Canning classes

doobie

doobie

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Hi,

I'm targeting Sunday, July 13th to host a canning class in Dunbarton, NH. If you are interested please let me know. I can only host/teach about 6-8 people at a time.

My current thoughts are the following:
1) I can stuff for 'myself' and after we're done people can buy some of what I've canned
2) Everyone can bring some subset of ingredients, and pay for jars and we split what we can

I have a canner that I can can about 12-16 (I forgot) pint sized and 6-8 quart sized jars. I figure we can can one thing, then do some non-pressure canner stuff (jams, etc). Then maybe do another pressure canner batch.

If someone has a spare canner we can do more. Please note that I am not an expert canner, but I have been canning for about 3 or 4 years now (minus the past year and a half when I had plans to move to NH).

Ideas:
  • French Onion Soup
  • Pasta sauce
  • Beef stew
  • Fruit Jam

More details will be posted as it gets closer. This is being cross posted to a couple of forums. If interest is high I may have a second date.
 
I'd come, but I already have plans for that weekend that cannot be changed. If you do a second class, I'd be very interested.
 
I may try to have another one in August or so (depending on how the first one goes). I'll keep you posted.
 
Space is running out fast... two spots (other websites) taken for July. I'm tentatively going to schedule one for the end of August.
 
I so far have 2 people who will probably be there for the 13th and 2 who will show up possibly another day. Anyone else?
 
This sounds interesting. We have canned jam, mostly blueberry (picked by us of course!). I will check my schedule. Should be a good time just to hang out with new people and learn from each other. BBQ sauce is another good one to do. I have done that one before. Brewed up a batch and canned it. YUMMY!

Dude, I love that criminalsforguncontrol site! I am going to send that to a few of my liberal anti aquaintances...
 
Just a question...but what's a canner?

My grandmother used to can all sorts of foods. I used to pick bean and the like, and we'd can them together.

We'd cook them in the pressure cooker, then pour them into jars, then put on the lids and wait for them to "POP."

Granted, I was a lot younger then, so I'm sure I'm missing steps. But I don't remember anything other than boiling lids, jars, and the food.
 
You need a pressure canner for low acid food, beans, etc. You can do a water bath canning with others. It all depends on what you are canning, as to which method you are doing. I just did up a batch of applesauce this morning.
The best thing to do is check out some sites for canning.
C-pher, it's not hard to do, but it can be time consuming. The applesauce took no time this morning to make and can, the asparagus because it was pressure canned took awhile.
 
I swear she used the same pressure cooker that she did to make dinner. She only had one...and used it all the time.

I remember putting jars on the counter, and filling them, then as they cool, listening to them pop when they seal.

I don't remember a canner cooker.
 
She may have been using just a pressure cooker, not really a safe way to do it. If you can follow a recipe, you can can.[grin] The initial outlay is a bit pricey, but it will pay for itself. Look for jars on sale or clearanced, and even at tag sales.
We found the best prices for jars at Big Lots. You can try freecycle, but I haven't had any luck there.[grin]
I made applesauce today and canned it, and later this next week will be making baked beans and canning them.
I'm trying to get a variety of things canned for the winter this year.
Ball Blue Book is an excellent source, and there are also a ton of recipes on the internet.
 
The spaghetti sauce jars at our grocery store, the store brand, have the same thread pattern as the Ball jars, so we just save those (chuck the lids though) and buy the lids and seals new for them. Works great. All we have ever done is cook up the goop, boil the water in the pot with the wire thingy that holds the jars, sterilize the jars and the lids, then poured the goop in, sealed them shut, and waited for them to cool and "pop". None of the stuff we have done has spent much time in storage anyways, so we were not concerned about doing anything too special. It would be good to learn from someone who really knows their stuff though. It is NOT hard, there are just some tricks is all.
 
You can do spaghetti sauce in a water bath, but I definitely wouldn't do it that way. It needs to be processed for a certain amount of time in the water bath. I should clarify this. You would water bath the spaghetti sauce for a certain amount of time. You can't just put the sauce in the jars, and put the lids on and call it good. That is asking for trouble. It has to be done in a water bath or a pressure canner to be safe.
 
Last edited:
Oh no, we didn't can the sauce, we just stole the jars for other stuff! Regardless, we never could quite figure out what they meant by "processing" anything. Care to explain this? Is it putting the sealed jars in the boiling water for a certain amount of time, THEN letting them cool?
 
By processing I am guessing that they mean putting it into a pressure canner for the appropriate amount of time.
 
curlymaple42 said:
Oh no, we didn't can the sauce, we just stole the jars for other stuff! Regardless, we never could quite figure out what they meant by "processing" anything. Care to explain this? Is it putting the sealed jars in the boiling water for a certain amount of time, THEN letting them cool?
Click to expand...

Yes. Exactly.Some things have to be processed longer than others.
 
doobie said:
By processing I am guessing that they mean putting it into a pressure canner for the appropriate amount of time.
Click to expand...

It can be a pressure canner or a water bath canner. Either one. For example I made applesauce today, and was able to process them in the water bath canner for 25 minutes. You have about two to three inches of water covering the tops of the jars and boiling for 25 minute.

