Age of canned beef

About 8 years ago I canned a lot of sliced beef, and meat-based tomato sauce, in my pressure canner. It’s still there, should I throw it away now?

Margaret Baker
Valleford, Washington

If it looks and smells okay, and the jars are sealed, I would not be afraid to use it. I’ve got some foods in my pantry that are well more than eight years old and I regularly use them. That’s the great thing about canning! — Jackie

Canning leftovers

Can you use a pressure canner to preserve leftovers such as cabbage, okra creole, etc? If so, how long would I pressure can it since the food is already cooked?

Russell Richardson
Rusk, Texas

Yes, you can. The one problem is that some foods can get soft when totally cooked then canned, which in effect “cooks” them again. You pressure can it for exactly the same time as if it were fresh. It does not matter that it has already been cooked. It’s possible that bacteria got into the food between cooking and canning. To be safe, process it for the time you’d use if it were freshly prepared. — Jackie

Hoop house

Do you heat your hoop houses at times in the winter? And could you explain or show a picture of how your husband made the door? We would like to make a hoop house over our existing raised vegetable beds. I over wintered four pepper plants this year and to my surprise I can’t keep up with the jalapenos. I think I will do the same thing this winter and see how big they will get.

Also, do you think Cherokee Trail of Tears beans will grow in my area? We are between Zones 8 and 9.

Barbara
Bakersfield, California

No we don’t heat our hoop houses at all in the winter. It would be far too costly with constant winter temperatures well below zero. Two of our hoop houses really don’t have a “door,” just an opening in the end. The third has a simple rectangle, framed with 2x4s, but it has no door — just the walk in opening. When it gets cold in the fall, we simply tape a piece of plastic above the openings that we close at night. Simple, simple, simple. You could certainly heat a hoop house in your climate. Most folks use a propane heater. I used to have a big log and glass greenhouse that I heated with wood. Both work well.

Yes, Cherokee Trail of Tears beans should do fine in your area. Mine originally came from Seed Dreams in Santa Cruz, California. — Jackie