Using Home Canned

[Penny_Plinker]

When i started my canning spree last summer i was worried we wouldn't use the stuff. I didn't want to just hoard it, so i tried to only can what we like. So far we are using almost everything except the sauerkraut and the apples. 47 quarts of sauerkraut is probably a lifetime worth, but i've managed to use two jars, good with hotdogs and to rinse off and add to stirfry. And the apples, we don't eat many pies but they'll get used eventually. What we're really using up is apple jelly where i used splenda to make it and then we put it on LOW carb bread because we're both blood sugar conscious. The green beans and tomatoes are going good. The pickled cauiflower is almost gone :-[

Overall, we're using it and when our daughter comes i load her up a box chili and tomato juice, and her grandma gives her vegetable soup and apple sauce,. She's a between jobs post grad, she uses it.

My management plan till i learn a better way is use it and maybe have some left over and keep using the oldest first and can more the next year.

Penn

[leera]

Rotating the stocks will keep things from spoiling,that's for sure..........

Last summer/fall,I canned apples,peaches,pears,made 3 kinds of salsa,tomatoes,toamto sauce,ketchup,pickles,and an assortment of jams and jellies........

We seem to prefer the chipolte lime salsa over the others for cooking,so I made extra of it this time around.......

The first thing we always run out of is tomato sauce.......can't seem to make enough of it,no matter how much I can.When we get our property Im
going to have to have a garden designated just for tomatoes I think. ;)

I take my lunch to work everyday,and most always put some home canned fruit in my lunch box.When I make a PBJ sandwich,it's always got homemade jam or jelly on it!

I can't eat a lot of citrus fruits,so I eat more of things like pears,peaches,bananas,apples to make up for it.There's just something in citrus(oranges,grapefruits)that my body does't like.....

When it comes to planning out canning,I follow the Jackie Clay rule........can it all! Can everything you can weather you need it or not,because next year it might not grow......

Last year a friend of my Mother's asked us to come over and finish picking the peaches off her trees........so we did.She had five peach trees,and one was so overloaded with fruit that the trunk had split.So now we have a LOT of peaches.......

Happy canning!

[docjered]

Penny, I agree with Leera (and with Jackie). CAN EVERYTHING. Then dehydrate what you cant can. Dehydrating is great for many of the same items you can, plus no need to buy jars and lids, etc. Like apples, for instance. Can them and you have pie filling, apple crisp, hot cinnamon apples over iced cream, etc. BUT if you also dehydrate some apples, you have snacks, trail mix, and can reconstitute as necessary for a variety of other uses. I, personally, use apples in a lot of things, including bread, bird stuffing, cookies, and more! SO, I guess what I am saying is can and dehydrate the same things for a greater variety of uses. ALSO, tastes change, variety is a spice, too, and who knows who may need that kraut when and if things really get bad!!! One thing for sure, if the SHTF scenario does play out, you will be glad you had the kraut, plus glad you had the jars for the next crop you want to can, when jars and lids are not to be found!

[humbug]

I can quite a bit. One of the best things you can do is to plan your meals around what you have the most of. I got a really good deal on peaches last year. (They don't grow here) I canned quite a few quarts. But there are so many uses for them. Remember to keep a journal so that you will know what you need more of and what you can can less of. Going to call up my friend with the orchard and see if she has any apples, plums, and pears that she won't be wanting. A couple of years ago she let me have all that I wanted and I canned for two months. Most of it is gone now. Invest in some really good cookbooks that specialize in fruits and vegetables from your garden. I like "Simply in Season" and "The Cooks Garden Cookbook."