The little birds...

If you watch little birds you will see they are busy and happy! Using whatever they can find they create the most gorgeous little nest.
I would be the little bird with some glittery thread in her nest!
We can be like this. Happily working away with the things that are available to us to create a beautiful and happy home.
All the while with a little song in our heart.

Banner by Free Pretty Things for You.

Friday 14 February 2020

The Vicky Challenge. 2020. Pressure Canning. Seriously read this! It is not what you think!

This week our savings subject is Pressure Canning.   This one is a steep learning curve for me!
I took long enough to start Water Bath canning!  I have mentioned before that I found canning to be like soap making... I was intimidated because of things I had heard.  When I confronted my fears and tried soap making I was like pppfff! it was so stupid to have worried as it was so easy and fun.  The only serious danger is that you will develop an addiction to soap making.  (oops too late...)
Water bath canning was the same.  All my worries turned out to be basically ridiculous and it was fun to do and interestingly also addictive!
But Pressure Canning still remains in the "this is scary" category for me!
Actually it has been in the "this is scary and we might die" category! haha!

Talking to Vicky who has so much experience here has changed my mind.  You can win my interest if something will save me money, stock my pantry, keep necessities on hand in times of scarcity....  and Vicky gave me many examples.  Then one thing she said got me...

World wide the have been shortages and dramatic price increases in butter.  Vicky asked if I knew if you are able to can butter?  

I was already interested in this. Since freezing isn't always a long term safe option I had found canned butter online.   I even emailed a New Zealand company to try and find out where I could buy it but they never even replied.  I found several companies that make it but no where to buy it... and it was expensive.  But I think like soap, sugar, fabric.... in a downturn or crisis some canned butter would be worth more than gold!   You can also buy powdered butter but I think canned whole butter would be much nicer.


So over to Vicky ....

Let's Talk Canning! 
Last time we talked about water bath canning and the foods we are able to put up with that method. This time let's look at pressure canning. This method uses steam and weight and the pressure canners themselves vary some have a weight that rocks, some have gages and some are self regulating which I find the easiest. Water boils at around 212 degrees and steam is around temps of 240 and 250 degrees. The steam rises and the weight forces it back down to basically vacuum seal the jars. Pressure canning uses less water, but usually requires more processing time. The foods we pressure can are low acid which is why hotter temperatures are required to ensure that if any bacteria is present it cannot survive and enables a long shelf life. 
Things that we are able to add to the pantry by pressure canning are numerous and after the initial investment saves us a lot and helps reduce waste, saves freezer space, builds the pantry and is great for emergencies or power outages because you can just open and heat it quick or eat it right out of the jar. 



What do we pressure can? Carrots, potatoes, green beans, dry beans, meat and wild game,  soups, stews, veggie combinations for soups or stews, peas, corn and cubes of squashes or pumpkins and more. 
We can have a good variety in the pantry if we choose and know exactly what's in it and where it comes from. 



It can be a little scary the first time or two you pressure can, but it's really not that hard. 
I know many are afraid they will explode. That doesn't happen as often as you think. My husbands grandma did have one explode, but she admitted she had left it unattended. Pressure canning does require attention. 
And there a few things to remember like if you are canning ingredients like soup for example and if you have ingredients that could be water bathed, but ingredients that have to be pressure canned  as well you always pressure can. And we can get away with reusing jars from jars of mayo or whatever from the store, but do not put them in a pressure canner. There is a higher possibility they will explode under the pressure. 
And once you are confident in your canning and get past any fears that you will poison your family there are things you can as well. Like butter! Did I say butter? Oh yes I did! You can also can cheese and cream cheese.



 Just think if there are shortages, rising costs or you plan to go off the grid there is a way to have butter on hand or ghee if you prefer. 
Stay tuned! The next canning post will be on canning some butter. 
XOXO
Vicky


Thank you Vicky! You opened my eyes to a new possibility!  So I can't wait until next week.
As a result I am now reading up further and have decided I want to start with pressure canning.


