Wasn't sure where to post this, but...

[Quail_Antwerp]

Well I got super excited today, and I bought up a bunch of apples LOLOL I think the first thing I am going to try my hand at canning is homemade applesauce

uh...is that a good item to try canning for your first time? :/


As for jars, my mom said she has some she might loan me. I have to give them back when we are done with them, so no prob there. And I saw some tiny jelly jars I want to get to try canning baby food in. Doable?

Oh I am going to be slamming all you canners with gobs of questions! I am so excited to try this!!

I know the season is almost over, but I am going to do what I can!

 

[ScottyG]

Applesauce is actually the first thing I ever canned myself, and it's way easy. So yes! Applesauce ahoy! yaaaaaaay!

 

[punkin]

HA HA-- H23
you are so right...we don't want diamonds, gold jewelry, fancy clothes, expensive purses, we want SS stuff...and farm stuff, and animal supplies and overalls, and muck boots....LOL

Two years ago for Mother's Day my DH and DS got me a big ole garden tiller. I love it and use it every year.

 

[user251]

my first was blackberry jelly but apple sauce was a close second and its easier than you think.

 

[FarmerChick]

a big ol' garden tiller...now that is a present!
put a smile on my face for sure!

 

[annmarie]

Congrats Quail! Applesauce is a great first time canning choice. I just finished up my first season canning and I'm hooked. I will warn you though that you might not enjoy the experience too much this first try. I found it a little overwhelming and felt extremely clumsy and must have burned myself about 30 times. I suggest having another person around just for a second pair of hands when you get to the canning part. I was alone the first time I tried canning and I did succeed, but I was at the brink of tears! The second time I recruited my husband as "Lid Man" (getting the lids out of the water and setting them on the jars with his magic wand!) and he enjoyed that so much that he has now taken over the position of "Jar Man" (using the jar lifter to get the jars out of the boiling water) too, so now it's really easy for me! I made apple butter over the weekend and that completes my canning for the year (unless I can think of something else to can!). Enjoy!

 

[chicknwhisperer]

Awesome!! We may be the only people around who get how it's cool to get a water bath canner as a BD present!! My mom just asked what I want for Christmas. I told her a cast iron dutch oven!

That is on my Christmas list to lol

 

[chicknwhisperer]

HA HA-- H23
you are so right...we don't want diamonds, gold jewelry, fancy clothes, expensive purses, we want SS stuff...and farm stuff, and animal supplies and overalls, and muck boots....LOL

Afew months ago dh told me to go and buy some clothes since I didn't have any pants that had both knees still in lol. He said I could spend a hundred. I watched exactly what I was spendingbecasue I found a pair of flannel lined overalls in the clearance section He said that I am definitly a hillbilly if I'm going to watch how much I spend so I could have those hehe

 

[patandchickens]

Applesauce is reasonable for a first try at canning (to me, commercial-pectin jelly or jam recipes are even easier, because they are totally liquid). Watch it doesn't gloop big spits of boiling applesauce up at you when you go to ladle it out of the kettle, and if you make your applesauce on the thick side, mind you get the air bubbles out of the jar (run a chopstick around in there) before adjusting headspace and sealing the jar.

I would be careful though about trying to can babyfood. Only fruit (applesauce, pear sauce, pureed peaches, etc) could be waterbath-canned anyhow, and honestly, it being for babies (who cannot withstand as much getting sick as grownups can) would make me want to make real sure to dot all the i's and cross all the t's. If you're going to do it, a thinner more soupy consistency would be safer than a very thick pastelike consistency (in terms of being more likely to avoid insufficiently-heated pockets in the jar), and unless you are using reasonably acidic fruits to begin with and not adding any sugar or nuthin', you might want to get some pH paper to doublecheck that you're well within the safe region.

Be safer and probably easier to just feed stuff that is in season (or in storage season) though, and make it up fresh every day or every week, though; or for intermediate time scales like a few months, freeze it in icecube-sized blocks.

JMHO,

Pat

 

[ams3651]

definately stock up on jars and lids and rings now. this past season I know many people who could not find them in the stores.