I did the sweet potatoes (yes @flowerbug , pressure canned!) and two kinds of jellies, and then I got busy with other things so the rest of the canning list still waits.
Got both crock pots and their aluminum shells scrubbed up and clean, then I started 1/2 package of 6 chicken drumsticks for chicken broth in the 8 qt crock pot. I started with some previously kinda watered down turkey broth, added the drumsticks and some frozen carrots scrapings and frozen onion pieces (from cuts for hamburgers that nobody wanted.)
I removed the chicken this morning and fed Eva half, refrigerated the other half, and get it going.
I should be making specialty chicken broth this afternoon, then I will start vegetable broth in the 8 qt crock pot.
I sent DD (Chef) home yesterday with 12 pints of recent beef broth. All 12 pints fit nicely in the box that they ship our coffee beans. I cut cardboard dividers in between each set of 6 pints, and one shelf for the 2nd set of 6, then labeled. The dividers will keep the glass jars from breaking against each other.
Yes, I have wine boxes with dividers, but they hold 16 jars and that gets Really heavy. This weight is more manageable.
She will get another such box with chicken broth pints this week, then another with vegetable broth.
I should mention that wine boxes will work for quarts, if the dividers are wide enough, but you will want to put them on the ground and fill them there. 12 quarts of anything is VERY HEAVY!
Here are some photos of My broth storage. Even though I have shelves in my basement pantry, I began storing/labeling boxes with dividers for broth a few years ago.
Here are the last two boxes, in which was shipped a 4-pack of coffee beans. Eldest DD has us on a shipping schedule, and all bags are 32 ounce packages.
When I cut cardboard dividers I can fill one with 8 pints. I used kitchen shears and the last photo shows the throw away (to the "burn barrel") pieces.
Here is what I recently packaged up and delivered to Eldest DD (Chef) so that I don't have to keep going downstairs to retrieve these for her cooking. I started the chicken broth with 2 quarts of lightweight turkey broth that I had stored. Just wanted to and DH labeled them "Foul broth, 2-24-25."
DD has set up a 2nd small pantry top of the stairs on a wide landing on the other side of the basement door with a 4 shelve shelving unit. Since they are the same size, they will stack.
I am currently crock potting vegetable broth, and I will probably do this 2x to fill another "coffee beans" box.
DD likes to use vegetable broth as a neutral broth for cooking. The one cooking Now has an onion, 6 dehydrated garlic pieces, 6 stalks (in 1/2, so really 3 stalks) of celery that I froze before it went bad and a couple of small carrots.
This will probably make 8 more pints, then I will start more in my 6qt crock pot for 4 more...an even dozen.
I am in the process of throwing things away everywhere, and just like DOGE, every item needs to justify it's usefulness to me. Otherwise I have a large trash can in the basement with a wide, hungry mouth.
Just finished the last 5 pints of vegetables broth.
The first 7 jars had:
onions
celery
carrots
garlic
potato
The last 5 jars also had green peppers bc I discovered some frozen cut up green sweet peppers cleaning out my porch freezer, so I added those to the crock pot, which is NOW ALL cleaned up and ready to store!!
I printed out and package taped the ingredients on the first 7 jars, tomorrow morning I will do the same with the jars cooling in the canner on the stove.
For neebies, it is Best practice to move the pressure canner off of the burner after canning and let it rest for at Least 6 hours before opening up and removing your jars. It gets SO HOT that you can see the produce still boiling in the jars just a few hours after you finish, so I will wait until tomorrow morning to do that job.
I wanted to label the ingredients for DD(Chef) so that she can decide which vegetable broth to use for a particular recipe.
Again, I have labeled a cardboard coffee bean box ahead of time, filled it with the first 7 pints, and cut the cardboard dividers ahead of storing the last 5 jars, then off to DD's house to get it OUT OF MY KITCHEN!!!
I took the smaller pieces and they are going out to the compost.
My composter needs more browns!
I am also putting out ALL of the cooked down vegetables in the compost bin.
I am dreaming of lovely soil in a few months from this gadget!