I am reading this lovely blog The Iowa Housewife.  Look how good these carrots look! So I am planning carrots. And butter of course.  I very often see cream on good deals.  If I find these I am going to make my own butter then can it.  Ok wish me luck.... and help from Vicky who is actually canning butter this week especially to photograph the process to teach us step by step!  

Now for my challenge this week:

The cotton fabrics I got from the op shop saved me at least $50.
The mattress protectors each saved me around $20 and the ones that tuned out to be a pure wool filled quilt and a pure wool fleece underlay were both worth around $200 each even if I am conservative!  You bet I am counting these as savings as they will be put to use and upgrade woollen bedding supplies.  
I will say I saved $20 on pizzas I made and $10 on jars of pesto. 
I did all the usual stuff like cook at home and make lunches and so on.  Also I did my hair colour and trim.  
It is so satisfying to see savings adding up.  Much of my savings are being channelled into my cottage project which I consider an investment.   Other savings go towards adding to the pantry and preparedness.  Due to the current virus situation Andy and I ordered two new spare pumps for our water tanks.  This is because Australia gets almost all pumps from China and a shortage would be very bad for us.  So now we will be ahead with spares.  It pays to be very watchful!

How did you save this week?
If you have any tips or success stories on pressure canning please share.
Also if you have questions I am sure Vicky and others will be happy to help you! 
I am hoping this is an area that I can begin to use to stock up my pantry and also save freezer space. xxx




41 comments:

  1. Annabel, once you get over the fear of pressure canning you will wonder why you ever were afraid. It truly is a great pantry building skill! Vicky, you are so wise when it comes to preserving food, I hope everyone listens to your words of wisdom. I will be waiting for your post on canning butter! Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Dear Patsi, You and also Garden Pat have shown me so much with putting up food and canning. Now I had never heard expression "to put up food" until I met you ladies and I like that expression so much now I say it! I love it. I think of putting up things on my shelves and that is happiness right there! Thank you! Love Annabel.xxx

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  2. Annabel,
    You had another good week. When you can carrots and see those jars line up you are going to be so happy. I only have a few jars left and they are on my list to can again this year, but they look so pretty and they are one of my favorite things to can. Meat isn't pretty, but when we have power outages I can open a jar and have something quick and with very little fuel of any kind.
    This week we got a free truck load of wood. Bartering eggs goes a long way haha. I got a $9.89 rebate in the mail, saved the cost of 3 stamps paying bills over the phone, cashed out for $90 in gift cards to use later, collected 4 dozen eggs, saved on gas again this week. I still have no vehicle which is becoming interesting, made cookies and cake for Valentine's Day using what I have on hand and Rick saved us $60 sharpening the chainsaw blades himself.
    I hope everyone has a great weekend.
    XOXO
    Vicky

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    1. Dear Vicky, Thank you for all your work and encouragement! I think the meat you canned honestly looks like regular casserole meat which looks good.
      The wood you got was amazing!! So much! Would weigh a lot and big bits! I guess Rick will split that in his log splitter. To get this for eggs was AMAZING. What a deal!! I would like Andy to learn to sharpen the chainsaw. Maybe a kit to do it would be a handy gift? You had a great week! Thanks for the wonderful post and info! With love Annabel.xxx

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  3. Like you Annabel I am interested in pressure canning, but it terrifies me. I recently had a birthday and decided I would take the plunge and buy one, but then got cold feet again and didn’t LOL!

    I am not as fearful at water bath canning, and have done a little of it. Just today I water bath canned some fresh pineapple that I bought cheap, but I was a little nervous because I used recycled glass jars for some of the pineapple as I had run out of my ball mason jars, I’ve never done that before, and I was worried they might crack or something, but they didn’t. So it goes to show our fears are unfounded sometimes!

    Maybe when you start pressure canning and posting about it, it will tip the scales for me again. I look forward to seeing how you go.

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    1. Dear Cheryl, I saw your lovely pineapple! It looked beautiful! I have friends who use a lot of recycled jars and for jams etc that is all I have ever used. There are quite different guidelines in different countries too I note. I think the butter may appeal to you so stay tuned! I really keen to do carrots... so lets hope I also pluck up the courage! With love Annabel.xxx

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  4. Dear Annabel, Vicky and lovely Bluebirds!!

