What are you canning today? Part 8

[Jeepers]

Tomatoes. I felt really good yesterday and went to Amish country and got 2 big bushels full of tomatoes. Today, my back is out, neck hurts, jaw aches and I think I might have a stress fracture in my ankle. What a difference a day makes. Sigh.

I’m canning regular tomatoes in sauce tonight. Tomorrow I’m thinking either spaghetti sauce or chili. I bought a barstool not long ago (don't have a bar ?) and now I can sit at the counter and do the chopping and some filling sitting down.

 

I can only imagine what I looked like. Sitting on a bar stool in undies, heating pad strapped on my back with a belt (no back on the barstool) with two 6 foot extension cords running to the family room, sitting on a pillow (forgot to mention sciatica acting up again) surrounded by tomatoes. Oh well, the tomato smell is covering up the BenGay smell on my neck.

 

I'm not letting those tomatoes go to waste. Slowly but surely I'll get er dun. Fortunately, they were in good shape and I spread them all out on the kitchen floor yesterday so the bottom ones wouldn't bear the weight of the ones on top.

 

As cruddy as I feel today, I'm glad that I'm still able to do the work and that a heating pad and some Advil helps a little. And the barstool I bought for some unknown reason...found its purpose.

[The WE2's]

Hope you're feeling better Jeeps! I and MrWE2 are blessed to be able to work together (mostly) when we do big canning sessions. Both of us know exactly how it feels with our backs "scream" at us and our toes are "on fire". But...we tell ourselves "we'll be so glad we've done this when we see those pretty jars on our shelves". One kitchen vessel I absolutely love is our VitaMix machine. When in a real "straight" we can just put the veggies (?) into it with very little preparation and we have juice/pulp mixture ready. If we leave it on it will actually heat up the mixture (though not to boiling) and makes the cooking process on the stove go much quickler. We used it last year on some tomato sauce and didn't even remove the peels. Sauce turned out just fine as far as we're concerned. Gadgets are good! :-)

[The WE2's]

No canning today :-) Did go through the rest of mother's canned goods and got the ones that I wanted to keep washed up and setting on my table, ready to go either into this pantry or the extended pantry. Four nice big jars of peanut butter, several bottles of various sauces, three nice bottles of olive oil, a large jar of mayo with olive oil, several jugs of cranberry juice (which I only drink and then do my sour face dance), several cans of sweet potatoes for Abby-girl (we don't eat the canned ones) as well as some green beans and peas. Took a box full of cans to the alley and set them by the dumpster...in case somebody wants to "take them". Labels okay but not what I want to keep.

[Jeepers]

Thanks WE2. Hot bath helped. Gadgets are very good.

[ArmyOfFive4God]

Girl, get an Ace bandage around that ankle!

[Jeepers]

Hee-Hee, Ao5. I do! Well kind of. It's a Mueller type with really firm side supports but I can't wear it long because it hurts my foot after a while. It has a hole where your heel sets in and after a few hours it really cuts in. It does it at the bottom of the foot and at the back of the heel. It hurts like a blister. I tried using it over my sock but got the same results. It's a really nice stabilizer and fits well...except for the hole

 

Here's a picture and you can see that hole. Bad design. I think I might need a boot type.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/ACE-Deluxe-Ankle-Stabilizer-209605-One-Size-Adjustable/19898432?action=product_interest&action_type=title&item_id=19898432&placement_id=irs-106-t1&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id&category=&client_guid=caa94e67-4215-4c83-a69b-1afa295e53d1&customer_id_enc&config_id=106&parent_item_id=10533505&parent_anchor_item_id=10533505&guid=14e93dcf-b1e8-44d9-bb39-a762b6166e94&bucket_id=irsbucket000&beacon_version=1.0.1&findingMethod=p13n

[Virginia]

Canning dry pinto beans today, quite old. DH helps and the canner is now going. Good to have at least some of the dry storage more easily used in an emergency.

[kappydell]

 

. Wish I could eat it, but I have to limit my jelly-eating (or anything that tastes good.... )

I enjoy the making, though.

 

Taste-testing, it's called taste-testing..................................or perhaps "quality assurance."

 

they didnt say i couldnt lick the spoon....

[The WE2's]

 

 

. Wish I could eat it, but I have to limit my jelly-eating (or anything that tastes good.... )

I enjoy the making, though.

 

Taste-testing, it's called taste-testing..................................or perhaps "quality assurance."

 

they didnt say i couldnt lick the spoon....

 

 

Chef's privilege :-)

[Jeepers]

I canned 7 quarts of tomatoes in tomato sauce Friday and 12 pints of spaghetti sauce Saturday. I'm taking a break today...over slept, blush. Tomorrow I plan to can more spaghetti sauce or chili. I'm not sure which one yet. I'm leaning toward spaghetti sauce because it's my favorite and I eat a lot of it but on the other hand, I'm out of chili. Decisions decisions. I'm just thankful I have all the stuff and equipment in the house ready to go!

 

Winter is around the corner and I'm no where near ready this year.

