Preserving okra

 We are having a welcome proliferation of okra this year. It does very well in our Arizona desert heat. We love fresh okra, but we’re having a hard time keeping up with it, for the first time ever. I know in your canning book you give instructions on growing and canning okra, but I’m wondering how it can be used if it’s not fresh. I have never canned okra before and can’t image how best to use it. Does it get too slimy and soggy to fry? Is it usable primarily in soups and gumbo? Any suggestions on your part would be welcome. Thanks so much…looking forward to getting your new recipe book for my wife’s birthday.

 Dallen Timothy

Gilbert, Arizona

 It does get somewhat soft. I’ve fried it by draining it very well, mixing a little egg with it, and then making patties from it, breading them, then frying them. They are good that way. Of course, you can also use them in soups and gumbos. Fresh okra is best, but canned is better than none! I hope your wife likes the recipe book! — Jackie

 Cranberry beans

 I recently purchased about 30 pounds of cranberry beans; trouble is I don’t really like them just cooked normally. Can I use them in the Boston baked bean recipe in your book or maybe you have some other suggestions?

 Joyce Pierce

Greenville, Alabama

 Definitely! In fact, you can use cranberry beans in any bean recipe I can think of. You can make chili, bean soup, or any other bean recipe. I am sure you’ll find plenty of uses for them and really enjoy using them. — Jackie

 Buying a calf

 My family and I are thinking about buying a calf to bottle feed. We are thinking this might be a way to get a start on having a few cows that we can afford. Thought we would raise this calf ($150) up till a certain weight and carry to the sale, and then turn around and take the money made off the calf and buy a cow-calf pair, maybe one with a calf and bred back. Or would we better off to raise the calf up and then butcher her? The calf is ready to be weaned off the bottle and put on hay and feed.

 Joe Owens

Section, Alabama

 I think if it were me, I’d raise this heifer calf up to about 800-900 pounds then either sell her and buy a bred cow or have her bred yourself. You probably wouldn’t get enough from her sale to buy a cow with calf alongside that is bred back without adding some extra money to what you get from the sale of your heifer you raised. Do you want to get into beef cattle or have a milk cow? If you are aiming at a milk cow and your heifer is of a milking breed, you would probably do well to have her bred, as she already will know you and you will have the opportunity to handle her and gentle her very nicely before she calves. Or if you want a dual-purpose cow, you can sell her if she isn’t a dual-purpose breed and buy a bred cow that is. A dual-purpose breed is one that is good for both beef and milk. Our favorite dual-purpose cow is the Milking Shorthorn, which our cow, Lace, is. She gives us milk and also hefty beef bull (steer) calves for beef. — Jackie

 Classico jars

 I found these Wonderful Mason jars with Classico spaghetti sauce in them! They’re square and say “Atlas Mason” on them. They also have measurements on the side! I cannot find this type of jar anywhere online for sale. Any suppliers you know of?

 Franki Johnston

Hot Springs, Arkansas

 No. I know the jars you speak of and have found them at yard sales…but not any suppliers of new jars. — Jackie

 Canning bacon and chicken

 We are planning to can some bacon, which requires 90 minutes. Also we are going to can some boneless chicken which requires 75 minutes to process. Since we will not have a full canner of either at one time, can we mix the two and process all at 90 minutes? What will the extra 15 minutes do to the chicken?

 Mike

Jamestown, Tennessee

 It won’t do a thing; I do this all the time. Just always be sure to process all the jars for the length of time required for quarts of the food requiring the longest time. Some vegetables will, however, become over-cooked with the extra 15 minutes of processing time. Potatoes and carrots, especially, don’t like to be over-processed, they get mushy. — Jackie

 Drying summer squash

 I have a question on drying summer squash or zucchini. My book says that dried squash will only keep for 2 weeks. If kept longer you need to put in freezer. I tried canning it but we did not like that so we have been drying it. How long can we keep it stored in jars in the pantry? 2 weeks as the book says?

 Rosetta Cafin

Robinson, Illinois

 If your squash is properly dehydrated, it will keep for many months…or years in airtight jars or other containers. Just get it very dry, not leathery dry. When in doubt, dry longer; it won’t hurt a thing. — Jackie

 Mango and black bean salsa

 I came upon a great mango, black bean salsa. I would like to can it in quantities, but have never boiling water canned any recipe that has beans in it. Is it OK to can something that has beans in it? There is adequate acid, as the recipe has lime juice and tomatoes. I am just concerned with the beans exploding while being canned.

 Claudia Toenies

Silver City, New Mexico

 This is one recipe I’d probably just make fresh; there isn’t remotely an approved or tried canning recipe for this combination for canning. — Jackie

 Freezing tomatoes to can later

 This year we planted several different varieties of tomatoes. Some are indeterminate, can I freeze them as they ripen and can the whole bunch later?

 Robin Dolan

Monrovia, California

 Yes, but your tomatoes will be much softer than if they were just canned fresh. — Jackie

 Canning Polish sausage

 I was able to pick up a large amount of Polish sausage at a good price. I would like to can it but I am new to canning and I can’t find any directions in my canning books.

 Bonnie Degel

Croswell, Michigan

 Polish sausage, like hot dogs, is better frozen than canned, but it can sure be canned too. I’d just pre-heat it so that it is simmering-hot through the center, then cut into jar-sized pieces, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Make a broth from the pre-cooking liquid and ladle it over the hot sausage, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Process pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure. If you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet, consult your canning book for directions on adjusting your pressure to suit your altitude, if necessary. — Jackie

 

8 COMMENTS

  1. Personally, I’m from the south and I just can’t get enough fried okra! lol My mom cans it and we fry the canned, it just doesn’t take as long to get done, so you can use a higher heat to make sure it crisps up.

  2. For canning sausages, try using oil, lard, or clarified butter as the liquid instead of broth. It makes a huge difference in the texture!

    (Upon opening, you can use the sausage-flavored fat to cook whatever you’re having the sausages with)

  3. I use an old family recipe for caning okra, I would assume it is pickling it. As Jackie always says I am sure this is not an approved method but works for me. The recipe is as follows: 1 gallon of water and okra, 1 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup plain salt. Bring mixture to a boil and add okra boil for 8 minutes. Put okra in previously heated jars and fill with liquid. Use heated seals. Place on a towel and cover until cooled. You can use this for squash and green tomatoes also. I always put this in a collander and rinse well, but it fries wonderfully.

  6. Jackie, it was magic! Almost as soon as I posted that, you reappeared on my FB page! I’m thrilled. Thank you, anyway.
    Mary Jane

  7. Mary Jane,
    Yes, they are fine for canning. In Montana, I used to occasionally buy these used jars at yard sales. I canned in them successfully. As I remember, regular lids and rings do fit them.

    I’ll check with the “powers” on the Facebook thing. Backwoods Home office is switching computers and this may have disrupted the Facebook listings.

    Jackie

  8. Our favorite way of using okra, besides fried, is to can it with tomatoes and onion, per your directions in your canning book, or the Ball Blue Book. I just finished putting up a half bushel each of tomatoes and okra, plus onion. I open a quart of the mixture and add it to some browned ground beef and maybe a little more freshly chopped onion, plus some seasonings…salt, pepper, garlic, and oregano. It makes one of our favorite meals, over rice, and with cornbread. I put up 18 quarts the past two days.

    I have a question about the Classico Atlas jars a reader mentioned. Can these be safely reused for canning? Does a standard lid and ring fit them?

    For some reason, your “Ask Jackie” no longer pops up on my Facebook. It is my favorite FB “friend”! Any suggestions?

    Thanks for your extremely valuable writings.

Comments are closed.