# General > General Chat >  So how is everybody getting along with the canning and freezing?

## BornthatWay

So this week we picked 5 gallons of cherries. That was a lot of putting even with the cherry pitter. But just finished canning 7 quarts of cherry pie filling.  Also picked about a gallon of blackberries and raspberries. They came in at the same time this year. So I made eight half pints of jelly. Now I have picked more so need to make more jelly. I just combined the berries and it made a fantastic jelly. 

We had watermelon a couple times so made 4 quarts of watermelon pickle. My son loves it. Just put down my first batch of cucumbers to make lime pickle. Should have that finished tomorrow or Saturday.

Then next week we should be canning green beans and of course more pickle. I should have lots of tomatoes in a couple weeks I hope. I like to can as much as I can so I do not have to worry if we have an extended power failure.

My son and I went to town this morning to get a new pickle crock and bought the lid and weights. My old crock had a crack so it has been retired to a storage container.

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## Winnie

Put some Peas and Broad Beans in the freezer, that's about it so far. Everything else is still growing. I won't be canning til the end of August/September. Our seasons are obviously a few weeks later than yours. :Smile:

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## hunter63

We used to do the pick your own berries  and fruits....canning and freezing all sorts of pie stuff, jelly and jams...
Not so much anymore....bad knees.....so to the farmers market we go.

Then there is the sugar free cooking and canning...has proven to be a real PITA as far as old recipes go.....So we just buy the sugar free filling, jambs and jellies......(most suck).

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## LowKey

I picked 12 lbs of strawberries last weekend at a U-pick place since my strawberry beds are still small and only put out a couple quarts this year. Made 4 jars of "low sugar" jam and 8 jars of high-octane sugar jam. Plus I froze a half dozen pints. And ate the rest.

I should be freezing broccoli tonight before it bolts. Will do it in the morning. Taking the day off to go get some sour cherries at another U-pick place. Maybe. Bad year for cherries here. Hoping it doesn't rain.

My blackberries and raspberries aren't ripe yet. Looks to be a bumper crop. I need to get a mesh for the raspberries. Had some catbirds move in and they wiped out my little cherry tree out back before I knew what hit it. They attack anything red. Thought one of them was going to fly into the truck to steal the strawberries. Flew right up to the window til I waved him off.

Lots of tomatoes out there. Hope they start ripening soon. Wonder if catbirds eat those too? Waiting on the cucumbers for pickles too. They are awful slow this year.

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## crashdive123

Didn't do any canning, but have 10 quarts of tomato sauce in the freezer.

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## Grizz123

I'm getting back into canning, good thread

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## Winnie

We don't have any pick your own farms in this area, so I mostly grow what I preserve. Tomatoes have just started flowering, but it's a long wait for most of the summer veg.

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## kyratshooter

I am still waiting too.  All I put out this year were tomatoes and they will not be in for a couple of weeks.  I still have dried and canned tomatoes left from last year.

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## Rick

The only thing I've been able to harvest have been strawberries, raspberries, onion and peppers. Alas, I've been eating them too fast to worry about tomorrow. Zucchini is on the verge of being just right to pick.

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## LowKey

No U-pick places Winnie? Sounds like an opportunity. Though I imagine land is hard to get and who knows about British laws. Here, at least in MA, the farms can't be sued if someone gets hurt at their u-pick site, unless it is from some form of gross negligence on their part. 

I got 10 lbs of sour cherries today. Now I'm gonna find out how long it takes to pit 10lbs of cherries. Bought a new fangled hand powered cherry pitter thing. Test runs have been good and it seems to work. We'll see shortly. Just finished blanching and boxing 6 pints of broccoli for the freezer. Left a couple heads out for eating this weekend.

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## nell67

Have not done any canning as yet, garden went in late due to school but now have tomato plants that are as tall as I am and loaded. We had fried green tomatoes last night for the first time this season,mmmm they were good. Jalapenos are coming on very well, but the bells are still at bloom stage. Cucumbers are looking good but no bloom yet. Hoping the storms tonight leave s my garden alone.

