need help on canning vegetables

[lynxstch]

Have a lot of extra veggies in the garden to can...does anyone know how to tell what pressure a normal Presto pressure cooker puts out?..I don't have the kind with a gauge...but all vegetable recipes (except for tomatoes) tell you to use a pressure canner...any experienced gardener/canners out there have any ideas?..thanks in advance
Lynn

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

I rarely did veggies (tended to freeze those) because quite frankly pressure cookers have always scared me. (I saw one explode when I was little).

You might check your county or state extension office. Or hop on line and do a search for canning vegetables. The manufacturer's website might be able to help you with the pressure question.

Good luck!
Deb

 

[WDWAurora]

Gosh we've always used the kind with a gauge, I have no idea what to tell you...Good luck! It's nice to have "real" veggies in the winter and home made spaghetti sauce, etc...YUM!

 

[lynxstch]

I have used a pressure cooker for years..just not for canning..I have 3 different 4 qt ones..all by Presto...I tried emailing them..they said that the 'rocker type weighted' gauge (which all of mine have) are 15 lbs pressure..(just in case anyone else ever wondered about theirs) and that I can process 3 pints in each one...I guess pints will be large enough for the green and yellow beans..but hubby loves lima beans and planted about 1/4 of the garden full...so we are going to have to invest in a larger pressure cooker that we can do quarts in!..and since we planted 45 tomato plants..I am sure that I will be trying spaghetti sauce also...
I too am a little leary of trying them as a canner ...hopefully no explosions..lol!...but will give it a shot anyhow!
thanks for the opinions/suggestions/ideas!..keep your fingers crossed...and hopefully there won't be any loud bangs from MD on the day I try it!!!
Lynn

 

[FantasticDisFamily]

Lynn,

I've done spaghetti sauce and salsa in just regular hot water bath. But I don't include meat, always added that at the time of actual meal preparation. The acidity of the tomatoes was enough to compensate for the peppers and onions. I also didn't include mushrooms to be on the safe side.

Deb

 

[PamCo88]

I have been canning sauce for years. I have canned meatballs in it once - didn't like them after, very crumbly. I do put in sausages my sauce along with peppers and onions (I add some sugar to cut down on the acidity.)

I haven't canned veggies, but my cousin does tons every year. She uses a water bath for everything. She taught me to can the sauce.

I put boiling sauce in the jars, seal them, and them boil for 45 minutes. Take out and any that haven't already popped, do real soon.

My cousin does the same thing for veggies. Althought, not sure they take as long...

 

[lynxstch]

I think I am gonna try a jar of green beans the hot water bath way and see what happens..trying to do pints 3 at a time (and it says process after the steam rises for 50 min!)..will take me forever..we picked a LOT of green beans, yellow beans, and birds egg beans last nite..and don't want them to go to waste..any of you DIS'ers care to share how you make your spaghetti sauce and prepare it for canning?..the tomatoes are just starting to ripen here..so will have plenty ready soon!
Lynn

p.s. PamCo88...if you talk to your cousin anytime soon..could you ask her how she prepares her veggies and how long she processes them in a hot water bath?..every recipe I can find..every canning site etc..all say that vegetables HAVE to be done in a pressure canner..though my husband says that his grandma Mammy never owned one and canned all their veggies for her entire life!

 

[WDWAurora]

I'll try to post our spaghetti sauce later.

 

[piratesmate]

I always just froze my beans. I liked them better that way than canned anyway. Anything that is low acid can be touchy. After putting in all that work/time I didn't want to take the chance that they'd go bad.

I did a lot of fruit & jams, too. One year we even did "pear mincemeat" which was really, really good!

One thing I found that we liked better canned than frozen was applesauce. It doesn't get as watery.....although I always like applesauce 1/2 frozen. Did you know that you can make pear sauce just like you do applesauce? Now that's excellent!

This is the recipe I always used for spaghetti sauce. It was really good!

Spaghetti Sauce to can

1 basket paste tomatoes – no spots
1 onion
1 celery – entire thing, not a single stalk
2 Tbl garlic powder or 1 whole garlic root
10 bay leaves
3 Tbl sugar
4 Tbl oregano
1 Tbl marjoram
1 Tbl thyme
48 oz tomato paste (canned from store)
½ c Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbl salt
1 Tbl black pepper

Cook 4 hours or until thick. (If you skip the canned tomato paste, it will take longer to cook down. Process in a water bath for 20 min.

I was always very picky about using tomatoes without spots, as my mother had sauce go bad one year….she’d used tomatoes that we starting to “go” but cut out the bad spots. I don’t know if that had anything to do with it or not….but I didn’t want to take a chance.

 

[lynxstch]

do you happen to remember how much sauce this made?..
Lynn

 

[piratesmate]

Sorry Lynn, I don't remember. For some reason I didn't write it on the recipe card.....probably because it was dependent on how long I cooked it down & the pot I used only held that much, so there was no way to make a double batch at the same time.

I'm pretty sure that it made a full canner's worth - which would be 7 quart jars. The question is, did I have to do more jars later?