# planning my first canning session



## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

So here's what I'm thinking about doing, and I think I'm keeping it simple enough that even though I want to do what seems like a lot, it should be pretty simple. 

1. Have to try Coot's canned hot dogs. I'm also going to stop by the European deli near work and get some brats and can those too!!!

2. Chicken breasts cubed.

3. Ground beef

4. Habanero Gold pg 131 on the Ball home preserving cookbook.

I know I need more jars, I only have 1 dozen pint jars, and 1/2 dozen quart jars so far, I got those because I knew I was going to start doing this, but now I wish I'd bought more earlier, because I have to get them now in a hurry.

Coot if you read this thread, is that a glass top stove in your hot dog thread? I was reading that I should avoid using my canner on those because the weight of the thing could crack or damage the cooking surface. I know all stoves are different and that if I try to tell the service dept that "I heard from Coot that it would work just fine" that I'm probably not going to get warranty service lol... but I'm just curious, do you routinely cook on a glass surface?

I'm thinking about getting a propane gas jet grill for use with the big BBQ gas cans. There's one for $35 on amazon and that seems like a decent deal.


So any warning flags going up for people that do this regularly? Normally I wouldn't be so ambitious in my first time out, but the cost of meats should be down right now, and the first 3 items are very basic. Of those 3 I think the tricky one would be the ground beef and trying to get as much of the air bubbles that will collect around the surface area of the meat out.

Oh one other question, why did I read somewhere it said "use a plastic or wooden utensil, not metal" on the inside of the canning jars. why does that matter???


Thanks all, really appreciate the wealth of knowledge and helpfulness that everyone is here


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## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

Check craigslist and kijiji and such in their FREE section and you can usually find people who are giving away canning jars.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Bobbb said:


> Check craigslist and kijiji and such in their FREE section and you can usually find people who are giving away canning jars.


People say that all the time, but I never see them! :gah:

Dakine, I can on a glass cooktop and, thankfully, have not had a problem. I generally can with pints (can fit 9 in my canner). I will say, when I can with quarts (can fit 7 in the canner) there is a weight difference, but still no problems. I will say, however, that I've never done any waterbath canning, and I would be nervous to can quarts with a waterbath canner, jut because you have to fill it up with so much more water. Would it really hurt the stovetop? I don't know. But I've read the same warnings as you, so I would be concerned.

But I can definitely tell you that pressure canning (uses less water, therefor has less weight) on a glasstop has been fine for me.

And I think starting off with chicken is a GREAT way to go! (It was my first batch, lol)


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## BadgerPeak (Sep 25, 2012)

If you haven't already purchased the lids, I'd look into reusable canning lids. Canning isn't very sustainable if you need new lids every time.


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## Bobbb (Jan 7, 2012)

goshengirl said:


> People say that all the time, but I never see them! :gah:


Keep looking. I got 80 pint/quart jars with lids/rings from a lady who was junking all of the stuff her aged mother had in her home now that they moved her into nursing care.

People always try to sell jars but I've followed up some old ads and they remain unsold and some folks told me that they gave up and just told someone who called to come and get them rather than bothering to answer questions and haggle.

More time invested in searching = greater odds of success.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

goshengirl said:


> People say that all the time, but I never see them! :gah:
> 
> Dakine, I can on a glass cooktop and, thankfully, have not had a problem. I generally can with pints (can fit 9 in my canner). I will say, when I can with quarts (can fit 7 in the canner) there is a weight difference, but still no problems. I will say, however, that I've never done any waterbath canning, and I would be nervous to can quarts with a waterbath canner, jut because you have to fill it up with so much more water. Would it really hurt the stovetop? I don't know. But I've read the same warnings as you, so I would be concerned.
> 
> ...


Thanks! I am planning pressure canning and I have done some pretty large volume liquid mixes in the past, so I was wondering what others thought. If it can sit there for a couple hours on other things I've done, why cant it work fine with this???


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

BadgerPeak said:


> If you haven't already purchased the lids, I'd look into reusable canning lids. Canning isn't very sustainable if you need new lids every time.


Thanks! I will definitely look. It's $4-6 bucks for a dozen lids, and more if you want rings. I'd rather get the reusable ones.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

BadgerPeak said:


> If you haven't already purchased the lids, I'd look into reusable canning lids. Canning isn't very sustainable if you need new lids every time.


