Sunday, February 23, 2014
Canning Beans & Hotdogs - Video
Recipe
This will yield approx. 14 pints
Adjust brown sugar and molasses to add sweetness
6 1/2 cups dry beans (Jacobs cattle)
2 lbs hot dogs
1 lb polish sausage
2 large onions
1 lb salt pork
Soak beans overnite. Drain and cover with 8 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes and let set till cool. Once cooled drain beans and set aside.
In a pot add:
(1) 12 oz can tomato paste
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/4 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp black pepper
3 tsp sea salt
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
bring ingredients to a boil
add cut up onions, hot dogs & Sausage to pint jars with a piece of salt pork in the bottom of jar and another on top of filled jar.
Add 3 TBs of Balsamic Vinegar to liquid and start filling jars.
Fill jars within 1" of top with hot liquid and seal.
Can for 75 minutes in pressure canner.
5 Food Storage Items That Will Last Longer Than Any Apocalypse
by: Lee Flynn
One of the biggest concerns people have with food storage is shelf life. After all, nobody wants to dip into their emergency food supply during a real honest-to-goodness disaster and find that all of their “imperishable” goods have decomposed into brown sludge. It’s true, many foods such as canned goods and frozen meals don’t last as long as you might expect. But what can you do? Well, for starters, you can do some in-depth research into what you decide to store (which is probably why you’re here in the first place). For another thing, you can stock up on foods that really willlast forever. Here are five of the longest lasting emergency food storage items available.
1. Salt- Although, depending on who you talk to, salt may not technically be a “food,” this mineral has been used in conjunction with food for the better part of, well, forever. Evidence of salt extraction operations dates back about 9,000 years. To give you some scope, the wheel wasn’t invented until about 3,000 years later. Being a mineral instead of any sort of organic material, salt is completely immune to microbial attack. That means that it won’t spoil, and it helps prevent spoilage in other foods. It also enhances taste, so if you do catch yourself in a situation where you have to live off of bland emergency food, you’ll be happy if you’ve got some salt nearby. As for its shelf life, well, it’s a rock; it will last forever, or until you eat it.
2. Honey- Honey is a wonderful substance. Unlike salt, it is 100% organic. It’s also 100% healthy for you to eat. Raw honey has natural antibacterial, antimicrobial, and anti-fungal properties, it boosts the human immune system, and can even be used to soothe symptoms associated with the common cold. It’s high in calories, so in a low-food situation it will give you much needed energy on an otherwise empty stomach. You can also spread it on burns for temporary relief, making honey a useful first aid supply too. Perhaps most amazing is that honey doesn’t seem to ever go bad. For example, 3,000 year old honey unearthed from an Egyptian tomb was still edible. It may change its consistency and crystallize/harden, but when heated it will simply return to its original state. Be warned, however, honey can be dangerous for children under 1 year of age, so keep it away from them.
3. Dried white rice- If properly stored, white rice can last upwards of 30 years in storage. I know that doesn’t sound too impressive compare to the forever shelf lives of salt and honey, but come on, 30 years is a really long time. If you were to start your food storage on the day you were born, and live to be 90 years old, you’d only have to replace this stuff maybe three times. White rice also has a variety of uses. It’s filling, contains calories, protein, and certain vitamins and nutrients, and is easy to prepare. Brown rice has more nutrients than white, but it doesn’t store quite as well.
4. Freeze dried foods- Freeze dried foods are made by rapidly freezing meals, and then leaching the water from them leaving only a frozen, dry substance that can be easily packaged and stored. Adding a little boiling water will reconstitute the food into something not only edible, but downright palatable and healthy. See, the freeze drying process is able retain the taste and nutrients of the original meal. Different freeze dried foods can be safely stored for varying lengths of time, but regardless of what you use, their shelf lives usually end up being about 20–30 years. Compare that to most canned goods, which only last for 3–5 years.
5. Dehydrated foods- Although not quite as long-lasting as freeze dried meals, dehydrated foods still have long shelf lives. This is because they follow the same basic process: moisture is removed and then the item is packaged. The difference is that with conventional dehydration techniques, only about 90% of the moisture is removed (as opposed to freeze drying, which removes approximately 98% of the moisture). Thus, dehydrated foods only last about 15–20 years before needing to be replaced. Still, that’s really not bad, when you think about it.
