# Canning/Discouraged



## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

How do you people who can hundreds of jars do it? I've been doing apples for 2 days and only have 12 qts. I don't have an apple peeler, yet. Looking for one. I probably am slow in accomplishing anything. I like JudyLou's thinking in being prepared. I'll never get anything done at this rate. Just a rant.


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## po boy (Jul 12, 2010)

I have never canned apples, but sounds like the problem is the lack of an apple peeler.
Peel just enough for a load and while those are canning, peel the next load...

Is your TV on?


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## rancher1913 (Dec 5, 2008)

(this is Moldy - rancher's wife). Don't be discouraged. But you have to have decent tools - not the newest, but what works for you. For example, Dh has an expensive peeler - I hate it! I love my little cheapie from Walmart. If you are going to be doing a lot of apples (in 2009, DH 'gifted' me with about 1000#) - first what are you doing? For apple pie filling or slices, an apple/corer/peeler is worth its weight in gold. Most kitchen store sell these and it will save your hands. Get one that clamps to the counter, not the kind with the suction cup on the bottom. The clamp won't let it slide. For applesauce, I just quarter mine (don't peel or core) and cook them in a roaster or crockpot all day (add a little lemon juice if you want). Run them thru a strainer (can't remember the correct name - white and red plastic). you can use a foley mill, but for me the strainer is quicker. don't set your goal for 1000 jars. Just use what you can, when you have it. The totals will add up before you know it. (When I had the 1/2 ton of apples to deal with, I was working full-time. I did 7 quarts a night after I got home - the hogs got a few, but most of them got canned.)


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## PixieLou (May 1, 2010)

Depending on the product, I tend to set up an assembly line. With apples, I do applesauce. So I'll cut up my apples and put them simmering one day, strain/puree them the next day, and can them the 3rd day. With peaches, I know how many it takes to fit a jar, so I'll prepare 7 quarts per day. With tomatoes sauce - I'll put 1 batch of tomatoes in the freezer the 1st day, thaw, peel and put them simmering on day 2 (whereupon I put another batch in the freezer), day 3 I'll can them (then do step 2 for the 2nd batch, and put the 3rd batch in the freezer).


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

Yes, I'm watching TV. Looking at a Pampered Chef Peeler right now. Thanks for the encouragement.


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## breestephens (Oct 29, 2008)

Hey, don't be discouraged. We all started with just a few jars. It does get easier and with the right tools you will see those jars start adding up in a hurry.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Do whatever amount makes you comfortable and keeps it fun. Having the right tools does help; just add them over time. You'll get a rhythm going and it can feel pretty Zen after awhile-- you won't need to think, you'll only need to do. Kind of like hanging out laundry or hoeing in the garden. 

Do what feels right and fits into your life.


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## derm (Aug 6, 2009)

Apples are the things that took me the longest to can. Everything else is easier. Can up some green beans and you will feel better about prep time.


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Horseyrider and the others are exactly right.
You will find a rhythm and it will become second nature to you. You will need the right type of equipment......most of us did not acquire all the stuff we use overnight. Keep a watchful eye, you will find your favorites. I find I can cut corn off of a cob, with a good knife, faster than using the corn cutter doo dah's. Pears are hard for me and I dread them. It's OK to take your time. Learn how to do canning safely and correctly. It won't be long, until it is not a chore.....or, overwhelming, and becomes extremely satisfying for feeding your body and soul.( That ZEN feeling.)
You will soon be able to look at a bushel, or whatever quanity, and think.....Ok, that will give me X number of quarts/ pints, etc.....It will be all in your head and as automatic as breathing.
I also find that other than gathering stuff up, I'd rather do all the canning by myself. I do an enormus amout of canning......I just had to work thru......what works for me. Organization and proper equipment,is the key.
BTW, when you do find your favs.....you will protect them tooth and nail!! 
Good luck, Best wishes , happy canning and....have FUN!!


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## julieq (Oct 12, 2008)

Please don't be discouraged! Check Ebay for a used White Mountain clamp on apple peeler if you can't find one locally. I actually found a second one at a local goodwill store for my DD. They make it so much easier. We all started with just a few jars and at first it felt overwhelming. But if you hang in there you'll develop your own routine.


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## Laura Zone 5 (Jan 13, 2010)

Sandra Spiess said:


> How do you people who can hundreds of jars do it? I've been doing apples for 2 days and only have 12 qts. I don't have an apple peeler, yet. Looking for one. I probably am slow in accomplishing anything. I like JudyLou's thinking in being prepared. I'll never get anything done at this rate. Just a rant.


Mise En Place
(sounds like mee sin plaz)

It is amazing how much faster everything goes when you have everything laid out in advance!!


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Texasdirtdigger said:


> You will soon be able to look at a bushel, or whatever quanity, and think.....Ok, that will give me X number of quarts/ pints, etc.....It will be all in your head and as automatic as breathing.


