Q and A: pickling crocks and pressure canning advice

Pickling crocks

Do you use pickling crocks for sauerkraut or pickles?

Wil Scarrow

No. I’m old fashioned and just use my solid old crocks or food-grade plastic 5-gallon buckets. The new pickling crocks are pretty pricey for us, although I can see where they’d cut out the skimming off scum when it forms. — Jackie

Pressure canning advice

My first experiment with pressure canning in a 60+ year old canner with no instruction book. I wanted to make chicken broth since the price has gone up so much. I followed your instructions and all was well until I couldn’t get the canner to raise pressure. This one doesn’t work like the little one. Multiple calls to my 88 year old friend and I got it to work. Must say that is some well cooked chicken! But it looks very pretty in the jars and the broth is yummy. Then I got a new 23 qt. canner. Canned up some potatoes and beans with ham. Everything worked well and sealed.

Question: The potatoes aren’t as white as I would like and after a couple days I notice the liquid is cloudy with potato starch. Not sure if I didn’t pre-boil them long enough or if they’re supposed to look like that. Any advice please? Also, when the time is up can I just turn off the heat and leave the canner on the stove until its at zero? I’m afraid to lift it. Very happy I have learned to work the canner. What was supposed to be a half of beef turned into a side and the freezer was still pretty full with last fall’s beef. Looking forward to having the extra put away for quick meals.

Franci Osborne
Ignacio, Colorado

Not to worry. Potatoes that are canned with meat, especially ham, often darken a bit due to the broth given off by the meat. And the potato starch is also quite common. Your recipe will taste great. The potatoes, canned with meat are a bit “overcooked” as they only need processing for 35 minutes (pints) or 40 minutes (quarts), when canned alone. But when canned with the meat, they are processed for 75 minutes (pints) or 90 minutes (quarts) and that loosens up the starch quite a bit. No worries, though.

YES, you can leave your canner on the stove with the heat turned off until the pressure returns to zero. In fact that’s the best way as lifting a canner with hot jars in it is both hard on your back and the jars. You don’t want them to tunk around in there.

How great it is to have all that beef! I know we use our canned meats a whole lot for easy, convenient meals. — Jackie