[The WE2's]

We love chili and chili beans. And of course, we like spaghetti sauce, salsa and other various uses for tomatoes! One thing I canned a couple of years ago (saw them today as we put stuff away) was tomatoes mixed with corn, okra and onions. We have some of the canned corn/tomato/okra that we bought at the store and me said to me..."if they can can it, I can can it!" We tried it and it's wonderful. Love it as a dip or over pasta. Still have lots of beans that we need to both put away and some to can. Then...there's those wheat berries, sugar, oats and rice we bought in bulk. Watched a vid today with a fella who buys his wheat berries at the farm supply and tells them out front "I'm gonna eat this stuff, so give me the ones that haven't been sprayed etc.". I know we bought our corn from Tractor Supply (the pre-cleaned) and have it set back. Never thought about asking about wheat berries :-( Probably a whole lot cheaper than buying from plain people stores.

[Jeepers]

Last year I canned some Bruschetta and it was so good on French bread or Texas Toast. Good side with spaghetti.

[Daylily]

Grape Juice. so far 14 qts of red grape juice, looks like we'll have about 2 more. Steaming some blue grapes now but will put it in the fridge and can it tomorrow morning. We still have lots of grapes on the vines.

[Jeepers]

I only did 7 pints of spaghetti sauce today. Had errands to run and had to mow.

[Daelith]

Been unable to get on here lately, but wanted to share that I did try to put up some BBQ beans since I last checked in. Used the following recipe -

http://www.sbcanning.com/2012/02/renees-bbq-beans-looking-for-bushs.html

 

I only got 4 1/2 pints out of it and one did not seal, so we at that one the following night. I was disappointed in the results. The beans were still kind of hard and the sauce was way too sweet for my taste.

If I try BBQ beans again, I will soak the beans over night.

[Jeepers]

I finished 14 more pints of spaghetti sauce in the wee hours of the morning. I put the rest of the tomatoes in the freezer (thanks ladies) and will tackle them later. They are still good but not for much longer. If nothing else I'll just can them as regular tomato chunks. Right now I don't want to look another tomato in the face.

[The WE2's]

Been unable to get on here lately, but wanted to share that I did try to put up some BBQ beans since I last checked in. Used the following recipe -

http://www.sbcanning.com/2012/02/renees-bbq-beans-looking-for-bushs.html

 

I only got 4 1/2 pints out of it and one did not seal, so we at that one the following night. I was disappointed in the results. The beans were still kind of hard and the sauce was way too sweet for my taste.

If I try BBQ beans again, I will soak the beans over night.

 

Yeah, soaking them over night will definitely help. I use the recipe from the Ball book. Linda's Pantry (youtube) also has some videos on canning different types of beans. I also like my own chili beans.

[The WE2's]

Didn't do any canning at all today, but did make up a jar of powdered taco seasoning and made Abby-girl another batch of her green beans & rice to add to her kibbles :-) Took about an hour or so off and went to get my hair cut this afternoon and because I was her last client, was able to set and visit with her ... she's also a friend ... for about an hour :-) MrWE2 thought he walked in on a new women when he got home from job site! Yes...he likes it short...ear length and layed. Lots of curls ... via curling iron! LOL

[Jeepers]

Daelith, if you are in a hurry or don't want to wait for the overnight, you can pressure cook them first. Just be sure to add oil to the pot before you do to prevent foaming.

 

Edited: forgot a couple of words.

Edited September 23, 2015 by Jeepers

[Daelith]

Daelith, if you are in a hurry or don't want to wait for the overnight, you can pressure cook them first. Just be sure to add oil to the pot before you do to prevent foaming.

 

Edited: forgot a couple of words.

I had time to soak them overnight and thought seriously about doing so, but I always try to follow the recipe to the letter the first time I try a new one. Especially on canning. Next time I will follow my instinct when it comes to dried beans. At least the dogs enjoyed them. And I have 3 and 1/2 more jars for them to enjoy.

[The WE2's]

Daeilith...can't you just re-process them in a presser cooker (not canner) to soften them until they're edible for you and your family?

[Daelith]

I had not thought about doing that. You would think 70 minutes would have done it already though.

[The WE2's]

Sometimes if you haven't soaked the beans over night, and you put them in a jar without enough liquid to keep them completely covered, they may not have enough room to cook? Anyway...before I call them non-edible, I'd try pressure cooking them again, smaller amount in the jar, more liquid.

[Homesteader]

When cooking beans, I boil them for two minutes and then let them stand covered for an hour. It comes out the same as a soaking overnight. I found the idea in an old cookbook.

[The WE2's]

Just finished 5 quarts and 1 pint of mixed bean soup. I dilute salsa and use it for the sauce. it really makes a nice bean soup. I don't pack my jars very full when I'm making bean soup because I want the liquid to make it a soup. The only time I put mostly beans in the jar (pints) is when I'm making pork-n-beans or chili beans, or red beans for making "refried" beans. I've canned some black beans but I truly am not fond of them. They really make a lot of starch in the jars, no mater how much you soak them and rinse them :-( I use both methods...soaking overnight and boiling on stove top. I used the soak overnight this time because of all the different types of beans. This is the season for putting foods back!