    Oh yes, this pressure canning of butter is sounding very interesting! You’ve got my full attention, Victory Vicky!!

    I made money this week by doing professional window cleaning! I am enjoying the challenge, and am finding that new opportunities to get ahead seem to be arriving all at once! You can rejoice with me because the Almighty is my strength!

    Rachel

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    1. Victory Vicky! This is a good name like Vicky's Victory Garden was. Well done Rachel on your week. I am glad for you to be finding ways to get ahead. And that opportunities are coming your way. I hope you have checked what the going rate is for windows. It is in Adelaide at least very expensive to get the windows done! I do rejoice with you every step you make in your new life!! With love, Annabel.xxx

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  5. I wouldn't even know where to source a pressure canner. Part of me likes the idea.

    This week I found some stationery sets for my girls and spent $20 for a saving of $60. No food deals. I did have to buy petrol but managed to save 20 cents a litre.

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    1. Dear Suzan,
      Many of the multi cookers now include a pressure canner. Amazon is my go to for anything just about!
      Stationary sets are a lovely gift! Watching for big specials is the way to do it! With love Annabel.xxx

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  6. A few months ago my husband finally bought me a pressure canner after looking for 1 in the store locally that we could afford fro quiet some time. We finally found 1 at wal mart. And it remains in the box still. As now I am unsure what to do with it....I haven't gotten brave or desperate enough yet to try it...Maybe this new series will give me the push I need to attempt pressure canning

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    1. Dear Tammy,
      Ok out with the canner! I think your husband will be thrilled when you use it.
      I think this series will go on after butter canning as Vicky and I keep chatting and thinking of ideas! With love Annabel.xxx

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  7. I have a pressure canner that I got last year sitting in a box in the basement. Time to get busy! Thank you, Annabel and Vicky!

    I got a free full length wool coat from the thrift store. It was free because it had no belt, no buttons, no buttonholes. This week I found three large teal buttons in my button jar. I sewed them to the coat and handmade three button holes. The coat was too thick to put through my machine. Now it looks beautiful - those buttons are quite striking on a black coat. Plus it was -21* F earlier this week. I'm so thankful for this warm FREE coat.

    Darned some socks this week as well.

    I only went to town once but we have had plenty to eat from pantry, fridge and freezer.

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    1. Dear Cheri,
      You are not alone! Notice all the other ladies also with canners in boxes! We hope you are are inspired to get going as we go on with this series.
      I love that you got a coat and could add the finishing touches yourself! A coat is usually a very expensive item so this is wonderful! With love Annabel.xxx

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  8. I too will be watching for next week's post about canning butter. What a great idea, who would have thought. I have canned for many years and it is easy but I was always afraid of canning meat but thanks to all the posts from you ladies, I tried it last Fall and I have to say it was pretty easy. Annabel, I hope you are taking lots of pictures of your cottage redo and hope you post them. I just love before and after pics and you are so talented that I can't wait to see pics! Paula

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    1. Thank you Paula! Yes I took inside and before photos of the cottage which I will show when I make some progress to show with them!
      I am so glad you are going well with the canning! With love, Annabel.xxx

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  9. I have pressure canned our food for more than 40 years and once you use a pressure canner you will wonder why you waited so long.
    Make sure to read the directions for your canner carefully, and always review the directions if you haven't used it for awhile.

    If the canner hasn't been used for awhile it's a good idea to run just water in the canner first, bringing it up to pressure to be sure it works correctly before you risk a load of food. The directions with my first canner recommended this but if you are using it often it should be okay.

    AND....always keep an extra sealing ring on hand! They wear out over time and they are not always easy to buy locally. There is nothing worse than having food that needs to be put up and a pressure canner that doesn't go up to pressure.

    Marsha



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    1. Dear Marsha,
      Thank you I will follow your advice. I will note your tips. For me out on a farm too, I cant run out and get supplies so I need to have everything on hand. Many thanks, Love Annabel.xxx

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  10. Dear Annabel, I am interested in learning how to can butter and any milk products so I'll be watching these posts. I do have a pressure canner and it's truly not as hard as it sounds to use it. GardenPat has also helped me in that area. Once I get to canning I get
    possessed and look for things to can! It's addicting! You had a good week in the op shops. I do envy your wool blankets. I shall be putting this item on my shopping list.

