canner isn't small, this is an investment that will last you for many years when properly maintained.

There are basically two types of pressure canners--those that use a gasket to close and seal the canner lids after they have been locked into place (such as the Presto brand), and those that are "gasketless" and seal by use of heavy-duty screws that tighten the locked lid to the body of the canner (such as the All-American). The gasket canners generally cost substantially less than the gasketless types, but you will need to replace the gaskets every year or so, depending on how much you use it. Gaskets cost less than $10, so this is a small additional expense, and with the money you saved on the purchase price compared to the gasketless types, you will still be ahead even after many years of use.

In my part of the world, I can currently buy a Presto (uses a gasket) canner for $88.60. It will hold 7 quart jars or about 20 pint jars. An All-American that will hold the equivalent number of jars costs $209.99. As you can see, there is a very large price difference. But if your budget can handle the higher price, do you research and decide for yourself if the All-American is right for you. I personally have both kinds: 2 Presto canners and 1 All-American. I love and use them all, depending on what particular food I'm canning and how much I have to can.

57 comments:

  1. I was brought up in a religious order, very happy childhood, where I was taught most home craft skills, including canning and preserving the harvests. I now have 6 children, all teenagers, 4 of them boys and the food bill is prodigious. I was a RN, but have lost my job to a severe back injury and have returned to preserving in a bid to reduce both waste and the food bill. However, my youngest boy is autistic and I have trouble getting him to make sandwiches for school. I bought your Armish canning book and found the recipe for canned sandwich spread and it got me thinking. I will make for him, but could you conjure up a similar recipe that includes meat?

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    1. Hi, Rosie!
      You ask an intriguing question. We always used this as a spread along with whatever meat was available--usually bologna, leftover roast or ham, or lunch meat. Its good on hamburgers too, by the way.
      If I understand you correctly, however, your son would find it easier to have the meat already included so he can simply spread it on his bread, right? If so, you could always just add meat before canning, but make sure you pressure can the contents according to how long you would need to process for the meat. You could brown hamburger and add that, or maybe some diced ham (either leftovers or buy a small canned ham and dice that and use it), diced or shredded pork, or diced chicken (which you can use raw because the pressure canning time would cook it. The same goes for any meat you might choose, by the way.)
      Hopefully this will give you some ideas to try. Really, you can add anything you want. The important thing to remember is that you'll need to pressure can the contents for the amount of time needed for whichever ingredient has the longest processing time required.
      If you make a special batch with meat I'd love to know what you use and how it turned out. Makes me want to try experimenting on my own!
      Blessings to you and your family.

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    2. Hi, again, Rosie-

      I was rereading your post and thought I'd tell you about a Facebook group for kids with special needs--and especially folks with autism--that is phenomenal. Check it out! It has been a boon to my understanding of autism. The Facebook group is called Special Books by Special Kids. The young man (a special needs teacher) who administers it is remarkable!

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  2. I just purchased your Amish Canning Cookbook. What a great book it is, thank you for sharing your knowledge to the world. I began canning just a couple of years ago, so I still have a long way to go on my learning. I have a question in regards to one of your recipes. Pickled asparagus. I was ready to start the recipe, and noticed I didn't have enough asparagus to fill the 8 pints you mentioned in the ingredient list, I had enough for 6 pints. So I did my math and adapted the recipe to 6 pints. I finished filling the 4th pint and realized I didn't have enough liquid (brine) left for the remaining 2 cans; (I guess I didn't do my math properly) So I kept the 1:1 vinegar to water proportion, added it to the pot and put it to boil; I didn't add any more salt... Poured this liquid to the remaining 2 cans and I then proceeded to process all the cans for the required time (water bath). Since I left the 1:1 vinegar to water proportion, the contents are still safely canned right? Thank you, Claudia

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  3. Hi, Claudia-
    I've been canning since about forever, and I still run into the problem of not enough liquid sometimes. Or ending up with too much.
    You did absolutely perfect. Keeping the acidity correct will mean you have safely canned the asparagus. I do wonder, however, about not adding any more salt. Will it make those jars of asparagus less tasty? Only time will tell.
    I'm glad you're enjoying the book so far! It's nearing that time of year when our canners will be front and center, processing the foods of summer. I always love this time of year!
    Blessings to you and yours,
    Georgia

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  4. Thank you for your response, it made me feel at ease. One more question now that Berry season has finally arrived... I've been looking for a way to reduce or substitute the amount of sugar water bath jam recipes call for... Have you ever experimented with this?

