# Anything you wished you wouldn't have canned or dehydrated?



## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

For me, dehydrating cranberries and cheese. Not together.


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## GrannyG (Mar 26, 2005)

I do not like dehydrated kiwi....


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## alpacaspinner (Feb 5, 2012)

Sandra Spiess said:


> For me, dehydrating cranberries and cheese. Not together.


I had pretty good luck with dried cranberries. I tried them just plain, and that didn't turn out so well (though I still use them for baking), but this year I cooked them first for a couple of minutes in a sugar syrup, till they popped, and then dried them. They are like craisins, though stickier. Good for baking. They did take a long time to dry, though I don't remember exactly how long. And I, just yesterday, used the leftover syrup to make some gelatin candies - a la "Aplets and Cotlets", for those of you familiar with them. They turned out very nicely.


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## mpennington (Dec 15, 2012)

Ooh. Aplets and cotlets - yummy!

I didn't like dehydrated watermelon.


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## notbutanapron (Jun 30, 2011)

I used to not like beetroot [I do now] so I thought I'd make a lactofermented beetroot and carrot juice and then wait three years to drink it. :goodjob:


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Dehydrated zucchini is not that good for anything, in my opinion.


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## Kristinemomof3 (Sep 17, 2012)

gone-a-milkin said:


> Dehydrated zucchini is not that good for anything, in my opinion.



We liked it sliced thin and seasoned like chips. We did them like this: http://hyphenbird.hubpages.com/hub/Dehydrated-Zucchini-Chips-Healthy-and-Nutritious


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I like this question because you learn from others. I wish I had never canned chicken with the bone in. I just don't like having to clean it when I open it. I learned a lesson, and the dogs get some chicken dogfood once in a while this way.


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## Maverick_mg (Mar 11, 2010)

I don't do chow-chow anymore. It took a lot of time and no one but me would eat it.


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## GrannyG (Mar 26, 2005)

I put dehydrated zucchini chips in big pots of soup....


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

mekasmom said:


> I like this question because you learn from others. I wish I had never canned chicken with the bone in. I just don't like having to clean it when I open it. I learned a lesson, and the dogs get some chicken dogfood once in a while this way.


Mekasmom...funny how different people's preferrences go. I like the bone-in canned chicken over the boneless because, to me, it's more flavorful.

As to the OP:
I can for myself, so this probably does not appy to most on here. I have found that canning fruit such as peaches, pears or plums is not worth my while. I used to do pickles, but since having to cut back on salt, they're not worth the effort, either. Applesauce, dried peas and beans, various meats, cranberry sauces, and some jams get used up. With other stuff, commercially prepared items work better.


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## my3boys (Jan 18, 2011)

Maverick_mg said:


> I don't do chow-chow anymore. It took a lot of time and no one but me would eat it.


You too?


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## notbutanapron (Jun 30, 2011)

Stef said:


> Mekasmom...funny how different people's preferrences go. I like the bone-in canned chicken over the boneless because, to me, it's more flavorful.
> 
> As to the OP:
> I can for myself, so this probably does not appy to most on here. I have found that canning fruit such as peaches, pears or plums is not worth my while. I used to do pickles, but since having to cut back on salt, they're not worth the effort, either. Applesauce, dried peas and beans, various meats, cranberry sauces, and some jams get used up. With other stuff, commercially prepared items work better.


Bizarre  Canning fruit is like my biggest stock-store. Especially when the mulberry trees go nuts...


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## jmtinmi (Feb 25, 2009)

A couple of years ago I canned up pear chunks with peels left on. Now I know why, they don't look appealing (pun intended:-D). I am not going to toss them, but I drained a jar and dehydrated them. Not bad, and will be good in baked goods.


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## blynn (Oct 16, 2006)

Green tomato salsa- it was nasty. I had ten jars of the stuff and no one could choke it down. I kept it for over a year, thinking I'd try it for a chili base or something. Finally dumped it all this fall when I needed the jars for another project.


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

I canned 40 pints of pickled garlic. Yuck. Now I see why nobody cans garlic. It loses all it's garlicky goodness. I should have dehydrated or frozen it instead.


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## Ohio dreamer (Apr 6, 2006)

Don't like canned bacon. 

Love chow-chow, but I to am the only one that eats it. On the up side I can't stand hot dogs, something my family loves. But if I slather the hot dog in chow-chow I can choke one down. So I keep making chow-chow.

My kids fight over the pickled garlic in the dilly beans jars. So I have to put extra in every jar just to keep the peace in the family, lol. I was going to do up a bunch of half-pints of pickled garlic. Guess I'll skip it, thanks happydog!


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## CurtisWilliams (Mar 14, 2005)

mpennington said:


> Ooh. Aplets and cotlets - yummy!
> 
> I didn't like dehydrated watermelon.


I tried it about 10 years ago. It was the grossest thing...


