So this last week I bought my first quart size canner. It is a water bath canner. There are 2 different types of canning, "water bath" and "pressure canning". Water bath is self exlanatory in that canned and sealed jars are essentially "bathed" in extrememly hot water to create an airtight seal and heat thru food products thoroughly enough to kill any microbial bacteria that could rear it's ugly head in your pantry a month or so down the road. This method is used mainly for jams,jellies and high acidic foods like tomatoes,pickles and citrus fruits.Then there is pressure canning which involves submerging the sealed jars into a pressure cooker to vacuum seal them during the heating process using intense pressure , to prevent spoiling. This is the preferred method for canning veggies like beans,potatoes,carrots etc. that have very low acidity.
This is my first time canning as an adult ,without my Grandma or my Auntie by my side to guide me. I am driven by the memories of myself and my cousins sitting under her porch in the middle of a sweltering Arkansas summer,sharing a jar of crisp pickles, or sweet blackberry jam or tender seasoned pole beans pilfered from the pantry. What a treat those stolen moments were for our tastebuds,I have never eaten anything since that made me feel that way. So this summer, I am embarking on a mission to can my own, on my own. To do my Grandmother proud. I am canning pickled Okra from the heirloom garden this week and also some of my home made salsa. I have bushels of cucumbers on the vine so pickles-kosher dill-will be next. Feeling confident, I plan to preserve bell peppers and hot peppers both in Olive oil as well as Egg plant.
I may be in over my head but I went to the local library today and checked out everything they had on canning and food preservation.I also acquired a book called," COUNTRY WISDOM & KNOW HOW: everything you need to know to live off the land" this book is invaluable to anyone wanting to make a go of living this way,whether you have prior experience or not. I feel prepared and I am excited. I want to share that under-the-porch-stolen-treats feeling with my kids.I want them to pop open the top on a pretty 'lil jar of strawberry jam and remember the sweet taste of summertime as they tuck their robes around them to ward of the winter chill. I want to put a little sunshine on their tongues with fresh salsa they helped to grow and water and weed. Somehow that just makes it taste real. So this week I will chronicle at some point my misadventures in canning,pectin nightmares and poor seal dilemmas,complete with pictures and recipes too.
Rained again today, Praise God. All of Florida and Georgia are on fire and desperately need it.I let the goslings out this morning for about an hour and they followed me like little lap dogs, all around the property. Squonking and eating fresh green grass tips.They are the prettiest little creatures, their eyes are almost human, their mannerisms so expressive.I was able to negotiate a very good price for a trio of pure bred Nubian dairy goats. Now to get the money for them. I will pray and keep my eyes open for opportunity. Thats how it works. We are preparing for a day when we can be self sufficient, we may HAVE to be. The goats will provide us with much needed dairy products, including butter, cheese, cream and milk. They double their value as a source of meat in hard times too. I have switched all the cleaning products over to "green products", concocted in the kitchen. Counters/mirrors/surfaces :1 part water & 1 part white vinegar. put in a spray bottle and shake to mix. Vinegar kills over 80% of all germs and the odor dissoles during evaporation. Has been working nicely.Soft scrub mixture: 1 part baking soda, 1 part liquid dish soap. mix in a liquid soap bottle or ha jar with lid. Will make a gentle ,gritty paste. Rub onto any surface you would normally use soft scrub on(sinks, ceramic stovetops, faucets etc..) let sit for a couple minutes and wash off.Also works great-ADDED BONUS: SOFT HANDS!! trying a recipe for home made deodorant this week, will keep you posted.
No comments:
Post a Comment