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  5. Hi, Claudia-
    I know that a lot of people are wanting to can using less sugar. You can't reduce the amount of sugar in a recipe and expect it to turn out well. However, there's good news! You can buy boxes of pectin that are designed specially for low-sugar jams and jellies. Just follow the recipe in the box.
    Another thing that people do is make jam and jelly and use the amount of sugar of other sweetener to taste and then freeze it. But if I were to do that, I'd probably simply cook down my fruit without any pectin and coking and stirring until it thickened, then add sweetening of my choice to taste,and then freeze it. I'd call it fruit spread! (And you could even do this with no sugar used at all.

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  6. Thank you for the advice. I will follow your suggestions. I'll take a look at those low sugar pectin packets you mentioned. I hope they don't have other additives in them to make the pectin work without the usual amount of sugar... Thanks again! I look forward to your future postings. Many Blessings.

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  7. Hello!
    I am new to canning. I remember helping my Grandmother & Great Grandmother as a child, however, I was to little to remember much... now it is to late to ask. I find your book to be a huge help in learning to can for my family -

    I would like to ask... do you have a shopping list of spices that you commonly use for canning? I enjoy cooking & baking so I have a good supply of spices however I have found that I am short this or that & need to run to the market a lot! I was hopin that if you had a printable shopping list for commonly used spiced I could just print it and go buy all of what I need in one trip rather then shopping recipe by recipe!

    Thank you so much for the time and love you put into each of your books...

    HeidiLynn Merithew

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    1. Hello, Heidi-

      Your question is a good one! Basically, you can use any of the spices that you normally would in the recipe--with the exception of sage, which turns somewhat bitter when canned.

      To answer your question, I went to my cupboard and wrote a quick list (see below) of the herbs and spices I use regularly. But I'd have to say that my base for much of my savory cooking and canning starts with onions, celery, tomatoes, and garlic. These are essentials in my kitchen.

      Now on to spices:

      thyme (I use thyme a lot!), basil, oregano, rosemary, bay leaves, summer savory (great in soups and stews), dry ground mustard (a pinch of ground mustard makes lots of dishes tastier),French tarragon, paprika, turmeric, ginger, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, curry powder, dill weed (try shaking dill weed onto cooked, buttered corn--it's delicious!), cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, garlic and onion powder (for when I don't have fresh or don't want the texture).

      And, of course, where would we be without salt and pepper? My advice is to use non-iodized salt when canning (the iodized sometimes turns opaque, but it doesn't hurt the food at all, so if that's what you have, go ahead and use it).

      Another alternative would be to can your food with minimum use of spices (mainly just salt and pepper) and then add spices when you go to open the jar to eat it. Here's an example: Pressure can jars of ground beef in tomato sauce with a bit of salt and pepper--these jars are now the beginning of many different meals including spaghetti sauce, chili and beans, stew, or soup, depending on what spices, etc. you add to it. Now that's multi-purpose!

      Hope this helps. And if you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask. We canners need to stick together and help one another!

      Blessings,
      Georgia

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    2. Thank you so much! This is a big help... I'm going to print this and underline any I'm missing and then I'll go to the market for the rest!

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  8. Hi, Georgia:
    Like others with questions, I'm pretty new to canning. My question concerns measurement. When you say, for instance, you'll need 5 quarts of strawberries, how do you measure that since these products are often sold by the pound? It's probably self-evident, but I'd like to be sure.
    Thank you so much for your help!
    Jane
    PS: I really love the recipes and instructions in your canning book and can hardly wait to get started!

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  9. Hi, Jane-
    You ask a good question and one I can't magically answer! (Unless you were to bring a quart measure with you to the store!) if I were to buy my produce, I would "eyeball" it, breaking it into smaller parts. So, for instance, if I needed five quarts of strawberries, I would "eyeball" a quart at a time, or even a cup at a time. And knowing me, I'd throw in some extra just to be safe!
    Also, on pages 126-127 in my canning cookbook, I have included a short list that estimates pounds of fruit needed to fill a quart jar with fruit when canning pie filling. It will at least give you a start.
    I hope this helps!
    Happy canning,
    Georgia

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    1. Hello Georgia,
      It's Heidi Lynn again! I LOVE your Canning book! I also use a Ball canningbook too ISBN: 978-0-8487-4678-0 Bwteen the two I have been very Happy...
      In the back of the Ball book that I listed it has a nice layout of the info that Ms. Jane asked for... so if I may Strawberries are 2 1/2 to 3 "Pounds Per Quart" So, that times how many quarts you need...