The Survival Garden: Making The Shovel Your Weapon Of Choice
In today’s economy it’s getting increasingly challenging to put decent food on the table for the average family. With the rising cost of fuel it just make common sense to develop solid gardening skills. In a survival situation it is imperative to eat good, clean, wholesome food and producing your own food is a means of becoming self-sufficient. As Ron Finley says;
“Growing your own food is like printing your own money”.
Plant a vegetable garden:
I always say that one of the most overlooked skills in the Prepper and/or Survivalist community is gardening. Most Preppers think that they need lots of land to have a decent garden, however, that’s not true. If you use gardening techniques like raised beds or square foot gardening your garden production can and will go a long way in short or limited spaces. I’m even aware of Preppers who live in apartments , growing food and gardening right on their balconies. It’s called balcony gardening.
Plant a herb garden:
Herbs have both vital nutritional as well and medicinal properties. Growing herbs can be quite simple. In fact, you can even grow many herbs inside your home all year long. Window seals are the perfect place for growing herbs as the amount of space needed to grow many herbs are minimal and there is nothing like fresh herbs to add flavor to your traditional food preps. As a Certified Master Herbalist I can tell you that there are so many medicinal herbs which you can easily grow, all of them will be vital if/when TEOTWAWKI (The end of the world as we know it) takes place and even if it doesn’t. Echinacea is one of best cold/flu prevention herbs which you can grow in your back yard. It’s pretty pink flowers adds beauty to your garden and at the same time its dried leaves will be a beneficial tea to build up your immune system. My list goes on for herbs like, Oregano for colds, congestion, menstrual pains, fresh Mint for stomach issues and fever just to name a few.
From a medicinal point, some of the natural and healthiest antibiotics that you can grow in your backyard are garlic and/or onions. During the time of the Pharaohs, when Egypt was at the peak of its power, garlic was given to the laborers and slaves who were building the great pyramids in order to increase their stamina and strength as well as to protect them from diseases. During both World Wars I and II, soldiers were given garlic to prevent gangrene.
Learn how to can your own food:
Gardening and Canning go hand in hand, especially when it come to “Long Term” Survival and Food Storage situations. As you develop your gardening skills it will become quite obvious that your garden just might produce more food than what you you and your family can eat. The enhancement of Gardening skills means that you should learn the skill of “Canning” what you are growing. If you live in a planting zone that has snow/frost you’ll especially want to learn how to preserve the food you are growing to get you through the season when there is little to garden unless you have some type of greenhouse. If your survival situation does not permit you to have a visible greenhouse, then a hidden cold cellar might be a viable option for root plants like, lettuce, cabbage, potatoes, onions, garlic, broccoli, etc.
Get a dehydrator:
Planting vegetables, planting herbs, canning and dehydrating food are all “A match made in Heaven”. There are so many options for dehydrating fruits and vegetables. You can purchase a dehydrator from a manufacturer. You can make one and with today’s renewable energy technology, you can even make a solar dehydrator. There is so much nutritional value in preserving your fruit and produce using this method. For the most part, your fruits will be fruitier using their own natural sugar. Dehydrating enhances this process. You’ll have tasty snacks for the whole family without harmful chemicals. Your dehydrator will allow you to preserve onions, celery, peas, carrots, tomatoes, green beans, garlic potatoes, and more. How about learning to make your own Fruit Roll Ups? USA Emergency Supply reports that they have used dehydrated foods that was over 28 years old. “Five years ago we obtained several 28 year old cans of dehydrated food that had been stored unusually cool. Then we ask the Benson Institute at BYU to test them. Here’s their statement:
“These evaluations are based solely on the products present (after storage) attributes. We did not compare these products against freshly produced counterparts. They were compared with basic standards of food quality. Considering the time period of storage, the products have stored very well (better than many stored that long, i.e. 7 November 1964, 11 August 1967, and 25 July 1970).”
Plant Edible Perennials:
The whole point of having a garden and more importantly a Survival garden is to grow food that you and your family can eat, and in some cases eat well. Perennials are not just good looking flowers. They are also flowers you can eat in your salads. They don’t require a lot of space and at the same time does add some beauty to your surroundings. Most people aren’t even aware of edible Perennials. The good thing is they require very little effort to grow. By the way there are also vegetables what are in the Perennial family like: Radicchio, Asparagus, Kale, Collar Greens, Rhubarb, Strawberries, and Jerusalem Artichokes.
Here is a simple list of edible flowers that you can grow and eat in/out of a survival situation: Daisies (Bellis perennis quills) green leaves, Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale leaves, roots, flowers, petals, buds), Daylilies (Hemerocallis buds, flowers, petals), Pansies (Viola x Wittrockiana flowers, petals), Pot Marigolds (Calendula officinalis petals with white heel removed), Nasturtium (blossoms and seeds), Osmanthus fragrans (flower), Chrysanthemum (flower), Roses (Rosa petals with white heel removed, rose hips), and of course Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus buds, petals, seeds).
Plant fruits:
There are so many fruits you can plant that don’t take up a lot of space or require years before they are producers. Plant blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries just to name a few. Most of them loaded with the vital vitamin C. These berries also make delicious pies, tarts and how about mixing them together to make a delicious fruit salads.
I would also add growing fruit trees in containers. The following trees, and even their dwarf versions grow well in containers: Pomegranate, Apple, Fig, Grape, Nectarine, Peach, Lemon and Pineapple Guava. These fruit trees can be moved indoors during the winter months and for survival purpose grown indoors if/when the need arises.
Seed Saving:
In my opinion each family should have their own Heirloom Seed Bank in their preps and demonstrated by way of an actual Heirloom Garden. You start by buying heirloom seeds that are Non-GMO, Non-Hybrid and Open-pollinated seeds. You’ll want to learn various seed saving techniques for each variety. For example many first time gardeners have no idea how or where onion seeds come from. How about carrot seeds? When you cut open these vegetables there isn’t any noticeable seeds inside, so where do they get onion or carrots seeds from? Your job (should you decide to develop these forgotten gardening skills) is to learn to save the seeds from this years produce which should enable you to plant next year’s garden. Heirloom Seeds are true producers, passing 100% of their genetics to their offspring. You can’t say that for Hybrid seeds. With Hybrids what you see may not always be what you get.
Our company, MyheirloomSeeds.com even has Heritage Seeds that date back to the 15th Century. One that comes to mind is the Armenian Cucumber. This Heritage Cucumber comes in both Yellow and Green variety. Get in the habit now of buying, selling and trading/bartering Heirloom Seeds. They might even be worth more than gold if/when TEOTWAWKI.
Compost your heart away:
Feed your garden with organic fertilizer. Composting is the ultimate form of recycling for a Gardener. People think compost is smelly and disgusting but in actually it’s not supposed to smell The sign of healthy compost is that should earthy. If your compost is creating a offensive smell, you are doing it incorrectly.
A great of food world-wide ends up in trash bins or landfills. The Prepper, Survivalist, Homesteader, etc, use things and then if possible reuses them in the form of recycling and composting. Your garden should be any different. Take all of your leaves, newspapers, plain cardboard, weeds, grass clippings etc and put them directly into our compost pile bins. There is more to composting like the different types i.e. hot and cold. Do your research and develop this need gardening skill.
It doesn’t matter if you are new to prepping or an old timer, gardening is one of the skills that can be used for maintaining long term food storage. Canning, dehydrating and seed saving will only help to solidify your food preps and give you many advantages in terms of helping you stay healthy and quite possible alive even if the world is not going the end as we know it. These are Gardening skills that your Great-Grands should have passed down to you and you can pass on also.
Happy prepping-Happy Gardening!
How To Successfully Grow Potatoes In Tires
Here’s a question that I get from potato lovers: “How can I grow potatoes in abundance in limited space?”
Growing potatoes in tires can be quite simple and here are my instructions how to do it and have a bumper crop. You get a chance to do some recycling and vertical gardening all together.
