Friday, March 8, 2013

2012 Canning Successes And Failures


March has definitely came in like a lion this year and we have gotten continued occasional snow flurries several times this week. We continue to have a good foot of snow cover but it is slowly melting. They are predicting rain for the weekend and the roads are already a slushy mess. This is the time of year I hate living on dirt and gravel roads. They become quagmires of sinking mud.  

We have taken this time to catch up on inside chores as we await warmer and drier weather. While I worked on quilting O Wise One reorganized the pantry taking all the jars out, dusting and checking seals and then reorganizing the shelves with all the empty jars on the bottom shelves and all the uneaten food on the upper shelves. This also gives us an inventory of what we still have lots of and what we need to plant more of for the upcoming gardening year. This gives us an idea of what seeds we have and what we need more of. It also gave us a chance to reevaluate some of our experiments from last year. 


For the first time last year we canned asparagus in jars. Normally asparagus is put in the freezer but with freezer room at a premium we experimented with canning. The flavor was WONDERFUL......the texture was mushy. We are going to experiment with this one again and try lowering the pressure or time that it is in the canner to try to improve the texture. Notice: Try this at your own risk!! 


I was also not a fan of the canned caramelized onions. This was not a USDA sanctioned recipe use caution if trying this recipe.  


Or the canned coleslaw. I think that it just does not produce a quality product. This was not a USDA sanctioned recipe so be careful if you try it. 


On the other hand the freezer slaw was GREAT and we plan to put up much more of that this year. It had a much better flavor and texture than the canned slaw! We ate on freezer slaw clear into January and when greens are out of season this is a great alternative. 


And notice the potatoes above that are falling apart. I over processed these by mistake cooking them way too long. On the flip side these make wonderful instant mashed potatoes and potato soup.  I may have to accidentally do that again. Be careful about not cooking these to pieces though because if you produce something too thick it could have a negative outcome on it's shelf life. 


And after 2 years we have pretty well totally removed ourselves from purchased meat of any kind. 


We eat a rich and varied diet of homegrown canned or frozen vegetables, dehydrated spices and herbs. And a combination of wild venison, which has pretty well replaced beef in our diet,  and fish caught in the local ponds and streams. We get great exercise and have fun fishing together. 
   

We now also cure and smoke our own bacon and sausage made from pigs raised right here on this farm and a large part of their diet coming from our own gardens.   


Add to that chicken broth and meat both canned and frozen, turkey and broth both canned and frozen and rabbit and broth both canned and frozen all produced here on the farm and you have a healthy diet produced ALMOST exclusively by our own hands. These bone broths are really good for you too! All of these small animals can be raised on smaller tracts of land and are great for us older people because they are smaller and are easier to manage. We are just too old to chase and wrestle with cattle not to mention the cost of fencing. 

This lifestyle is not for the faint of heart. It requires hard work and dedication almost daily. Even we are not totally self sufficient as we still purchase all dairy and grains such as rice, flour, corn meal, oils including olive and coconut which we can not produce in our climate and some cleaning supplies such as vinegar and baking sodas. We do purchase a little produce through the year such as fresh citrus and fruits we do not produce such as bananas. During the winter we purchase lettuce from time to time. 

Every year we try to experiment with new vegetables and ways of preserving them trying to find what works best for our climate and family size. Even at our age refining existing skills and learning new ones.  So again we evaluate what didn't work trying to weed out some of the garbage that flies around online and looking for those tiny bits of true wisdom that are there if you look hard enough and keep a practical outlook on things. We try to ignore the hype and the trends but sometimes it is hard to tell the difference. 

Most of all we try to learn from our own mistakes and share what does not work to help those just starting out.

Everyone have a safe and warm weekend and we will see you on Monday : )

Blessings from The Holler

The Canned Quilter      

24 comments:

  1. What a wonderful bounty.

    Yes, farming is not a lazy person's job.

    Here's good luck for next year's crop.

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  2. Be careful messing with the processing time or pressure for asparagus. Last I checked home canned asparagus is the #1 food source for botulism poisoning.
    Best wishes,
    KMG

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    1. Oh my! I had not heard that Granny but thank you for the heads up.

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  3. I'm with you, I'll never can asparagus again. Guess it is just one of those things that belongs to spring and when it's gone, it's gone. As Granny wrote above, be cautious with pressure canning.

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    1. We produce large amounts of asparagus that we have to do something with. I will continue to freeze it as I have always done. I have also dehydrated it and then used it for a cheese and broccoli soup that is good : )

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  4. CQ,

    Beautiful post. Looking at all the pictures, I can surely see you and O'Wise One work very hard to be self reliant. I love your pantry, we use the same shelving units in the kitchen for storing our cans, and large containers of flours, sugars, and salts.

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  5. That's a great post. I often wonder how things turned out or what they were used for when looking for new recipes to try. Have you tried using the asparagus in casseroles or soups? Did the texture work better that way? I might be tempted to try that if we ever get enough asparagus growing around here.