      Hope that helps!

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    2. Dear Georgia:
      That's absolutely perfect! I thought that might be the way, but thinking gets me into trouble sometimes! ;>)
      Thank you so much. I'm looking forward to your new baking book. :>) Please keep up your good work!
      Jane

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    3. Thanks, Heidi, for the heads up on the fruit list in Ball. Ill have to take a look.

      Jane, you can find my other books (including a baking cookbook) on Amazon. Keep up the good work canning!

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    4. Just and update, Georgia: 100% success canning 19 half pints of strawberry jam yesterday - woo hoo! Thank you again for your advice. I'm sure it was instrumental in my first success!
      PS: I've ordered most of your books. :>)

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  10. Jane Sprague, that's wonderful! Good job!

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  11. Hi Georgia,
    I'm new here. I canned the nectarines. I used the Power Pressure Cooker XL, it's new to the market. I had to lay down my quart jars, 2.
    When it was done, half of the liquid was gone on 1 and the fruit on the other had shrunk to half the size, to where the fruit is left floating in the liquid and parasitically exposed above the liquid. Is this safe and what did I do wrong? When you are done is the fruit ok to be exposed above the liquid? Thank you for your help!!

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    1. HI AGAIN,
      This is Susie Elliott. I posted the questions above. Just bought your Amish Canning cookbook.














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    2. Hi, Susie-

      The pressure cooker you mention--in fact all electric pressure cookers--has not been tested for safe canning to my knowledge. My feeling is that it would be safest to can using a known pressure canner (like Presto or All American). Regarding your particular canning situation, the fact that you had to lay the jars on their sides caused the liquid to seep out of the jars. My gut reaction is that they aren't safe because they were on their sides and the pressure cooker hasn't been tested and can't be trusted. You can still use them by you'll need to refrigerate the jars and eat the fruit within a few days. Something else to consider is that pressure cookers and pressure canners aren't really the same thing. A pressure canner is carefully calibrated to the proper psi and the canner itself is manufactured to hold even your quart jars upright--in fact, you should never lay your jars on their sides. Sometimes if I have a small canner load and I think the jars could tip over during processing, I'll add a few jars that I've filled with water just to keep everything upright.

      I too have pressure cookers--two, in fact--and I love them for cooking roasts and chicken and that sort of thing. But I don't ever use them for canning. Still, they have their purpose in my kitchen.

      I really wish I had more positive news for you because I know that kitchen appliances can be expensive, but it's best to get the proper tool for the job. By the way, if you are only planning on water bath canning (things like fruit, jams and jellies, tomatoes with some added lemon juice or citric acid, and salsa, all you need is a water bath canner, and those are quite inexpensive for instance where I live you can pick one up for around twenty bucks. But you'll need a pressure canner for meats and veggies and those can run you anywhere from about eighty dollars to hundreds of dollars. Yikes!

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    3. Ok, thank you for getting back to me so quickly!! Very helpful indeed. Love the new book! xxoo blessings

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  12. Can I use just a boiling pot of water for water bath canning? With a lid of course, with right time boiling.

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    1. You can, Susie. It just has to be tall enough that your jars sit upright and still have 1-2 inches of water above the tops of the jars.And yes to the lid. Good luck!

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  13. Thank you so much. You are really a God send for me and I'm sure many others. blessings

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  14. I have just recently purchased your Amish Canning Coookbook and cannot thank you enough for the wonderful recipes. I have recently had open heart surgery to repair a damaged valve from early childhood....fortunately, I was able to return to canning after a couple months. Held nurses and hospital nutritionist spellbound describing some of the projects I have been able to put up and that information because of the
    Sharing you and others have done. There is not enough said about the health benefits of growing and canning your own products. Thank you and many blessings!

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    1. Hi, Karen-

      First of all, I'm so happy to hear that after your major surgery, you are doing well. We are so blessed to live in a time and place where modern surgical and life-saving procedures are available! I had to smile when I read about you holding the hospital staff spellbound with your stories! And I totally agree that the closer we get to the ground--and by that I mean growing and processing our own food--the better off we potentially are. I hope you continue to feel better and better and keep canning!