Depending on the size of the tires, I first wash them. If they are small enough for me to get them in my pickup truck, I’ll take them to a car wash and wash them under pressure
with soap then rinse with water. Inside thetire and outside as well, making sure the tread is free from road grim and grit.
with soap then rinse with water. Inside the
You’ll want to set the tire away from an prevailing winds to keep their foliage from getting wind damage. Make sure the spot you select will be free of most foot traffic and out
of the way of activities to avoid the set-up from being knocked over. Press down any growth on the ground such as clover or grass, and lay a thick mat of saturated newspapers over the grass or area which you will be setting tire over. Over this, put down 2 nice layers of cardboard: one long ways, the other cross ways: you can cut the cardboard away AFTER you position the tires on top of the cardboard. The newspaper will soon deteriorate into the soil, but the cardboard hangs around for awhile, giving added protection against weeds and grass that would come up into the tire.
of the way of activities to avoid the set-up from being knocked over. Press down any growth on the ground such as clover or grass, and lay a thick mat of saturated newspapers over the grass or area which you will be setting tire over. Over this, put down 2 nice layers of cardboard: one long ways, the other cross ways: you can cut the cardboard away AFTER you position the tires on top of the cardboard. The newspaper will soon deteriorate into the soil, but the cardboard hangs around for awhile, giving added protection against weeds and grass that would come up into the tire.
Whether or not you trim away the rim of the top tire is your decision. Some tires I do trim, others I do not. The bigger the tire is, the more likely I am to trim away the
sidewall up to its tread. (This is just my own way of doing things).
sidewall up to its tread. (This is just my own way of doing things).
Wet the cardboard down really good then start stuffing newspapers, leaves, straw, corncobs, sawdust or whatever you have that will absorb moisture into the inner rim
of the tires so when rains come, the organic material will take up the excess moisture and hold it till the plants need it the most: moisture will “wick” away from the inner rim into the main tire container area.
of the tires so when rains come, the organic material will take up the excess moisture and hold it till the plants need it the most: moisture will “wick” away from the inner rim into the main tire container area.
Once the rim is packed with such materials you have on hand or can obtain at no cost to you or for little cost, crumble your topsoil, potting soil and cover the cardboard with 3 or 4 soil inches of this mixture, then seat your potato seeds into that mixture. I always add a dusting of hardwood ashes I’ve kept from the wood stove over the potatoes. Potash is very good for root crops.
Once your potatoes are in place, dusted with wood ash, cover with a layer (not pressed down) of straw, shredded newspapers, compost, or whatever mulch you’ll be using, then cover the top hole with a piece of glass, Plexiglas, or you can rig clear plastic over the top if you have nothing else to use. Glass and/or Plexiglas is ever so much easier on you the gardener, than using the plastic cover is. Because the bed must be watered weekly unless rainfall measures 1-inch. You never want the soil to dry out, and potatoes (sweet and Irish) need a lot of water to return you a bumper crop.
Irish potatoes need only 4-inches of top growth. When your tater vines/plants reach 6-inches tall, it’s time to add a 2-inch layer of mulch, and snug it up around the potato plant stems. When it’s time, add another tire on top of the first one. And just keep adding mulch, water, and tires until the stack grows 5-6 tires tall. You may need to drive a wooden stay on 2 or 3 sides of the tires so they won’t blow over when storms come, or when you brush against them, or dogs hit them while chasing a ball, or once night temps no longer offer a chance of frost, you can omit the glass top: if you have who might eat the tater vine, you can use an old window screen instead of the glass top. And when the temps get around or above 80 degrees, put a layer of newspaper around the upper edge of the top most tire: this will to deflect heat away from the tire and preserves inner moisture as well.
The first blooms that form, I pinch off. This pours more growth to the roots which is what you’ll harvest anyhow. The 2nd set of blooms, I allow to form and soon after the vines will begin to dry and become mulch. You can “dig” your taters by removing one tire at a time. If you’ll prepare another tire spot before unloading your tater tire, as soon as you remove one tire, you can roll it over on top of the cardboard spot you’ve just made beside your tater tire, and by the time your potatoes are all lying out on the ground, you’ll have another tater tower built ready to plant into again to make another crop of late fall taters to harvest just before a hard freeze hits your area…depending, of course, on just what area that is.
