What are you canning now?

[ducks4you]

I am about to print labels from my two sets of vegetable broth bc they have different vegetables and will taste different.
I KNOW that you shouldn't be canning broccoli and cauliflower, but that's bc they end up mushy.
Here are my labels, which I will print today and use packaging tape on the sides of the jars:
Vegetable Broth, August 12, 2024
Ingredients:
Celery
Carrots
Onions
Garlic
Peas
***
Vegetable Broth, August 29, 2024
Ingredients:
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Sugar Snap Peas

I used the Font "Blackadder".

This turkey broth is SO RICH that I plan to make soup with it this winter. Next turkey I plan to freeze the bones sloppy again, with meat adhered to them.
Broth making is so satisfying! Everything you buy looks watered down. I don't use any vegetables that are slimy, but I Do use celery pieces that are browned or onions that are dried out. I bought some onion powder and garlic powder last year in these small rectangular containers. They dried out but they smell great, and are excellent at creating flavor and I don't have to use onions or garlic to get that.
I recommend NOT adding any salt to your broth. You should add that to the food when you use the broth.
I am asking SIL for another cheapo crock pot for Christmas and to buy it soon, since we have a Longshoreman's strike at 24 US ports going on, and supplies will be dwindling and become more expensive.
I will have had my crock pot running on HIGH for 8 days straight when I finish the next batch on Friday.
I am also processing tomatoes. I am using my programmable and nicer crock pot for this. I don't recommend using this for days long broth processing bc you have to check it and turn it off and on again. I will automatically turn itself off.
The tomatoes will can better if they cook down for about 6-8 hours so this won't be a problem.

 

[ducks4you]

I know that I often learn things from my friends here who are experts on topics.
I have been canning tomatoes for over 20 years and I have learned a few things.
1) it's better to can what's on the table than let them go bad
2) can the tomatoes with imperfections bc you can cut them out while processing
Save the best fruit for you and your family to pig out on!
3) you put tomatoes in boiling water to help peel them.
a) you need a good rolling boil or close
b) you look for tomatoes to split
c) once ONE splits you can take the others out of the boiling water. They WILL be easy to peel
d) The "10 second" rule is only a guideline. If you bring in green tomatoes after a frost, the longer they take to ripen off the vine, the tougher the skins get
4) put the hot tomatoes in a colander and let them cool so you don't burn your fingers!
5) use a crock pot to cook them down bc when you can you won't end up with a layer of tomato water on the bottom and the tomatoes floating on top. It can still happen somewhat and your tomatoes are still fine and tasty, just looks bad. If you have to use a pot on top of the stove you will need to monitor them so that they don't burn
6) most cooks use pints for pretty much everything that Il process. That doesn't mean I listen to them!
I prefer quarts, myself...
7) Your hot water bath canner will probably spill water over on the stove if you can with quarts, BUT, I can do many batches of high acid foods in a row, unlike pressure canning high acid foods, which eats your day away waiting for the pressure to build up, paying attention to the heat, and waiting for HOURS for the canner to cool
8) IF you have a pressure canner and, like me, you have purchased a 2nd rack, That makes a Great way to cool down your jars. It sits 1/2 inch above the canner and has holes so your jars have air flow underneath I just figured this one out. I was using a big wooden cutting board before.
9) Finally, don't make the mistake I did forever--when the jars cool REMOVE the screw tops. Many of us store our jars in the basement and the screw lids will rust there. After you can for a few years you're gonna have a plethora of screw lids anyway, and you will be buying mostly lids.
10) ALSO, it is usual for ME to have pressure canning spillage. IDC
I want my jars to be pretty full Some day I will figure out how to avoid this, but my pressure canner is always super clean!!
11) I don't usually have spillage when I hot water bath can.
12) Really, TRULY, Finally,
You CAN start the jars and water cold for hot water bath canning AND for pressure canning.
You CAN start the produce and jars hot for hot water bath canning AND for pressure canning.
NEVER put hot in cold water OR even room temperature in hot water.
The jars are sensitive and you will have a big mess!
I am back to 60+ quarts of tomatoes, so even planting late I am still ok for cooking this winter with tomatoes.

