Canning Pics, Feel free to post yours!

[Randal Oulton]

Okay, same here. Pressure canners cost more in Canada than in the US for the same dang model. (But that won't surprise you.) Most people get the Presto 23 quart pressure canner (I have two of them). It's 80 bucks on amazon.com; 131 (but with free shipping) on amazon.ca https://www.amazon.ca/National-Prest.../dp/B0000BYCFU ; $150 on homehardware.ca, though they usually do a sale once a year for $125. So it's a bigger investment in Canada than the states, for sure. That's why I asked where you were (and people in the States often pick them up for 50 bucks on sale at the end of aisles in their local grocery stores even. I know. We don't want to know, lol.)

The good news is, that model can also be used as a boiling water canner, so you don't have to buy a separate boiling water canner, so it's actually two in one. And, this canner is tall enough that for a few bucks, you can buy a second rack and stack jars to do a second load while pressure canning for the same energy costs. It's safe for glass stove tops, too.

So that pressure canner I mentioned is more versatile than a water bath canner. If you ever think you are going to can plain green beans, plain squash, plain beets, plain mushrooms, asparagus, corn, peppers, peas, or spag sauces, baked beans, soups, chile, kidney beans, chickpeas, pork, ground beef, spare ribs, etc, then it is a better buy to get such a canner from the start than a water bath canner. I canned hundreds of jars of such plain veg last fall, at a cost of 5 to 10 to maybe 15 cents a pint jar. The pressure canners paid for themselves fast. Talk about food surplus and food security: a pressure canner creates a food surplus in a hurry!

[samm07]

Okay, same here. Pressure canners cost more in Canada than in the US for the same dang model. (But that won't surprise you.) Most people get the Presto 23 quart pressure canner (I have two of them). It's 80 bucks on amazon.com; 131 (but with free shipping) on amazon.ca https://www.amazon.ca/National-Prest.../dp/B0000BYCFU ; $150 on homehardware.ca, though they usually do a sale once a year for $125. So it's a bigger investment in Canada than the states, for sure. That's why I asked where you were (and people in the States often pick them up for 50 bucks on sale at the end of aisles in their local grocery stores even. I know. We don't want to know, lol.)

The good news is, that model can also be used as a boiling water canner, so you don't have to buy a separate boiling water canner, so it's actually two in one. And, this canner is tall enough that for a few bucks, you can buy a second rack and stack jars to do a second load while pressure canning for the same energy costs. It's safe for glass stove tops, too.

So that pressure canner I mentioned is more versatile than a water bath canner. If you ever think you are going to can plain green beans, plain squash, plain beets, plain mushrooms, asparagus, corn, peppers, peas, or spag sauces, baked beans, soups, chile, kidney beans, chickpeas, pork, ground beef, spare ribs, etc, then it is a better buy to get such a canner from the start than a water bath canner. I canned hundreds of jars of such plain veg last fall, at a cost of 5 to 10 to maybe 15 cents a pint jar. The pressure canners paid for themselves fast. Talk about food surplus and food security: a pressure canner creates a food surplus in a hurry!

Oh awesome! That's all very helpful! I was wondering where I'd even start!!! Now jars? I've seen jars at Canadian tire are those good? Or are there "superior" models? Lol

[Randal Oulton]

Personally, I buy the Golden harvest whenever I can. There are 3 sizes, all are regular mouth. When I buy the Bernardin brand, it tends to be because I want wide mouth (easier for packing beets, pork, squash, etc.) Huge price difference. Both brands are owned by the same company -- Jarden, and made in the same factory in Muncie, Indiana. Golden Harvest is Jardens' bargain brand to keep other competitors out of the market. They even bought a new lower-end company two years ago that was going to compete, and shut it down.

If you see at yard sales, make sure no chips on the rims, and make sure they are not the old kind. Should be the modern mason jar kind that takes the two-piece lids : (the flat actual lid part), and the canning ring that you use to hold the lid during processing and then remove when you put the finished and labelled and dated product away on the pantry shelf (always wash the jars too.) Lift jar by the rim of the metal lid gently to test that you have a genuine hermetic seal. Those metal lids are one-use only. The canning rings can be used over and over again. Don't put them in dishwasher.

For freezing in jars, always use straight sided jars; jars with shoulders are prone to breaking in the freezer.

Older style jars with the one piece glass lids are recommended against because you cannot test the seal without actually opening the jar. Ditto the one piece metal screw on lids. Bail type jars (parfait etc) and weck jars, etc, are currently recommended against for home canning by the USDA again, perhaps largely because they haven't had funding to test them and they won't guess, they always test before approving. All these jars are fine for dry storage.

I rarely see jars on sale at stores -- perhaps others can speak to this? and their preference in jars? Walmart apparently has a brand as well in the states.

If you absolutely need to for economic reasons, there are some types of store-good jars such as glass mayo or pickle jars that they will allow you can use for boiling-water canning if the mouth on the jars will handle the two piece mason lids. There is a page on that in the USDA complete guide, I sent you that link. (The safe canning police say never on this topic, but I feel the USDA is more realistic in its qualified yes and more sensitive to economic circumstances.)

(Your next question should be lids. Though that will likely be next year, as the first year your store-bought jars will come with lids for round one. I never see lids on sale but I keep hearing people here saying they just scored great deals! That's probably why I never see them, they probably cleared the stores out! :} )

[samm07]

Personally, I buy the Golden harvest whenever I can. There are 3 sizes, all are regular mouth. When I buy the Bernardin brand, it tends to be because I want wide mouth (easier for packing beets, pork, squash, etc.) Huge price difference. Both brands are owned by the same company -- Jarden, and made in the same factory in Muncie, Indiana. Golden Harvest is Jardens' bargain brand to keep other competitors out of the market. They even bought a new lower-end company two years ago that was going to compete, and shut it down.