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## Honduras Trish (Nov 30, 2007)

Well, I'm certainly not excited about how my attempt at canning ham turned out. I also tried a recipe for pickled beets that used sugar and spices in addition to vinegar. My family (both dh's side and my side) has always made pickled beets by adding only vinegar. Nobody really liked the ones I made using the recipe from online. I shred them up and use them on tossed salads, but I won't make them again once these are gone.


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## KnowOneSpecial (Sep 12, 2010)

5 gallons of blackberries. Turned them all into jam. That's a LOT of jam! We did this 2 years ago and we're still not through our supply-and I have 8 kids! You'd think we'd breeze through it but nope. Not even when I make blackberry milkshakes!


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## LoonyK (Dec 12, 2009)

Of the things I dehydrated, garlic chives was the worst. The leaves have coating on them, so drying them for days until they were finally dry, works good for drought resistance though. Anyways that wasn't the worst part in that adventure, got a couple containers worth out of that load and couple family members thought there was a dead mouse in the corner that I put the containers. Why? because of the nasty smell it created. Turnips was a close second. I'll stick with the things that work.


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## jmedk (Jan 7, 2013)

Thanks for that info. That's one project to cross off the list.
sign me new to this board and new to canning, 
jmedk


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## happydog (May 7, 2008)

KnowOneSpecial said:


> 5 gallons of blackberries. Turned them all into jam. That's a LOT of jam! We did this 2 years ago and we're still not through our supply-and I have 8 kids! You'd think we'd breeze through it but nope. Not even when I make blackberry milkshakes!


 
oh yeah. Two years ago I put up nearly 200 jars of various jams. It took all freaking summer, but I was so proud of myself. I figured I'd be set for school lunches THAT year. As I finished the last batch my lucky soon-to-be-eating-homemade-jam-all-year-first-grader informed me she didn't like peanut butter and jam sandwiches anymore. She only likes tuna fish or bologna sandwiches now. :bash:

We're still eating our way through that mountain of jam...


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## Ali_R (Jul 18, 2011)

Corned beef. It is good, but that seemed an enormous amount of work for very little return  Plus the kids won't touch corned beef so it is just me and the husband eating it in corned beef hash. Speaking of... that sounds yummy and I think I have a jar or two still hanging around ;-)


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

mpennington said:


> Ooh. Aplets and cotlets - yummy!
> 
> I didn't like dehydrated watermelon.


I have been eating it all winter and loving it. A case of different strokes I guess.


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## Vosey (Dec 8, 2012)

Turkey soup - tastes just like canned soup but a little more intense! Luckily my DH will eat it.

I also tried canning cheddar cheese per Jackie Clay's recipe. It looked fully melted but wasn't and got all grainy when canned. Fine for making mac and cheese. I think a softer cheese would do fine. I was bummed as I can't get really good cheddar in a large block out here and have to stock up an hour a way. Back to just freezing it.


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## sdnapier (Aug 13, 2010)

Vosey said:


> Turkey soup - tastes just like canned soup but a little more intense! Luckily my DH will eat it.
> 
> I also tried canning cheddar cheese per Jackie Clay's recipe. It looked fully melted but wasn't and got all grainy when canned. Fine for making mac and cheese. I think a softer cheese would do fine. I was bummed as I can't get really good cheddar in a large block out here and have to stock up an hour a way. Back to just freezing it.


Have you considered waxing your cheese? There are a lot of you tube videos about it. It is supposed to last a long time and the only thing you have to do it is turn it over once in awhile. I waxed 4 blocks back in Nov and stuck them on top of the fridge. Peeled off the wax on one of them on New Years and it was excellent. Am saving the others till more time has gone by to see how it really turns out. The first block cut nicely which is better than I can say for my frozen cheese.


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## Beemer (Jan 10, 2012)

I love dried watermelon. I tell people it is "taffy". But I usually dried under ripe watermelons - they are sweet enough when dried.

Don't like dried zucchini or my dried dill pickle chips.


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## anette (Jun 20, 2008)

found a recipe for cucumber ketchup... it just didn't "do it" for me


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## viggie (Jul 17, 2009)

I can't believe I saw kiwi in here...it's a fav of mine...dehydrated it's like natural sweet tarts!

Mine would be canning pickles...they were just mush.


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## farmersonja (Mar 9, 2013)

Green beans. I think I just prefer them frozen. Too mushy after canning.


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## RedDirt Cowgirl (Sep 21, 2010)

Rose buds in the dehydrator - the house smelled like heaven, the buds like grass. :Bawling:


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## strawberrygirl (Feb 11, 2009)

Dehydrated butternut squash. Blech! I don't know if I let it dry too long or if I did something wrong. The flavor is just strange. I even tried adding it to some of the butternut squash that we froze, and it changed the flavor of that too. Not good!


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