 

[ducks4you]

This is what I did with the last cucumbers gathered before the frost last week. Canned last night, 15 minutes to process, I hot water bathed them. I followed a recipe, but then I opened up a jar of Pickling Spices that I bought last year at Rural King. It was SO FRAGRANT that I had to add it to the blend. Anyway 3 quarts of pickles put up. Family will consume a 1/2 pint at a time, hence the jars that I chose.
Behind the jars is my pressure canner lid (drying), my jar lifter, the hand written recipe, and the box from MadGarlicGrowers with my garlic to put in the ground. The cup measure is bc I Almost forgot to add the sugar, so I added it to the pot and reheated everything a 2nd time, before filling jars.

 

[ducks4you]

Finished 3 1/2 more quarts of tomatoes, preceded by the 3 leftover green sweet peppers from the Salsa Party chili, followed by the jalepanoes a friend gave me. I put the trays of jalepanoes on top of a garbage bag so it wouldn't heat up my plastic tablecloth. Those glass Ball jars with the glass lids are Really old. Some of the lids will not seal tight and I have discovered that if you cut up baggies you can put them between the jar lip and the glass lid and create an adequate seal that really lasts. You have to be careful to not use too much so you don't break the glass lids. Sometimes in the future I intend to replace the metal clamps AND missing glass lids. They are Excellent for dry storage and you still have canning jars left.

 

[Finnie]

Bone in chicken thighs I canned last week but forgot to post.

I used one jar already, and I really like them. But the bones are pretty soft, so it’s trickier to make sure no pieces of bone get crumbled into your recipe. I might just stick to boneless in the future.

 

[ducks4you]

I have abused my crock pots and cooked down beef and turkey bones with vegetables and sometimes onion powder and garlic powder running the crock pot for up to3 days straight on HIGH.
Then,, I drain the broth and toss the bones and used vegetables before canning. I use not so good but NOT ever soggy vegetables, such as celery with the little brown spots, and dried out carrots, just nothing rotten.
DH said you can drink my thick broth as a meal.
Still thumbs up to ANY canning efforts bc you have to take the time to do it.
AND, you control the amount of salt or other seasonings, NOT what you get at the grocery store.

 

[Finnie]

I don’t cook my bone broth nearly as long as you do, but for many years I have enjoyed the process of making broth from chicken and Turkey carcasses (and beef bones once I save up enough in the freezer for a batch). Until I got my electric canner this year, I never canned the broth. Just crammed my freezer full of many containers of frozen broth. Once I got my canner, I thawed and canned all that broth.

I have not yet attempted making broth and canning it immediately. But now that I think about you cooking it for 3 days in the crockpot, that gives me the idea that maybe I will start the broth on a day that’s convenient for me, and then just keep cooking it indefinitely (or up to 3 days?) until I have a day that works for me to get the canner out.

 

[Finnie]

I just realized that I’m posting in the canning thread of TEG and not SS! Both forums have dark green edges. I am used to posting my bazillions of jar photos on the SS canning thread and this page had a familiar look to it! Well, I guess I will try to be a regular on here too.

 

[ducks4you]

I don’t cook my bone broth nearly as long as you do, but for many years I have enjoyed the process of making broth from chicken and Turkey carcasses (and beef bones once I save up enough in the freezer for a batch). Until I got my electric canner this year, I never canned the broth. Just crammed my freezer full of many containers of frozen broth. Once I got my canner, I thawed and canned all that broth.

I have not yet attempted making broth and canning it immediately. But now that I think about you cooking it for 3 days in the crockpot, that gives me the idea that maybe I will start the broth on a day that’s convenient for me, and then just keep cooking it indefinitely (or up to 3 days?) until I have a day that works for me to get the canner out.

Start your broth on a Friday morning, finish on a Sunday afternoon, OR do it on a 3 day weekend.
Women used to keep a fire and broth going in their fireplaces, and they would drop in bones and vegetables, and then ladle out as needed. THAT is where I got this idea.
A better crockpot with a timer is dicey bc it turns itself off after 12 hours, and you need to restart it.
So, I use the cheapest crock pot possible, also when they die the crocks can be used for gardening, take the lid handle off and you have an air vent.
OR, store the lid safely bc it is next to imPOSSIBLE to find crock pot replacement lids.

 

[Finnie]

OR, store the lid safely bc it is next to imPOSSIBLE to find crock pot replacement lids.

Have you tried goodwill? It might take some patience to find just the right one, but used crockpots, their crocks and their lids are common items at goodwill. I remember needing a replacement plastic lid for the crockpot we got as a wedding present in 1990. (This was almost 20 years later.) I checked every time I found myself in a goodwill and eventually I found one. Now mind you it was taped to its crock and I had to buy it as a set, so I just stored the unneeded crock in the basement in case I ever needed it.