# Leftover Home Canned Goods



## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I was going through my jars of canned garden stuffs, mentally picking out what I would either open and discard or give away in preparation for the new garden year. I hadn't realized that the year had been that bountiful, with the record heat and drought we experienced here in North Texas, but bountiful it was.

I didn't get past the first shelf before I started feeling bad about what would be lost so I decided to try dehydrating my 2 cases of beets that were uneaten through the winter. 

Surprise, surprise...they came out more like dried fruit since I canned them with sugar and not vinegar last year. I wound up with several bags of sweet red treats that would blend quite well into a trail mix. Good stuff, will make a habit of this with any leftover beets in the years to come and will continue these experiments in the future.


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## Salekdarling (Aug 15, 2010)

That sounds delicious! I LOVE beets. Thank you for the ideal. How much sugar did you use? I want to try it with store canned beets.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

You do know you can keep your canned food for more than a season ... right? (as long as you still have a seal. )

Or did I miss something?


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

*Andi said:


> You do know you can keep your canned food for more than a season ... right? (as long as you still have a seal. )
> 
> Or did I miss something?


WhEW!!! Thank God...because I ate 15 and 20 year old canned tomatoes, tomato juice, and green beans...:gaah:


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

I'm still working on the last few jars of tomato sauce, paste and soup I canned from the bountiful 2008 harvest.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

JayJay said:


> WhEW!!! Thank God...because I ate 15 and 20 year old canned tomatoes, tomato juice, and green beans...:gaah:


Well ... alright then.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

I have no problem keeping jars of food loner than a year, the thing is, I don't have the space to store all jars I have. I am planning a stand alone, climate controlled building for food stores but until then I better not catch my grandson throwing his baseball in the house, jars stored all over the place.

Salekdarling, I don't recall how much sugar I used, just added it until it tasted right - I have never been one to measure, learned to cook from my grand and great grandmothers and they were all dumpers.

From now on, I will always try dehydrating before I throw out jars of food.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

*Andi said:


> Well ... alright then.


I was attending college--had long classes Tues/Thurs...so on MOnday, Wednesday, and Friday, I canned tomatoes and juice...I got to the point I didn't want to see another tomato again..now, I wish I had soil for those tomatoes!!!

I still have two quarts of green beans, from 81/82!!!!!...they look fine.:dunno:


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

Davarm said:


> I have no problem keeping jars of food loner than a year, the thing is, I don't have the space to store all jars I have. I am planning a stand alone, climate controlled building for food stores but until then I better not catch my grandson throwing his baseball in the house, jars stored all over the place.
> 
> Salekdarling, I don't recall how much sugar I used, just added it until it tasted right - I have never been one to measure, learned to cook from my grand and great grandmothers and they were all dumpers.
> 
> From now on, I will always try dehydrating before I throw out jars of food.


Can't throw balls under the bed.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

JayJay said:


> WhEW!!! Thank God...because I ate 15 and 20 year old canned tomatoes, tomato juice, and green beans...:gaah:


When my grandmother passed several months ago, found jars of food from the mid 80's, didnt have room to store em so we divided them up between the grand-kids and ate em, tomatos and okra...all still good but the Kraut was kinda soft.

Found fish fillets frozen in 1 gallon cardboard milk cartons in her deep freeze, how long has it been since you have seen one of those?


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

JayJay said:


> Can't throw balls under the bed.


You've not met my grandson.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

Davarm said:


> You've not met my grandson.


Does he have a twin? I may have!!:gaah:


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

JayJay said:


> Does he have a twin? I may have!!:gaah:


Some say that we all have a twin somewhere so anything is possible.:dunno::dunno:


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

I love beets and I think you found a way to make them better.


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## *Andi (Nov 8, 2009)

Davarm said:


> I have no problem keeping jars of food loner than a year, the thing is, I don't have the space to store all jars I have. I am planning a stand alone, climate controlled building for food stores but until then I better not catch my grandson throwing his baseball in the house, jars stored all over the place.
> 
> Salekdarling, I don't recall how much sugar I used, just added it until it tasted right - I have never been one to measure, learned to cook from my grand and great grandmothers and they were all dumpers.
> 
> From now on, I will always try dehydrating before I throw out jars of food.


