Canning recipes

[palmettogal]

I don't know that I'll ever get over my fear of pressure canners! I managed to get my first canned beans done last night but I'm in a low-level state of anxiety the whole time the pressure cooker is doing it's thing. I always feel like it's going to blow the lid and, with my luck, head straight for my head like a giant metal frisbee.

Anyway, I thought I'd ask for a couple of favorite canning recipes for:

pickled peaches
bread and butter pickles
chow-chow

Care to share? Thanks!

 

[Bernie]

Palm I feel your pain. The first time I used my pressure cooker/canner I was truly terrified of it. LOL I got it all set up put it on the stove and refused to go back in the room. I got my husband deal with it until it was done. When it didn’t blow up the first few times I got a little braver. I no longer worry about it but I am still very careful to make sure everything is in proper working order and securely locked down before I turn the stove on under it. One year my Dear Husband got me a little pressure cooker for Christmas. I was sorely disappointed in the gift at the time. It wasn’t long before I fell in love with the little thing. I can buy the cheapest toughest meats and put them in that little thing and come out with lovely tender stews and such without cooking it for hours. Now that I’m retired and have the time for the slow cooker I still use the pressure cooker instead. I’ve come a long way from that first terrifying day and in time you will as well. Sorry I can’t help with the recipes but YOU GO GIRL.

 

[Randy]

I've never made chow-chow but I know it was a favorite of my Dad's. My mother was making some for him one year and he decided to add some hot peppers to it. Mom got mad at him for messing with her stuff and would never make any more after that. He would do the same with soups that she made too and us kids would complain every time. But it never kept him from doing it. Since that was the only thing served for a meal, we had to eat it.

I have made the bread and butter pickles and I used the recipe in the Ball Blue Book of Canning. They aren't called bread and butter pickles in that recipe though and I can't remember what they were called. They did turn out quite well though and if you don't have the book, I can post it later.

I know what you mean about pressure cooker/canners though. I never had any fear of them as I have worked with boiler systems quite a bit and they are similar in performance. We were given a small pressure cooker as a wedding gift and my wife was terrified of it. I remember her using it once and she was quite uncomfortable about it. I have two sizes and I like using them. Like Bernie says, you can take an inexpensive cut of meat and make a delicious meal around it. I generally allow about two hours for prep time using the pressure cooker. That allows for heat up time, cooking time and cool-down time with no anxiety.

 

[palmettogal]

LOL Bernie. My husband stayed up with me last night but I think that was just because he enjoys feeding my fear by stomping the kitchen floor to make the steam regulator thingy go nuts. I spent most of my time in the living room looking at the clock so I could tell him when to shut it off!

Randy...I remember boiler systems being under the dining hall of the place where I grew up. I think it was the one place I never bothered to explore. It was too creepy under there. I think they must have had the steam piped over to this little building across the driveway. All scraps went into these big barrels in there with pipes run down into them. The scraps were for slopping the hogs...I THINK...I don't know much about that process other than I hated having to take scraps out there. It stunk to high heaven and was hot and we'd usually birds that had gotten into the barrels and couldn't get back out. We would try to get the birds out and clean them off. YECK!

I'm looking online for the Ball Blue Book. I have a Mirro book my sister brought to me last night but it doesn't have a recipe in there.

 

[Kya D]

It might help to know that bread and butter pickles don't have to be pressured.
So no metal frisbees I don't know if the others need pressured.
I will find and post my recipe for B&B pickles in a little bit.

 

[Kya D]

Bread and butter pickles
1 gallon sliced medium cucumbers
2 qt. onions, sliced
1/2 c. salt (not iodized)
5 c. vinegar
1 Tbsp. Celery seed
5 c. Sugar
1/4 tsp. tumeric
2 Tbsp. mustard seed
Put cukes and onions in a large container in this manner. 1 layer cukes, 1 layer onions,1/4 c. salt, layer of ice. 1 cukes, 1 onion, 1/4 c salt , ice. Let stand 3 hours or until ice is melted. take out of the salt water and let drain well, do not rinse. Add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, boil 5-8 minutes and seal in sterilized jars.

 

[palmettogal]

Thanks KyaD. I made B&B pickles years ago but couldn't remember. This is the first year in several that my trellised cucumbers are looking good and putting on enough that I will be able to can them. Have a great weekend.

 

[Kya D]

You are welcome
You might find a Kerr canning guide or a ball blue book in a thrift store.
I found some from the 50's and there is nothing in them about microwave this or that. So I really like them ones from the 50's and 60's.

