Canning

Seriously you guys, this saves so much money. The start up is a little bit to get a pressure canner (which I recommend) and a the jars, but if you find the stuff at thrift shops or know someone who has a canner I would totally look into it.

I just canned 12 jars of black beans. The bag of beans cost me a whopping 99 cents. I had the jars, so basically it is less than 10 cents a jar.

Grape Jelly costs me about 3 dollars to make using frozen juice. I get around 7 or 8 jars.

I bought cucumbers at the farmers market for 4 dollars, and made 12 jars of dill relish. Total cost was probably 6 dollars with the onions, vinegar, and dill.

If you do what is in season (I will be doing salsa and spaghetti sauce soon because tomatoes will be dirt cheap) you can can enough for the entire year.

Plus it's fun. But you know me, I am a super geek and think crocheting and canning is the bees knees!

I was going to do a typical hot water bath but...

I need a stock pot with a grate, AND I never can gauge how many maters' to use. I want to do my own spaghetti sauce and salsa. But I am nervous.

Jeannette wrote:I was going to do a typical hot water bath but...

I need a stock pot with a grate, AND I never can gauge how many maters' to use. I want to do my own spaghetti sauce and salsa. But I am nervous.

Don't be! It's really easy once you get started. I actually do the water bath with a dish towel in the bottom of my pot. As long as your jars aren't coming into prolonged direct contact with the bottom then you're good to go.

Don't you have to put something into the jar along with the tomatoes? Something about the pH? I need to read more about it still.

It's been a long time since I've canned just tomatoes, but the only thing I've ever added was lemon juice to preserve the bright red color. That was only when i entered them into the fair for 4H though. I didn't bother any other times. Tomatoes are acidic enough that they shouldn't really need anything else added. You should probably recheck that info though. Like I said, it's been awhile. Im lazy, so I just freeze them or roast them and keep them in oil now.

Ooooooo, roasted and in oil?!

The only thing I've been good at this year is slicing and freezing zucchini and squash.

You don't have to add anything to tomatoes, jellies, or pickles. All these can be water bath canned, and you don't need the pressure cooker. I would spring for one after you do these. There are these nifty things you can put in your big pot that keep the jars off the bottom and you can life all the jars out then.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4334285&CAWELAID=548953125&cagpspn=pla

My cousins and grandma cans. I should have them show me how!

That thing looks AWESOME!!!

I need to learn to can. I don't know when I would fit that in though

I am going to start doing this! Amazing idea and saves so much money!