~ Canning ~

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Size Wise;

A bushel of;

Apples = 17-20 quart cans
Grapes = 16-20 quart cans
Pears = 20-25 quart cans
Peaches = 18-20 quart cans
Plums = 24-31 quart cans
Tomatoes = 16-21 quart cans

Canning Definitions;
Acid Foods; Fruits, tomatoes, rhubarb and pimentos are acid foods.
Botulinus; Is bacteria from the soil and has been known to cause a toxin to form in carelessly
canned foods. There is no danger when food has been cleaned is sound and unblemished as
well as properly canned according to directions. Low acid foods need to boil 15 minutes before
tasting, the boiling is to destroy any toxin that may be present.
Cold pack; Is to fill the jars with raw food that is to be canned.
Enzymes; A substance that brings about natural changes in raw foods.
Flat-Sour; The most common spoilage in vegetables. Flat-soured food may look good,
but taste and usually smells bad.
Fruit jar; Are glass jars used by canners when putting up fruits, veggies, meats, etc.
Head space; When filling or packing a jar to be canned, this is the space left at the top
of the jar. (Between the top of the jar and the top of the food level.)
Low acid; Mostly called 'non-acid' foods. All vegetables except those mentioned as acid foods;
soups, meats, poultry, game and fish are all low acid.
Metal band; The screw on band of metal used to fasten the lid on jar.
Open kettle; Canning fruits by cooking them in uncovered kettle, then filling hot jars one at a time,
from the boiling kettle. Filling and sealing each jar quickly.
Organisms of spoilage; Bacteria, yeasts and mould are low forms of plant life, also known as micro-organisms.
They will ruin any canned food in which they are allowed to grow.
Pack; How the jars are filled, referring to the food placed/packed in jar.
Partly seal; Leaving caps or lids loose enough for steam to get out of jars while processing. All must be
tightly sealed as soon as they are removed when processing is complete.
Pre-cook; Heating food thoroughly before placing in jars for canning.
Canning; Cooking jars of food in hot water bath or steam pressure canning.
Sealing; Closing jar lids airtight.
Spoilage; Canned foods become unfit to eat if spoiled, mould or become cheesy or sour.
Steam pressure canner/cooker; A kettle fitted with a steam tight lid. The lid has a safety valve,
petcock and pressure gauge.
Steralize; To heat/boil jars, caps and rubber lids long enough to kill organisms that would cause
food to spoil if not killed.
Water bath canner; Deep kettle/pot with flat bottom to boil water, must have cover and rack/platform
or basket to keep jars from touching once placed inside.
Vacuum; The vacuum within the jar along with natural pressure of air on the outside will hold a lid down
to create a vacuum airtight seal. When jars of food are heated, the air expands and is forced out, when
the jars of food start to cool, everything shrinks leaving an airless space at the top. This space with no
air is called a vacuum.

Throw away any canned food that;
(Jar-Lid-Outside) Has bulging lid, broken seal, dirty on outside from food seepage or food leaking from under sealed lid.
(Looks) Cloudy, bubbly, foaming, fermented, molded or discolored (usually darker).
(When Opened) Contents spurt out or mold has grown on lid inside or top of food, smells bad or different, food is slimy or mushy.

Barn Braining

~ Canning ~

Have any canning recipes you would like to share?
Send them in and I'll add them to our list!

Continuing to Update....
(past canning recipes moved to yahoo group files)

Rhubarb or Victoria Sauce;

2 quarts chopped rhubarb (about 12 stalks)
1 1/2 cups chopped raisins
1/2 cup chopped onion (about 1/2 medium)
3 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tspn allspice
1 tspn cinnamon
1 tspn ginger
1 tspn salt

Combine rhubarb, raisins, onion, sugar and vinegar in a large saucepot.
Simmer until thick. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.
Add spices; cook 5 minutes longer. Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving
1/4 inch head space. adjust 2 piece cap, process 15 minutes in boiling
water canner.

Yields; about 4 pints

Mixed Vegetable:

7 cups sliced carrots
7 cups corn
7 cups lima beans
6 cups cubed zucchini
1 cup chopped sweet red pepper

Combine vegetables in a large saucepan, add water to cover. Boil vegetables
5 minutes. Pack hot vegetables and liquid into hot jars, leaving 1 inch head
space. Remove air bubbles. Adjust 2 piece caps. Process pints 1 hour and
15 minutes, quarts 1 hour and 30 minutes, at 10 lb. pressure in a steam
pressure canner.

yields; about 7 quarts

Apples Studded with Dried Cherries and Raisins:

8 to 10 lbs Granny Smith apples
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup golden raisins
2 Tblspns grated lemon peel
2 tspns cinnamon
1 tspn nutmeg
2 cups water
1 Tblspn lemon juice

Wash and core apples, do not peel. Cut apples lengthwise into
think slices. Treat to prevent darkening. Drain apples. Combine
apple slices and sugar in a large saucepot, tossing gently to coat apples.
Let stand 20 minutes.
Stir together dried cherries, raisins, lemon peel, cinnamon
and nutmeg. Add water and lemon juice. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce
heat and simmer 5 minutes.
Pack hot fruit into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Ladle hot syrup
over fruit, leaving 1/2 headspace. Remove air bubbles. Adjust 2 pc. caps.
Process pints and quarts 20 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Makes about 4 quarts

