Canning and Preserving For Dummies (30 page)

3
Loosely pack the greens into jars (don’t press down) and pour the boiling hot cooking liquid over them, leaving 1-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil, adding more liquid as necessary to maintain the proper headspace (refer to Chapter 3). Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

4
Process the filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 1 hour 10 minutes (pints) or 1 hour 30 minutes (quarts). Allow the pressure to return to 0, wait an additional 10 minutes, and then carefully open the canner lid. (Head to Chapter 9 for detailed processing instructions for pressure canning.)

5
Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (refer to Chapter 4). If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two weeks. Prior to eating or tasting, boil the food for 15 minutes.

Per 1/2-cup serving:
Calories 55 (From fat 4); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 53mg; Carbohydrates 10g (Dietary fiber 7g); Protein 6g.

Onions

Onions are a staple ingredient in many recipes. Their savory flavor often is the finishing touch to your favorite meal. Canning onions leave them soft but flavorful. Keep these onions in your pantry as an important ingredient for your favorite recipe.

Canned Onions

Canned onions are useful for any quick meal. They are great if eaten on a burger, heated and added to gravy, or just eaten as a condiment.

Preparation time
: 20 minutes

Processing time:
Pints and quarts, 40 minutes

Pressure level:
10 pounds

Yield:
20 pints or 10 quarts

20 pounds fresh onions

Canning salt

1
Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For information on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)

2
Peel and wash the onions. If you’re using large onions, chop them or slice them into 1/2-inch pieces.

3
Place the onions in a 12-quart pot, cover them with water, and bring them to a boil over medium high heat. Boil them for 5 minutes, or until they’re translucent.

4
Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions from cooking liquid (reserve the liquid for filling the jars) and firmly pack them into the prepared jars. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pint jar or 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar. Pour the hot cooking liquid over the onions, leaving 1-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil, adding liquid as necessary to maintain the proper headspace (refer to Chapter 3). Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

5
Process the filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 40 minutes (pints or quarts). Allow the pressure to return to 0, wait an additional 10 minutes, and then carefully open the canner lid away. (Head to Chapter 9 for detailed processing instructions for pressure canning.)

6
Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (refer to Chapter 4). If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two weeks. Prior to eating or tasting, boil the food for 15 minutes.

Per 1/2-cup serving:
Calories 42 (From fat 2); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 294mg; Carbohydrates 10g (Dietary fiber 1g); Protein 1g.

Peas

There is nothing like the taste of garden fresh peas. If your kids have decided they don’t like cooked peas, convince them that your own canned peas are worth a try.

Canned Peas

You can pack a lot of peas in a jar. Try canned peas mixed with rice and tamari sauce.

Preparation time
: 15 minutes

Processing time:
Pints and quarts, 40 minutes

Pressure level:
10 pounds

Yield:
14 pints or 7 quarts

28 to 30 pounds fresh, young peas in the pod

Canning salt

1
Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For information on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)

2
Wash and remove the pods. Place the peas in a 8-quart pot, cover them with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Allow the peas to boil for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they’re bright green but not fully cooked.

3
Remove the peas from the cooking liquid (reserve the liquid for filling jars) and loosely pack the peas into the prepared jars. Pour hot cooking water over them, leaving 1-inch headspace Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pint jar or 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil, adding liquid as necessary to maintain the proper headspace (refer to Chapter 3). Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

4
Process the filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 40 minutes (pints or quarts). Allow the pressure to return to 0, wait an additional 10 minutes, and then carefully open the canner lid. (Head to Chapter 9 for detailed processing instructions for pressure canning.)

5
Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (refer to Chapter 4). If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two weeks. Prior to eating or tasting, boil the food for 15 minutes.

Per 1/2-cup serving:
Calories 70 (From fat 3); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 295mg; Carbohydrates 13g (Dietary fiber 4g); Protein 5g.

Potatoes

The only potatoes recommended for pressure canning are sweet potatoes, yams, and white, or Irish, potatoes. Using any other potatoes yields inferior results because of their chemical makeup (texture and composition).

White or Irish:
These potatoes are round and white with a thin skin. Peel the potatoes prior to precooking. Small potatoes (2 to 3 inches in diameter) may be left whole; cut larger potatoes into quarters before precooking.

Sweet potatoes and yams:
Sweet potatoes are roots and yams are tubers — so they’re actually from two different plant species. Even though sweet potatoes and yams are unrelated, they’re suitable for the same uses. Sweet potatoes have skin colors ranging from light yellow to dark orange and flesh colors ranging from pale yellow to medium orange and are sweeter than yams. Yams contain more natural sugar and have a higher moisture content than sweet potatoes; they’re white to deep red in flesh color with skin colors ranging from creamy white to deep red. Small potatoes may be left whole; cut larger ones into quarters before removing the skins.

Canned White Potatoes

I (Amy) drain my canned potatoes and use them in homemade hash in the winter. They are hearty breakfast fare after a cold morning at the farm.

Preparation time
: 15 minutes

Processing time:
Pints, 35 minutes; quarts, 40 minutes

Pressure level:
10 pounds

Yield:
14 pints or 7 quarts

7 pounds fresh, young potatoes

Canning salt

1
Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For information on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)

2
In a 12-quart pot, bring 2 gallons of water to boil. Wash and peel your potatoes. Cube the potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Carefully place the potatoes in the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes or until potatoes are partially cooked but still firm.

3
Pack the hot potatoes into the prepared jars (reserve the liquid you cooked them in). Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pint jar or 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar. Pour the cooking liquid over the potatoes, leaving 1-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil, adding liquid as necessary to maintain the proper headspace (refer to Chapter 3). Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.

4
Process the filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 35 minutes (pints) or 40 minutes (quarts). Allow the pressure to return to 0, wait an additional 10 minutes, and then carefully open the canner lid. (Head to Chapter 9 for detailed processing instructions for pressure canning.)

5
Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (refer to Chapter 4). If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two weeks. Prior to eating or tasting, boil the food for 15 minutes.

Per 1/2-cup serving:
Calories 36 (From fat 1); Fat 0g (Saturated 0g); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 292mg; Carbohydrates 7g (Dietary fiber 1g); Protein 1g.

Canned Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes can compliment a meal, with their rich, naturally sweet flavor. The bright orange color makes a dish pop, and many who think they don’t like any veggies are pleasantly surprised at the delicious taste of the sweet potato. This recipe produces a firmer finished product with much more flavor — a definite improvement over store-bought sweet potatoes from a can.

Preparation time
: 15 minutes

Processing time:
Pints, 1 hour 5 minutes; quarts, 1 hour 30 minutes

Pressure level:
10 pounds

Yield:
14 pints or 7 quarts

21 pounds sweet potatoes

Canning salt

1
Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For information on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)