Don’t you just love hot peppers? I’m an avid gardener, and every year I plant 3 or 4 cayenne pepper plants so that I can eat them all year. I pick all the plants bare in late August and divide the peppers up into 2 piles. The green, red and yellow ones that are firm ...
Ths month, my small apple tree is bearing about 30 pounds of organic apples. That’s much, much more than my family of four will eat fresh before they spoil. Because I’m out of freezer space, I’ve been experimenting with home canning and some old-time recipes. Not many people can apples–peaches seem to be far more ...
Many people hesitate to learn how to can and preserve their own foods because they’re afraid that the buying the right equipment for home canning is going to cost them an arm and a leg. When I first started canning pickles and jams, I managed to beg and borrow the equipment I needed, but now, ...
When they think about learning to live in a more environmentally friendly way, most people think first of transportation, heating and cooling, and similar direct energy uses. But one of the most significant uses of energy and resources today is food. You might know that it’s better for the environment if you eat local food ...
There are two main methods available for home canning. The boiling water canner method and the pressure canner method are the two most commonly used methods of caning. Both have their pros and con’s and many people who can extensively use a mix of the two methods to obtain the best products. I’ve canned using ...
Canning your own food assures you of the quality, and gives you control over the ingredients in commonly used foods. When you find that a member of the family needs to reduce their salt intake, for instance, the need to preserve your own food becomes a priority. But sometimes the motivation is just because you ...
Cindy Morgan of Percy, Illinois, uses her grandmother’s secrets when she puts up fruits, vegetables and condiments for the winter, but she doesn’t mind sharing them. “My grandmother told me what her mother told her,” Morgan said, while packing cucumbers into quart jars to make kosher dills. “Cold-packing will always mean soggy pickles” So, she ...
My elderly uncle lives in a fertile farming community where he spent his adult life as a welder working for various produce growers. There aren’t too many left of his old gang, but they still manage to provide each other with all kinds of fresh fruit and vegetables. Every time we visit we come home ...
Back in olden times, “open kettle” canning was a simple method of canning home grown goods. Open kettle canning meant that you filled a hot jar with hot contents, and screwed on the lid without further processing. As the jar cooled, the lid would self seal. Some old timers still swear by this method of ...