Now when I did the asparagus the other night, I had to use the pressure canner.
The pressure canner you only need about 3 inches of water in the bottom of it to pressure can the jars but it had to be at 10lbs of pressure for 40 minutes, then you let the pressure canner cool on it's own which takes about 15-20 minutes to do before you can open it. Then process another batch.[grin]
 
Does the course cover whoop-ass? Cause I'd really like to learn how to can that so I could keep you NESer's at bay. [wink] Seriously though, I'd be interested if it was closer to home (in MA). For now, I'll be reading the PDF that JDubois provided from the other link. I'll be canning veggies for now, soon will move on to pasta. how long does personally canned foods last?
 
Fsorrent said:
Does the course cover whoop-ass? Cause I'd really like to learn how to can that so I could keep you NESer's at bay. [wink] Seriously though, I'd be interested if it was closer to home (in MA). For now, I'll be reading the PDF that JDubois provided from the other link. I'll be canning veggies for now, soon will move on to pasta. how long does personally canned foods last?
Click to expand...

Where do you live? I'm out in western MA and wouldn't mind teaching you.
 
Fsorrent said:
Does the course cover whoop-ass? Cause I'd really like to learn how to can that so I could keep you NESer's at bay. [wink] Seriously though, I'd be interested if it was closer to home (in MA). For now, I'll be reading the PDF that JDubois provided from the other link. I'll be canning veggies for now, soon will move on to pasta. how long does personally canned foods last?
Click to expand...

If I find someone with a video camera I may video tape it and post it on youtube or something.
 
Here's what I found for how long you can keep them.

The Natural Option: Contemporary Canning
The basic principles of canning have not changed dramatically since Nicholas Appert and Peter Durand developed the process. Heat sufficient to destroy microorganisms is applied to foods packed into sealed, or "airtight" containers. The canned foods are then heated under steam pressure at temperatures of 240-250°F (116-121°C). The amount of time needed for processing is different for each food, depending on the food's acidity, density and ability to transfer heat. For example, tomatoes require less time than green beans, while corn and pumpkin require far more time.

Processing conditions are chosen to be the minimum needed to ensure that foods are commercially sterile, but retain the greatest flavor and nutrition. All processes must be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Once the cans are sealed and heat processed, the food maintains its high eating quality for more than two years and is safe to eat as long as the container is not damaged in any way. And, like the home canning process, no preservatives are added or necessary.

The sequence of steps in the canning process differs with the product. Fruits and vegetables may be peeled or pitted, and have stems removed prior to canning. Some vegetables receive a heat treatment before they are placed in the can to remove air and improve packing. (Think about the bulk of raw vs. cooked spinach!) Acid juices, like orange and tomato, and acid vegetables, such as sauerkraut, can be sterilized before they are placed into containers. Seafood is usually packed after being boned or shelled, with the exception of smaller fish like sardines and anchovies, or even salmon, which have bones that are softened by heating. Meats and fish, like tuna, are usually cooked to soften the flesh before canning, separated from bones, compacted and placed in cans with appropriate liquid.

One significant difference in the modern canning process is that today's cans are made of 100% recyclable steel.
 
Thanks everyone! I was going to say "Thanks guys" but thought better of it! Anyways, that explains things pretty good. The directions we have read in a number of locations just say "process" but don't say ANYTHING about a pressure cooker thingy with 3" of water or whatever. They were very vague. Hell, they didn't even say to cover the jars with water and boil for however many minutes! So what exactly is the point or need of using a pressure cooker to do it? Is it that you use less water and it is faster? We don't have a pressure cooker. I got a grill though and a smoker!! HAHA!!!
 
The pressure cooker needs to be used with low acid food. Asparagus,meats,and such.
Water bath can be done like I did the applesauce today, jams, jellies, tomatoes,etc.
Ball Blue book is an excellent source for canning and preserving. If you are going to do any canning what so ever get it. You will use it over and over again.
You'll get an idea of what has to be pressure canned and what can be water bath canned.
 
curlymaple42 said:
Thanks everyone! I was going to say "Thanks guys" but thought better of it! Anyways, that explains things pretty good. The directions we have read in a number of locations just say "process" but don't say ANYTHING about a pressure cooker thingy with 3" of water or whatever. They were very vague. Hell, they didn't even say to cover the jars with water and boil for however many minutes! So what exactly is the point or need of using a pressure cooker to do it? Is it that you use less water and it is faster? We don't have a pressure cooker. I got a grill though and a smoker!! HAHA!!!
Click to expand...

I wouldn't have taken offense. [laugh]
 
Fsorrent said:
Does the course cover whoop-ass? Cause I'd really like to learn how to can that so I could keep you NESer's at bay. [wink] Seriously though, I'd be interested if it was closer to home (in MA). For now, I'll be reading the PDF that JDubois provided from the other link. I'll be canning veggies for now, soon will move on to pasta. how long does personally canned foods last?
Click to expand...

I responded to your first half not the second... You can't can pasta, well you can but it would probably come out, gross... Remember to can things you generally are going to end up cooking them for a really long time... so imagine cooking pasta for an hour.... yuck.

I have things I canned in 2005 that I still eat, tastes about the same... I'm still alive and kicking.
 
I'm still eating pickles from 2005 (we did really well that year with cukes-18 quarts of pickles!) and strawberry jam from 2003 (long story, we were having a ball canning the stuff-and got carried away LOL.....

The other "staples" for us are green beans, chili, and peppers, and as long as the seal is good we eat the food.
 

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