Freeze, Can & Pickle Food

I made regular pickles, dill relish, and sweet relish. I also bought a pressure canner so I can safely can less-acidic foods like tomatoes and other vegetables. So far I’ve been boiling water bath processing. I found a big enough canner, stainless steel for only about $80 or so. But, for now, I think I can say this is done… but to be continued!!

Freezing green chile is like the state tradition here, as it is only really in season for a month or two and you want to eat it all year long. So I’ve been freezing foods for a long time. I just tried my first attempt at canning some jelly, I don’t think the jelly came out good (sugar wouldn’t dissolve!) but I think the canning process was a success. Today cucumbers were on sale, 10 lbs. for $10, so I got some and now it’s time to try some pickles and relish, I think. Then I’ll mark this goal off but still continue to do it.

Been making a lot of soups and sauces in large batches and freezing a mason jar worth for use later, on a lazy/busy day. I plan on taking them to work when I can’t prepare something for myself for lunch. I’ve pretty much stopped going out for lunch on work days, and it’s saved me a ton of money.

I’d like to freeze some veggies and fruits towards the end of the summer season, so I have them for use in the fall, but I’m getting wayyyyyyyyyy ahead of myself here. I just have to remember to actually pick up enough of everything to do this. I failed at it last year. Also…now that berries are coming into season, I WILL MAKE PRESERVES SOON. I wonder if it is possible to make preserves (that wont go bad) with agave instead of sugar? I should look into that, I’m not so much into the sugar these days.

I really want to bust out the pressure canner this year. Last summer, it just didn’t happen for whatever reason.

I like this this goal better than “learn to preserve fruits and vegetables” because it is all-encompassing on the subject of food storage. I was also able to get rid of “make pickles” which I’ve always thought to be redundant anyways. Freezing food is actually better for you than canning, less of the nutrients are depleted in the process. Not that I’m done with canning by any means. I’m looking forward to mass quantities of tomatoes this year, as well as pomegranates for special jam. Also, pickled green beans are in my near future.

I’ve got a nice one of these that I bought from some nice lady on Craigslist awhile back. It’s practically brand-new. She also gave me an ENORMOUS amount of jars and lids, which are sitting in a cabinet in my kitchen, waiting to be filled with something tasty. Now I just need to figure out what I want to can, and learn how to use the damn thing already!

This is an easy goal for me because I love garden veggies in the winter. Especially turnip greens! They are so good fresh from the garden or frozen quickly after picking. They are nasty canned. Here are some blanched turnip greens all packed nicely away for freezing.

My solution to everything that I don’t yet know anything about is to buy a book on the subject. I bought The Complete Book of Home Preserving, which is actually a book by the people at Ball (the jar company).

Now, to start gathering equipment. Then it’s off to the farmer’s market. Yay!