My first year in my first house, and I planted my first garden! That's a lot of firsts. Before I get too deep into the planting and growth of my garden - (which I will save for a different post), I must say- I have access to a couple of guys (my Dad and Uncle) who have been growing their own gardens for many decades... starting with my Uncle who learned from his Dad - my Grandfather (who BTW would have been 92 yesterday). Need-less-to-say they both kind of know what they are doing.
But now on to the canning. So i had an abundant jalapeno crop early on, about 20 - from just one plant. I wanted to do something with them, and not have them go to waste. So canning was a good option. I looked up a few recipes online, along with my Small Batch Perserving book (a great guide for - uh small batches) . There was a recipe for canning just peppers, but I wanted something more. I decided to pick up some additional ingredients at a local market. Cauliflower, jicama, carrots, onions and garlic. I have seen this combo in Mexican restaurants and figured it to be a good one.
I have canned only one other time in my life, and that was last year with my uncle (the same one with the garden, and whose father also did a lot of canning). The process was much easier than I had thought. In fact so easy I figured i could do it on my own.
I had previously purchased a Ball canning kit from Amazon.com.
I got my jars and tools sterilized, and ready to go.
I sliced everything up, after washing them of course, and was ready to start.
I started the water in my water bath processor, and placed six empty wide mouth Ball pint size jars in there. I also began my brine, a mixture of vinegar, water, sugar and pickling spices. Once the water starts to boil in the processor, I removed the jars, and filled them with my various veggies. Leaving a half inch of space from the top , I then filled them with the brine, and then processed them in the water bath for fifteen minutes. Once they were out of the bath, I placed them in a thick towel on my counter to rest. Within one hour, I heard the patented "ping" that is heard when the jars start to vacuum seal. I knew i was going to have at least a fifty percent success rate. 24 hours later, I checked on the undisturbed jars, and discovered that they had all sealed!!! I have stored them in my basement in a dark area (under the stairs), and will now wait six weeks to try them out.
All in all, for my first time on my own , the process took about one and a half hours. Not too bad I think. Now I wait until they are ready. In the meantime I'll have more to harvest from my garden, and to possibly can.
I will post recipes in a different section - and will try to make a collection of them.
Just a few hints for the canning - it is important to leave the jars undisturbed while they are cooling. If you move the jars too much - the liquid can get under the lid, thus causing the jar to not seal properly. Good luck to those who try - I definitely recommend adding this to your bucket list.
But now on to the canning. So i had an abundant jalapeno crop early on, about 20 - from just one plant. I wanted to do something with them, and not have them go to waste. So canning was a good option. I looked up a few recipes online, along with my Small Batch Perserving book (a great guide for - uh small batches) . There was a recipe for canning just peppers, but I wanted something more. I decided to pick up some additional ingredients at a local market. Cauliflower, jicama, carrots, onions and garlic. I have seen this combo in Mexican restaurants and figured it to be a good one.
I have canned only one other time in my life, and that was last year with my uncle (the same one with the garden, and whose father also did a lot of canning). The process was much easier than I had thought. In fact so easy I figured i could do it on my own.
I had previously purchased a Ball canning kit from Amazon.com.
I got my jars and tools sterilized, and ready to go.
I sliced everything up, after washing them of course, and was ready to start.
I started the water in my water bath processor, and placed six empty wide mouth Ball pint size jars in there. I also began my brine, a mixture of vinegar, water, sugar and pickling spices. Once the water starts to boil in the processor, I removed the jars, and filled them with my various veggies. Leaving a half inch of space from the top , I then filled them with the brine, and then processed them in the water bath for fifteen minutes. Once they were out of the bath, I placed them in a thick towel on my counter to rest. Within one hour, I heard the patented "ping" that is heard when the jars start to vacuum seal. I knew i was going to have at least a fifty percent success rate. 24 hours later, I checked on the undisturbed jars, and discovered that they had all sealed!!! I have stored them in my basement in a dark area (under the stairs), and will now wait six weeks to try them out.
All in all, for my first time on my own , the process took about one and a half hours. Not too bad I think. Now I wait until they are ready. In the meantime I'll have more to harvest from my garden, and to possibly can.
I will post recipes in a different section - and will try to make a collection of them.
Just a few hints for the canning - it is important to leave the jars undisturbed while they are cooling. If you move the jars too much - the liquid can get under the lid, thus causing the jar to not seal properly. Good luck to those who try - I definitely recommend adding this to your bucket list.
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