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  15. Thank you for your reply, Geogia. My question is ( since I am not good at guessing
    The amount of product needed to fill the jars I want) can I use the "rouge" leftover lids for another project? These lids have been soaked in hot water...just shy of making it to the canner. Thank you for any help with this little annoyance!

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  16. Hi, Karen-

    Glad to hear from you again!

    Regarding the amount of fruit, I hear tell that there is a helpful list in the back of the Ball book, but I haven't seen it for myself. Also, there was a discussion about this just a few days ago in the comments section above, so you might want to scroll up and read the thread beginning July 22, 2016.

    As for reusing lids, it's not recommended, but lots of people do it, including myself on occasion. Here is what seems to be the only "rule" you must follow however: Only reuse lids that have previously been used for water bath canning--NEVER reuse lids that have been previously used for pressure canning. And make sure that the lids you plan on reusing are still straight and don't have any dents or kinks in them. If you reuse lids, check on the jars every so often to make sure the seals are still intact.

    Good luck with your canning endeavors!
    Georgia

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  17. Hello Georgia!
    Have a question for you....can I safely can some slices of my garden jalapeños along with the standard soup veggies? I'm wanting to use up some of our bounty, and I
    Love a little "spice" in soups.😊
    I just need some reassurance that mixing a fruit with the vegetables will not cause a problem. Thank you so much for any input.
    Karen

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    1. Hi, Karen-
      The short answer is yes! You can add jalapenos to your soup recipe for canning. What kind of soup are you canning? (I'm assuming that you're pressure canning, correct?)

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    2. Hi, Karen-
      The short answer is yes! You can add jalapenos to your soup recipe for canning. What kind of soup are you canning? (I'm assuming that you're pressure canning, correct?)

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  18. Dear Georgia,
    Sorry I couldn't get back to you sooner; however, we do have what we call Mountain
    Wi Fi Syndrome! Finished my batch of what I call Mex. Black Bean Fever Soup.
    Used your recipe showing how to make your own vegetable/meat soup.....mine was
    Meatless. Used fresh onions, potatoes,jalapeño, black beans,cilantro, cumin, touch of red pepper,and my home canned broth. Love Mexican food; however, have to make it myself to avoid salt. Oh, the ingredients list also included carrots and celery.
    Soup might be a little fiery, to some, but can also be tamed ( if needed) with a small
    Dollop of sour cream upon serving. My husband said the soup is mine....he is a Southern boy with tame taste buds.

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  19. Hi, Karen-

    I love the name of your soup! It does my heart good to hear that you make things your own and add or don't add according to what you have on hand or what sounds good to you. That's a true cook!

    Sour cream is a favorite of mine as well. Also, I'll use shredded cheddar cheese on soups and stews and that seems to cut the fire a bit too. Sometimes I eat a piece or two of buttered bread and that helps too. Plus let's face it--all of what we've mentioned is just plain tasty!

    Carry on!
    Georgia

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  20. Oh, to answer your question....YES it was most certainly pressure canned.
    Later!
    Karen

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  21. Hi Georgia!
    I bet you are canning away like crazy with all the fruit and veggies at their peak. I am putting your Farmers Soup recipe to good use with the garden starting to wind down ( our growing season here is way too short.) Your soup recipes will help to extend the tastes of the season:) Do you happen to have any good quick canning session
    Recipes that could be shared? I am now a little more time challenged with having to
    Travel to and from the gym each day for a 45 minute workout. Probably the real
    Challenge is nearing 70 and having yet so much to do and experience.....my bucket
    List is growing by leaps and bounds. I agreed to retirement so that I could learn one new skill each week.....now it is one new skill each day.

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  22. Hi, Karen-

    Yes I am busy canning and dehydrating up a storm! This time of year I try to do at least one canner load each day except for Sundays (although I can often squeeze in something in the afternoon!). I absolutely love the feeling of putting food up for the winter. :)

    First of all, I'm glad you are trying the Farmer's Soup recipe. Do make sure to use the cornmeal at the end of the cooking/heating up of the soup because it makes it special in my opinion. I'm assuming you have my canning cookbook. If so, the quick and easy tomato soup is just that--quick and easy! (It's the one that uses cans of tomato paste.) And it tastes so comforting served with a grilled cheese sandwich on a cold winter's day. You can also cut up a hot dog or two and then sprinkle shredded Monterey jack cheese on top for a filling soup all on its own. Something else you can do is to simple boil a whole chicken for several hours; cool it enough to get the meat off the bones and skim off fat if you desire. Then fill pint or quart jars with some of the meat and the broth and pressure can it. That makes the start of chicken noodle soup, chicken vegetable soup, chicken pot pie, chicken and dumplings...the sky's the limit!

