What are you canning today? Part 8

[Jeepers]

I use Mrs. Wages too I have some packets of spaghetti. sauce, salsa and some pizza sauce. I bought the great big cans (#10?) of tomatoes sauce and chopped tomatoes, at Sam's Club. 

 

I plan to mix 3 cans of sauce with 1 can of chopped tomatoes to make chunky tomatoe products. Well see how it looks. Subject to adjustments. 

[Littlesister]

Food Lion has Boston butts on sale for 99 cents a lb.  I am debating going in and getting maybe a couple to can. Last time I got 4 of them and canned them. I still have a lot of them, but that price is really good.  Usually runs around $2.49 a lb. So today also I will check on my pint jars to see if I need anymore. 

[snapshotmiki]

22 pints of corn from 3 #10 cans.

[Littlesister]

Didn't get back to the store today for the Boston Butts.  GD coming to house tomorrow with the baby to help GS study so won't get to the store until Saturday. That would be good as I won't start canning until Monday.

[Jeepers]

That's awesome Miki. Good way to get the pantry filled quickly. 

[Ambergris]

I finally found a reasonable explanation for why they are called Boston butts.  A butt was a water-tight barrel running between 400 and 550 quarts, in which Americans shipped salt pork to England.  Boston was one of the biggest outgoing shipping ports.  So this would have been one of the easier-to-pack meats.  Doesn't explain everything, but it's something of an explanation.  

 

This is also the (seriously precise, right?) measure of a butt-load.

 

And yes, I want to can a butt-load of pork once I get the new house finished.

Edited July 19 by Ambergris

[Mother]

That IS very interesting.  And once explained makes perfect sense.  I’m not sure I want a whole butt-load of pork canned.  400 plus quarts is a LOT of pork.  Butt I wouldn’t mind some jars of pork butt sitting on my pantry shelves.  

[Jeepers]

They still call water barrels 'butts" in the UK. I watch a few prepper channels from there and was so confused when they were talking about them. They store water in their butts over there.  Who knew.   I finally caught on. 

 

I wonder which is bigger, a boat-load or a butt-load. In my case I'm thinking a butt-load. 

[Ambergris]

Where you would be thinking of beef stew, it's pork stew here.  Pork curry.  Pork soup in a dizzying array of varieties.  Pork hash with hominy or eggs (or hominy and eggs).  Pork with pasta.   Pork used to flavor and boost the nutrient profile of roots of any imaginable kind, from huge steamed radishes to tiny roasted potatoes to the ever-present boiled cassava or stewed potato, not to mention pork with plantains.

 

So, I want canned pork chunks of given sizes to put in future dishes.  It's a lot easier to replace a flock of meat chickens than a pair of meat-sized porkers, and if you have to eat something in the meantime, a little jar of pork can go a long way.  And some of that, of course, will be lard instead of meat.

[Littlesister]

The Boston Butt is the upper part of the shoulder on a pig.  Love the explanations on them. 

 

After DGD left with the baby and DGS went to work, I went to the store and got myself in a bit of trouble.  I bought a huge bunch of veggies to can for both me and the baby. Two Boston butts, two good size roasts, and some chicken. 

 

So, starting Monday I will be canning all of that. I want to start canning from the freezers also next week. Will be making a lot more baby food as she is going through it fast. She loves the pork. I canned the last Boston Butts and added just a tad of white vinegar to each jar. It makes the pork really tender and when I make barbeque, I use that in the cooking when cooking a whole one for the barbeque. The baby tears into that like it's ice cream.  

[Midnightmom]

On 7/18/2024 at 6:53 AM, Littlesister said:

Food Lion has Boston butts on sale for 99 cents a lb.  I am debating going in and getting maybe a couple to can. Last time I got 4 of them and canned them. I still have a lot of them, but that price is really good.  Usually runs around $2.49 a lb. So today also I will check on my pint jars to see if I need anymore. 

 

Canning "Mississippi Roast" seems to be a big deal to make with Boston Butts. Maybe you should check out a recipe or two. 

[Ambergris]

You need one of the specialized recipes without the powdered milk and all, but sure, why not?  The main ingredients are the pickled peppers and the meat.

[Littlesister]

I am going to check out the recipe to see what all is in it before I start canning next week. The baby has gone through a lot of the meat. So, I need to start canning more baby food. So far this is working out great for her. 

[Midnightmom]

8 hours ago, Ambergris said:

You need one of the specialized recipes without the powdered milk and all, but sure, why not?  The main ingredients are the pickled peppers and the meat.

I turned a jar of plain meat into "Mississippi Pot Roast" by adding the spices when heating up the meat. It takes a bit longer than just opening up a jar of "already prepared" food. But, you're correct, you cannot put the Ranch Dressing into the jar, though you can put in all of the other non-dairy items.

[Darlene]

On 7/17/2024 at 3:10 PM, Midnightmom said:

@Jeepers

@Littlesister

Mrs Wages has packets for canning these. They are both very easy to make and very tasty to eat! (I used the medium heat salsa mix)

I almost bought some mrs wages not too long ago to make kosher dill pickles. 
 

I put it in my cart and began to walk away. I picked up the package and began to read the ingredients and turned right around and put the packet on the shelf. 
 

For me, and I’m only talking about myself but…if I’m going to do all the work that food preservation requires, I’m not going to use packets of stuff that is full of chemicals and other garbage. I might as well just buy the commercial products instead and save my time and labor. 
 

