Canning Pics, Feel free to post yours!

[cheekysaver]

I have been using the 23 L Presto canner as well. This size of a presto canner will fit 7 X 1L jars or 14 - 18 X 500 ml jars. (it depends on jar size and shape) I would not purchase a smaller canner unless you are only going to do very small batches in 500ml jars.

The american pressure canner is frankly too expensive. By the time shipping is included to get one here is is over $500. The big American canner is wonderful and you can put in 14 X 1L jars... but at that price I can get 3 of the presto canners lol. The american canner is very tall and there can be some clearance issues to the bottom of your hood fan or cabinets.

There is the option of trying to find one that is used on kijiji... but they are very few and far between.

So I guess the awnser is how much are you going to can? Are you building a stockpile that you would want a fair sized canner? If so my best recommendation would be a presto.

[barbs]

Yay! You will love a pressure canner... it opens up a whole new world to storing your food and having it ready to go. I have something a little better then tips for you Noreen/ atticus9799 on youtube has been canning for over 20 years and she has a youtube showing you how! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCL9my6GhPI I hope this helps and I am sure she has vids on soups as well. She even has some great coffee powder drink mixes you can make for christmas... hot chocolate mixes as well.

I would love to have a pressure canner......made a jumbo batch of homemade chicken soup last night...my biggest ever...I have 4 1/2 quarts sitting in my fridge, but I'm wishing I could have 9 pints of wonderful homemade soup sitting in my cupboard instead, so when I come down with a cold and have no energy to cook, I can just pop open a jar of home-made chicken soup goodness......oh well, I'll eat well for the next 2-3 days

[2010ontest]

I have been using the 23 L Presto canner as well. This size of a presto canner will fit 7 X 1L jars or 14 - 18 X 500 ml jars. (it depends on jar size and shape) I would not purchase a smaller canner unless you are only going to do very small batches in 500ml jars.

The american pressure canner is frankly too expensive. By the time shipping is included to get one here is is over $500. The big American canner is wonderful and you can put in 14 X 1L jars... but at that price I can get 3 of the presto canners lol. The american canner is very tall and there can be some clearance issues to the bottom of your hood fan or cabinets.

There is the option of trying to find one that is used on kijiji... but they are very few and far between.

So I guess the awnser is how much are you going to can? Are you building a stockpile that you would want a fair sized canner? If so my best recommendation would be a presto.

The big all american pressure canner is not just too pricey... You can't use it on regular top stove because it is too heavy. I know someone having it (was for the business) and he advice people for that all the time.

Presto pressure canner with the set of regulator (http://www.gopresto.com/products/pro...hp?stock=50332) is one of the best and cheaper actually (amazon have often amazing deal for this). The other brand is Mirro pressure canner 21L (this is what I have) available easily at canadian tire but I never saw a flyers deals on that specific item.

Like cheekysaver said, don't buy a smaller pressure canner. The Mirro 21L is also good for 7X1L or 16-18X500ml and that amount is perfect to save you time the rest of the year!

[westcoastblondie]

I really, really, really, REALLY love canned peaches. My uncle and his wife use to cann them every year and used to give me and my brothers tons. I wish i knew how to cann them. I also wish I lived in the Okanagan and it was peach season all year long!

[Kitty77]

Thinking about the pressure canner and the water canner, not too sure if these are a good fit with those glass top stoves and counter top stoves, just too heavy, also if you do a lot of canning better to have a gas stove with the heavy burner plates. Once was canning tomatoes on an electric stove and with so much canning wore the element out and it broke, oh, my god, electrical fire shooting out of the pot, flooded kitchen as the fire made a hole in my brand new canning pot, broke the jars of tomatoes, what a mess!!!

Never, ever, leave a pressure canner cooking on the stove, always stay near it as find you have to keep adjusting the heat and watching the pressure gauge and also always remember to let the pressure cooker cool before trying to open it. Am a hard woman on electric stoves after about 4 1/2 years would have to get a new one, as totally wrecked it from so much cooking and canning, so now have a gas stove. Sometimes we would cook the beets outside on one of those propane cookers or on the bbq, less steam in the house, then let beets cool and then canned them in the house on the stove. On the farm, we had a wood cook stove that I miss very much, was so handy for cooking vegetables for canning or freezing, lots of room for pots.
Back in the day we used to boil all the jars in a pot of water, so much nicer to just put clean jars in the oven and keep them hot and ready.
Happy Canning Everyone!!

[2010ontest]

my sister have a vitroceramic top stove and have no problem with her pressure canner (identical to mine)... but my friend was also having that kind of top stove (other brand) and it broke after usage of her pressure canner. Better to look at the spec of your top stove before using a pressure canner on.

Myself I just have a regular electric stove and use it without problem with 2 pressure canner very often. If my stove broke I'm not stress, there is many of those kind of stove in "centre d'entraide" or place who sell used stuff or kijiji. I could found a new used one for free or very cheap.

