Canning

How much money do you have into your 'canning supplies' and equipment?

Interested in overall cost to get a high-quality setup going.

-Todd

Under $100. It's like any other thing - you can spend a lot of money on stuff, but you don't really need to put out a lot to get going.
What do you mean by high quality? My cans last as long as any.

I`m not sure the equipment I need I just know there are different levels of quality for all equipment. Not so much the consumables but the equipment that makes it all work

Edumuhcate me.

My mom "canned" all kinds of stuff, using nothing more than Mason jars lids and rings, and her oven...

Pressure canner fom Walmart: $70
12 Jars/lids: $10
Canning tool kit (tongs, magnetic lid grabber, etc...):$10
Pickling salt and spices: $7
Enamel saucepan for making pickling brine (it'll destroy steel and aluminum pans):$10
Canning book:$10

Total: $117

-Blast

Doing it yourself with friends: $PRICELESS$

Well, most of the stuff that we can just needs a water bath.
But if you feel like canning everything here are some expensive ones...

Everything that isn't high-acid (red tomatoes) or high (added) sugar content needs to be pressure-canned. Hot-water-bath canning is absolutely NOT for other vegetables of low acidity or fruits that have no sugar added.

The biggest source of botulism poisoning in home canning comes from improperly canned vegetables, Number One being green beans.

For those of you who are new to canning, there are NO shortcuts. NONE. Either follow all the steps, using all the correct processes, or buy your food from the store.

Here is basic info on canning from the USDA:
http://foodsafety.cas.psu.edu/canningguide.html

A great disaster plan: services down, and someone is feeding their family botulism-tainted home-canned food. ZOWIE! (Hey, would that qualify for a Multiple Darwin Award, by removing not only the canner from the gene pool, but also all the existing offspring?)

Sue

+1 on the canning advice from Susan.

If you can find items from yard sales/Goodwill, it may be cheaper but look at the items carefully before purchase, especially pressure canners.

The National Center for Home Food Preservation
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/

Info on How do I?
Can
Freeze
Dry
Cure & Smoke
Ferment
Pickle
Make Jam & Jelly
Store

This site is the U of Georgia, used by most cooperative extension centers.

$25
Got it all at thrift shops and for free from local freecycle groups.

Another quick tip: if you're using canning jars that are second-hand (nothing wrong with that), just make sure to run your finger along the top edge to feel for nicks. Discard any with nicks, as they can compromise the seal. Your finger is usually more sensitive than your eyes with glass.

Sue

all ways have a good safe canner ,make shure every things clean .my granny had an old canner that guess a jar broke n stoped up the valve an blew crap alover the kitchen n burned her alitle.recon they have a plug in them beside the wobbler that gives way before the splod.just my 2 cents worth .everthing else u buy is to make it easyer not so much better

I just remembered that a friend of mine, located in central CA, often goes to a local Mormon church canning place. You can put anything you want into #10 cans, not glass. Might be something to look into...

Thanks! I actually have a few cases of their stuff from their site, way cheaper than any other place and almost as cheap as wal-mart buying it by the bag!!

Hey Todd,

I've heard that the LDS advocate keeping a years supply of food on hand. I've been told to go to their website to buy some canned grain. But I haven't found where they actually sell that item. Do you know where they sell it?

also i did find this site. Does anyone know when you would choose "hard white" vs "soft white" vs "hard red" wheat?

I guess this is the place to buy it. Its in Utah, so I'm sure its an LDS group. They replied promptly and said:

"Thank you for your email. The hard red wheat has a nuttier taste and is a little heartier than the hard white wheat. The soft white wheat is a lighter wheat that can be used for pastry and such. If you have any other questions feel free to contact us. Thanks again."

Canned grain. Cool stuff.

https://www.ldscatalog.com
look at center column "Family Home Storage"

Thanks for that. I found out that they do not charge shipping, so the net cost is .92/lb delivered. Compared to beprepared.com, seems like another LDS outfit, which is $1.17/lb for a greater amount.

The privacy policy also seems to be in order. Thumbs up for that. Pardon my cynicism but I had to check.

Over the years I have bought a lot of stuff from EEI. Not grain, but other stuff, and I have always been happy with their service...

Geez the starter kit should be on everyone's list... at that price...

They actually just raised the price a couple months ago it was $10 cheaper as was the wheat, rice, and oats were about $8 cheaper. It was a SCREAMING deal before, now it's still a GREAT deal.

We have almost 20 boxes from them, great price!
We just need to buy our grain mill

-Todd

"Does anyone know when you would choose "hard white" vs "soft white" vs "hard red" wheat?"

From Small-Scale Grain Raising by Gene Logsdon:

"There are five commercially important wheats grown in the U.S.: hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, white, and durum. The hard red wheats are grown mostly west of the Mississippi and are used commercially for making bread; soft red winter wheat is mostly east of the Mississippi and is used principally for pastries (but is fine for bread). White wheat you’ll find chiefly in the Pacific Northwest (and NY and New England) and is used for bread. Durum, grown almost exclusively in North Dakota and surrounding states, makes the flour for pastas."

Sue