If you see at yard sales, make sure no chips on the rims, and make sure they are not the old kind. Should be the modern mason jar kind that takes the two-piece lids : (the flat actual lid part), and the canning ring that you use to hold the lid during processing and then remove when you put the finished and labelled and dated product away on the pantry shelf (always wash the jars too.) Lift jar by the rim of the metal lid gently to test that you have a genuine hermetic seal. Those metal lids are one-use only. The canning rings can be used over and over again. Don't put them in dishwasher.

For freezing in jars, always use straight sided jars; jars with shoulders are prone to breaking in the freezer.

Older style jars with the one piece glass lids are recommended against because you cannot test the seal without actually opening the jar. Ditto the one piece metal screw on lids. Bail type jars (parfait etc) and weck jars, etc, are currently recommended against for home canning by the USDA again, perhaps largely because they haven't had funding to test them and they won't guess, they always test before approving. All these jars are fine for dry storage.

I rarely see jars on sale at stores -- perhaps others can speak to this? and their preference in jars? Walmart apparently has a brand as well in the states.

If you absolutely need to for economic reasons, there are some types of store-good jars such as glass mayo or pickle jars that they will allow you can use for boiling-water canning if the mouth on the jars will handle the two piece mason lids. There is a page on that in the USDA complete guide, I sent you that link. (The safe canning police say never on this topic, but I feel the USDA is more realistic in its qualified yes and more sensitive to economic circumstances.)

(Your next question should be lids. Though that will likely be next year, as the first year your store-bought jars will come with lids for round one. I never see lids on sale but I keep hearing people here saying they just scored great deals! That's probably why I never see them, they probably cleared the stores out! :} )

OMG. Lol so so so much info! I'll have to re read when the kids go down!

[scouponer]

My mom is addicted to freezer jam...doesn't like reg jam but eats tons of freezer jam so today I bought strawberries and pineapple to try the tropical freezer jam with rum! When I was in loblaws today I found a whole wack of the low sugar freezer jam pkgs that I use with 50% off stickers so I bought 13 of them. That should keep us going for a while! Sounds like this might taste good with ice cream.

[scouponer]

Canning jars are back at Rcss. Canning season approaching so jars are starting to show up. Expensive though but gets me thinking...hmmm do I want to do pickled asparagus? Apparently they are delicious! We'll see and local asparagus will be $1.98 lb this week at Rcss...hope I get a PC plus offer! Fingers crossed.

[scouponer]

Canned 9 pints of pork loin today. all jars but one sealed right away. The last jar still hadn't sealed a few hours later so I put it in the fridge. Looked at it later and it looks like it is now sealed? Is this possible? I will check tomorrow and take the ring off and see if I can pick it up by lid. Is it safe to keep on shelf or should I just eat it right away? Would prefer to store or as I have 4 raw pork chops in fridge I have to cook and eat or freeze. House smelled amazing!

[barbs]

[scouponer]

Presto pressure canners on sale this week at home hardware. $129. Only store I have found that carries pressure canners. Anyone looking for one now is the time to buy it. No jars on sale this year�� at least jot yet.

[maggiespice]

In the past 2 weeks or so I have canned 27 jars of Strawberry jam, 8 jars of tomatoes (from my own garden), 6 jars of dills (from garden as well) and 17 jars of organic cauliflower and carrot medley......

LET THE CANNING SEASON BEGIN!!!!!!!

[walkonby]

In the past 2 weeks or so I have canned 27 jars of Strawberry jam, 8 jars of tomatoes (from my own garden), 6 jars of dills (from garden as well) and 17 jars of organic cauliflower and carrot medley......

LET THE CANNING SEASON BEGIN!!!!!!!

Do you need anyone to " house sit?? " ha ha , kidding!! Love all your canning efforts!!

[scouponer]

In the past 2 weeks or so I have canned 27 jars of Strawberry jam, 8 jars of tomatoes (from my own garden), 6 jars of dills (from garden as well) and 17 jars of organic cauliflower and carrot medley......

LET THE CANNING SEASON BEGIN!!!!!!!

Awesome! At the rate my container garden is growing, or barely growing compared to my neighbours in ground garden, I may not have amything of my own to can. It is bizarre, everything is in a holding pattern and not really growing. Hoping recently purchased fertilizer will start things moving along.

[scouponer]

Canned 13 pints of peaches and a batch of strawberry freezer jam. Purchase 4 cases of 1/2 pint jars at home hardware for $6.97 each. Watching the flyers for the 25 lb cases of Roma tomatoes that I bought last year. Made for cheap stewed tomatoes. Am pretty much out of last years as DH has been using it as salsa (he doesn't like spice) so will have to look at how much to make this year to last. Ps peaches are a pain! Not going to win any awards at the state far lol. But taste great!

[samm07]

Well it's kind of cheat canning but I made strawberry/nectarine freezer jam today. Dipping my toe in! Lol baby steps 😉


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[scouponer]

Well it's kind of cheat canning but I made strawberry/nectarine freezer jam today. Dipping my toe in! Lol baby steps 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Awesome start! One thing I noticed from your picture. I was told from a bernardin rep that you shouldn't use the regular mouth pint jars in the freezer because the can break due to the jar shape. Wide mouth pint jars are fine. I don't have any experience freezing that kind of jar myself, but that is what company rep said. Maybe eat that jar first to avoid potential problems. Just a thought. Looks delicious!