Got it ... I was not sure where you was going.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

When we cleaned out my parents house a few years ago there was home-canned stuff from the '80s in their basement. We ate a lot of it while were were there that week, working. No one got sick. We brought it all back home with us, and whatever seemed questionable went to the chickens. Then I had the jars to use for my own canning.

I LOVE the idea of the sweet dried beet "chips"! I've got to try that! Beets are one of the new 'wonder foods' with that same stuff that's supposed to be healthy that is in Red Wine! (Resveratrol)


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

gypsysue said:


> When we cleaned out my parents house a few years ago there was home-canned stuff from the '80s in their basement. We ate a lot of it while were were there that week, working. No one got sick. We brought it all back home with us, and whatever seemed questionable went to the chickens. Then I had the jars to use for my own canning.
> 
> I LOVE the idea of the sweet dried beet "chips"! I've got to try that! Beets are one of the new 'wonder foods' with that same stuff that's supposed to be healthy that is in Red Wine! (Resveratrol)


While stationed in Italy, found that many of the old folks, 80+ drank red wine daily. I got on a kick few years back and tried to drink a glass a day, didn't work out too well....Hate Red Wine so didn't last long - love white though.

I guess I will stick to the beets, thanks for the info.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

I'd rather have beets than red wine anyway!


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## TechAdmin (Oct 1, 2008)

gypsysue said:


> I'd rather have beets than red wine anyway!


Same here, not a fan of red wine.


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## LongRider (May 8, 2012)

Davarm said:


> While stationed in Italy, found that many of the old folks, 80+ drank red wine daily.


Lived my early years in Italy. Everyone drank wine, remember sitting in the kitchen with grandma she would mix wine with water and sugar. As I recall it is about the only thing I drank. My guess is everyone drank at least one bottle a day a glass at brunch, a glass at lunch, a glass with the afternoon meal, a couple at dinner and maybe a nightcap.


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## neldarez (Apr 10, 2011)

Davarm said:


> I was going through my jars of canned garden stuffs, mentally picking out what I would either open and discard or give away in preparation for the new garden year. I hadn't realized that the year had been that bountiful, with the record heat and drought we experienced here in North Texas, but bountiful it was.
> 
> I didn't get past the first shelf before I started feeling bad about what would be lost so I decided to try dehydrating my 2 cases of beets that were uneaten through the winter.
> 
> Surprise, surprise...they came out more like dried fruit since I canned them with sugar and not vinegar last year. I wound up with several bags of sweet red treats that would blend quite well into a trail mix. Good stuff, will make a habit of this with any leftover beets in the years to come and will continue these experiments in the future.


so Dave, do you think it would be good if done with vinegar? I canned pickled beets and just plain beets........I really like beets! I'm surprised you hadn't dried beets already, can't imagine you missing anything!


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

neldarez said:


> so Dave, do you think it would be good if done with vinegar? I canned pickled beets and just plain beets........I really like beets! I'm surprised you hadn't dried beets already, can't imagine you missing anything!


Well Ms Nelda, I dont see why not! I think I have some spiced pickled beets and will probably run across them when I go through the jars this year(soon). I will have to give it a try.


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## Davarm (Oct 22, 2011)

LongRider said:


> Lived my early years in Italy. Everyone drank wine, remember sitting in the kitchen with grandma she would mix wine with water and sugar. As I recall it is about the only thing I drank. My guess is everyone drank at least one bottle a day a glass at brunch, a glass at lunch, a glass with the afternoon meal, a couple at dinner and maybe a nightcap.


Italy was a great experience, learned a lot and the people made you feel like family. It was one of the highlights of my life.

Where did you live? I spent most of my time in the Poe River Vally, in Vicenza, not far to the west of Venice. I then went down to Naples for a while and that was a culture shock, almost a different country but loved it all the same.


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