Surviving Underground: Planting Your Own Secret Underground Garden
Written by: Philip Masterson
With the worsening economy, coupled with the changing climate, it is very difficult to keep a family alive. Also, the looming danger of terrorism and the collapse of government, will give anyone a nightmare. I, for one, will not be waiting for the disasters to approach before I prepare my family for the inevitable. With a wife and two kids, I have to plan carefully how the family can sustain itself with or without disaster. An underground garden or an indoor garden is one way to Underground Greenhouse
We have a large basement that can hold a decent-sized indoor garden. However, I worried about the structure of the house and if it can take the regular flow of water on the soil. So, instead of using the basement, I decided to use the backyard as my location for the underground garden called walipini.
Developed 20 years ago in South America, a walipini is an affordable and effective alternative to glass greenhouse. It was developed so that growers can maintain a garden even through winter. The walipinitakes advantage of the principles of passive solar heating with earth-sheltered building.
According to Tree Hugger, a walipini is, “a rectangular hole in the ground 6’ to 8’ deep, covered byplastic sheeting .”
To capture the heat coming from the sun, an angled, two-layer plastic roof must be built with a thick wall of rammed earth at the back of the building and a lower wall at the front. By building the greenhouse using the earth as walls, it taps into the thermal mass of the earth. It requires much less energy to heat the interior ofwalipini. The whole structure only costs around $300 and is functional the whole year.
Watering the Underground Garden
People think that underground gardens are difficult to irrigate. Most gardeners use hydroponics systems to save time in watering their plants. There are kits available online and I found detailed instructions in building hydroponics gardens.
However, there is a much simpler way to water plants without shunning off soil all together. Using PVC pipes and careful planning, I built an underground sprinkler system for my underground garden!
First, I dug trenches just a few inches deep through the garden. I also have plants on pots and large containers. I just drilled holes on their sides just enough to fit the pipes and hoses through them. The trenches are connected to a single trench that runs along on end of the garden.
I laid 3/4 inch PVC pipe on the trenches. For the plants on pots and containers, I inserted soaker hoses through the holes to provide a little bit of flexibility. I connected these with three-way pipe connectors , using rubber cement to glue the pipes to the connectors. For the soaker hoses, I used two-way hose splitters. I closed the holes on the posts with rubber cement to prevent leakage. Note that it is not recommended to connect more than 100 feet of hose or pipe together. Drip irrigation loses pressure when it is too long. End caps are then placed on the ends of the pipes and hoses.
I drilled 1/16 holes into the pipes and hoses to drip water. The spacing varies with each plant. But, groups of holes should be three to five feet apart to keep the integrity of the pipes and hoses. Of course, the sprinkler system should be automatic. I connected a backflow preventer to the faucet and placed a timer over it. I installed a pressure regulator on the timer and attached a garden hose to the pressure regulator. The garden hose then connects my faucet to the irrigation system. It’s just a matter of setting the timer to turn the sprinkler on and off.
Plants
Before building my underground garden, I already had plants and herbs in mind. The goal of my garden is to feed my family with organic produce so that was my priority. Tomatoes, eggplants and peppers are really easy to plant in lighted areas. I placed them in the sunny part of my garden. I typically use fluorescent bulbs during winter when the sunlight is not enough. I was careful about planting root crops as they root deep and they can ruin the walipini by softening the ground. However, radishes do not root very deeply and I was still able to plant some in boxes above the ground. I also planted potatoes in buckets. The key to planting root crops is to provide them with a steady supply of compost.
A friend also said mushrooms are great especially if the garden has dark and moist corners. Since mine is mostly lit throughout the year, I did not consider planting them. I added dwarf French beans early in the winter so they can soak in the sun during spring.
Of course, organic food need not be bland. Herbs are surprisingly easy to grow in underground or indoor gardens. During spring, I plant lots of basil as it likes the sun. I also add oregano if I have time. I’ve also planted parsley in the past springs. During summer, I have the most success with chervil. During winter, I was able to grow tarragon taken from my outdoor garden. Just recently, I planted bay as it grows easily regardless of the season.
