number of canning jars

[longrider]

I am curious about the number of and size of jars you use in canning. we have Ball jars in several size here, both wide mouth and narrow.

though i am just on hungry guy I plan for two year round. i am use to cooking for 5 so portions are different. I do not like to waste but it is inevitable to some degree.

I am nearing buying a new canning setup for use in the bush. Oh yes, what size cooker would you recommend for these jars. thanks for your opinions and experience. carney

[Chuck]

I'm not sure how to come up with a number, we just stock up when they are on sale. When it was just two of us we probably had 40 to 50 cases of pints and 15 or 20 quarts. Now there are five of us so we don't can much any more most of our food storage is dehydrated, that preserves more nutrients and uses a lot less storage space. Plus dry food can stored in zip-locks and 5 gallon buckets. If you don't have a copy of Back to Basics find one they have a lot of info.

If you get a new canner buy a weighted one it will save having the gage tested every year.




Hope that helps.

[Washkeeton]

Thanks Chuck. I asked about a weighted canner vs a gage here or some where else, dont remember. But thanks for answering my question.

[longrider]

thanks Chuck, it does help a bunch. while we are on the subject do you and others have some good resources for buying 5 gal freeze dried foods. i have the catalog from Emergency Essentials and it seems minimal.

i have checked some websites out but dont really have any experience with buying on the web for such items. i am primarily interested in getting 10 to 12 different veggies in bulk quantities. All the other condiments and varies non veggie things are needed too but i have havent a great source with a broad selection- perhaps i am asking too much.

I am buying for my parents and my brother too as they both need a good supplier though not living in alaska.

[Washkeeton]

Check out walton feeds

waltonfeed.com/

I dont know that it is freeze dried but it is dehydrated. As long as your not sending heavy stuff like grains etc should be good cause shipping shouldnt be that much.

www.internet-grocer.com/dehydrtd.htm

Dont know much about them or their products but you can get dehydrated food.

[Terri]

Don't glass jars break when they freeze?

I keep my jars in the basement, but then we have central heating and I suspect that many of you folks do not.

[Chuck]

terri said:

Don't glass jars break when they freeze?

I keep my jars in the basement, but then we have central heating and I suspect that many of you folks do not.

Wide mouth will freeze fine regular mouth are OK if you don't freeze liquid in them. If you leave the rings on though the lid may pop loose then reseal and you won't know it, we always take the rings off for storage.

[Terri]

Thanks!

[lacyj]

Well, I just got a brand new All-American Canner. Never thought I'd own a NEW one. It has a gauge and a weighted 5/10/15 rattle. Now, I don't know what to start with. I would like to do chicken, beans, soup and vegies. The drug store had a close-out on lids, so I bought a few hundred for 75 cents and a dollar a box. I have been getting jars at yard sales and the thrift store, so have a few hundred of those, too. Mostly pints as there are just the two of us. Anyone have a link to pressure canning that has more unusual recipes, the kind NOT found in the owner's manual. Owners manual is very limited...
We had snow, just when the fruit trees were in bloom, and the bees wouldn't fly. Nothing got pollinated. I will be doing some foraging this year. Mostly elderberry, blackberries, quince, figs, nuts.
lacyj

[Jenny]

Sounds like you're going to eat good! As for canning recipes, I often make up my own recipes, then figure out what will need the longest canning time and go with that. I don't think you're supposed to use anything with flour.

Have fun,

Jenny

[smwon]

Oops... I just posted a recipe that uses four... why no flour? I've eaten a lot of meat canned with flour over the years.

[Jenny]

I saw your other post. I don't know why you're not supposed to can things made with flour. Maybe it's just things like pasta, or white sauces --- things that are primarily flour --- that don't do well. I'd think canned pasta would fall apart. Wonder how the commercial companies do it? I've never tried canning anything with flour because my canning books say don't do it It was never worth risking safety or wasting money if it didn't work. But, recently I have seen a few other recipes for canned things that did call for a little, like your canned steak recipe. I think it would be safe, at least like that.

[smwon]

I have canned spagetti with no ill effects also... the noodles swell a lot but it is still good. I can milk too and how many canning books tell you that you can do that? If you read recipes for things that call for milk you're always told to add the milk when you heat it up... of course milk then tastes cooked as it does in evaporated milk. Just seems silly to me. I think just about anything can be canned. I was given some dry beans, rice, and wheat that had been canned some 20 years ago... they were fine. So I don't know. But I think as with anything common sense has to prevail. You can buy white sauce canned although I have never tried to can that.

[Chuck]

Oops - Jenny here. Just realized I'm posting under Chuck's name. smwon, when you can noodles, do you can just the noodles or do you can something that just has them in it, like soup or something? What about the timing ---- is it just like anything else? In a stew, for example, you'd find the ingredient with the longest canning time and use that. Also, things you said with milk --- what sorts of things do you can. I don't usually can lots of things like stews and such because I usually have enough to do otherwise. But, I was thinking that if I could find a few days (ha ha) to can up some things like spaghetti sauce and other things, that would save me time on the busy days where I don't have time to fix a big supper. It would be nice to just open a couple of jars. I'd love it if you'd share some of your recipes!

Thanks,

Jenny

[smwon]

I will look them up... it's been a long time and I am a bit rusty. I'll see if Mother has some stored in her memory too. I gotta tell ya'll though, being back on here sure is making me homesick...