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    1. You are right in that the canned asparagus was great added to a cream sauce and served over toast.

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  6. Wonderful post ! Looking at your photos really shows it is a full time job living off the land I know as I was raised living off the land when I was a kid . My mum froze most of her veggies from the gardens and others she would can making pickled beets, pickled onions , pickled cucumbers and even on the odd occasion pickled eggs from our hens . We had sheep and cattle we lived off of and the odd deer, rabbit goose and duck dad would hunt for ! She made and baked fresh breads , pies and other backed goods and cakes from scratch ! I just wish I had payed attention when I was a kid cause I would be doing it all now ! But thanks to you for sharing this wonderful yet hard work you do with us I feel as though it is all coming back to me and am starting my own veggie garden this year ! Gota start some where right lol ? Have a good evening !

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    1. perhaps the most difficult step is that first leap of faith : )

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  7. There is something about shelves of canned food straight out of your garden. To me it is prettier than an expensive designed room. Thanks for the eye candy...:))

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  8. Loved this post, and we have so much in common, although you do much more than we're able to do since we live in suburbia.

    I wonder, have you tried pickling and water-bath canning asparagus or lacto-fermenting it? It's a different flavor than straight-up canned asparagus, but you might be able to retain some of the crunch.

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    1. I have pickled asparagus and we do enjoy it from time to time. You are right it is a different taste but we do enjoy it. As for lacto fermenting it I have not tried that.

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  9. I shall be paying closer attention to you in the upcoming months. I will start canning and along with reading, I will use your expertise to further my abilities and proficiency.

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  10. I love looking at your larder.. I agree wholeheartedly with Lisa Tucker who said "its prettier than an expensive designed room. Thanks for the eye candy...:))"

    I guess Im one of the weird ones in the world who actually like soft canned asparagus. I like fresh too.. dont get me wrong, but I like the other too. For many years, the only way I could afford it was to buy cheap cans at the grocery store.. then I found a huge clump on the side of the road I lived on one day & thats all she wrote. ;) I never had an asparagus I didnt love..
    And speaking of LOVE...ohhh.. that jar of pickled okra is one of the most beautiful things to me. Actually they're all beautiful, but I've not had much okra in Ohio and its near & dear. Last year I was able to finally grow my first real good mess of them.. I sliced & froze them to fry but I do love a jar of pickled okra.. Hopefully thats comming this year!

    Have a wonderful weekend & thanks for sharing your bounty!

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  11. I too don't care for my mushy asparagus. I have used "pickle crisp" when canning carrots and it works great. Maybe try some with the asparagus?
    Love your site, thank you! I can about 1000 jars of food per year. Lots of work but the "eye" candy is worth it.

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    1. Penny you are a genius and I bet that would work. I am definitely going to try that! Thank You : )

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  13. Im just in aw of your blog and follow it daily! We are still trying to master the gardening thing. Every year seams to get a little better then last. And we change it up every year to see what works best. This is our 4th year growing in our small garden. We live in Florida and just getting ready to put seeds in the ground tomorrow. I will be following some of your canning recipes this week. Thank you for all the knowledge you put out there for others to learn from.

    Sharon

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  14. CQ, you may already know this but if not, check your local feed stores to see if they carry Sodium Bicarbonate (aka Baking Soda). It will be feed grade, meaning there may be more particles in it such as rocks, etc. and not really good for human consumption but is great for cleaning purposes, garden purposes, etc. and much much cheaper by the ounce & pound than the 4lb boxes from the stores which is made by the same company.

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  15. oh forgot to ask... Do you think if you added something such as pickle crisp or alum to the canned asparagus before processing, would that help to keep them crisper? Just a thought that ran through my head. Our asparagus usually gets all ate up before I have a chance to even try canning it.

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  16. Let me know how the pickle crisp works if you decide to try it. I bought 60 acres a few months ago with the idea of building a home and gardens on it. To accomplish this, it will be necessary for me to move into my son's and his family's basement while the house is being built.
    All my canning etc will be on hold. So I will be living my dream through you for awhile- Thanks so very much!

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  17. Your pictures are awesome! That broth sure is a beautiful color. I canned potatoes for the first time last summer and boy was I surprised. I loved them. They tasted fresh and it sure is easy to open a can up and have a side dish in minutes! Trully fast food! Looking forward to seeing your upcoming gardening bounty!
    Melissa

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  18. Just reading through your posts again and keep looking at the shelves of canned stuff. Hey, I think they are pretty and a sure fire way to get me to stop and look and read. lol I love pictures of home canned goodness.

    Anyway, I meant to mention this the first time but forgot. You know how I am. :) Anyway, I canned some of the Amish Coleslaw up this past year as well. We didn't like it juts dumped from the jar and mixed with mayo. I did drain it and rinse it a few times and then put mayo in it and some pepper and it was much better that. I also drained it and rinsed it several time and used in stirfry where it was good that way too.

    Just some ideas for ya. How's the snow melting comin'? We've been doing and early Spring cleaning here as well.

    Hugs and love to ya!
    Laura

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