    And as for nearing 70 and having a growing bucket list? Outstanding! That made me smile. :)

    Carry on, friend. You must be doing something right!

    Blessings,
    Georgia

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  23. Hi Georgia!
    Thank you for your inspirational reply....canning session every day, WOW!
    I will definitely add the cornmeal to the reheat of the Farmers Soup. Next on the agenda , for me, is hamburger stew , spaghetti sauce, and some jars of strawberry jam for good measure. Still am amazed at your endeavors...I thought my 21 quarts a week were the definition of productivity!
    We are currently felling some dead Ponderosa Pines due to drought and beetle
    Infestation. The good news is that we got them before they took out our deck and home.We mourned the loss of those beautiful massive trees...then I realized
    Something, once the trees were down we have entirely new forest vistas to enjoy.
    Guess that's life , we mourn what we think we've lost only to be captivated by the
    Beauty we've now discovered.
    Blessings back to you, Georgia
    Karen

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    1. My dear Karen! Your reply is beautiful. I especially loved, "we mourn what we think we lost, only to be captivated by the beauty we've now discovered." words to live by, for sure. If you are on Facebook, I'd love for you to find me so we can be Facebook friends as I think we could very well be kindred spirits!
      You blessed me with your words,
      Georgia

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  24. Yes, Georgia! I too think we might be kindred spirits! Now, if I could only think of a way to
    Conquer Facebook we might just have it made. I'll wait till I go visit my son and his family in a couple weeks as he is the savvy one. I know it's time for a visit when my little grand
    Daughter won't stop kissing the Skype screen:).
    Question of the day.....Why would my apple pie filling expand to the top of the jar after
    Processing when there was ample headspace prior to going into the pot? Do you think it might have something to do with the ripeness of the fruit? I did diligently work on getting out the air bubbles. All jars tightly sealed.
    I have many more buckets of gifted apples picked by a couple family members much younger than I!
    Have a beautiful day.
    Karen





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    1. Hmm...the only thing I can think of is that you packed your jars very well, and when they were boiling in the canner the apples moved around and took up more space and filled in the jar. The important thing is that the jars sealed so you're good. Apple pies this winter, here you come!

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  25. P.S. If your kitchen looks like a 1950's nostalgia explosion....we really are
    Kindred.
    Bye!

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  26. I live in a tiny house that I fondly call the Lilliputian Cottage! I have many hobbies, so my house looks rather like an old-time, practical place. I have two hand grinders that I keep out all the time to grind wheat and corn for flour and cornmeal, plus I have a Little Dutch Maid food processor that stays out also. Non-electric and made by the Amish. In the winter I often light with oil lanterns that are made in the Alps, and they throw off wonderful light but don't have the hiss of Aladins, which I'm not a fan of. I have two treadle sewing machines that I actually use, and a spinning wheel and floor loom. My sons always say I was born a hundred years too late!

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  27. I have a question about your split pea soup recipe in the amish canning book I have.
    It says 6 quarts of split peas to 6 quarts of water.
    Should it be 6 cups?
    Love the book and go to it first when canning.

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    Replies
    1. YES! It was a typo! The publisher fixed it in subsequent print runs, thankfully! By the way, I usually add a bit more water toward the end to thin it down a bit, but you don't have to.

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  28. Hi Georgia! Love your Amish canning cookbook. I have a question about your baked bean recipe. Is it safe to swap cooked bacon for the cooked ham? I checked with my extension office and they referred me to the Boston Baked Beans recipe on the National Center for Home Food Preservation which is similar to your recipe. I just really don’t want to can beans cooked for that long then cooked more when canned. I haven’t tried the recipe but I can’t imagine there would be much texture left to your beans being cooked that long. I want to always be safe but I really don’t understand the issue with bacon. Thank you for your reply

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  29. Hi, I purchased your Amish Canning book and was hoping for a homemade pancake syrup recipe I could can without corn syrup. Is there any recipe you know of?