Starting the underground garden was a challenge for me as I did everything on my own, with the occasional help from the family. As the garden grows, I slowly learned about the value of food and how easy it is to grow with enough effort. Prepper or not, I believe having a garden helps a lot, not only with food and preparedness, but also as a productive hobby. I gave my two kids their own little spots in the garden so they can plant whatever they want. My wife also helps a lot since she seems to have the green thumb. Gardening relaxes me a lot, especially after work. It sure beats sitting in front of the TV drinking beer!
How to Safely Store Canning Supplies
Written and lived by Stephanie Dayle.
With the garden processed and put to bed for the winter heavy frosts are descending on our property every morning now. Many people who practice home canning are getting ready to put their canner up for the winter to make room for the holiday baking season. At the farmstead following harvest, we spend a brief period of time canning venison from hunting season, canning chicken stock from parts that have been saved during the summer and canning beef from the current year’s beef steer. Then the canner is put up until next summer, as I prefer to spend winters baking, making soap, and working other on projects.
All photos by Stephanie Dayle 2013
However before packing up and putting away the canners and other supplies, there are a few chores that need to be done in order to maintain the equipment that we depend on. These chores are important for safety and will prevent any delays in food processing next summer. They will also help our expensive investment last longer. Here is a quick check list to run through.
Start with your pressure canner, clean the vent. To clean the vent, draw a clean string or narrow strip of cloth through the opening, sometimes a small pipe cleaner can be used.
- Clean the safety valve. Remove any noticeable obstructions and and check to
make sure it operates freely. Since all models are different check the product manual for instructions on cleaning and maintaining the safety valve on your canner.Steam Vent
- Next, inspect the gasket, if your pressure canner has a gasket (which is the big rubber band-like device that helps seal the edges of the canner and lid to prevent steam from escaping). If the gasket is removable, remove it and clean it per the manufacturer’s directions found in the product manual.
- Stock up on gaskets. New gaskets can be ordered from the canner manufacturer, online or found at hardware stores. Now is a great time to check your gasket inventory and get more if needed. Store spares in a ziplock bag so they don’t dry out. If you habitually go years between using your canner remove the gasket all together and store it in the same bag. This will keep it from drying out between uses. Gaskets will last longer when the canners are habitually used.
- Have your gauge tested. If your canner has a dial gauge, now is a good time to take the gauge in for testing. Contact your county extension office (click here to find one near you) for assistance checking the accuracy of the gauge, this is a free service that most extension offices provide. This should be done well in advance of the next canning season so that if the gauge tests off by more than 1 pound of pressure at 5, 10, or 15 pounds, it can be replaced without causing a delay to your processing efforts.
Purchase an extra gauge. Most gauges that lose their accuracy need to be replaced and cannot be fixed as most gauges are made to replaced and not fixed. A spare gauge is also a handy thing to keep in storage just incase. Check the product manual for your canner to find the correct part and model number before ordering.
- Care of the sealing edges of your canner. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for care if your canner has a metal to metal seal instead of a gasket. If your canner has a dial gauge, be careful not to immerse the gauge when cleaning.
- Clean your canner before storage. The darkened surface on the inside of an aluminum canner can be cleaned by filling it above the darkened line with at mixture of 1 tablespoon cream of tartar to each quart of water. Place the canner on the stove, heat water to a boil, and boil until the dark deposits disappear. Sometimes stubborn deposits may require additional cream of tartar. Empty the canner and wash it with hot soapy water, rinse and dry. (Hint: deposits from hard water on the inside of the canner and on the jars may be reduced if you add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar to the water in the canner while you process your jars.)
Store pressure canners with crumpled clean paper towels under and around the bottom under the rack. This will help absorb moisture and odors. Place the lid upside down on the canner. Never put the lid on the canner and seal it. Some people find storing their canner in the box it came more convenient, I lost that box long ago so my canner just goes up on a shelf now.
- Wash your water bath canner and store it the same way.Wash the canner, lid and rack in warm soapy water and allow to dry completely. Repeat the above process of adding some paper towels under the rack for storage. For granite enamel water bath canners this also prevents the rack from wearing down the finish on the inside as it’s bumped or reshuffled in storage. Again, store the canner with the lid on upside down in a dry area.
