If this is your first attempts at Home Canning you may be asking yourself, “What Is This About Headspace?” A good starting point would be to define headspace: this is the “space” from the top of canning jar (where the lid fits) to the point where the food or liquid fills the remainder of the jar.
What’s the Big Deal About Headspace?
You probably already know that there are a few rules to follow when it comes to safely canning foods. But did you know that leaving headspace allows for the expansion of foods and the bubbling of liquids during the processing of your home canning project? What if I told you that without the correct amount of headspace your jars would not seal properly; were you aware of that? Or that if too much space is allowed the food at the top of the canning jar may darken due to air remaining in the top of the jar after processing.
Having the right amount of space at the top of the jars allows a vacuum to form while processing. The lid will then be able to seal upon completion of the method.
Recommended Amount of Headspace
Generally the amount of headspace needed varies based on what you are canning. Below is a quick guideline to follow:
* Allow 1 inch for low acid foods such as vegetables and meats
* Allow 1/2 inch for high acid foods like tomatoes and fruits
* Allow 1/4 inch for jams, jellies, pickles and relishes
Now imagine for a moment what your canned foods will look like after you’ve finished. Can’t you just smell the aroma of that fresh jam you preserved as you pop open the lid and spread some on a hot piece of toast for breakfast? Doesn’t it please you to see the delight on your family’s faces each time they take a bite. You are sure to gain respect and admiration for the gift basket full of your home canned goodies you give to a co-worker for their birthday.
What are you waiting for? Get started on those home canning projects now. Your family and friends will be glad you did.
Want to learn more about Home Canning and other canning techniques? Do you have the Home Canning Supplies you need to get started? Visit my blog at http://www.womenshomeactivities.com and discover for yourself how you too can learn about canning and preserving food plus other great home activities.
While we may typically associate home canning with an obsolete past time our grandparents used to do, it is becoming more and more popular as people realize the need for healthier alternatives for food as well as those looking for ways to save money also. The high cost of groceries have many people looking for more affordable and cost effective options to help them save money on food, and making your own preserves is an easy and simple alternative that nearly anyone can do.
If you’re still undecided about whether you should can your own foods or not, here are some of the benefits to consider:
Save Money: Saving money is probably one of the best reasons to learn how to use a pressure canner. You can often find fresh produce very cheaply in season at farmer’s markets, or even learn how to grow your own garden for bigger savings. When you preserve everything when the food is in season, you can enjoy all of your favorites year round. Making your own spaghetti sauce for example, may only cost about 20 cents per jar, whereas at the store you can expect to pay $1 or more for each jar. The savings can add up rather quickly and be quite significant over time.
Environmental Benefits: When you make your own food, it reduces the cost and waste associated with pre-packed foods at the grocery store. Jars are reusable, which means you won’t have to worry about your old plastic jars and cans ending up n a landfill or the environmental imprint recycling facilities cause.
Healthier for You: Today there is a near crisis on the lack of healthy food choices available for us to choose from. Almost all foods in the grocery store contain chemicals, preservatives, and unnecessary additives. When you choose to store your own food, you can make sure that you only use the ingredients you want – and eliminate all of the preservatives and chemicals that are not good for you.
With benefits like these, it’s no wonder that more and more people are learning about how to can their own foods at home. Once you learn the basic steps, home canning is a fun way to enjoy your favorite foods year round for a fraction of the cost and without worrying about additives or its impact on the environment.
To learn more about home canning, visit Best Canning Recipes for great easy to follow step by step instructions for canning tomatoes and other favorites.
The public outcry over the food practices in our country is spurring a renewed interest in home canning…and for good reason! Canning your food at home insures nothing toxic goes into the food you and your family consumes. And it also tastes better! That’s a win/win in my books.
Don’t let the thought of canning intimidate you. It’s not as hard as you may think. You also won’t have to invest your life savings to start a home canning operation in your home. In fact, most of the equipment you need you probably already own. Here’s a list of both the basic essentials as well as a few other things you might want to pick up as time goes by:
Essentials:
Mason Jars
You can often find these glass canning jars at garage sales for cheap. Run your finger around the rim of the jar (when buying used) to make sure you don’t feel any chips or dents. Even the slightest chip will keep your jars from sealing. Most grocery stores sell jars in various sizes by the case during the summer and fall canning seasons. (NOTE: Don’t use recycled mayonnaise and other condiment jars for canning–use only mason jars created for the purpose of canning.)
Seal able Jar Lids
While you can buy the jars used and re-use them over and over, jar lids need to be new. These little metal lids have a rubbery band around them that once hot, create the seal between the lid and the jar. If you’re buying new jars by the case, these lids will be included. If you’re re-using old jars, the lids can be purchased separately and are inexpensive.
