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Thread: So how is everybody getting along with the canning and freezing?

  1. #21
    Senior Member Winnie's Avatar
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    Well, it's nice to know I'm ahead of at least one of you. My Pumpkins are romping away. They must be coming on for 6ft now and there are at least three more side shoots on each plant. I need to stop a couple of plants once I have a couple of fruit set on each. I'm entering the Pumpkin competition at the allotment field this year. Not expecting to win. The Pumpkin King next door grows some corkers! But hey, it's a bit of fun. FYI I'm growing Big Max.
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  2. #22
    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    @ BornThatWay - No, I didn't use a hot water bath. Since I was making a small batch I figured they would be eaten soon enough. I did get a set but not as good as I would have liked. I don't think I cooked this batch long enough. That whole sheeting off the spoon thingy to determine when it's done still isn't one of my best skills. I probably should have done the fridge test.

  3. #23
    Senior Member BornthatWay's Avatar
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    Well another day canning. A friend told us about peaches $15.00 a bushel. They are seconds but are really nice for canning. Had the whole family here peeling peaches and canning them. So 7 quarts and 8 pints. At least that much more tomorrow. Also gonna can some beef and make jerky. We also are going to can some bacon and sausage this week or next.

    The tomatoes will be in full force by next week so have lots of them to work up in juice spaghetti sauce and pizza sauce. We also want to make relish and salsa. Our son has finally gotten into this canning and gas been great help.

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  4. #24
    Senior Member Winnie's Avatar
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    I got some Pears reduced from work and filled 8 pints. I also have th first batch of red 'kraut on the go.

    I'm seriosly jealous of the Peaches. A bushel over here would cost about £30 or $47
    Last edited by Winnie; 07-15-2015 at 04:22 AM.
    Recession; A period when you go without something your Grandparents never heard of.

  5. #25
    Senior Member BornthatWay's Avatar
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    Well they are about that here if you buy top choice peaches. The ones I bought were called seconds so they had some blemishes and bruises so we sliced them instead of making peach halves. I know they will taste great this winter and will beat the flavor if a snowball. I just might get another bushel if I can talk everyone into helping again.

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  6. #26
    Senior Member BornthatWay's Avatar
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    If you put the whole peaches in boiling water for about a minute then in cold water they peel just like tomatoes. It certainly made that part of processing much easier.

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  7. #27
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Yep - just blanched, peeled and froze 10 lbs of peaches.
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  8. #28
    Senior Member BornthatWay's Avatar
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    We saved out a few and are going to make ice cream.

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  9. #29

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    Still waiting for peaches to come in. I have a crate (about a bushel) of seconds ordered at the orchard. Same for hard pears. Hard pears you can just run through the apple peeler. I want to try spiced crabapples this year. There is an orchard here that sells them but can be expensive if its a bad year.

    Got a bowlful of blackberries for supper tonight. More of those coming on the bushes out back. Not going to be as big a crop this year. Not quite enough rain early on.

    Pumpkins still not running. Winnie, one hill is hull-less, the seeds have no shell; the other is Cinderella (great for pies if any grow...)

    BornThatWay, yeah I water bath can my jams and jellies. I use the sure-gel stuff on most things. If I'm going to do the au natural method, I always be sure to get about 1/4 to 1/3 of the fruit only semi-ripe. Semi-ripe has more natural pectin and sets better. Or if you don't mind the added apple taste, you can boil up some granny smith apples and add that for pectin.
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  10. #30
    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    Lowkey - Do you have a problem with flies eating your blackberries? The blasted things get them right as they begin to turn black.

  11. #31
    Senior Member Winnie's Avatar
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    I will have to start driving my Pumpkins. They are starting to get in the way they also have flowers now. This is my first attempt at Pumkins as I haven't had the room until this year. Two of the Winter Squash varieties are struggling with a blackfly aphid infestation which I will deal with today. Now I'm not sure whether it's relevant but the squash that are struggling are both rambling. I also have summer squash and a bush type winter squash and they seem to be a bit more resistent to aphids.
    Blackberries have just set fruit over here. I was given some Raspberries by my neighbour at the allotment. Oh they were very jolly! I have promised him some of my Autumn fruiting when they are ready.
    Recession; A period when you go without something your Grandparents never heard of.

  12. #32
    Senior Member BornthatWay's Avatar
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    Well tried my hand at making jerky. Other than cutting one finger while slicing the beef it seems to be pretty good. I knew I should have sharpened that knife before I started but was in a hurry so whacked the heck out of my finger in the last bit when the knife slipped. Most was ready this morning but some needed a little more drying.

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  13. #33

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    well i'll pay more attention next year after i picked some cherries to make jam
    the birds cleanedout the the trees and bushes. now i'm trying to harvest the raspberries.

  14. #34
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by BornthatWay View Post
    Well tried my hand at making jerky. Other than cutting one finger while slicing the beef it seems to be pretty good. I knew I should have sharpened that knife before I started but was in a hurry so whacked the heck out of my finger in the last bit when the knife slipped. Most was ready this morning but some needed a little more drying.

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    The finger or the jerky? Or are they one in the same?
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  15. #35

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    Rick, no trouble with flies. But once some get ahead of me and they get over-ripe, the yellow jackets are wicked. And they're drunk. A bad combination.
    If we are to have another contest in…our national existence I predict that the dividing line will not be Mason and Dixon's, but between patriotism & intelligence on the one side, and superstition, ambition & ignorance on the other…
    ~ President Ulysses S. Grant

  16. #36
    Senior Member BornthatWay's Avatar
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    Ha-ha Crash. The jerky tastes pretty good but the finger is darn sore.

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  17. #37
    Senior Member Winnie's Avatar
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    I canned 7 pints Red Kraut today.

    I have a pumpkin! I also picked the first beans today and some yellow squash, once the squash really get going I'll freeze them and can the beans(hopefully I'll have enough to can)
    Recession; A period when you go without something your Grandparents never heard of.

  18. #38
    Administrator Rick's Avatar
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    I ate some really hot Hungarian peppers today. I'll can them tomorrow. (I slay myself)

  19. #39
    Super Moderator crashdive123's Avatar
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    Hope you ate some ice cream after the peppers........makes the "journey" less painful.
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  20. #40
    Senior Member BornthatWay's Avatar
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    Well the garden is still doing well. We planted only one zucchini and it was slow at first but now we have made 14 loaves of zucchini bread, zucchini relish and going to make more zucchini bread.
    I canned 14 quarts of beans and 18 more quarts of pickle.

    Also canned 4pints if stew beef and made two big turns of beef jerky. Now I want to can some bacon. I know several of you do this and I have read several methods just wondering what your preferred method is.

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