- Inventory jars and two piece lids (or reusable Tattler lid combinations). If properly used and stored, glass jars can last indefinitely. As you empty jars during the winter, check for any chips or breaks, then wash and store them in a safe place. Two-piece lids consist of a flat metal disc and a separate metal screw band. After canning, bands should be removed once the jars have sealed otherwise they will rust directly to the lids making removal a pain. Wash and store the bands in a dry place, they can also be reused. If you are rotating your food storage the only thing you should need to replace is lids.
Finally, designate a clean and dry storage area for your canning equipment and utensils. Make clever use of organizational accessories, like clear plastic boxes and racks to suit your space and equipment. Organization like this is best done in the late fall or winter, it keeps your mind off of the weather. When summer rolls around you will be ready for another canning season!
Click here to read another article on canning safety: (click here to read Why Can’t I Can That?)
How to Can Brandied Apples
Looking for that perfect homemade Christmas present? Try canning some brandied apples, they are a simply divine dessert and an easy recipe to can yourself at home. Add a red bow to the top and it makes a great Christmas present (that is, if you don’t eat them all yourself, because they are that good) or add a jar to a gift basket full of homemade goods for an even better and frugal Christmas present!
Brandied apples are fantastic in dumplings, strudels, pies and served warm, over the top of angel food cake – topped with a dab of homemade whipped cream. For an unique gift, try using the new blue “Ball Heritage”pint jars and the end result should be a pretty purple looking jar.
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups water
- 1 Tbsp red food coloring, optional
- 4 1/2 lbs firm red apples, cored, cut into 1/4 inch rings, treated to prevent browning and drained (about 14 medium sized apples)
- 1 cup of nice brandy
- 6 (16 oz) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands
- Boiling Water Bath Canner
The recipe calls for red apples so you get that nice red color when you get it all canned. This is why the recipe does not call for peeling the apples. When I made this batch of brandied apples I was using apples from our trees that we had left over from doing a giant batch of applesauce so they were already peeled, so I used a touch of food coloring to get the color. What you choose to do is up to you, as it turns out I like peeled brandied apples better.
TIP: My aunt always used to tell me never to cook with alcohol that you wouldn’t drink. What she meant by this was not to go cheap on that particular ingredient as it will effect the end product.
Slice, core and ready your apple rings (I use an apple peeler whenever I am doing more than a couple of apples, it speeds up the process considerably). Treat them with lemon juice to prevent browning.
- Get the boiling water canner heating up, jars cleaned and sterile and lids in hot water ready for use.
- Combine the sugar and water in a large stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes until sugar is dissolved.
- Add food coloring, if using it, and apple rings – return to a boil. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring occasionally, until apples are slightly tender and, if using food coloring, the desired shade of red, about 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your apple slices or rings. Remove from heat.
- Remove apple rings from syrup using a slotted spoon, and sit aside in a large glass or stainless steel bowl. Keeping the mixture hot for canning stir in brandy. The reason why do you this at the end is because to do so earlier would cook off all the alcohol.
- Pack hot apple rings loosely into sterile jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Ladle hot syrup into jars to cover apple rings leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar.
Apply band until fit is fingertip tight. - Process jars in a boiling water canner for 15 minutes (adjust time for altitude). Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. If anything didn’t seal, check jar rims for chips, replace with a new lid and ring the re-process the jar.
Enjoy your home canned brandied apples!
Please note: As the title suggests, the finished product will contain alcohol! Also note – there are many recipes on the internet for home-canned brandied apples, any similarities are merely a coincidence.
Canning Asparagus
One of the reasons I do not grow asparagus is because it takes 2-5 years to produce. Maybe I am just lazy in that aspect, but it is just easier for us to buy it in bulk and can it from home. Recently my neighbor brought us a big box of frozen asparagus. The tips and ends already cut. I don’t know about other canners out there, but seeing a box of vegetables like that is like Christmas morning for me! I get super excited.
Below I am going to walk you through the steps I use to can asparagus for our family and our food storage . If you have any questions or tips, feel free to leave them in the comment section. (Links added to article are the equipment I personally use and am satisfied with.)