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## crashdive123

My tomatoes are just about done for the year.  Had a good crop, but the heat is taking its toll.

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## Rick

Nanny nanny boo boo. Ours are just comin' oooon.

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## BornthatWay

Well here is my garden update. Have now canned 21 punts of pickle and 14 quarts. Oops one pint gone as my granddaughter polished one off Sunday. 

Green beans gave been slow but we have been able to eat plenty. I hope to be canning some this week.

We picked our first tomato on July 4. But it may be August before we get another. I do not know how that one tomato was ripe and all the rest are green as grass.

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## Winnie

I'm still waiting, although the tomatoes are just starting to set fruit and the beans and squash are just starting to get one or two flowers. 
All I have left from last year are a pint of red kraut, 3 pints pineapple, a pint of mixed veg and a pint of pickled beetroot. *Sigh* the cupboards are bare folks!

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## Rick

Aren't we fortunate that we don't have to depend on our preservation skills to survive the lean times? I picked my first zucchini yesterday and I'm gathering currants to make some jelly. Maters are about two weeks from ripening as are the blackberries. Raspberries have been plentiful this year, however.

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## BornthatWay

Yes the black raspberries were plentiful this year. We made 14 half pints of jelly and two turns of home made raspberry ice cream. Now we are waiting on the blackberries to ripen. We are having a great berry year.

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## LowKey

Every once in a while I look at a failed crop and think, "yep the pilgrims are gonna starve this winter.

Wish my pumpkins would start to run. They are being horribly slow this year. They are in a new bed though and not enough cow manure.

The blackberries are just starting to turn. Raspberries are in full swing in the backyard. Got enough for 7 pints of raspberry jam and a pie so far.
Had to buy a nylon net to keep the damn catbirds off.

Bumper crop of snow peas. Picked a gallon last night. They just keep flowering. Row peas are done. There are never enough of those and they always vary from nice tender peas to little hard pebbles in the same picking. But they usually are the first green thing harvested.

BTW, that cherry pitter is da bomb. 10lbs of cherries in about 20 minutes, as fast as you could feed them in the hopper. It misses one here and there. Adds to the excitement later.  http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...f_rd_i=desktop

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## Rick

I made 3.5 pints of black currant jelly today. Fingers crossed they set up.

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## BornthatWay

I know. I usually make mine doing the low sugar and it never sets up as well as the high octane. Do you do the hot water bath to seal your jars? I think that makes my jelly a little less jelled.

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## Winnie

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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## Rick

@ 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.

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## BornthatWay

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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## Winnie

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

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## BornthatWay

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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## BornthatWay

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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## crashdive123

Yep - just blanched, peeled and froze 10 lbs of peaches.

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## BornthatWay

We saved out a few and are going to make ice cream.

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## LowKey

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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## Rick

Lowkey - Do you have a problem with flies eating your blackberries? The blasted things get them right as they begin to turn black.

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## Winnie

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.

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## BornthatWay

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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## hayshaker

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.

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## crashdive123

> 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.
> 
> Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk


The finger or the jerky?  Or are they one in the same? :Whistling:

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## LowKey

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.

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## BornthatWay

Ha-ha Crash. The jerky tastes pretty good but the finger is darn sore.

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## Winnie

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)

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## Rick

I ate some really hot Hungarian peppers today. I'll can them tomorrow. (I slay myself)

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## crashdive123

Hope you ate some ice cream after the peppers........makes the "journey" less painful.

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## BornthatWay

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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## Winnie

I have canned Bacon rashers and bacon mishapes. For rashers I cut a piece of baking parchment twice the size of the rashers and then lay them along the middle. then fold over top and bottom, then fold the whole thing in half, roll them up and slide into the jar. You prob wouldn't need to fold if using a quart jar. Process as for raw meat. The Bacon mis-shapes I treat as cubed meat and again use the raw meat method.