Jar Bands or Rings
These metal rings screw down on the jar to create a snug fit between the jar and the lid. They can be re-used and don’t have to be purchased new each time. If you find your running short on rings, you can take them off totally cool jars that have already been canned and sealed. You don’t have to store them with the bands screwed on. Again, if you’re buying new jars by the case, the rings will be included in the package, but you can purchase them separately as well.
Boiling Water Canner
This doesn’t have to be as intimidating as it sounds…you can use a big stockpot or other large, deep sauce pot you already own. I canned my own jams and jellies for YEARS before I invested in a water canner (that I found at a yard sale for $5!) The pot you use needs to be large enough to have the jars you’re canning completely submerged (with about 2 inches or more of water above the jar tops) and with enough room around the jars that water can move freely).
If you’re using a saucepot from your kitchen, it needs to have a properly fitting lid to go with it. You will also need to either buy a wire rack (you can buy them separately in the same section as the jars in most stores) or create a homemade solution yourself so that your jars are not sitting on the bottom of the pot unprotected.
A great homemade solution I used was placing as many jar rings side by side on the bottom of the saucepan as would fit. The jars then sat on top of the rings, creating space between the pot and the jar bottoms.
Kitchen Utensils
Things like measuring cups, wooden spoons (long handled ones work best), ladles, funnels, spatulas, etc.
Non-essentials, but very helpful additions:
Jar Lifter
This tongs-like simple contraption is designed especially for safe jar lifting from boiling water baths when the jars are too hot to touch. Although it’s not an essential, it’s hard to can without it (I’ve used regular kitchen tongs before, which are tricky. The wet jars tend to want to slip from your grip and dropping a glass jar full of boiling hot food is something you definitely want to avoid!)
Lid Lifter
This is a little plastic stick with a magnet on the bottom for ease of lifting your jar lids out of the warm water you’ve got them sitting in while you’re canning. This little lifter is totally NOT essential, but very inexpensive and quite slick. I didn’t have one for years, but after I got it, I wondered why I didn’t spring the 2 bucks a long time ago. I love it!
Bubble Remover and Headspace Tool
If you want to be sure about the headspace you’re leaving, there’s no better way than measuring it with a specially designed device to get the job done. Some people swear by them, but it’s never been something I’ve used.
Pressure Canner
This is the most expensive investment of the whole canning process, but you can pick one up for less than $75.00 and it will last forever, at least! (I have one passed down from my grandma).
Although I didn’t put it in the MUST HAVE section, it is a must have if you plan on canning low-acid things like most vegetables, meats, etc. However, there are many, many recipes you to can that don’t need a pressure canner, so it’s not essential for all canning. My suggestion is that if you’re new to canning, try your hand with the water bath method of canning first before you dive into recipes that require pressure canning.
Kerrie Hubbard lives in Portland, Oregon with 9 chickens, 1 cat and several small raised bed gardens. Her website, City Girl Farming ( http://www.citygirlfarming.com ) is an urban guide to raising and growing your own food in small spaces.
Trail mix can be an incredibly healthy snack full of antioxidants, good fats, and fiber. Instead of paying an arm and a leg at the grocery store for it, I recommend you make your own. Here’s how:
The Ingredients
There are three basic categories of ingredients that you’ll use: dried fruits, nuts, and sweets.
Dried Fruits
Dried fruits contain many of the nutrients found in fresh fruit, though usually in smaller amounts. They also taste slightly different from their fresh counterparts, so even if you don’t like a certain type of fruit, you may like the dried version.
Get unsweetened dried fruits if possible. You can look at the back and check the ingredients to see if sugar was added, and check the label to see how many grams of sugar it contains. Pick one or two dried fruits from this list:
Pineapple
Raisins
Apricots
Cranberries
Coconut flakes (not dried)
Bananas
Nuts
Nuts are full of healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, fiber, antioxidants, and protein. Look for unsalted and raw (not roasted) nuts to maximize healthiness. Choose one or two varieties of nuts from this list:
Pecans
Pistachios
Walnuts
Almonds
Macadamia nuts
Sunflower seeds
Cashews
Peanuts
Sweets
Adding some sweets makes the mix more satisfying to your sweet tooth. Then when you have a craving for something sweet, you can grab some trail mix instead of some cake, ice cream, or a cookie. Dark chocolate chips are a great choice here since they are packed with antioxidants and contain less sugar. Pick just one from the list below:
Dark chocolate chips
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
White chocolate chips
Butterscotch chips
M&M’s
Put It Together
Here’s a simple recipe:
1 cup nuts
1 cup another kind of nuts
1 cup dried fruit
1 cup another dried fruit
1 cup sweets
If you only use one kind of nuts, then use would use two cups to keep the ratio the same. The formula above gives you a good variety of tastes without having to buy twenty different ingredients.