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    1. Dear Laurie, That is funny and I can just imagine getting excited and want to can everything!
      Rosanne often tells me how excited she would be to get wool blankets and quilts etc. I know am lucky to get them. And I do treasure them.
      If I get wool blankets in bad condition I use those ones to fill things like pot holders. With love, Annabel.xxx

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  11. Annabelle, I plan to join you in canning butter! And I plan to start re-using jars for jams and jellies. Thank you! As far as pressure canning, my favorite thing would be chili as it is so versatile (enchiladas, chili-mac, frito pie, chili and beans, etc). Also, if I don't have enough food to can to fill up my canner I always can water to take up the empty space. You never know when sterilized water might come in handy (medical or emergency situations) and why waste canner space?
    I think I had a pretty good savings week even though I was out of town for a few days. That trip I will be able to write off as an EBay "buying" trip on our tax return as I picked up a lot of items for resale (think carload) and I don't buy anything unless I think I can triple my investment! Anyway, besides those items I found fabrics at thrift stores which I'm estimating $7 for a like-new floral sheet and $32 for several yards of new pre-quilted fabric. I went by the tortilla factory and bought 120 tortillas for a savings of $7 over what my grocery store gets. Their tortillas are fabulous and freeze well. I used a $25 gift card for one of our meals one day. Grocery store savings were $9.00 and I picked up 3 books from the freebie shelf at our public library which amounted to $3 (using thrift store prices as that's where I find 95% of my good books!). All in all, not counting the resale items, my savings came to over $46.00.

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    1. Dear Pam, We can learn this together! Thank you for the tip on water. Good idea.
      I love the sound of your shopping trip! I used to do these kind of trips and sold vintage and Shabby Chic things in a shop. It was really fun for me.
      I love to buy vintage floral sheets, these are amongst my favourite things.
      You had a good week! With love, Annabel.xxx

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  12. I am looking forward to your post about canning butter. So exciting.

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    1. Thank you! I am looking forward to it. I would love to work up to canning cheese as well! xxx

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  13. I love canning!!! I replaced my water bath canner (for fruits, jams, tomatoes, relishes) for a Steam Canner a couple years ago. Because I only need to put 2-1/2 quarts of water into the canner with my jars rather than 5 GALLONS of water in my WBCanner, it only take a few minutes to heat properly before timing the processing ! This has saved me time and money! I found the steam canner on Amazon for about $70 US, but have since seen it a slow as $47 there on occasion . It has a dial that is divided by altitude so you know just when to start timing the processing!
    A friend gave me 1-1/2 flats of strawberries yesterday and so far I’ve canned about 1/3 of those. 2 jars have already gone out as gifts! I‘ve packaged up 25 others in cute jars for gift-giving too! https://pin.it/hmdmqpj53gtjkb
    I love my Presto 23 quart pressure canner for veggies, meats, soups and stews, etc!
    The other night I made chicken enchiladas for dinner but used a jar of home canned pork, a jar of home canned green chili sauce and some frozen Serrano peppers from my garden. I already had the tortillas and other ingredients on hand in my pantry. This makes meals faster AND cheaper! And so tasty! It reminds us that of any calamity happened- storm, sickness or we just didn’t feel like leaving the house for a while, we could eat a variety of tasty meals because of our canning!
    I got a $24 rebate in the mail yesterday and will use it to enhance my pantry in some way- ingredients, tools, etc!
    I thawed and cooked up with some of my chopped onions 10 pounds of ground beef (mince) and packaged it into 10 freezer bags. This saves me a lot of time and money again as I can get a dinner made up faster than I could call for takeaway!
    When I got up this morning I noticed my breakfast door in my fridge was empty so I got out a jar of my apple muffin mix and 20 minutes later we were eating apple muffins straight from the oven! Bagged up the rest for future breakfasts this week.
    I was asked to bring 4 dozen cookies over to a family that was moving in today and so I used my DIY cookie mix and had them made up and ready to go in 45 minutes! I also got $63.31 from Rakuten (Ebates) just by using their site whenever I was buying something online! So, I’m not sure how much my Vicky savings were but each time we get our pension checks (monthly), we always seem to have a nice amount leftover to add to our savings and to our early mortgage payoff!
    We did have Chinese takeout on Wednesday (when we realized after being out and not having lunch) at 3:30 PM that served as dinner plus leftovers for lunch the next day! My fortune cookie said “A simple lifestyle will guarantee a happy existence!” I think they knew us!!! 😀