Safety First and Following your manual~ If you lost your manual and have not read it, I suggest doing so before doing any canning. Safety always comes first. Presto Canner Instruction Manuals. All American Instruction Manuals. (I personally own and use the All American Pressure canner. I have never had to replace it.)
Tools Needed:
- Pressure Canner ~ Not a water bath canner! Asparagus, like most other vegetables, does not have enough acidity in it to prevent the growth of bacteria. The temperature of a water bath canner does not get high enough to kill the bacteria spores. (Note: If you are pickling the asparagus then a water bath canner is safe to use.)
- Canning Utensils ~ For grabbing hot jars etc…
- Large Pot ~ For boiling water.
- Ladle ~ To spoon boiling water into the jars.
- Canning Jars ~ I use pint-sized jars but you can also use quart size jars if you have a larger family. We have 2 adults and 2 kids in our home and the pint size seems to work fine for portions.
- Salt ~ One teaspoon per quart size jar or 1/2 teaspoon per pint. Salt is optional.
- Asparagus ~ 10 pounds is a guess as to what we had and it made ten pint size jars.
Directions:
Preparations ~ In other words, get your work station ready!! Wipe down and sanitize all counter tops, tables and stove tops. Fill your large pot with water and set it on low heat so it can begin to boil as you get your jars packed. Put 2-3 inches of water in your pressure cooker and set that to low as well so it doesn’t boil down dry. If it does boil down simply add hot tap water so your water level is at 2-3 inches again. Place your jars in the dishwasher to clean and sanitize your jars. Leave them in there on the heated dry cycle so the jars stay hot. If you do not have a dishwasher then you will have to do it the old-fashioned way.
Prepping your asparagus ~ Wash your asparagus with cool water. Break/cut off the tough bottom piece of the stem and then wash again.
Cut~ Using a sharp pair of kitchen scissors, snip the asparagus into 1 inch pieces similar to the size of canned green beans. Another option is to cut them into spears to fit your jar making sure to leave 1 inch head space. (Tip: I usually turn up the water at this time to get the rolling boil process closer to done.)
Packing your jars~ Fill your jars with the raw asparagus leaving one inch head space. There is no need to cook these before hand. The temperature from the pressure canner will do that. Tap the asparagus down on the table to get a tighter pack. You can also push it down as well. Just make sure not to squish it to tight. Add Salt to the jars at this time.
Adding water~ Ladle boiling water into each jar still leaving a one inch head space.
Seal the jar~ Put on your lids and rings tightening the seals finger tight.
Add to pressure canner~ Your water level should be at 3 inches before doing this and if not add some hot tap water. At this time, assuming your water is still boiling, use your jar tongs to gently place the jars on the canner rack. Once your canner is full, place the lid on and twist into place leaving the regulator weight off at this time. Turn on high heat. Let canner vent steam for a full ten minutes. Begin timing when it is at a full steady stream of steam.
After Venting~ After the full ten minutes, add the weight regulator to the valve on ten. Allow pressure to build to 10 pounds or the pounds according to the chart below for your area.
Below is a process chart to follow according to your area:
Once the gauge hits 10 pounds, (or recommended pressure by chart) start your timer going for 30-40 minutes. Make sure to adjust the heat level to maintain the amount of pressure suggested. Once you are adjusted, your gauge should rattle once or twice every minute.
When Processing Is Over~ When your timer goes off, turn off the heat under the cooker and let your canner cool until the pressure drops to zero by itself. This could take up to an hour. Do not open the vent!! If the pressure drops to fast you will lose liquid from the jars. (I made this mistake a lot before I learned that trick.) Once the pressure drops to zero, begin opening the canner by lifting the lid from the back first away from your face.
Remove the Jars~ After removing the lid, use your jar lifter to remove the jars carefully and place them on a towel making sure not to touch/bump the jars together. Do not touch until completely cool. (usually over night) Once your jars are cooled you can check to see if they sealed by pressing down on the middle of the lid.
If it pops up and down then the jar did not seal properly. If a jar did not seal, that is ok. You can place it in the fridge and use that jar with dinner or as a snack. 
Voila! All Finished! I hope this article makes canning asparagus as easy for you as it can be. Any comments or suggestions are always welcome in the comment section below.
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