Calling All Canners!

Fruball

AnnabelSaves said:

I do! I've got over 120 jars in my pantry and doing more every year. I can low acid foods in a pressure canner (NOTE: a pressure canner is not the same thing as a pressure cooker!) and high acid foods in a water bath. I taught myself using the subreddit for canning and the Ball book of food preservation which I got my local bookshop to import for me. A lot of youtubers and bloggers do not follow the safe canning practices, and are known as 'rebel canners'. I would recommend sticking completely to the FDA guidelines at least as a newbie, and then you can evaluate the risks you are willing to take.

I can loads of tomato sauce from my allotment tomatoes, stock, soup, meat, all kinds of vegetables, fruit, jams, salsas. As we're only a family of two and my allotment produces kilos of vegetables, it's the best way to save money and eat organic home grown produce all year round, especially without a big freezer. I have an American pressure canner I bought on ebay, it fits 11 pint jars at a time, and you can buy something to be able to double stack it but i haven't yet. It was about £200 including import tax but it's been worth the investment. It's a learning curve but incredibly rewarding and now saves me a fortune. 

I'd love to know what pressure canner you bought.  I would love an electric Presto one but the cost of the canner and importing is prohibitive for me at the moment.  Maybe next year.
I guess I am a rebel canner (aka Amish canner) and WB everything like the Amish do.  It's common practice all over Europe too apparently.  
I'd love to see pics of your jars   I am quite obsessed atm! lol

Sounds like your allotment is pretty productive!  Well done!  I grew some veg at home this year and will ramp up the scale next year.  I do need to fence off an area somehow, cheaply, as I have dogs and don't want them walking (or pooping) on my seedlings! 

Fruball

Bumping this up as I cannot believe there are so few canners/water bathers/preservers here!   

PipneyJane

It’s fascinating reading about everyone’s experiences.  Those of you who pressure-can, how long do you process your tomato sauces?  

I have a glut of tomatoes to turn into sauce and I’m rapidly running out of freezer space.  (I will be making my third vat of sauce next week, once the latest harvest are ripe.)  All advice would be appreciated.

Many thanks.

- Pip

Fruball

PipneyJane said:

It’s fascinating reading about everyone’s experiences.  Those of you who pressure-can, how long do you process your tomato sauces?  

I have a glut of tomatoes to turn into sauce and I’m rapidly running out of freezer space.  (I will be making my third vat of sauce next week, once the latest harvest are ripe.)  All advice would be appreciated.

Many thanks.

- Pip

I don't have a pressure canner, sadly, so can't advise on timings.  What canner do you use?  I am considering one!