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    1. Dear Pat, I remember when you got the steam canner and I had never heard of such a thing! I also saw your beautiful strawberries! You amaze me with what you get done! I know you will have your house paid of early! You do so much each week to save and get ahead. Ahh that fortune cookie was just right for you! With much love Annabel.xxx

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  14. Congratulations on such amazing savings, Annabel.
    I have had an American Pressure canner for about eight to ten years (can't exactly remember)and never used it. I have been apprehensive as to my ability to do it correctly. I am so excited about Vicky's posts and support in this area.
    Well done, both of you!!
    Love and hugs,
    Glenda

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    1. Dear Glenda,
      Wow you have what is to me a famous canner! I am sure you are more than capable with it. Butter canning really interests me. So Vicky's help will get me going! Thank you! With love Annabel.xxx

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  15. Gee, when I started pressure canning, using my husband's grandmother's pressure cooker, I didn't know I was supposed to be afraid of it!! I just jumped in and did it. It is a big old thing and would certainly blow a hole in the ceiling if the top ever flew off. I just never tried to remove the lid without releasing all the pressure first. I love harvesting vegetables from my garden and canning them...filling up the shelves in my fruit room with all that wonderful goodness. I have never heard of canned butter, so I will be interested in that process. You can also dehydrate ground beef and store it in your canning jars. I am working on a quilt from fabrics I got on sale for about $6/yard.

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    1. Dear Farm Quilter,
      You did it the right way just starting and flooding on with Grandmothers pressure cooker! Pressure canning has been pretty well unheard of here to me although water bath canning is more common.
      Thank you for the tip on ground beef. I would love to see your quilt when you are finished!! With love Annabel.xxx

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  16. Another week of very modest savings here. I re-covered my ironing board instead of buying new (and had to have a serious talk with myself about getting all precious about a piece of fabric that I bought about 2 years ago for £1 in a charity shop!) and saved at least £12 and saved over £8 by making dog food. Although these are small fry compared to others savings, even making dog food saves me over £200 a year.
    We can't get pressure canners (bottling here) in the UK, apparently it costs over £500 to import them by the time you've added import duty, shipping etc. Since that's not much short of my annual food budget I can't see me doing it. I MAY try bottling in my pressure cooker, but I honestly can't see how I'd use much produce I'd bottled, so I can't see me doing loads.
    I haven't been counting any food savings because I always cook from scratch anyway and buy reductions or special offers wherever possible so I can't consider it an additional saving.

    I love reading about how and where others are making savings, it's so inspirational.

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    1. Dear Su,
      Well done on making your dog food. Aside of saving sit is healthier. I noticed on dog food cans and packets they have an age chart. And old dog to them is 8 or 9. They list nothing for dogs 10 to 20. This I think is because if they eat that food they dont live that long!! I looked at an older dog formula... especially for older dogs... they still had a chart where they dont imagine a dog going over ten. I would steer clear! By not using dog food we have had many dogs go over 20. Ok I think I have news for you... if you look up UK canning groups you will find it is a matter of that things are called. As far as I can tell on UK amazon etc you can get a 20 in one multi pressure cooker for abut 70 pounds. You might already have a pressure cooker. It depends who you ask but I looked up a series of sources and checked with Vicky. So do your won research but a large pressure cooker that will hold 4 quart jars and fit a rack to sit them on is a pressure canner. A smaller pressure cooker heats too quickly and cools down too quickly but a larger one works to heat up and cool down right for the jars inside. When you google this you can both yes and no answers so I will leave it to Vicky. However my Dad gave me a pressure cooker. I am going to see if I am able to can my butter in it. The Instand pot Max 6 Multi use pressure cooker for instance is rated one of the best Pressure canners for 2020. Yet in the title it doesnt even say canner. It is $109 Australian. Anyway it is a very interesting subject!
      You sound like you care saving daily with your cooking! Thank you so much for your comment and remember the things you do are really helping your home economy a lot! With love Annabel.xxx

