Canning, pickling and such

SoapAlchemist

SoapAlchemist

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Anyone do any of these. I've just got into this, following on from my preserved lemons experiment a while back.
So far I've canned a couple of jars of green beans; well, it was sortof a cross between canning and pickling, as I read that you need a pressure canner to be sure to kill any botulism:icon_eek:, and those don't seem to exist this side of the pond. So I had to put some vinegar in which I hope will ensure I don't die. But intent to bring those to the boil for a few minutes before eating, and eat in the near future. Tonight I have a load of tomatoes pulped and now simmering to reduce, and will can them in a while when reduced enough. I may add a bit of lemon juic to be sure to be sure. I also dried some tomatoes (enough????) and put them in a jar of olive oil with some garlic, and very nice they are too, but again, will eat them pronto, as not sure whether they were dried enough.
Does anyone do this? Or pickles? Or drying? Or other food preservation. We'll forget Cheese Daves unfortunate experiment with the animal leg.:icon_lol:
 
Well if you have a freezer and too many runners to eat just boil them for 2-3 minutes, plunge in to cold water then drain and freeze in batches. When you need them again just boil or steam for a short time until ready to eat.

We've done a few recipes out of this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jams-Pickles-Chutneys-Secrets-Institute/dp/0743221133/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1314915184&sr=8-3

With the WI it's hard to go too far wrong, though for some reason it is not available to buy new and really pricey s/h. Must be out of print. Worth looking out for in charity shops though.
 
I would have thought enough temperature for long enough would kill any lergies. I don't know what canning system you have but just cook the tomato sauce in the actual container to sterilise both, seal with a touch of oil (optional) and top off with a sterilised lid, that's what the Italian mammas do.

You're doing the right thing with dried tomatoes, I quite like them still a bit squishy and not fully dehydrated, I top up jar with 50:50 mix of olive and rapeseed oil and add a sprig of something, thyme or rosemary.
 
According to what I've read - on a site where those with food tech qualifications were attacked and attacked back - the problem is with veg. Tomatoes and most fruits are acidic which helps the preservation process. With veg, most of which are not acidic,just canning in an ordinary saucepan doesn't raise the temp enough to kill botulism. Whereas a pressure cooker at 10lb psi does. I'm not a big fan of pickles (although have just pickled our tiny 'crop' of onions (we never have much luck with onions). Now, it appears that all the mothers and grandmothers of those without food tech qualifications canned without pressure and survived to tell the tale. But I would hate to be that tiny percentage who killed their entire family....and survived as a paralysed vegetable (pun) to endure the guilt. I'm not a big fan of jam either. So canning is what I am most interested in, pickles next, and jam last.
The other advantage of a pressure canner is energy saving; e.g. for the beans you have to boil them in the jar for something like 3 hours, as well as get that huge saucepan full of water to the boil. With a pressure cooker, you only need a bit of water, and the cooking time is much reduced.
And if anyone has any ideas what to do with a shed load of cooking apples, please tell. HWMOM always makes a few apple pies at this time of year. But he can't possibly use them all that way, and I don't like apple pie either. Probably shouldn't get a visa to the other side.

Antdad, how long do you keep the tomatoes?
 
My wife makes apple sauce with the apples and freezes it as individual portions in freezer bags when its cooled...great for apple pies or sauce....

I love apples but unfortunately I can't eat 'em....if I have anything with apple in it I could start world war 3...........and win it..
 
Like you say tomato based stuff is acidic and will last for ages, under oil indefinitely as long as everything remains covered.

You don't like pickling and you don't like pie and you are going to mush everything by pressure canning...are you sure preserving is your thing?
 
I just pickled some eggs.:icon_eek: 2/3 malt vinegar, 1/3 water, pickling spice, red chillie, garlic, slices of pickled beetroot; boiled it up and poured over jar full of hardboiled eggs. No further boiling/ canning. Plan to eat them in a couple of weeks. Will I survive????
 
soapalchemist said:
I just pickled some eggs.:icon_eek: 2/3 malt vinegar, 1/3 water, pickling spice, red chillie, garlic, slices of pickled beetroot; boiled it up and poured over jar full of hardboiled eggs. No further boiling/ canning. Plan to eat them in a couple of weeks. Will I survive????
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You may want to try those eggs after you've completed the next batch of soaps to re-stock. Just a thought:icon_razz:
 
'Tis true, soap stocks are dangerously low. I'm just finishing off a batch of a Cedarwoody soft one now....in between researching fermenting foods. Sauerkraut here I come.:)
 
hunnymonster said:
Make some Surströmming :)
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Ahh, the good stuff. I had some a couple of weeks ago, with my sister and her new man (my wife can't stand it ;))... Lovely stuff - you need: (fresh) special kind of potato, sour creamish something, choped onion = YUM! Some also use a special kind of thin bread and do rolls with them, nice too, but _not_ old school.

soapalchemist said:
I think Lutefisk http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lutefisk would be more appropriate.:)
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Lutfish isn't very anything :icon_neutral:, it's the white sauce that makes that dish (for christmas).
 
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