Made a massive batch of salsa yesterday from about 30lbs of tomatoes (not counting all the other veggies). It’s currently in the 2 massive stock pots I have. We will jar up and process today and then move on to making some summer sauce to can. 

[Littlesister]

I decided to do some of the canning today. I really need to order 2 more racks for the canners. I am double stacking those small jars and it takes both racks, so can't use the other canner without a rack. So, I will order 2 of them so I can double stack in both of them. 

Right now, I am canning potatoes and chicken. Decided to get those out of the way today. Tomorrow I will be canning the 2 roast I bought and the veggies. Then on Wednesday I will the Boston Butts. Might run back to store this evening and get 2 more of the Boston Butts and just do 4 of them again. Might make some of it for Barbeque also. I still have some potatoes to can. Just wasn't enough room in the canner for all of them.

[Littlesister]

Had 3 jars of potatoes that didn't seal and one of chicken. Seems the ball seals are not as good as they used to be. So, trying to finish those up and buying from For Jars. I do have a few of those but not enough for the amount of canning I am getting into now. Usually everything seals for me and I have checked the jars and can't place a reason for them not sealing unless the lids are defective. So worked on getting all that done early this morning. 

I am finishing up on the potatoes I had left and starting on Veggies and beef now. Some is for baby food and some for me. Canner is going and I am taking a break while that finishes up. 

[Jeepers]

That is so disappointing when that happens. I'm going to try Supurb lids the next time I go to Amish country. They make them right here in Ohio and not in China. Although, I read that Ball lids are made in the USA too but I can't verify that. 

 

I had that happen this year too with 3-4 jars of some veggie. I can't remember which ones. No rhyme or reason for it. They sealed the next time though. 

[Littlesister]

Note to self, make sure you don't run out of the size jars you need when in the middle of canning. Yep, had to stop everything and run to store for jars. These are the little 4oz jars and I have never really used those for anything but spices from my garden.  Working on Veggies now trying to get those finished up. 

 

I do have a question.  I have a frozen bag of strawberries and bananas. Mixed bag. I know you could can strawberries but can you do bananas?

[Littlesister]

Jeepers, I am using the purr canning lids today. I got them at Ollie's for $1.99. They are made in Broomfield, CO. The Ball lids do say made in the USA but also is a product of Rubbermaid. I thought Rubbermaid moved their production to another country such as China. But not sure. I was thinking they are made in China and assembled in the USA in which case they claim to be made in the USA. A lot of things are being done that way now. 

If these purr lids do well, I am going to think about running back to Ollies to see if they have anymore. 

 

I forgot. My DD found some Ancher Hocking canning jars for $10 in NC. has anyone tried them yet or even heard of them? I didn't know they made canning jars. 

Edited July 22 by Littlesister
Ancher Hocking canning jars.

[Jeepers]

I'm not sure but I think bananas and strawberries would be fine. I know you can, can banana and strawberry jam?

 

I heard Ball lids were made someplace in Ohio now but I'm not sure where.

 

I knew anchor hocking made jars but don't know how good they are. 

 

I'm just a barrel of information today. 

[Midnightmom]

Ball, Kerr, and Golden Harvest are now all owned by Rubbermaid, so I don't think it matters much any more which of them you purchase - just whatever is on sale or the best price depending on which store you're in.

All during the years of "social distancing" I picked up a few packs of lids whenever I was in a store that actually had them on the shelf, so I have plenty of them. However, I was starting to get failed seals so I started buying the ForJars. However, they only sell in "bundles" and I never had enough money to purchase them. Now I wait until they have them on sale like their BOGO 50% sale; or sometimes they have a straight BOGO sale - but not very frequently.

Even when they are on sale you can use "SUTTONS10" to get an additional 10% off the purchase. The kicker is, you have to buy a certain amount to get FREE SHIPPING.

 

[Jeepers]

I canned 27 half pints of chunked chicken. Two didn't seal. The two that didn't seal were Kerr lids that came with the new jars.

 

I've been noticing a lot of my lids come out of the canner with dark half circles on them. It doesn't wash off. I wonder if it's because I stack them? I forgot to check if it's just the bottom layer or if it's on the top layer too. It doesn't hurt anything but it looks bad. I do use vinegar in the water. 

 

 

I stocked up on lids during 2020 days. A lot. But I still have two sleeves of unopened lids from Lehmans. I need to start using them when I move. They have been stored in my garage over there for about 6 years. I don't think they sell the sleeves anymore.

 

I want to try Supurb lids when I have to buy more. Their seal is blue. Made here in Ohio down in Amish country. 

[Necie]

I use any lids that I can get my hands on— cheap.  I like Superb and Pure and find them on sale at different Amish stores. One Amish store sells sleeves of 240 (20 dozen)— $35 for small mouth, $40 for large mouth. No brand/label... probably made in China. Any time I’m at Dollar Tree, I buy all the lids they have. Only 10 in a package instead of 12, but it’s the best price I’ve ever found. They are made in China.

[Littlesister]

Finished up the pork and the potatoes late last night. All had sealed except for 2 jars of potatoes. All were the ball lids.  I did have 2 of the purr lids to fail on the first round of canning so not too bad. 

I have been cleaning up from all the canning I have done these past 2 days. I need to get more of the 1/4oz. jars to can the carrots for the baby. So, a trip to the store for more jars. I still need to check on the pint and 1/2 jars as I am going to use the 1/2-pint jars to can carrots for me. Figure if I need more when cooking for kids, I can always open more jars. I have 10lbs of carrots to can. It will be a lot of carrots. Some of them will be glazed carrots and the rest just plain to use in soups and such.