Canning?...who does it anymore?

[westie2]

Kraut

We use the big crock to make ours but can use a food grade bucket or plastic trash can or put up in wide mouth quart jars.

Recipe to use

Cut the cabbage in half and take the core out. Shred with a knife in thin slices. For every 5 pounds of cabbage add 3 tablespoons of canning salt. Mix well and then put in one of the above and tightly pack down (we use a metal potato masher along with a wooden tamper from our cone sieve) pack it tight until liquid starts to flow. We normally do about 50 to 80 pounds of cabbage. To shred ours we now use our electric slicer. Two people can do it but 3 or more are better as your hands and arms can get sore.

Once all the cabbage is packed tightly in the crock or bucket or quart jars the liquid should cover the top.

On a crock or bucket use a plate or glass pie pan that just pits the opening. Weigh this down with a brick wrapped in plastic bag or use a gallon or gallon and a half freezer bag filled with water and some canning salt. (the salt is just incase the bag leaks so won't dilute your salt for the fermentation) Cover with a clean white kitchen towel and set in an out of the way area. Each day check for scum on the top and take off with a plastic or stainless steel spoon and if liquid has gone down add more salt water. If the towel is damp rinse in hot water and place back on top. Depending on the room tempature it will take 4 to 6 weeks to ferment. You can tell by it not bubbling and also the smell which is not bad. At this point you can leave in the crock and pull out and use as needed always cook 15 minutes before eating, pack in freezer bags and freeze then cook the same as for fresh or take out and put in large pot and bring to a boil and pack in wide mouth quart jars and process for 20 minutes in a water bath with the lids and rings on.

For quart jars

pack the salted cabbage tightly in the jars until the liquid covers leaving about 1 inch of head space take two popcicle sticks or even better 2 wooden ice cream spoon and criscross over the top inside the jar. Cut out some cheese cloth squares to cover or a kithch towel cut up and cover and put a ring on to hold. Place in a plastic wash pan or in a large galss baking dish as these will start to overflow.

Look at daily and if you see some scum do as for the crock. These will be ready in about 3 to 4 weeks. Then you can process as above also.

Try some fresh and cooked it is great. Once you make this you will never buy canned or the fresh from the store again.

 

[revvinkevin]

Being that I'm a city boy (without a garden)......

I don't do any canning. However I do remember being in the kitchen when my mother had made and canned a variety of fruit preserves.

I also remember my grandmother canning all sorts of fruits and vegetables, because she had a garden and fruit trees which produced an abundance of them. The one thing I remember most vividly was..... she had a (pineapple) guava tree that produced large amounts of fruit each year. Of course the end result was LOTS of gauva preserves in jars all over the back porch and garage and boy was it good!

 

[rp2813]

I've never gotten into canning but my mom used to put up jams and also made killer dill pickles that everyone loved. My sister still makes them but I remember it being a big production. Mom used to put the cucumbers in the tub of the washing machine, fill it with water and scrub each one with a brush. That was about the only part I ever helped with.

I'd say it's been at least 10 years since my mom no longer had the ability to put together a batch of pickles. Even back then, it was difficult for her to find the nubby pickling cucumbers by the lug without having to do some traveling.

Ralph

 

[frigilux]

Geoff-- I agree completely with you. It's comforting to pull a jar of something from the pantry during our frigid winter be reminded of the hot August day you spent 14 hours slaving away in a steamy-hot kitchen 'til your legs felt like they were going to fall off, LOL!

Aside: I see you're also a member of the Class of '77. We rock!!

 

[geoffdelp]

Eugene ... the class of 1977 does rock; especially now that we're all turning 50 years old!!

I also think we have a deep appreciation for our mothers and grandmothers who always made sure our larders were full of home canning for the winter months.

Mine sure took pride every time a jar of tomatoes or preserves were opened (still does at 87 yo).

A lot of work, but definitely rewarding in its own right. I try to take pride in it, too.

