The last of my tomatoes became spaghetti sauce with meat.

Apple sauce and some pickled beets

Does anyone have any strong opinions on the best apple variety to use for applesauce? Or a mixture of varieties? I’ve only made it once before and it turned out well but I don’t remember what I used in it. 🍎🍏🍎

I canned beets and followed the recipe in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving where it says to boil beets until their skins slip off easily for about 15 to 25 mins depending on size. Then dice or slice and and then hot pack and pressure can for 35 mins for quarts. So I actually boiled mine for about 45 mins they were larger beets, I made sure that I could poke a knife through them before I took them out also. I then diced them and then added boiling water, debubbled and then made sure to add more water and left a 1" head space. Now I'm not sure if these are good anymore cause the water is down to about 1/3rd from the top and is not covering all the beets. What did I do wrong?

I cannot find a tested recipe anywhere for a sweet and spicy pickle recipe using cucumbers and fresh jalapenos. I have no problem finding ones with dried peppers, but my fridge is full and I want to use up my garden fresh jalapenos.

Does anyone have a safe recipe?

I have a whole bushel of beets (55lbs) and am looking for a good safe recipe. But I also have a TON of honey.

I'll take any suggestions for recipes! But was wondering if there are any out there that use all or some portion of honey as sweetener?

Tyia.

I used the healthy canning recipe for the bruschetta, and I almost hope one doesn't seal so I have a good excuse to try it tonight (no luck; they all popped before I even finished typing this post).

https://www.healthycanning.com/bruschetta-in-a-jar

For the soup, I used just under half solids and some Costco rotisserie chicken, plus chicken broth I made from the carcass, onions, tomatoes, carrots, serrano peppers, ginger, and lemon juice. Cooked it all together before adding hot solids to the hot jars and filled the rest with the broth. Pressure canned for 90 minutes at 15 lb.

The broth was delicious before canning, so I can't wait to try this with some added egg noodles or rice later. It has just a little kick. I was thinking that would be nice when we're feeling all stuffed up and want to clear the sinuses. Next, I want to try just a basic veggie noodle soup for when I can't stomach the meat or the spice.

Rings still on because they just came out of the canner. Will be removed tomorrow.

I recently canned some pizza sauce and noticed there was some liquid settling on top of a couple of the jars. Is this normal? It’s about 1/4 inch of water over the sauce.

ETA I used the pizza sauce recipe from the ball book of home preservation

I canned this Beach Plum Jelly in September using the Plum Jelly Powdered Pectin recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Is it okay? I think it is just foam..it's clear underneath.

I am possibly getting some frozen pork fat tomorrow for free. I would like to render it down into lard I can use for baking.
Does anyone have a safe way to can it to make shelf stable?
I have water bath and pressure canner available.
Thank you! 😊

I have nothing of value to add, just very upset that this jar broke. 🥺

It’s one of the biggest jars that use the 100 size closure and I only use it for dry storage. I’m also upset as I brought this in the US and the price was ridiculous. Besides one set of smaller jars, all of my other jars have been purchased in Europe as I find the prices in the US atrocious. 🥴

I’ll replace this eventually, just a little heart broken. I will just have to buy a bunch more Weck jars to fill the void when I’m back in Europe. 😅

I just finished waterbath canning some tomato sauce with the last of my yellow cream tomatoes...and it dawned on me that I forgot to add lemon juice like I usually do. Should I open them and redo it with lemon juice? Or is that not safe? Is it a lost cause?

On the NCHFP recipe for mixed vegetables, it explicitly says “Optional mix - You may change the suggested proportions or substitute other favorite vegetables except” then lists some exclusions.

Can I do an optional mix of JUST ONE vegetable if that vegetable is already in the original mix?

I want to can zucchini cubes. Yes I know it will be soft, that’s fine because I like to add it to my vegetable beef soup.

