Food Questions . . . Any Answers?

[MomOfOneFunOne]

Often when I cook, especially things that require a lot of time or effort, I try to make plenty so I don't have to do it again any time soon. This leads to two problems: 1) We have so much food on hand at supper that we often end up eating too much. 2) We then eat left-overs till we're sick of it! neither of these is good.

 

So, I'm thinking of doing somewhat of the same thing but canning the bulk of the food before we have dinner. That way the food will last a long time and we don't have to eat it till we get sick of it and it's put away so we arent' tempted to revisit the pot till we're ready to butst. In additioin, I'm trying to cook in season and this will help with that a bit.

 

I'm wondering if you done this and what your resources were for recipes. I dont' want to have to guess when it comes to canning. I'd like recipes that already know how they need to be canned. Does that make sense?

 

Any help out there?

 

All I have ever canned are single item things like jelly, syrup, tomatoes, greenbeans, et c. I've never canned soups, sauces, stews, et c. Thanks to HappyGrace I've got a canning book on order but I'd still like some supper recipes that also can if you know of any.

 

Thanks, Guys, and God Bless!

 

Rebecca

[Parrothead]

Why not just freeze it? Freezing is so much easier. Just plop it into a container suitable for the freezer, and freeze.

[Scarlett]

Why not just freeze it? Freezing is so much easier. Just plop it into a container suitable for the freezer, and freeze.

 

 

I freeze leftovers. And when I cook two meals or more at one time, I don't leave the leftovers to chance. I put the extra portions away, out of site, before I serve the meal.

[z2_mom]

how would one can say soup. We have the same problem, I make a huge pot of soup and then we get so sick of it with the leftovers. My girls love soup for lunch and I end up spending a ton on canned soups. I would love to be able to make a huge pot and then can several jars! How would you do this? I have never canned anything in my life!

 

lynda

[LibraryLover]

One of my teens goes to school and doesn't like the caf food or sandwiches, so I freeze things like soup in portions. It's simple enough to reheat. Easy peasy.

[Chris in VA]

I agree--freezing is so much faster and easier. You can even freeze in ziplocs and stack in the freezer so it doesn't take up much room. No need for expensive tupperware.

[z2_mom]

I never thought of that -------freezing the soup in ziplock bags! That just may work! Now off to make a pot of soup for dinner tonight and try freezing the leftovers. Thanks!!

 

Lynda

[MomOfOneFunOne]

I'd rather can than freeze for two reasons:

 

1) I have a ton of storage space and almost NO freezer space. With our regular weekly frozen items, there is almost nothing left over for food storage -- long term, I mean. Meanwhile, I have plenty and more storage space in my kitchen.

 

2) I've lived here for 9 years and of those 9, 4 years have brought power outages that have ruined everything in our fridge/freezer. Two of those years (last yr and yr before) were back to back. It's weather -- actually it's trees. Sometimes it's the spring storms and sometimes it's ice storms. Ether way, it long term power outages. Last year we lived in a hotel for 2 weeks (after toughing if out for about a week at home) and moved back home on Christmas Eve.

 

So, for one reason and another, I'd like to can.

[Ria]

All I have ever canned are single item things like jelly, syrup, tomatoes, greenbeans, et c. I've never canned soups, sauces, stews, et c. Thanks to HappyGrace I've got a canning book on order but I'd still like some supper recipes that also can if you know of any.

 

 

I hope you realize that you need a pressure canner to can soups and other low-acid foods. The processing time can be long...sometimes 45 minutes for quarts. You must be very, very careful when canning low-acid foods because of the risk of botulism. Only follow FDA-approved recipes, and follow them to the letter...there are differences in pressure and processing times depending on the recipes. Here's a site that might give you some info: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/using_press_canners.html

 

Ria

[Terri NS]

If you wanted to can soups etc, you would need a pressure canner as opposed to the water bath that you use for jams and fruit. I have one but only use it a few times a year for canning huge quantities. I have a large one that holds 20 + pints. I too find it easier to freeze the leftovers of soups, stews etc.

[MomOfOneFunOne]

Thanks, guys. I have a pressure canner. I totally understand how much easier it is to freeze but I really don't have the space or inclination to waste when the power goes out.

 

I'll keep looking and thanks again.

[LaxMom]

Yes to the above comments re: needing a pressure canner. Also, with the amount of heat/pressure/time, canned leftovers (i.e. items that are mixed and fully cooked already) would have definite quality issues, in my mind. I mean if you think about, say, green beans, they're raw when I put them in the canning jar and essentially overcooked coming back out after 15 or 20 minutes (which is fine for the ones I can because I use them in applications where I really like them that way). Can you imagine what they would be like if they were fully cooked, then pressure processed for 45 more minutes? :ack2:

 

Some things - like chili - can be pressure canned. Most everything else, leftover-wise, I would freeze and be prepared to get a bunch of ice to throw in the freezer in the event of a long-term power outage.

[Quiver0f10]

I freeze leftovers. And when I cook two meals or more at one time, I don't leave the leftovers to chance. I put the extra portions away, out of site, before I serve the meal.

 

I do this too. :iagree: