Sunday, June 9, 2019

Canning Weekend

Thursday my grocery order was delivered.  Thanks to the lady taking my order having added several notes for the shoppers concerning the amounts ordered, I received everything.  So here are the results of my canning weekend.

Five lbs. of grapes gave me 8 pints of the fruit.  I just filled the jars and added a light syrup of 2 cups of sugar to 10 cups of water and water bath canned them for 15 minutes.  I opened a jar this morning, and found the grapes are fairly soft like the ones in a can of fruit cocktail, but the flavor is still good.  I put some in the fridge to chill and I like them even better cold.  I won't can lots of them, but they make for variety in my canned fruit.  Variety is important.  If I just had canned peaches, I would get tired of them in short order.

Next on the list was slaw/relish.  The recipe is in the comments section of the previous post.  This recipe is forgiving, so I used everything I had ordered - 10 lbs. of cabbage, 2 lbs. carrots, 1 lb. onions and 6 large green bell peppers.  I made 6 times the amount of syrup in the recipe.

I used my food processor to shred the vegetables and next time, I think I will use the shredding blade rather than the regular blade that fits in the bottom.  The vegetables turned out a little more finely chopped than I usually do them, but the taste isn't affected.  I sprinkled the vegetables with canning salt and mixed the salt in, draining them after a couple of hours. 

I heated the syrup until the sugar was dissolved, let it cool and stirred it into the shredded vegetables.  I filled 16 pint jars with slaw/relish and processed them for 15 minutes in a water bath canner.

There was some left over, so I filled 6 pint sized freezer bags  and put them in the freezer.  I will use them first, as the canned slaw stays good much longer than does the frozen.

I had 12 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken breasts that I spread out on cookie sheets and baked until they were cooked through.  Then I cut them into about 1/2 inch cubes and filled 13 pint jars.  Other chicken breast I have canned is rather bland tasting, so this time I added 1/2 teaspoon of chicken bouillon to each jar and then filled the jars with water.  I canned these at 10 lbs. pressure for my elevation, for 65 minutes.

Last on the list were 4 lbs. of bacon.  This I cut into 1 inch pieces, lightly browned and drained them, and filled 9 half pint jars that I processed the same as the chicken.

So that was a good start on replenishing my home canned food shelves.  I still have more I need to do, but right now, I believe I will just take a nap.  :)

16 comments:

  1. A well earned nap for sure.
    I had coffee with a friend who I haven't seen in a few years. Very fun to catch up but I'm tired now. Thankfully we've had a few days of rain so no need to water today.
    Cheers, SJ

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    1. SJ...What fun - coffee with an old friend. Tiring, but in a good way. And sometimes the rain is a good thing and other times, not so much. Glad it worked in your favor today. :)

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  2. That is a lot of good food to have at the ready. I think a nap is in order for you.

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    1. Linda...I needed to fill my shelves again. I used lots of my home canned food over the winter. Haven't gotten around to the nap yet as my kitchen was pretty much trashed, but soon. :)

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  3. Sounds like a lot of work, but you and Duane surely eat well. ;-)

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    1. Gorges...Yep...it is work, but totally worth it. I'm gonna make you hungry again by telling you that Duane stopped in earlier and wanted to know if I would like some fresh baked cinnamon rolls for breakfast tomorrow. I will send some jars of bacon home with him. It all works out. :)

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  4. Vicki, you accomplished a great amount of food prep in a short period of time! So nice to have that extra sense of food security! We were finally able to till our garden and get plants in the ground this weekend. Still have a ways to go but we are getting there slow but sure. Also did some beehive care and maintenance. It takes time and tiring work but very rewarding at harvest time. You rest up and keep in touch. I love hearing from you...rants and all! Take care, CWfromIowa

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  5. CW...I used a good deal of my preps over the winter, so it is now catch-up time. Even if it means just not having to run out to buy bread and milk before a storm hits, it is well worth it.
    Glad you are able to get into your garden finally! The rain has let up here so hopefully the farmers can finish planting if they haven't been able to so far. I am envious of your bees. I have never kept bees but was able to get several gallons of pure honey at the Farmer's Market a couple of years ago. It is so good - nothing like the honey flavored syrup they sell in the stores.

    Today is a restful day. Tomorrow a trip to Sam's Club with my boys is planned, so I expect the canner will be going again after that. I will likely do a post in the next day or so. Probably not a rant, but I feel one coming on with all the shenanigans going on in Washington. :)

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    1. Have a great day with your boys tomorrow! CW

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    2. Thanks, CW...Any day I can spend time with my kids is a good day no matter what we do. :

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  6. I'm wondering what the cost of that chicken was. We buy fresh boneless, skinless breast from WM for $1.99 a pound. Sammy plants are starting to grow. Sunflowers are doing good. Some of the others are behind. Next week I will post photos

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    1. Rob...I bought the frozen and I don't remember exactly what I paid, but I am sure you got the better deal. Still, it was cheaper to can it than buying canned chicken. Is Sammy excited to see his plants growing? When my three youngest grands were younger, their Dad had them helping in their little garden. They loved it, especially when it came time to harvest. :)

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  7. I love Miracle Whip, but it absolutely will not last much past the best-by date. Plus, I will eat cans/jars of food that are "old." Do you eat enough of MW to buy four jars?

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    1. Linda...Maybe it is the difference between your southern climate and my northern one. I store MW in my bedroom closet pantry where it stays cool and dark, and have never had it go bad, even well after the best-by date. The only time I had problems with that kind of thing was when I bought the cheap store brand, and it was awful!!

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  8. thank thank ....needing this today...squirrel, rabbit and chicken on my list to can today!

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    1. Oh my, Mary...You are one busy lady! I have never canned squirrel or rabbit, but it just makes sense to use what is handy. I remember Dad bringing home squirrel - made a great stew.

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