Another "art" of homemaking that is no longer relagated to "women's duties" only.

 

[dynaflow]

and another

another member of the class of 77

 

[geoffdelp]

Well ... glad to see we're not the only ones!

With a name like dynaflo and an email of roadmaster, I would assume you are a Buick buff!

Do you have one of those gorgeous machines with the dynaflow, fluid-drive transmissions?

My dad loved Buicks.

 

[maytagbear]

For me--

canning is too fiddly by myself. So, I haven't canned in years, but I have canned.

Last year I made some strawberry freezer jam with the Sure-Jell light (reduced sugar) pectin, and it turned out pretty well. I might do it again this year, even though I have a freezer the size of about two postage stamps.

I DO miss my homemade cornichon pickles, though. However, they are not feasible here, because I had to grow the cucumbers for them myself.......

Lawrence/Maytagbear

Class of '78 representin!

 

[frigilux]

Dynaflow & Geoff---I wonder if some internal "Buick switch" engages when a man enters middle age. I'd never considered owning a Buick, but lately I've been looking around thinking, "Hey, those Buick LaCrosse's look DAMN fine!"

Lawrence---Class of '78? Close enough for rock 'n' roll!!
By the way, I think freezer jam tastes much fresher than "canned" jam, but it's more convenient, storage-wise, for me to can it. I've found using the Reduced Sugar (or whatever it's called) version of Sure-Jell gets you a little closer to the freshness of freezer jam, as there is a higher ratio of fruit-to-sugar. But freezer jam definitely takes the checkered flag.

 

[yogitunes]

Bread and Butter Pickles (Sweet)

5 quarts thinly sliced cucumbers
8 medium onions, sliced
2 sweet green peppers, chopped
2 sweet red peppers, chopped
1/2 cup canning salt
ICE CUBES
5 cups white vinegar, 5% acidity
5 cups sugar
2 tablespoons mustard seed
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon cloves

Combine cucumbers, onions, green and red peppers, and salt; mix well. Cover with ICE CUBES and let stand 2 hours. Drain vegetables thoroughly.

Combine vinegar, sugar, and spices in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Add drained vegetables and slowly bring to a boil; boil 5 minutes. Pack hot mixture into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Remove air bubbles with non-metalic spatula. Adjust caps.

Process in a boiling water bath canner. Start timing after water begins to boil....

pints=10 minutes quarts=15 minutes

this recipe yields 10 pints or 5 quarts....double or triple recipe for a bigger batch, if you have several canners

 

[maytagbear]

And if you make that

WITHOUT the benefit of a food processor's slicing disc, you're either a superior person than I, or some sort of martyr!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[yogitunes]

My mom and aunts used to sit on the back porch and peel and slice onions, while crying their eyes out, and we had a food processor she wouldn't touch!

Just stuck in the old fashion way to do things, I guess!

but yes, you definately need a food processor, and a victorio strainer, and other helpful items to make this easier!

 

[jaytag]

Yes We CAN in Georgia

Love to can.

I do:
Romas
Salsa
Peach Jam
Apple Butter

Also a tip I use an electric turkey fryer to can in, just put in water and lower the basket with Jars and it makes a perfect canner for water bath.

 

[yogitunes]

Jay...what a great idea, never even occured to me, I can use this on the deck without heating the kitchen. thats the best tip ever!

I do use the dishwasher to clean and sterilize the jars, and stop in the middle of the last rinse to keep them HOT!

 

[jaytag]

Love the dishwasher to prep the jars

I do the same with the dishwasher. Yes like to keep it outside to keep it cooler inside. I remember as a kid, when my Mom canned it was early morning and the kitchen would be so hot and she would finish around 1 in the afternoon and finally she would turn on the air.....hot hot hot. That is why the neighbor Hazel had an electric stove in her garage for canning. Smart lady.