That is absolutely right.

I find apples to be a chore also, but I tell you what is worse: greens. DH and I like swiss chard, but boy! is that a chore! I just pick a day and say "That's what I'm going to do today" (I say 'today', because it takes a whole day to do chard.) I put up 55 pints this year over three sessions. Now that I've done it a few times, I know how long it will take. FWIW, a 33 gallon trash can full of chard only makes about 8-10 pints! :Bawling:


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

suitcase_sally said:


> That is absolutely right.
> 
> I find apples to be a chore also, but I tell you what is worse: greens. DH and I like swiss chard, but boy! is that a chore! I just pick a day and say "That's what I'm going to do today" (I say 'today', because it takes a whole day to do chard.) I put up 55 pints this year over three sessions. Now that I've done it a few times, I know how long it will take. FWIW, a 33 gallon trash can full of chard only makes about 8-10 pints! :Bawling:


I love fresh chard and kale, but is the canned anything like canned spinach? I've tried that and it's not too appetizing.

How do you use it?


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

derm said:


> Apples are the things that took me the longest to can. Everything else is easier. Can up some green beans and you will feel better about prep time.


I agree. 
I don't have an apple peeler, but listen to music while I am canning and the time seems to fly. Have a friend or family member help you, and remember, you are 12 qts closer to providing for your family then you were 2 days ago.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Apples and Pears are a chore for sure, peaches too since they need to be blanched first.
It's all worth it when you pop that jar of Summertime.

I've tried the "I gotta get this done", it didn't work for me, I found like the others that setting a goal of one or two canner loads a day is perfectly fine.


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## Nico DeMouse (Feb 25, 2008)

Another thing is that it gets faster every time you do it...the first time I canned a bushel of apples into sauce, it was an all day affair. They kitchen was trashed by the end of the day. My mom was helping me, too (mostly baby wrangling so I could work). Now this is my third year, and I can bust out a bushel of apples into sauce in a few hours while my son is at school.

The difference was partly better tools (villaware food mill versus a foley mill) but most of it is experience. I know which pots work best, how to lay out my tools, things like that. I make notes in a cooking notebook about how long my canning sessions take so I can plan better for next year (ex: arrange for DH to have a daddy date with our son so they're out of the house for however long I need to work) BUT also so I can see the improvement I'm making from year to year.

I also keep track of the jars I can...I'm not at hundreds, but I'm doing a lot more than the 6 pints of salsa I did my first year!

You'll get faster and it does get easier with practice.


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## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Stef said:


> I love fresh chard and kale, but is the canned anything like canned spinach? I've tried that and it's not too appetizing.
> 
> How do you use it?


Individual tastes vary, but I don't care much for canned greens. For me, there's too much of a resemblance to wet kleenex. :yuck: 

For Swiss chard, I like to steam it until limp, cool a little, and wring it out in a lint free dishcloth until I can't squeeze much more. Then I freeze it in softball sized wads. 

I use these wads chopped up in quiche instead of spinach, or thrown into a mess of bacon and onion sauteed together, and when the chard is heated through I splash it with balsamic vinegar and serve.

I use the colorful stems sometimes in place of celery mixed with chopped onion in bulgur and cheese dishes. It's so pretty! 

I prefer it to spinach. It's hardier in the garden, has a greater yield and around here it doesn't need much bug protection. And the taste is terrific, although only the youngest greens are good raw. More mature plants do better cooked. They don't bolt, either.


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

So are you experienced spinach canners, saying, it's not as good from the garden and home canned as bought canned? I love spinach and was going to do some this year.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Well, we were talking chard, not spinach. To me, spinach is a lot more work because of the small leaves.

No, I think it's better home canned than store bought.

Every so often someone will mention that they don't like canned "XXX" (fill in your choice). You must know that anything cooked is not going to be a candidate for tossed salad. It will never taste like fresh. But my whole reason for canning it is to have leafy greens in my diet in the winter. You can't live off cabbage and potatoes the whole winter, you gotta have greens.

DH likes vinegar on his mustard greens. I put a hot pepper in the cruet and let it steep for a few weeks and it makes for hot vinegar. Turnip greens are good with vinegar, also. But I like chard plain. I don't even add salt because chard is very high in sodium naturally.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

when we do apples it's either sauce or butter.
We don't peel a thing
cut em up cook em up and run them through the Sqeezo.

we do have a peeler or two around for pies and such.
Keep your eyes open at estate sales or auctions they usually go pretty cheap...my folks sold 3 when they had their auction not one went for over 5 bucks.
We had all ready stashed the Pampered Chef one in our truck....

We got our Sqeezo at an auction for 10 bucks.