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  30. Hi! I purchased your Homestead Canning book and read it cover to cover. I'm new to canning but really enjoying it. I have memories from my childhood I recall fondly, and this summer I was horrified by all the store bought jars we were going through for pickles (I love pickles!) and so what started out as a solution for pickles has me canning a lot more than just pickles! One question: almost all the salsa recipes, yours and others, I found call for vinegar and lemon juice and then balancing that flavor with sugar. BUT, my husband is diabetic and at the moment is challenged by controlling his sugar levels. So I bought citric acid and *think* I calculated the amounts correctly. Is it asking too much to ask you to check my work?! Working off your basic recipe, I ended up with 5 qts tomatoes, 4 c chopped onions (if my math is correct, that's still the right ratio) and 2 c chopped peppers. I added 3 cloves garlic to your recipe. I thought it was okay to have less peppers but not more??

    I added 2 1/2 tsp citric acid to the tomatoes, based on guidance I found in a USDA publication, and then added 1/4 tsp citric acid to each pint jar.

    Because I'm terrified I didn't get the pH right, I decided to pressure process it (I'd rather have mushy salsa than get sick!) and again based on USDA recommendations for pressure canning tomatoes, I'm doing my pints of salsa at 15 PSI for 20 minutes.

    What do you think? Okay to eat?! I figured if it's not tasty at least it should be safe!

    Thanks in advance for your advice!

    Teri

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  31. Hi Georgia. I'm new to canning and just bought your book. You sold me on canning when you talked about your granddaughter eating your canned cherries. Tears in my eyes! I would like to can applesauce and use my pressure canner. The canner has 3 valves & states the highest valve must be used. Your book says any pot for water bath can be used. I'm confused. If I use my pressure canner, do I need to use the rocker valve, or can I use a lower psi valve? Should I just use a water bath canner? Thanks.

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  32. Question on your Kosher Dill Pickles. The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of canning salt but the directions don't mention how to use it. Please advise, planning to jar these up today. Thanks!

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  33. Hi, can you please tell me if clear jel can be used in lieu of pectin?

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  34. Hi Georgia: I am a 72 year old Great Grandmother and I live with my daughter and her 5 children who are in their teens. My Mother-in-law taught me to WB can in my 30s but a year later I lost my husband and became too busy working two jobs and raising my children so had no time to can or garden. Also living in a hectic busy city made it difficult as neighborhood kids would raid and rob any gardens they could find. In this coming Spring my daughter and I are moving to a small hamlet about 2,399 km away from where we now live. I will have a garden and get back into canning...so excited and happy!! I have been researching about pressure canners and plan to buy the Carey Smart Pressure Canner and to also Water Bath can. One can find recipes all over the internet but I wanted good proven recipes from a reliable source. I had lost all my recipes years ago with moving around. I found your book and this site and am truly relieved, happy and feel I have everything I need to begin canning again. I want to ask you how you feel about Weck Jars? They are beautiful and I know some do use them but wanted your professional and personal advise. Thank you for making all of your knowledge and information available to us...you are my mentor without a doubt.

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  35. Hi Georgia. I used your instructions to can raw chicken. However the inside of the jars have a discoloring. I’m not sure if I should use the chicken or just discard. With the costs of food increasing everyday I was hoping to save them.

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  36. Hi Georgia, I have avidly read your book and it has inspired me and given me the confidence to use the PC that I have just bought which is watching me expectantly every time I walk past it. The question I have is the recipes call for 1(or more) packages of pectin and one of them asks for 1 box of pectin. I am in Australia and I have found different sizes of packets, sachets and boxes. Please could you let me know what size packets, sachets or boxes I should be using? Or the ratio of fruit:pectin.Thanks for a great book.

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  37. Georgia, I love your Homestead Canning Cookbook. I am now looking to can my homemade baby food. I am reading a lot about it and finding it's not very encouraged. Can you give your advice on this topic? I'm mostly interested in vegetables than fruits if this helps at all. Thanks for all of your wisdom thus far!!

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  38. Hi, I just bought your Amush caning cookbook. I have to tell you it's probably great if you want to pressure can, but I don't. Also pretty sure the Amish don't either since they don't have electric. They water bath can everything. I used to do the same with my mom and grandmother. I bought the book, thinking since it's "Amish" there would be all recipes for water bath canning. I hope to still use the recipes but now am still stuck not knowing how long to water bath can. By the way, NONE of our family ever got sick from water bath canning and we used that method for everything.

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