I see no other recipe for zucchini that isn’t pickled or relish or something. So can I do “mixed vegetables” and just follow the zucchini prep instructions and can a whole jar of zucchini?

Bonus points if you’ve tried this and can give feedback!

Recipe here: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can/canning-vegetables-and-vegetable-products/mixed-vegetables/

I have like 50 lbs of tomatoes and was thinking of quartering them, skinning, coring, etc and canning them. I've read to add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to each quart jar. To boil them in the water bath canner for 45 mins. I plan on submerging the tomatoes with tomato juice as well. Seems straight forward. But I can't help but get nagging fears about botulism. Given I follow instructions well, is this fear rational? Or will the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice + the heat really give me nothing to worry about?

Hey folks, it's been a few years since I've made a batch of this and I have a question about this recipe:

https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can/canning-salsa/tomatillo-green-salsa/

It says the only safe substitutions are with the herbs and spices, but it doesn't specify what/how much (unless they only mean you can leave them out?). Can I substitute some quantity of freeze dried cilantro for some of the dried oregano? I also have tons of fresh cilantro, but I assume that it's not safe to substitute fresh for dried herbs. If I'm wrong on that, it would absolutely make my life easier.

And if I prefer a more spicy salsa, can I use 1 cup of seeded chopped green peppers (which are allowed in place of chili peppers) and 1 cup of either jalapenos or serranos, chopped and seeded? It keeps the volume of veggies the same but gives it a bit more zip.

Thanks so much for your help! I picked two big crates of tomatillos today, and I'm looking forward to preserving them!

Going apple picking tomorrow and I’m thinking about trying my hand at making some apple butter! The All-New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving has a general fruit butter recipe. Does anyone have suggestions for which apple varieties to use?

A friend (he is 88yrs old) gifted this 40+ year old Presto to me knowing I have begun canning (waterbath) but can't yet afford a pressure canner. (He hasn't used it in years.)

I don't think there is any way in the world this is still functional. The lid and the rim both have serious corrosion. I also only have an induction oven. Even if this were to somehow work on that, it's way bigger than any of my burners.

So, instead, I thought I'd share this beauty with you all. The recipes included are definitely something. I don't think I'll be making those.

Does anyone have any recommendations on what to do with this? It feels wasteful to take it to the dump. Should I disassemble the guage? There are other parts that come with it, too. I just love that he was so thoughtful to gift it to me and I couldn't say no, but what do I do now??

have seen some on unapproved sites like pressure cooker outlet

As the title suggests, is it safe to half or double a tested recipe?

I make the Salsa Verde from the All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving that calls for 4lbs of tomatillos, but I currently have about 2lbs and my garden is calling the quits for the season. Would it be safe to half the recipe for the 2lbs of tomatillos? This is only my second year canning, so I'm wanting to be sure I am doing it correctly! Many years of food safety training for jobs has made me extra careful, haha

Thanks!

https://www.ballmasonjars.com/blog?cid=bruschetta-jar-1

Made this last night and couldn’t wait to open a jar and try it. I like my bruschetta with goat cheese but I’m sure it would be just as yummy with mozzarella!

Sorry for all the questions. I was wondering whether chicken is a safe substitute for this recipe, since I don't eat pork. No worries if not, I just wanted to be sure before I even thought about making it.

If safe, how do you find it? Good, or should I pass?

All New Ball Book of Canning and Preserving.

Hello all,

Just reaching out to ask if anyone has personally canned duck, and how it turns out in your opinion?

Meats that I've been happy with after canning are ground beef, rotisserie chicken, and smoked salmon. I love duck, but I wonder if it will be just very similar to chuck roast after being canned. I didn't care for the chuck after canning because I couldn't get used to how dry it was. The saucy recipes I use canned chicken and ground beef for cover-up and any potential dryness, so it doesn't bother me.

Thoughts? Also, how do you use your canned duck afterward?

Recipe from Ball's Complete Book of Home Preserving.