Thanks Bob, I'm going to go take a look on CL now, and I've never heard of the kiji thing before but I'll look there too. For me, ~15 miles one way = break even point of having Amazon deliver them for free when I buy new, as a student I get free Prime. Sometimes, free,.... isn't


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Before I got the propane stove I did all my canning on a glass top even with the 23qt pressure canner. Just don't try to pick it up when it's full and lose your grip. It could be ugly.

Jars? I got 90% of my 2000 jars at auctions for pennies. If you need them in a hurry, it probably won't work for you but go here, type in your zip code and see what auctions are coming up in your area.

I use a metal butter knife all the time to work any air bubbles out of the jars. :dunno:

It may have been mentioned earlier in the thread so sorry if it was.

NEVER try to hurry the depressurization of the pressure canner. Let it come down on it's own. You will boil off the liquid in the jars or worst case, shatter them. I learned the hard way.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Hey UncleJoe, what propane stove do you have, and do you recommend it? (Sorry to go OT, but I'm in the market, lol)

And +1 with the "NEVER try to hurry the depressurization" statement. Patience is not my virtue, and I learned the hard way myself.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

goshengirl said:


> Hey UncleJoe, what propane stove do you have, and do you recommend it? (Sorry to go OT, but I'm in the market, lol)


It's a Maytag I found on craigslist for $200. Don't know the model#.

There is one thing I don't like about it. If the power is out I don't know how I'll get the oven to light. The burners I can light with a bic but the oven has a censor that won't let the gas start flowing until it gets hot enough to ignite. This is my first gas stove since I was a kid at home. My dad always had a box of matches next to the stove to light it as opposed to having the pilot burning 24/7. But it appears that doesn't work the same way anymore; for our safety I'm sure.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Thanks, Uncle Joe - appreciate the feedback.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Nope, don't got no glass top stove. Never liked em. That en be electric.

Now ifin ya got a bit a extra room, lots a times ya can pick up a gas apartment stove fer free er cheap. Be whats goin in my basement this winter fer cannin an what not.


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## kejmack (May 17, 2011)

Dakine, a canning virgin! LOL My advice is don't take on too much the first time. Do one thing then when you are finished you can have an after-action-review and figure out what works best.


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## biobacon (Aug 20, 2012)

As some of you know I canned for the first time this weekend, my best advice is to make sure you have more room then you think you need to work with. All the bowels and jars and tools sure take up some space and you cant just throw it some where since it needs to stay clean.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

kejmack said:


> Dakine, a canning virgin! LOL My advice is don't take on too much the first time. Do one thing then when you are finished you can have an after-action-review and figure out what works best.


true, but I'm no longer a minor and now I'm feeling... adventurous 

I figured there are some things I might be able to do that are multi-tasking, like browning hamburger while a batch of hotdogs comes down from pressure. Do I really care if the $3 of hotdogs are trashed? Yeah, I might care a lot if I have just blown up some useable jars, and if I do, I'll stop and go get help from the almighty internetz!  bit if it's about learning how to make a seal, thats why I'm doing $1 a pack dogs first! 

On the upside the canner arrives tomorrow so I can read the directions right away, but I have 8 hours of EMT labs on Saturday and a quiz on Monday, and then a mid-term on Wednesday...

My future... magic 8 ball says "LOL"  no shooting, no canning, no fun, no anything lol


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## PennyPincher (Dec 5, 2011)

seriously, don't tackle too much the first time through. Each time I can in pints it takes about 3 hours between getting the pressure up, processing, and then getting to the point of being able to get the jars out without suffering steam burns (about an hour to cool to get to open the canner). I have 2 digital timers. One for the overall processing time and 1 set for 3 minutes so I can keep checking the pressure. sometimes, the pressure stays steady for long periods and sometimes not. the timers allow me to do other tasks (reading, laundry, etc) while processing the jars.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Cannin be time consumin, but not all that 3 hours be constant cannin work. Takes time ta wash an sterilize jars, while that be happenin the canner can be warmin (if need be) water can be boilin fer lids an rings, once everthin be in jars an in the canner ya got a hour ta hour an a half ta do other thins while just checkin on the canner. After that ya got cool down when ya got time fer other stuff to. 

So there be lots a time in that 3 hour period ta do other thins.


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## Meerkat (May 31, 2011)

You'll enjoy it and save money too.Thats our main reason for canning is to save on food.And you usually know where the food comes from is also a huge plus.Have fun


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## DJgang (Apr 10, 2011)

Once you start canning and can start rotating and eating almost daily....it's wonderful to see the grocery bill go down!


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