Fruit Sorbet:

4 cups sliced fruit (any soft fruit varety, ie, peaches, strawberries, berries, melon, etc)
2 cups sugar
1 cup orange juice
2 Tblspns lemon juice

Puree fruit in a food processor or blender. Combine sugar, orange
juice and lemon juice in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring
until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, stir in puree. Pour sorbet into
a 13x9 inch pan. Freeze.
Working in smal batches, process frozen puree in a food processor or
blender until light and fluffy. Ladle sorbet into can-or-freeze jars, leaving
1/2 inch headspace. Seal, label and freeze.

Makes about 7 half pints

Apricot Pineapple Jam

7 lbs. apricots
2 cans (8 3/4 oz. each) crushed pineapple
in heavy syrup (do not drain)
1/3 cup bottled lemon juice
6 cups sugar
1 tspn cinnamon
3/4 tspn nutmeg

Wash and pit apricots. Dice in a food processor.
Put apricots, undrained pineapple, lemon juice,
sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large saucepan.
Over low heat, stir until sugar melts. Bring to a boil
and boil softly, stirring often until jam is thick and clear,
or registers 220*F on thermometer. Skim off foam
while cooking. Remove from heat and let sit 5 minutes.
Skim off any foam. Ladle into hot sterilized jars, clean
and seal rims. Process in water bath canner for 5 minutes.

Makes 5 pints

White Wine Jelly
(Use any wine but best results
come from deep colored ones
such as zinfandel white wine)

2 cups white wine
3 cups sugar
1 pouch liquid pectin

Mix wine and sugar in top of a double boiler,
heat, stirring until all sugar is melted, about
5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in
liquid pectin. Pour into hot jars to within 1/8 inch
of the top. Clean rims and seal with a thin layer
of paraffin.

Makes 4-5 half pint jars

Black Cherry Conserve:
(use as spread or pastry filling)

4 cups sweet cherries
2 medium navel oranges, peeled, seeded
and chopped (1/2 cup juice and pieces)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 Tblspns grated orange rind
3/4 tspn ground cinnamon
6 whole cloves

In a large enamel or stainless steel saucepan, combine the cherries,
oranges, honey, lemon juice, rind and cinnamon.
Put the cloves into a cheesecloth bag and add to the saucepan.
Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer for 20 minutes.
Bring back to boil for 4 or 5 minutes, or until thickened.
Remove cheesecloth with cloves and discard.

To can; Pour into hot, scalded half pint jars, leaving 1/4 inch head-
space. Seal and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Makes 3-half pints

Bread and Butter Pickles;

10 cups sliced medium size cucumbers
5 medium yellow onions, sliced
2 medium sweet red and/or yellow peppers, sliced crosswire into rings
1/3 cup pickling salt
3 cloves garlic, halved
Cracked ice
3 cups sugar
2 cups cider vinegar
4 tspns mustard seeds
1 1/2 tspn coriander seeds
1 1/2 tspn whole black peppercorns
3/4 tspn celery seeds
3/4 tspn ground turmeric

In large bowl, stir together the cucumbers, onions, sweet peppers, pickling salt and garlic.
Stir in a large amount of cracked ice. Let stand for 3 hours; drain well. Discard the garlic.

Prepare 5 pint jars and lids. Fill a waterbath canner, with rack inside, half full of water. Cover
and bring to a boil over high heat. In another large kettle, bring additional water to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a 6-8 quart kettle or Dutch oven, stir together the sugar, vinegar, mustard
seeds, coriander seeds, peppercorns, celery seeds and turmeric. Add the cucumber
mixture and bring to a boil.

Immediately ladle the cucumber mixture and liquid into jars, filling within 1/2 inch of tops.
Wipe jar rims and threads. Quickly cover with lids, screw firmly. Place jars on the rack in canner
Fill with additional boiling water so that the water reaches 1 inch over jar tops in canner.
Cover and bring to a rolling boil. Process 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

Makes 5 pints

Goulash;

4 lbs. boned beef chuck roast
3 Tblspns paprika
1 Tblspn salt
2 tspns dry mustard
1/3 cup oil
20 peppercorns
3 bay leaves
2 tspns caraway seeds
6 stalks celery, cut in half
4 carrots, cut in half
3 onions, cut in half
1 cup water
1/3 cup vinegar

Cut beef chuck roast into 1-inch cubes. Combine salt, paprika and dry
mustard. Roll meat in spice mixture. Browm slowly in oil in large saucepan.
Sprinkle excess spice mixture over meat.
Tie whole spices in a spice bag. Add spice bag and remaining ingredients
to beef mixture. Cover; simmer until almost tender. Remove spice bag
and vegetables. Discard.
Pack hot meat and sauce into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace.
Remove air bubbles. Adjust two-piece caps.
Process pints 1 hour and 15 minutes, quarts 1 hour and 30 minutes
at 10 pounds pressure in steam pressure canner.

Yields about 4 pints or 2 quarts