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## Marilyn (Aug 2, 2006)

It's easy to get discouraged, Sandra, when you are feeling overwhelmed. My suggestion would be to break it down into manageable steps. As mentioned earlier, just peel enough for a canner load, then start the second load as the first one processes. 

I put up 1-2 bushels of apples every year. I gave away my peeler some time ago, prefer a VERY sharp paring knife.

Think about how you/your family prefers apples. Applesauce and applebutter are old favorites, but we use a lot of straight canned apples, too. We use them for a favorite canned apple/smoked sausage/cornbread breakfast, warmed with cinnamon to top french toast or pancakes, and a real quick start for homemade apple pie. 

As important as canned apples are to us, one entire bushel goes into applesauce and applebutter. If you/your family likes either of these, I would definitely invest in a crank strainer. I have a Victorio, but would like to replace it with a Squeezo when the time comes - either brand would be a *very worthwhile *investment.

Are there any other people that can in your area? I cannot believe how enjoyable it is to can with someone - especially for labor intensive steps like blanching/cooling/peeling. A little conversation, teasing, giggles make the tedious steps much more enjoyable.

Keep your eye on the prize, it will all be worth it.


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## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

> So are you experienced spinach canners, saying, it's not as good from the garden and home canned as bought canned? I love spinach and was going to do some this year.


No, home canned spinach is much better than store bought. We too are canned spinach lovers (chard too) and while I agree canned spinach is an acquired taste, if you like it you'll prefer home canned.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

It will get much better with time. Keep looking for the equipment you need. Dh has started to help me, He snaps the beans and will put the lids in the hot water, helps pull out the jars out of the canner. Little things really help. Some equipment is useless- I can't deal with that corn slicer thing, doing it with a knife is much faster. I keep a very old tool caddy made out of wood,has all the canning implements and lids right in it. You'll get a system down that works for you. I canned 36 pts. of burger yesterday, and I should be working on more,but This Sinus headache is killing me!


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## carogator (Sep 11, 2010)

Use apples and pears , grapes or whatever and make chutney. Tried my first this year and it really went over good.


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## NostalgicGranny (Aug 22, 2007)

Don't forget to try making your own apple cider. When you get sick of processing them give some to family and friends and the local food pantry.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

When I'm at the 'sick and tired' of canning stage I'll then prep for the freezer and when I just can't do that anymore the Chickens get quite a treat...~lol~... I figure that way nothing is being wasted.


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## sss3 (Jul 15, 2007)

Thank you all so much! I do hate to waste. My Mother was the same way. Being a child of the Depression. Maybe that would be a good thread; comments from people how they survived back then. The night I posted the first msg, I stayed up late, cleaned kitchen really good, mopped floor, etc. That's what made me feel better.


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

Well, during canning season I can what needs it- if apples are in season then I'll spend a whole day turning a couple bushels of apples into applesauce or whatever. Foley Food Mills are HORRIBLE. Hate them. Would take 3 yrs to process a bushel of apples into applesauce with that useless thing. Save your money and get a used electric model. Basically I cut apples into slices, cook in HUGE pots then toss through a good food mill, then into jars and can. Also helps that canning/cooking is done outside on many burners with up to 8 pressure cookers going/cooling at once. Together with a couple of friends we can knock out a couple bushels of applesauce in about 4 hours (including cleanup).

I've only been canning for 4 or so yrs and my first couple of yrs I was learning as I was going on my own which was really difficult and time consuming. Then I found my "canning" buddies who are truly great friends who have been doing it their wholes lives. I learned ALOT really fast from them. If it wasn't for them I'd still be using the useless Foley and only doing one canner batch of stuff at a time. I HIGHLY suggest trying to find someone local to you to learn from.


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

Oh, and if I do something labor intensive one day, the next day I do something easy- like boneless/skinless chicken breast or beans or grape juice. Something I can knock out alot of fast so I don't get depressed with only looking at a few jars for alot of effort. 

If I'm getting burnt out then I do pickled beets. I don't know why they are so much fun but I really love canning pickled beets. I probably have 3-4 yrs worth canned, which is insane.


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## Marilyn (Aug 2, 2006)

I don't think that's insane at all laughhaha, I could eat my weight in home canned pickled beets on any given day. We even serve them at Thanksgiving - and every other chance we get. They are the BEXT julienned on a salad.


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## Cannon_Farms (Aug 28, 2008)

Ask my kids (the older ones) if they dare say they are bored when Im canning:shocked:

I have a 13 and a 14 year old apple peeler 


Side note for Poboy, Im from Cartersville too!


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## beaglebiz (Aug 5, 2008)

Cannon_Farms said:


> Ask my kids (the older ones) if they dare say they are bored when Im canning:shocked:
> 
> I have a 13 and a 14 year old apple peeler
> 
> ...


Ha Ha Ha
sounds like my 11 and 12 year old dishwashers :cowboy:


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