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Kaleva

(36,147 posts)
Fri Mar 29, 2019, 02:31 PM Mar 2019

Pressure canning isn't just for garden produce

Last fall, my father-in-law gave me enough cabbage that I made into sauerkraut. Enough to fill 2 food safe 5 gallon buckets. My wife and I ate a lot of it over the winter and I gave some away to family members but still had quite a bit left. I didn't want it to go to waste so I looked on line on how to pressure can the excess. Easy peasy. Now have 18 quarts of canned homemade sauerkraut on a basement shelf.

While I had made the sauerkraut from cabbage from the garden, I thought this would be something I could make year round when I start running low and cabbage goes on sale at the local stores. This got me to thinking about the possibility of pressure canning ready made meals. Buying the ingredients when on sale and just enough to make about 7 quarts so it isn't a big job.

Looking up videos on line and reading articles, I see that it's rather a common thing for people to can soups, stews, chili and such. As the kids have grown and left home, my wife and I don't need to cook as much and a quart of chili, stew or a soup would be plenty for a meal for us. So my goal this year is to have made on the shelf about 30 or so quart bottles of various items.

Below are some YouTube videos and articles on making and pressure canning soups, stews and chili. Remember to follow the directions for your pressure canner!:

Chili Con Carne

Homemade Vegetable Soup- Pressure Canning



In the video below, the lady is using her pressure canner as a hot water bath.



This guy cooks a whole turkey in his pressure canner:



And then pressure cans turkey vegetable soup:



In summary, a pressure cooker is a versatile item to have in one's kitchen. One doesn't need a garden in order to use it and it has the potential to really help stretch out the food dollar.







4 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Pressure canning isn't just for garden produce (Original Post) Kaleva Mar 2019 OP
mushroom growers get a lot of use of theirs, too. mopinko Mar 2019 #1
My grandmother, born 1889, canned everything. Does anyone know if sinkingfeeling Mar 2019 #2
Pressure canned 7 quarts of black bean and lentil soup today Kaleva Jun 2019 #3
Pressure canned 7 quarts of chili yesterday. Kaleva Jun 2019 #4

mopinko

(69,806 posts)
1. mushroom growers get a lot of use of theirs, too.
Fri Mar 29, 2019, 03:48 PM
Mar 2019

sterile medium is needed, and sometimes in pretty big quantities.
you can do chemical sterilization, too, but it is sketchy and cumbersome.

sinkingfeeling

(51,279 posts)
2. My grandmother, born 1889, canned everything. Does anyone know if
Fri Mar 29, 2019, 06:59 PM
Mar 2019

you can pressure can small jars in an Instant Pot?

Kaleva

(36,147 posts)
3. Pressure canned 7 quarts of black bean and lentil soup today
Thu Jun 6, 2019, 08:01 PM
Jun 2019

Every bottle sealed and I'm quite pleased.

My goal is to build a stock of canned soups, chili, beans, stews and even fish for a couple of reasons. The 1st is to have on hand a convenient meal on hand that just needs to be heated. A quart bottle is about the right size for a dinner for my wife and I. The 2nd reason is to have on hand a supply of ready made meals in case of an emergency.

Kaleva

(36,147 posts)
4. Pressure canned 7 quarts of chili yesterday.
Thu Jun 20, 2019, 12:09 PM
Jun 2019

Going to have to get some more standard mouth quart bottles with lids and rings. I have a number of wide mouth quart jars with lids and rings but I want to save them for sauerkraut, beans and pickled beets.

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