Canning pecans and dehydrated corn

I have 12 gallon-size bags of shelled pecans in the freezer. I would like to can them in jars to free up freezer space and in the event of long term power outages. What procedure would I use to do this so they won’t turn rancid. They are the little oily Stewarts and some larger soft shell variety.

I recently dehydrated 4½ bushels of sweet corn and need to know if I need to vacuum seal my golden nuggets to keep them fresh or just put it in air tight jars?

Bonnie Martin
Perdido, Alabama

Pecans can up very well and will stay good for years and years without getting rancid. I’m still using some of mine that a friend and I canned up in New Mexico back in 1998! To can them, thaw them out and lay them in a single layer on a cookie sheet in your oven. Toast them for about 30 minutes at 250 degrees, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching. Don’t let them brown, just toast them nicely. Then pack hot in hot, dry, sterilized pint and half-pint jars, leaving 1″ of headspace. Place hot, previously simmered but heat-dried lid on jar and screw down the ring firmly tight. DO NOT ADD WATER! You can water bath process the nutmeats but because the jars have a lot of air they will float. So you can not fill the canner with water as full as you usually do or you will have to weight the jars down with a wire grate and jars filled with water on top of that to hold them in place. It’s much easier to pressure can the nutmeats. Process them at 5 (five!) pounds pressure for 10 minutes.

You can store your dehydrated corn in airtight jars. It will keep good nearly indefinitely. — Jackie

Using brown sugar in canning

I would like to know if it would be acceptable to use brown sugar versus white sugar for my jams and jellies?

Thank you so much for sharing your wisdom- you’ve not only helped me,but also have helped in getting my daughter started in the canning process.

Cheryll
Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts

Yes, you can use brown sugar in your jams and jellies, using the same amounts as with white. The taste will be a little different though so you might want to make a batch and taste the little “extra” to make sure you love it. Also consider using Pomona’s Universal Pectin. It allows you to use alternative sweeteners or even no sweeteners and have your jellies and jams set up well.

I love helping people learn to can and develop other homesteading skills! — Jackie

3 COMMENTS

  1. Can you tell me the difference I Pomona’s pectin and regular powdered pectin. The most common name where I live is Sure-Jel. Also, where can Pomona’s be purchased? Thanks in advance. I’m new to your site, but sure am enjoying it.

  2. Hi Jackie & Wolfsong,

    @Jackie- thank you so much for answering my question; You are a fabulous mentor, and your column is the first thing I read at BWH; I’ll be checking out the Pomona’s Universal Pectin too.

    @Wolfsong- thanks for letting me know that jams & jellies still taste good and in my case, the less sugar the better.

    Thanks again to both of you,

    Cheryll

  3. Cheryll,
    I only use brown sugar in my jams! I discovered how tasty they are, when one early morning (4:30am!) I was canning to beat the heat, and found I was out of white sugar to make my strawberry jam. I substituted the brown, cutting back by a 1/4 of sugar, and have used it ever since.

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