 

[autowasherfreak]

My mom used to can all the time tomatoes, tomato juice, pickled beets, green beans. She would freeze corn (on and off the cob), lima beans, chopped onions & peppers, carrots, peas. Every other year she would make her own horseradish sauce.

 

[twintubdexter]

Well spank me silly...

Every time I look through the Super thread list I think I see "Caning?...who does it anymore?" Need to get my mind out of the gutter.

Actually it's very cool to see all these people who still take an interest in CANNING and the like. It must give great satissfaction to show off a shelf full of your own creations.

 

[maytagbear]

Joe--

You're not the only one.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[sudsmaster]

Kimchee (from memory, haven't made any for a couple of months)

This is how I make kimchee:

It's in two basic steps:

1) Salting the cabbage

Dissolve 1 cup of sea salt, kosher salt, or water softener salt (make sure it is pure salt with no silicone or other additives) in 1 gallon water.

Chop up 5 lbs (about 2 big heads) napa or chinese cabbage. I like smaller pieces, about 1 inch by 2 inches. There's no law that says you can't make them bigger or smaller.

I usually grate some carrot, julienne a large daikon radish, etc. I had very good results with a green Japanese type of daikon - very flavorful. I've even added sliced broccoli crowns with good results. I've also used regular red round radishes, sliced thin. These add some color. In any case, put the cabbage and other veggies into a large pot (stainless is good) with the salt brine. Press down with a plate that just fits the pot, and weigh it down with a baggie filled with more brine - the idea is to keep the cabbage etc completely submerged. Let it sit overnight.

The next day, blend the following:

1/2 cup water
1/4 cup chinese hot pepper flakes (you can use fresh hot peppers if you prefer, but the color may not be the same)
1 or more cloves garlic, peeled
1 chunk of ginger, peeled and sliced (to break the fibers)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tsp japanese bonita fish powder
Any other herbs or spices you like

If you use a more funky fish powder or sauce, you may want to boil the spice mix before adding to the cabbage. I don't with the bonita powder (it's very clean) and haven't had any problems.

Drain the cabbage and other salted veggies. Rinse in fresh tap water and drain in colander.

Add the blended spice mix, fold it into the drained salted cabbage mix thoroughly. Weight it down again with a plate that just fits the container. Let this sit at room temp for 1-3 days, until it starts bubbling. Then refrigerate (you can repack it in smaller containers at this point. But place the containers in a dish or tray and keep the covers loose - the fermentation may continue and cause an overflow).

The kimchee can be eaten at any point. Early on it's more crunchy and sweet tasting. Letting it ferment at room temp and later in the fridge causes lactic acid to form, so it becomes more sour with more complex flavors. When you run low, save some of the liquid to add as a "starter" the next batch in the spice mix step.

I like to eat this kimchee all by itself, or with rice and meals as a sort of side dish/condiment. I have also found it adds a lot of flavor to the lowly hotdog, in lieu of relish (but with some mustard). Oh, you can probably add some powdered mustard to the spice mix as well for a more interesting taste.

The salt and the lactic acid keeps the cabbage and other veggies from spoiling and growing toxic bacteria/mold. I have found the kimchee will keep for weeks in the fridge. It does get more sour and a bit more odorous, but I haven't found it to be objectionable like some people claim. I bought a half gallon of authentic Korean kimchee (refrigerated) and found that my home prep is similar, with a less strong fishy taste. The store-bought had bigger chunks of cabbage as well.

My Mandarin teacher says that kimchee is good for one's health. I don't know, I just like the taste. I tend to like things like garlic kosher dill pickles, or pickled ginger.

When the kimchee gets too much character in the fridge, I've read it can be added to soup. I've tried adding it to a mexican tortilla soup (campbell's harvest select) and was pleased with the results. And of course you can add it to ramen to make a real kimchee soup!

 

[yogitunes]

hey, I spelled it right, this time....lol

and yes I have to ask, what is caning?, I've done a lot of things, but this one I have never heard, don't hold out on me, could be something new I could get into, always willing to learn and experiment.....