Have you ever canned any of your own food?

Veggies, fruits, etc...
Have you ever canned them the old fashioned way?
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When I was a kid, we occasionally canned strawberries that we would pick, but the majority of the time, we either ate them fresh or froze them. I think we canned peaches a few times as well, as we used to have a peach tree.

I never did it on my own as an adult though.

Breezey Breezey wrote:Veggies, fruits, etc...
Have you ever canned them the old fashioned way?
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Yes. All manner of both fruits and vegetables.
One of my favorites is Apple Butter. Another is Watermelon pickles -
and Bread and Butter pickles, Dill pickles, etc.
We canned peas, green (snap) beans, tomatoes, red beets, and on and on.
We also preserved cherries (!) -my favorite! [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.], peaches, pears, apricots,
and we made concord grape jelly, strawberry jam, orange marmalade,
ALL the GOOD stuff!
I remember cheesecloth used for straining ; parafin to seal -
over the mouth of some fruits - before the Mason Jar seal
(which is a two-stage seal): ( a round metal circle that fit over the
mouth of the jar; a rubber "washer",(stage 1)
and a grooved metal rim to close the jar. Stages 1 and two comprise a regular
(fused or all-in-one piece) jar lid.
We also had glass jars for preserves that had a hinged lid -
the lid had it's own rubber washer for air-tight sealing.
The hinge CLAMPED! down using the hinge as the lever.

have never canned anything (except can the can!) but it sounds like a great idea, jaaj, your description makes my mouth water !!

Tater and Ja'aj, that is what I am talking about!
It's great to check your pantry shelves and have those things in the middle of winter, without paying for them. Also... I like knowing I did it and it's how I want it.

Roxanna, my mom use to can so many things. She even made her own tomato juice and stored it.

I actually hear people complaining about having too many pears, peaches, raspberries, etc.. and they don't know what to do with them. I begin to wonder if canning food is a dying art!

breezey, i thought the art had died already, i don't know anybody who does that, but i do believe there are still some around who also grow the stuff themselves. the ideal would be to know some of those people you mentioned who have to much !!

Roxanna, when I finally move from this house... I will be growing and canning a lot of things. I have family members who are complaining about all the fruit they don't need and have no idea what to do with it. Well... I can fix that! lol

I do know a few people who actually can and freeze what they can. It's not a totally lost art.. yet.

I dunno about "art" but it's WORK... and it
takes skill, that's for sure. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Also - RHUBARB!! We canned it - for rhubarb pie,
and rhubarb upside-down cake. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
Blackberries too! Blackberry jam - YUM.

Most of what "we" [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.] canned - Mom and Grandmother -
we grew ourselves, a little truck garden in the very back of
our back yard) and it produced LOTS! of food!) carrots, onions,
(chives - never saw the point of chives - and I still don't)
but the green peas and snap beans we bought in bulk from
the farmers around town.
Oh! And cranberries! We canned them too!
? -
I can see where someone might have too many pears
(I like them,but they're not my favorite) but too many
berries? - of any kind?
NO WAY. No such thing! as too many. [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]

I'm going berry picking tomorrow. Gonna get those raspberries that nobody wants.

Breezey Breezey wrote:I'm going berry picking tomorrow. Gonna get those raspberries that nobody wants.

EXCELLENT!!
"Their loss" and all that!

I made raspberry jam this morning. Everyone loves it and it won't last more than a few days here.
Next time I go raspberry picking, I will be canning those berries! lol
Today, I am freezing a bunch of berries. So many uses for berries!

Breezey Breezey wrote:I made raspberry jam this morning. Everyone loves it and it won't last more than a few days here.
Next time I go raspberry picking, I will be canning those berries! lol
Today, I am freezing a bunch of berries. So many uses for berries!

Yup!
(Mostly I ATE the ones I picked ...)
it sure made my Mom and my Grandmother cranky.) [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]
EATING is the only "use" for berries - ultimately... [You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]