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## Rick

I'll save you the trouble. Rashers = thin slices. Mishapes are as the name implies. Two people separated by a common language.

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## crashdive123

I had a rasher once......cleared it up with some ointment. :Innocent:

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## BornthatWay

You guys are so bad.

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## BornthatWay

Thanks Winnie that sounds like what I have been reading. The tomatoes are about to be overwhelming so might be a bit before I try the bacon.

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## Winnie

Beans have started coming in so canning them is a job for tomorrow. Going to knock up some Summer Squash Gratin for the freezer too. 
Can't think of anything that gives me quite such a contented (and smug) feeling as putting up my home grown veggies.

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## nell67

> Thanks Winnie that sounds like what I have been reading. The tomatoes are about to be overwhelming so might be a bit before I try the bacon.
> 
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Am not canning tomatoes this year  :Frown:    on the other hand squirrel sure is good  :Wink:  at least I got SOMETHING out of my once over abundant tomato patch....

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## BornthatWay

Well we have canned 28 quarts of tomatoes today 9 pints of corn and I have truly lost count of how much zucchini we have frozen for zucchini bread. But I am always thankful for all the abundance of the garden.

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## Winnie

I've been working extra hours so I couldn't get down to the allotment, today I picked enough beans for another another 8 pints, a dozen normal sized squash and a couple of 'stuffing' sized squash. I also gave away a couple more big squash to the neighbour.

Pumpkins are HUGE!!

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## BornthatWay

Well I am just about canned out. I wish. Did 7 quarts and 6 pints of applesauce yesterday. We have made 7 pints if ketchup tonight and working on I have no idea how many quarts of tomatoes juice. Will fill you in tomorrow. Also have more green beans to pick and can tomorrow. Whew what a season we are having in the garden.

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## LowKey

Got my bushel of peaches yesterday. I always forget how many peaches there are in a bushel...
Got most of them canned up, about 2 dozen half pints, and half of those are brandied. That's not quite 4 quarts but they were pretty large peaches.

There's just enough left to do a couple pre-frozen pie fillings. For those I cut em up, add the sugar and flour and spices, put a small towel in a pie dish (simulates the crust thickness and a 'bar mop' towel is the perfect size,) then some saran wrap, pour the peaches in the saran wrap and toss em in the freezer for a couple hours. When frozen solid, I take em out, take off the saran wrap and vacuum seal em. When you go to cook em, you just toss them in an uncooked shell (unwrap them first Rick) and bake. Will take about an hour rather than the usual 20 minutes.

Winnie, I'm going to have to try that bacon thing. I can get bacon ends for $2 a piece at the local slaughterhouse. Those are the pieces the slicer hooks hold onto and they're usually pretty good size chunks. I only buy them when I'm doing a batch of split pea soup. Never gave canning them a thought.

I've frozen about 8 qts of spaghetti sauce. I think I have one more smaller batch of tomatoes coming on so will try some pizza sauce for the first time.

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## Rick

I appreciate the clarification.

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## Winnie

> Got my bushel of peaches yesterday. I always forget how many peaches there are in a bushel...
> Got most of them canned up, about 2 dozen half pints, and half of those are brandied. That's not quite 4 quarts but they were pretty large peaches.
> 
> There's just enough left to do a couple pre-frozen pie fillings. For those I cut em up, add the sugar and flour and spices, put a small towel in a pie dish (simulates the crust thickness and a 'bar mop' towel is the perfect size,) then some saran wrap, pour the peaches in the saran wrap and toss em in the freezer for a couple hours. When frozen solid, I take em out, take off the saran wrap and vacuum seal em. When you go to cook em, you just toss them in an uncooked shell (unwrap them first Rick) and bake. Will take about an hour rather than the usual 20 minutes.
> 
> Winnie, I'm going to have to try that bacon thing. I can get bacon ends for $2 a piece at the local slaughterhouse. Those are the pieces the slicer hooks hold onto and they're usually pretty good size chunks. I only buy them when I'm doing a batch of split pea soup. Never gave canning them a thought.
> 
> I've frozen about 8 qts of spaghetti sauce. I think I have one more smaller batch of tomatoes coming on so will try some pizza sauce for the first time.