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  17. I pressure can because as a vegan we like to have canned beans on hand for a quick dinner but I didn’t like buying cans (waste, plastic linings etc). I also don’t want to run a freezer when I can store things on the shelf. This might not be a big saving in electricity but it is a huge saving if the power goes out for an extended time and you can’t use up all the frozen goods (happened to me). I intend to start canning more vegetables as the year progresses. Well worth doing. Noni

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    1. Dear Noni,
      I do think that security that if the power goes off you have shelf stable food is a very good thing. I am hoping to have enough tomatoes to do a Passata or similar... this could be very versatile! With love Annabel.xxx

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  18. Growing up on a dairy farm gave me a great deal of exposure to 'putting up food', both freezing & canning. Shortly after my marriage, my mother gave me a small pressure canner. It is only able to hold pint jars, but that has been fine for the 2 of us. It has a weight instead of a dial & is very easy to use. No explosions in the approximately 47 years of use. Best thing though is to follow the guide that comes with the canner, tells pressure setting & length of processing required for each product. Stay nearby while using & you'll have no need for all this worry, it is very safe. I know you can do this & once you try it once you'll wonder why you waited so long! Oh the joy of all the colorful jars lined up on pantry shelves, you'll just love the sight. - Diane from northern Minnesota, USA

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    1. Dear Diane,
      I love that you grew up on a dairy farm. Where I went to primary school most of the kids were on dairy farms and I was on a pig farm! Thank you for your words of advice. I also find joy in jars lined up on shelves!! Beautiful to me! Thank you so much! With love Annabel.xxx

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  19. Good morning, except for peppers and jelly, I’ve never really canned but you’re getting me more interested.
    I think this China virus could really lead to horrible shortages of different things. It’s a shame we are so dependent on them to make most everything

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    1. Dear Rhonda, I am agreeing with you. We have had a long drought topped of by massive bushfires and now the tourism we rely on in many areas is drastically cut and many supply chains cut... what could go wrong!? eek! So yes... it is good to be away and good to have contingency plans! With love Annabel.xxx

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  20. Ladies! Have any of you seen this invitation? A business opportunity for all you gals with creative talent. Saw this today for the first time.
    Annabelle, If you think this is something that would be valuable to the bluebird group,yay. If it goes against blog policy to post the link, I'll understand. There are so many lovey things crafted and shown here. Perhaps this could help get a crafter's cottage industry up and running. Blessings!

    Cindy


    https://services.amazon.com/handmade/handmade.html?ref_=o_disp_milo_&tag=disadvus-20&aaxitk=I0GGc7JqIMK4pKNVQ2EvoQ

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  21. you know, the amount of milk, cream & butter goods you use, i am surprised you haven't thought of having your own jersey/guernsey cow, or maybe you have? could also double up as a surrogate mother to all those calves you keep rescuing ...
    just saying...
    great post, very interesting & always learn something
    thanx for sharing

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  22. Dear Annabel and Vicky,
    If you were to ask Colton what my favorite food is, he would say butter and he would be correct! I look forward to the canning tutorial.
    We pressure canned venison that Colton harvested for the first time a few weeks ago. It was intimidating, but once I did it I wished I hadn't waited so long to try it. It was SO easy, not to mention the venison came out so tender, moist, and delicious! I would encourage anyone who is hesitant, to try pressure canning.
    Thank you for always encouraging us to try new things!
    Love, Kelsey

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I really appreciate your comments thank you! The aim of my blog is the be a place of encouragement and happiness. Very rarely is anyone rude. Actually only twice so far! If you post a rude or aggressive comment I will read it but not publish it, thanks for understanding.xxx

Spam is never published... if you are advertising a product or selling website your comment wont be published. I am inundated with stuff about drugs, horses and weird things! I am not going to publish this stuff! Thank you.