 

[Randy]

The problem with the old books though, Kya, is that some of the processes that are used in the old books are no longer acceptable. When I first started making jam, the method was to cook the jam and them put the jam into sterilized jars, put on the lid and ring and then invert the jar to cool and it would seal. Another method no longer acceptable is to seal jellies and jam with melted parrafin. I still have a couple of pounds of that stuff. It can still be used on old wooden drawers though, so the drawer will slide easier on its runners. I'll go upstairs and get my Blue Book and type out the procedure.

 

[Kya D]

You are right but we sealed jelly jars with parrafin all of my life and we never died but you are telling the truth they don't recommend it now.
I still can jam and jelly in sterile jars and they seal. I don't process them further.

 

[Randy]

The recipes are quite similar. There is processing info with this one though.

BREAD & BUTTER PICKLES

4 pounds 4 to 6 inch cucumbers, cut into ¼” slices
2 pounds onions, thinly sliced (about 8 small)
1/3rd cup canning salt (not iodized)
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons mustard seed
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon peppercorns
3 cups vinegar

Combine cucumber and onion slices in a large bowl, layering with salt; cover with ice cubes. Let stand 1-1/2 hours. Drain; rinse; drain again. Combine remaining ingredients in a large saucepot; bring to a boil. Add drained cucumbers and onions and return to a boil. Pack hot pickles and liquid into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch head space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

 

[Randy]

I never had any of my jars go bad either, Kya. But I do go by the book now. I just mailed 5 parcels today and all of them contained jam. I wouldn't want anybody to get sick from my stuff.

 

[Jade]

You are right but we sealed jelly jars with parrafin all of my life and we never died but you are telling the truth they don't recommend it now.
I still can jam and jelly in sterile jars and they seal. I don't process them further.

When I make salsa alot of the jars seal before I put them in the water bath too, but I still do it. I made tomato soup last year that called for butter and I used it, but now I don't think that I should have, as it is no longer considered safe. I hate to dump it all, as I am sure that it is much healthier than Campbells, but I understand that having a dairy product in there makes it questionable.

 

[Randy]

I wouldn't be concerned about it if it were pressure canned, but I'm not so sure about a water bath. It would really depend on the acidity, but you probably didn't add any vinegar. I sure wouldn't know what to do there.

 

[Randy]

I never had any of my jars go bad either, Kya. But I do go by the book now. I just mailed 5 parcels today and all of them contained jam. I wouldn't want anybody to get sick from my stuff.

I probably should have added that the parcels are going to NY, SC, and Washington state. The other two parcels were not for GF people.

 

[Jade]

Randy, I am basically visually inspecting all of the jars carefully before I open them. Some of them looked funny to me right off the bat, they were dumped. I still might dump the rest of them. I never want to make anyone sick. I have been canning since I was 22, so that is 27 years now. I am kinda funny about canning and mulching. I don't want any help canning except to get the jars in and out of the canner, and don't want any help mulching. Bruce told a gal the other day that I am the mulcher girl, so if she wanted any advice she had best ask me.

 

[Randy]

I have had help canning, but not much. My wife will help snap beans or peel apples or pears, but that's about it. I enjoy having someone to smart off at when making jam, but I also have to be more careful about making sure of each step being done correctly. Laurie (Mainegal) was here for a jamming session two years ago. We had a good time. I had picked blueberries the day before and we made a couple of double batches, I believe.

 

[richnkim]

We always made our jam and jelly and poured it into sterile jars. Everything always sealed.

Randy, I know what you mean about wanting to make sure though. I think it is jus safe!

 

[Gloria]

I don't know that I'll ever get over my fear of pressure canners! I managed to get my first canned beans done last night but I'm in a low-level state of anxiety the whole time the pressure cooker is doing it's thing. I always feel like it's going to blow the lid and, with my luck, head straight for my head like a giant metal frisbee.

Anyway, I thought I'd ask for a couple of favorite canning recipes for:

pickled peaches
bread and butter pickles
chow-chow

Care to share? Thanks!

My chow-chow recipe:
All vegetables are coursely chopped..
4 cups cabbage
2 cups green tomatoes
2 cups green bell peppers
2 cups onions
1 cup sweet red peppers
1 cup sweet banna peppers
2 1/4 cups apple cider vinegar
3 Tbs salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp, mustard seeds
1 tsp turmic
dash of ginger

Combine all vegetables in a large plastic or glass bowl and sprinkle with salt, let stand about 6-8 hours then rinse thoroughly , drain and set aside.
Combine all other ingredience (spices, sugar and vinegar) in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. Add vegetables and return to a boil. Pack into hot, sterilized jars, seal properly and process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner. I use pint jars for this.

This is really good with a chicken bog (chicken pilaf) or lima beans on rice..

 

[Randy]

That looks pretty good there, Miss Gloria.