Canned Bacon mishapes are a really handy thing to have in the cupboard. Great for soups, beans and omlettes!

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## LowKey

Sorry Rick, I'd originally forgotten that instruction and I knew it would be you who'd pounce on it. A bit of a pre-emptive strike.

But I also used to work in a grocery store bake shop while in college, and I can't tell you the number of times some of the foolish kids working there would not read the dutch apple pie wrapper that said "remove before cooking." Baked plastic. Yum-mee. Those ovens that pipe that nice fresh-bake smell through the store? Yeah, they have a lever at the bottom labeled "Abort." Vents to the roof when you throw it. LOL.

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## Rick

I always wondered how they did that. They always get you with that fresh bakery aroma when you walk in but you never smell the "Oh, crap I left it in way to long and it's black" smell. Abort sounds appropriate.

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## Winnie

Still going. Now on to tomatoes. Some Pasta sauce is in the canner.

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## LowKey

Trying my hand at some wine. I have one grape vine but it went nuts this year. About 30lbs of grapes.
Will be moving it from the main fermenter into glass jugs with airlocks today. Been in there for a week with a purchased wine yeast and bubbling has just slowed. Will have about two gallons.

Yeah they are Concord grapes but only used about 1/4 of the skins. Everyone tells me it would have too much tannin and taste 'foxy' if I used them all. PITA to scoop em out but hope it's worth it.
IMG_0509.jpgIMG_0510.JPG

Made some grape jelly too.
IMG_0519.jpg

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## LowKey

Kinda short of two gallons. Just a gallon and a half. 
This stuff has an alcohol content that will make your eyes water just by sniffing it. Hope it smooths out...
This is the full one.
A lot of settling to do.
IMG_0520.jpg

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## Winnie

Well, you could always use it as fuel. :Big Grin:  I'd like a Grapevine.

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## Solar Geek

Whew, I have been blessed with an abundance of crops (and am even more grateful after finding out our county has had a countywide tomato, cuke and potato blight this summer). 

I have over a bushel of some green, some red tomatoes left to can/sauce/pesto but here goes
72 quarts pickles so far
23 pints pickles.
35 quarts tomato sauce
21 pints varied tomatoes - roasted, plain, raw pack
2 qts tomato juice and 1 pint
About 15 cups basil pesto and more to come - frozen
Heaps of deydrated herbs  chives, oregano, thyme, parsley, mint so far.

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## Winnie

This week more tomatoes and I've just been gifted 20lbs of Apples. some are good enough to store in the shed, the rest will make chunky pie filling. I THINK that's it for this season. :Smile:

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## jimLE

i canned some chicken in broth last month.i'll be doing that again today.great thing about it.is i get quarts of broth each time as well.

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## LowKey

Has anyone heard from Winnie at all lately?

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## crashdive123

I have not.  I think Krat was the last one to contact her.

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## kyratshooter

Winnie has been involved in a big house purchase and move, prepping a new allotment veggie patch, and working all at the same time.

She is looking forward to a lot more gardening and growing in a place that will be permanent, rather that dealing with the problems caused by moving on occasion as renting sometimes demands.

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## LowKey

Good for her! Thanks for the update K.
Was missing her here but living the dream is better.

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## Rick

I'm also glad to hear things are going well for her. Yeah, I miss her here as well. It would be nice if she dropped in from time to time but life can sure get in the way. Thanks for the update.

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## crashdive123

I was hoping to get one of these from her.


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## Rick

Now that right there is funny I don't care who you are.

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