You can experiment with many different combinations to find what you like best. Every time you go to the grocery store, buy another type of nut or dried fruit and mix it with the other ingredients you already have.
My favorite recipe is:
1 cup pecans
1 cup almonds
1 cup pineapple
1 cup cranberries
1 cup dark chocolate chips
Just remember, even though this is healthy stuff, it’s quite calorie dense thanks to the nuts. You don’t want to eat too much. A half cup is a good serving size and makes a great afternoon snack that will hold you over until dinner.
Mike Ross specializes in fitness for seniors and helps them find simple and effective ways to live healthier. His book, “The Balance Manual,” teaches seniors how to do balancing exercises at home with no equipment.
In a Wal-Mart store, a short while ago, I was surprised to see boxes and boxes of crock pots of all sizes, prices, and descriptions stacked for sale – in men’s wear yet!
Then I discovered that they were everywhere. Crock pot cooking is enjoying a comeback. In difficult times, the tried and true is revived.
High Heat Vs Slow Cooking
Cooking meat, using a hot stove top or oven requires the best, high quality cuts of meat in order to produce good results. Lower quality cuts are more likely to result in tough, stringy meals.
Cooking a roast on a lower heat setting for 6 to 12 hours allows you to take advantage of the cheaper cuts of meat. Roasts emerge moist and tender with all of the food values and flavours of the ingredients intact.
Follow the recipe you want to use, placing the veggies on the bottom of the pot, the meat on top of that, and let it do its own thing. You are done.
Most types of bacteria are killed at 140F degrees. Crock pots, by designed, operate at around 240F degrees on low setting, and 300F degrees on high. Crock pot cooking is safe.
It allows you to use the same low and slow method our forefathers used before electrical energy was available. They prepared a pit, building a bed of coals and buried a dutch oven to bubble away for a full day.
Today, you can prepare a wide range of meals in the crock pot, including cakes and desserts. Personally, I like to make my own bread because I can put my own selection of ingredients in the dough – raisins, nuts, fruit, etc, and I know that it is not chock full of trash that I don’t need. Bulk food stores are amazing resources for ingredients.
I make a no knead bread recipe, using the crock pot liner as an oven utensil. The first time I put it in the oven at 450F degrees, I removed a very handsome loaf of bread. I also melted the plastic knob on the glass lid – so had to replace it with a wooden one. Just like a man, bumbling around.
Preparing a crock pot meal is very simple. Pick your recipe, load the crock pot according to instructions, calculate you start and stop times, crank it up and go. You can set it on high in the morning and come home to a steaming and delicious meal all ready to place on the table.
Fix-It And Forget-It Big Cookbook: 1400 Best Slow Cooker Recipes
Being a senior citizen and a naturally lazy male, I often start the cooker in the late evening. It bubbles away all night and I awaken to my house filled with delicious aromas. I place the cooked food into containers, refrigerate, and I have my meals ready for the day. Simple, lip smackin’ good. No fast food on the planet can match the flavour.
The tasty variations are particularly good because I choose to virtually eliminate salt from my diet and use herbs and spices as flavor enhancers instead.
Crock pot cooking is also a marvelous opportunity for family involvement. Loading the cooker is so easy that almost any child can get in there right up to the elbows and help. Good health, lots of giggles, and cementing family togetherness is great “stuff.”
I have a small model, over 20 years old that still works just fine. Today, that same model sells for around $15.00. I bought the new, larger one, specifically to get the bigger capacity, and removable liner, to make my bread in the oven. It set me back $39.00.
Crockpot 64451LD-C 6.5 Quart Slow Cooker with Bonus Little Dipper Slow Cooker
A crock pot draws a very small current as compared to the kitchen range. It is the least expensive, most cost effective major appliance in my kitchen – about 5% of what I paid for the stove. As a senior citizen, that is important to me.
Now you really can shop in the perimeter aisles of the supermarket, where the more healthy and nutritious food lives. You can create serious family meals with the kinds of ingredients that all the health gurus insist you need for optimum health and weight management. .
Try one, you’ll like it, and you will recover the cost in a very short period of time by using the less expensive ingredients.
Tasty food, minimal effort, and easy on the budget. It just does not get a lot better than that these days.
Jim Parsons is an author, researcher, project manager, and presenter, who is dedicated to living a healthy lifestyle. Learn to live naturally Expend a little personal effort and save a lot of dollars. Check out some recipes, techniques, formulas, and sound advice for survival in an ever changing environment. Jim’s site located at http://www.learntolive.Info is the go to place for solid information.