[Xarinn]

Just to let everyone know I got an email from Amazon regarding there daily sales this week for Black Friday and one of the items for today's markdown is the Presto 23 L canner. The initial email says it's 25% off but when you click through it only says 15% so not sure the actual discount. If it is actually 25% that would bring it down under $100 and that is a great price for one

[cheekysaver]

I just ordered a Presto canner off amazon.ca $99 plus tax $104.97 and shipping is included because we went with snail mail. This is the cheapest price I have seen them. I have done all my canning at my parents and used their canner until I could find this deal. Yayyy for great prices! Ok now I am going to throw up a few more pics of items I canned.




The dried items were purchased at the very best prices. 50lbs of onions for $9.99, celery for .79 each and carrots were $1.67 for a 5lb bag. When these kind of sales happen it is time to dehydrate for soups and stews. The onions and celery were slightly steamed in the microwave before dehydrating them... this opens up the veg so it rehydrates much better. The only time you can reuse lids or sauce and fruit jars safely is for dry stuff. These are not canning jars that can be reused over and over again and that is ok! The thing in the top of the jars is a hand warmer like hot pockets. It removes the air out of the jar and every one of these jars has a air tight seal. If they are kept in a cool dark place they could last up to 25 years! I also dried peppers and mushrooms.

The pie fillings all have a product called clear jel in them to thicken the pie filling. Special products like this are required when canning. Thickening agents like corn starch or flour can make it so internal temps inside the can are not achieved making them unsafe to consume.

[harbie]

OMG! I was just coming here to say the only home canned goods I get are when I raid my MIL's pantry She is a Martha Stewart mini me and does this kind of thing. Mind you she also has her own mini orchard out back that includes a lemon tree!!!

After seeing theses AMAZING pics I am dying to start canning and dehydrating....especially the raspberries

[2010ontest]

cheekesaver, congrat for the new pressure canner!
Do you know you could buy the 5/10/15 lbs regulator for the presto and not have the obligation to stay too close of the pressure canner all the time?

You just need to listen the sound and you know if something go wrong and you need to adjust the intensity of the stove. This is not very expensive and this is very useful.

[cheekysaver]

cheekesaver, congrat for the new pressure canner!
Do you know you could buy the 5/10/15 lbs regulator for the presto and not have the obligation to stay too close of the pressure canner all the time?

You just need to listen the sound and you know if something go wrong and you need to adjust the intensity of the stove. This is not very expensive and this is very useful.

I saw the post you did and checked out the link. I am going to stay with the pressure gauge because we are at 12 lbs of pressure here and I am really used to how this works. I may pick up the adjustable weight later, really watching the gauge is a lot of babysitting... this was a big investment for me already... but it is a great investment peice. Thanks so much for the info on the weights... a new weight and a back up seal are at the top of my list for next year.

[barbs]

I can get 50 pounds of onions for $5.....I really should learn how to dehrdrate them...I love using dried onion in soups & stews.

[2010ontest]

I saw the post you did and checked out the link. I am going to stay with the pressure gauge because we are at 12 lbs of pressure here and I am really used to how this works. I may pick up the adjustable weight later, really watching the gauge is a lot of babysitting... this was a big investment for me already... but it is a great investment peice. Thanks so much for the info on the weights... a new weight and a back up seal are at the top of my list for next year.

This is possible (with some modification) to change the weight of the 10lbs regulator to get one of 12 lbs... the manometer stay on your pressure canner anyway. Some people add piece of washer on the regulator to increase the weight to get 12 lbs (or what they need), some other add bit of metal (solder) to get it.

At least when you have a regulator like that, you know it right a way (by sound) if the pressure go under 10 (or 12 if you have modified the regulator)

Where I am, we are suppose to can at 11lbs... The Mirro pressure canner didn't have a manometer only the 3 parts regulator (5/10/15) but even at 10 lbs, temperature inside the pressure canner go to 114-115 C (I know, I have thermocouple at home to look at this) and usually time treatment recommand by Bernardin, ball or usda are more than enough to be safe with the 10lbs in my area.

[cheekysaver]

This is possible (with some modification) to change the weight of the 10lbs regulator to get one of 12 lbs... the manometer stay on your pressure canner anyway. Some people add piece of washer on the regulator to increase the weight to get 12 lbs (or what they need), some other add bit of metal (solder) to get it.

At least when you have a regulator like that, you know it right a way (by sound) if the pressure go under 10 (or 12 if you have modified the regulator)

Where I am, we are suppose to can at 11lbs... The Mirro pressure canner didn't have a manometer only the 3 parts regulator (5/10/15) but even at 10 lbs, temperature inside the pressure canner go to 114-115 C (I know, I have thermocouple at home to look at this) and usually time treatment recommand by Bernardin, ball or usda are more than enough to be safe with the 10lbs in my area.

That is great info! Thanks so much.

[2010ontest]

oh cheekysaver one other thing... I don't know the price of the bernardin snaplid in other province in Canada, but here the lowest price for regular lid is 1.50$+tx at the dollar store.

I now use tattler lids that are fully reusable and bpa free. They are more expensive at the biggining, but after 3-4 use of the lid you have equal you initial cost. And for me doing alot of jars in one year this is the best because I'm not living close to a dollars store and we all know when this is time to can, this is time!

I give you the link of tattler if you want to look at this info. Maybe you are not ready now for that, but this is good to know I think

http://www.reusablecanninglids.com