woodland creature

It's been years since I have had a garden, but when my kids were small, we lived in Iowa, complete with a 25-by-25 foot garden (or maybe larger - I have no depth perception). And I canned and/or froze enough vegetables to keep us through the winter. Pickled beets were a favorite, as was corn relish. And of course canned green beans and tomatoes. And you haven't lived until you have canned your own ketchup. I could go on and on and on... We're moving in the next few months, so a new garden is on the horizon. In the meantime, I'm a new quilter, so have little to offer in conversations. But lots of experience gardening and canning, so I feel that this is one way that I can give back to others that I have learned so much from.

pittsburgpam

I may be picking your brain about gardening and canning. I've only done herbs, which are easy because they just grow like weeds. I haven't done any vegetable gardening other than a few things many, many years ago.

I have almost no yard so I am very limited. I have been reading and watching Youtube videos on Square Foot Gardening. That seems like the way to go for me and that's not likely to produce a whole lot of each thing but, maybe enough to can some of it.

I want to be able to move out of the suburbs when I retire (hopefully in 8 years) and garden more.

momymom

I'm a southern girl. I really don't know what all is in goulash. I have canned tomatoes, salsa, jams and jelly. We freeze corn too. We didn't grow our own, but I did take the kids to pick in the fields, and they would shuck the corn, wash the silks off, peel tomatoes, or pears, or apples. Used to have a pear, peach trees, and blackberrys in the back yard. I haven't used a pressure cooker in 30 years, but I can and still use a boiling bath canner. I've also made catsup, onion relish,pickles and apple butter.

sueisallaboutquilts

Hi Pam, My husband taught me canning and it's really fun!!
I had no clue how to do it. Anyway, I used to can a lot of tomatoes and the kids loved helping. Also applesauce, plums,peaches, stuff like that. Never used a pressure cooker though.
Also made jams, wow, I forgot how much we used to do!!
My husband makes killer chili sauce (tomatoes) that was his GM's recipe.
We haven't done any canning in a long time and I miss it!
Thanks for the reminder and the memories :)
Oh yeah, one suggestion- don't can beans w/o a pressure cooker lol
We leaned the hard way :D

pittsburgpam

Goulash is very simple... stew meat, onions, garlic, worsteshire (sp) sauce, brown sugar, paprika, cayenne, ketchup, dry mustard, salt. It's like a stew and is served over noodles.

Good thing I decided not to do the last step of thickening it!! I just read to not use flour when browning meat to pressure can or when making a gravy to pour into the jars. Wow... good save! I figured that when it is heated to eat that I would thicken with cornstarch if needed.

It's done. :) The canner is cooling off, waiting for no pressure to take off the vent cap.

I've been reading the Ball book and it all looks so good.

bearisgray

I've been canning tomatoes for years and years - just learned something from you today -

That is to let the steam vent for 10 minutes before putting the control on the vent tube.

pittsburgpam

I just heard the "plink" of the cans sealing. :)

If you've been doing it successfully for years I'm sure not one to tell you any differently. That's just what I read in the book with the canner.

Alabama Belle

I canned 14 quarts of chicken stew today.... oh and 7 quarts of dill pickles. I generally cut my tomatos, cook them, add onions, carrots, boiled and shredded chicken and onions and corn. Cook over low heat until about 1/2 done, then put into hot jars, seal and pressure at 10 pounds for 35 minutes. I have my Mom's old Ball canning book from 1968. That thing is wonderful! Nothing like breaking open a jar of stew on a cold winter's night for comfort food.

pittsburgpam

Do you have any oil separating at the top of the processed jar? There's not a lot, maybe 1/4" if that but, since I've never done it before I don't know how it's supposed to look. :idea:

It's bubbling (boiling) in the jars a little bit too.

Alabama Belle

The grease from the meat will make oil....congealed grease...sometimes. Is it grease of is it a clear liquid?