Comments on: Tuesday Twister: My Kitchen Firsts This Week

By: Cindy B

Cindy B — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 22:22:20 +0000

Homemade applesauce freezes extremely well too, and I sort of like it half frozen and a little ‘crunchy’ with ice! Although it’s not nearly as quick as snapping the lid off a can when you have a preschooler that has a taste for applesauce!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 05:16:56 +0000

Be careful with your canning recipes: botulism has no taste, color, odor or gas, so it is basically undetectable.

Make sure you’re following a tested recipe and are processing for the correct length of time.

Good luck. Planning on making some raspberry jam and pickles tomorrow.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:32:21 +0000

Oh my you have been busy! Canning is easy after the first time

By: tonya

tonya — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 23:29:29 +0000

150-200 jars for $25? even w/o rings & lids, that’s a DARN good deal. rings & lids can & do go bad. My gma would be all over it if she didn’t have a huge supply of jars.

wow…i feel like i should be canning. guess i’m glad i helped my gma do lots of it as a child. pickles, applesauce, fish, lard, beans, beets, etc

By: Katie

Katie — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 01:41:18 +0000

Oooo, girl! Do you have space to store all those? That’s definitely taking the plunge. Do you know if they come with at least the rings? If not, they might not be a good deal… Best of luck! (Can you can zucchini?)

By: Amy @ Finer Things

Amy @ Finer Things — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 20:08:54 +0000

You’ll be a canning machine in no time! Guess what I found today on Craigslist? 150-200 wide mouth canning jars for $25! Hmmm… should I take the plunge?

By: Katie

Katie — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 05:15:38 +0000

I did some serious research (while tasting a jar of applesauce…) and I think I’m ok b/c apples are a high-enough acid food. Phew! I need to be more careful, though. That bit of experience will be nice…

On the cherries, I think the straw would have taken half the fruit, they were so small!

I’ve tasted the lacto-fermented and canned pickles, and both are mushy. Shucks. I think I would just do the l-f version for about 3 days, no longer, and maybe I need more oak leaves (I only used two). It’s been an interesting week!

By: Katie

Katie — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:47:55 +0000

Yikes! Now I’m nervous about my applesauce…will have to see if I can find any info about lemon juice and applesauce. Oh, dear. My adventures…!!!

By: Carrie

Carrie — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 19:36:02 +0000

I’ve been on a canning kick lately, too, and have done three types of jam, bread-and-butter pickles, and dill green beans. I’ve found that once you have all the stuff and a bit of experience it’s actually not that hard. Preparation is everything – have the water boiling ahead of time and such.

You’ve totally inspired me to can tons of applesauce next time we go picking. Do look for a recipe, though, for safety! I checked out a few canning books from our library, and the Ball’s applesauce recipe has 4 Tbsp lemon juice to 12 lbs. of apples. It says sugar is optional, but the lemon juice is necessary to ensure sufficient acidity to make it safely cannable, since some types of apples have enough acid naturally and others don’t. I know if the tops of your cans pop up they’re unsafe, and mold, gasses, smells, or anything off indicate spoilage.

One more tip: a friend of mine uses straws to pit cherries, and swears by it for being easy and quick. I haven’t tried it, but maybe it’ll simplify your cherries!

By: Katie

Katie — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:22:41 +0000

I hear/read that I will be able to TELL if they’re bad…or maybe that was with lacto-fermented stuff. I better google it! Thank you!