Day 273 of 365
Yesterday, when I was really sick, I had no choice but to just sit there and sit there. I do not watch much television, but yesterday was a tv-watching day. I found a fantastic program on the Magnolia Network called Magnolia Workshops, and if you have Discovery Plus or some way to access the Magnolia Network, I cannot recommend these workshops enough. The workshops are short video lessons in gardening, cooking, art, and such, and I watched a couple that really inspired me.
For three years, I have been wanting to try canning with a pressure cooker, but I have always been nervous because I worry about things going wrong. I worry some about a pressure canner explosion, but I mostly worry about not canning properly and having food be wasted. I feel safer with freezing. However, our two deep freezers were so full last year that we could barely close them. It made me realize I really need to learn how to can beyond water-bath canning.
You can use simple water-bath canning for acidic foods, such as fruit jams and the spaghetti sauce I make, but to can beans, for example, you need to use a pressure cooker.
It just so happened that one of the first workshops I watched yesterday was a step-by-step video on making applesauce and canning it with a pressure cooker. The woman doing the workshop was so calming, and I was mesmerized–and convinced I can do this.
So, last night, after three years of wanting to do it, I bought a pressure cooker almost just like the one in the video, and I am ready to up my homesteading game.
I am determined to cut down on the items we buy at the grocery store. Two of the things we buy frequently are canned pears and canned pinto beans. We also have so many tomatoes left over each year that we realized it would be nice to can some tomatoes just as tomatoes alone and not as a part of my spaghetti cause. I also love canned green beans and haven’t had them in years because we always freeze our green beans, so for sure, this year, I am determined to can pears, pinto beans, tomatoes, and green beans.
There is a spectrum for homesteading. Everyone is in a different place, but I have found that if I try to just add a little bit every year, over time, I really get somewhere. Maybe slow is best. A wise teacher told me that just today.
Farmer-ish 
Good Morning !!!!! It is a gorgeous morning in Kentucky !!!!!!
I do not watch TV except the Magnolia Channel …… Ranch to Table is my Favorite !!!!! And I also watch the Workshops …. Love Katie Button !!!!!
I have been canning my green beans for 42 years …… water bath. I was Always afraid of canning with a pressure canner …… but I also enjoy the water bath method for my beans. I LOVE canning !!!!!
Good Luck with your pressure canner !!!!! You can DO IT !!!!!!
Have a Wonderful and Safe day ……
btw …… the 3 egg carton, looks to be heart shaped …… LOVE !!!!!!!
?Could you tell me where to order them ?
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Barb, I am totally going to check out Ranch to Table text, and it’s awesome that you water bath green beans. Apparently, my aunt does as well, but other people told me you couldn’t do it. Do you have to add anything acidic to it? And I love those egg cartons! Here is the link: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1058389472/25-egg-cartons-in-white-3-holding-type?click_key=027d0c48cf3a0f88870572e9495c394abb31f918%3A1058389472&click_sum=6a360db1&ref=search_recently_viewed-6
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Hi Crystal …….
I break up my beans and fill my jars, pressing the beans down ……. and add a teaspoon of salt …… fill with tap water. Put in my enamel canner and fill to the neck of the jars. Bring to a boil, turn down to a slight boil…….. and let them go for 4 hours. I add hot water as needed to keep the bath full.
It is how I learned as a young 21 year old, from a Wonderful Country woman :0) When I can, or quilt or knit …… I savor the time …… I am not hurrying thru it …..
I know this method is not for everyone, but for those with a dislike for pressure canning …… it is safe and Wonderful !!!!!
Nothing … as Wonderful as hearing the lids pop !!!!!!!
I Love that everyone is labeling it Homesteading when it has been our way of life for 40 years !!!!! Simple mountain folks :0)
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Thank you so much for this! And it is definitely my hope that “homesteading” will become common again. It’s a good way to be!
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Thank you so much for sharing Magnolia’s awesome website. Wow! I subscribe to the Journal but this is so much more. Makes me want to get crafty 🙂
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I don’t want to start any canning arguments here, but we’ve been canning, or I should say my wife’s been canning for 40 plus years. I’m part of the growing and eating crews, but it’s a small kitchen and my kitchen skills aren’t to be trusted. Either way, she relies on this guide for what is safe or not: https://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html
You can read it free online or download it or buy it in print. Unfortunately we’ve done it this way for years is not a basis for whether it’s actually safe or not. I know she has altered how some things are done. It’s best to be safe. I would hate after all the hard work we both put into the garden to have to throw it all away because it can’t be trusted or worse yet to get dangerously sick for our efforts.
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