I want to freeze & can but didn't pay attention to Grand

[Spongegirl]

And I wish I had but at the time, I hated bugs!
My garden has...squash, sugar snaps, bush beans, corn, carrots, okra, potatoes, tomatoes, watermelon, garlic, onions, beets, cotton, and loofah gourd. I LOVE MY GARDEN!
I am thinking it would be best to can the tomatoes, and pickel the beets in canning...everything else vegetable, I want to freeze.
What I know is, canning will preserve veggies for years. I only need my veggies to last until the next season so I thought I would cut cost by freezing. Problem is, I don't know how long veggies will keep. I was hoping to get some insight to things that you have tried and worked and things that have failed.
My garden is coming in and I already have enough corn to start freezing. I knifed the corn from the cob and put the corn in a zip bag without cooking it. I know I can find a ton of info on the web to freeze and can. I don't know what I am doing but I do want to do everything right. Any advice will be so appreciated.

[xray_a]

I have been frequenting the site below for info on freezing and canning. I don't have anything in my garden that's ready to put away, but all of the pick your own strawberry farms in the area are open and I am just itching for some home made strawberry jam. I can remember canning with my gram and my mom when I was little and hating every second of it. Now I can't wait! haha

https://pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm

[Kisal]

To maintain the best quality of vegetables, it's best to blanch them prior to freezing. It destroys certain enzymes that can cause deterioration of color and loss of flavor, essentially helping foods to last longer. I have certainly frozen foods without bothering to blanch them first, but only when I intended to use them within a month. There are undoubtedly others who don't blanch foods before freezing them, but my own experience has proved to me that it's better to take that little bit of extra time and end up with a better product.

The [url=https://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze/freezer_shelf_life.html]National Center for Home Food Preservation site[/url] has some very good information, including a nice little chart. I recommend buying a freezer thermometer and checking the temperature of your freezer, because the temperature will affect how long the foods you package maintain their best quality.

[VeggieGrower]

The Iowa State University extension office has some great articles on food preservation at this website.
https://www.extension.iastate.edu/store ... egoryID=43

Also, you can pick up a Ball Blue Book for recipes and instructions.

[LindsayArthurRTR]

What I know is, canning will preserve veggies for years. I only need my veggies to last until the next season so I thought I would cut cost by freezing.

Canning is MUCH MORE cost effective than freezing. You may have to make an initial investment (a pressure canner, Boiling Water canner) but you can get both of those at your local HW store for less than $100. You will prolly spend more than that in energy cost alone to store your foods during the year. Also, the jars that you buy can be re-used for decades. The plastic that you use in your freezer is single use. (That's another wasted expense)

Some things just don't can well...squash,bush beans, corn, carrots, okra, tomatoes,and beets can VERY well.

I pickle the carrots, okra, beans and beets.
I also pressure can the carrots, beans, and beets and squash(with onions for squash cassarole)

Corn can be canned southern style creamed corn or can just be canned plain. It has to be pressure canned.

I also make a soup base with skinned crushed tomatoes, okra, and corn mixed together. pressure canned.

I can tomatoes in a boiling water canner.

I have never canned edible pod peas, and I don't recommend it either. Blanch and freeze them. Corn is also better (IMO) frozen (off the cob)

Potatoes, garlic and onions if properly cured will store well into winter without preservation.

Hope this gives you some good ideas. There are loads of canning books and recipe books at your local B&N, and any other book store. It seems intimidating, but once you make your first batch and see how easy canning can be, it's a blast. It's also a very green way of preserving your food and enjoying your summer's delights all winter.

Happy Canning!

[applestar]

Oooh, another canning expert! I have the feeling we're going to be asking you a lot of questions as the season progresses.

[LindsayArthurRTR]

YAYAYAYAYAYAY! hehe!

To me, canning food is just part of growing it. It looks beautiful too. And think of all that petroleum we're saving by eating what we canned from our summer gardens instead of eating something that's been shipped from 1000's of miles away. And the QUALITY!!!

Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside

[Spongegirl]

you guys are great. I really appreciate the advice. I have some time before I have enough to can or freeze so I want to learn all I can right now.

[hit or miss]

For me, canning is the logical conclusion to gardening! Other than eating! I canned a bunch of taters last weekend and we had "instant" mashed with dinner tonight!

[Hispoptart]

I don't have a pressure cooker so I freeze my beans. I still have about 6 quart size bags in my freezer from last season and they are still good. I did blanch them before freezing them.

[Ozark Lady]

I like to dehydrate lots of garden produce. It is then stored in canning jars. Takes alot less room.

Also, we are subject to alot of power outages, or seems like alot when you lose your freezer full of food. We usually keep a generator, and pass it around to family members to let everyone get the freezer or frig back cold during outages. Even home canned goods are at risk with power outages. You need to be able to store your home canned items in a relatively stable environment. I have been known to use my generator to warm the pantry in winter, to protect my canned goods. This is not a problem with dehydrated foods!

I do want to brag on canning jars. I had several boxes stored in the attic, empty, just in boxes, not packed or padded. When our house burned, they managed to stop it before the attic caved all the way in, but in removing the house, they just hooked on and yanked. All those boxes of canning jars fell. And about 50% didn't break from the fire or the fall.
Now, how does one get smoke off of them? I have black canning jars! No I won't pressure can with these, afraid they can't take the pressure.
But, a good scrubbing and my black canning jars will do great work holding dehydrated foods... Added bonus they keep the light out!

[Kisal]

I have blanched and frozen corn on the cob. My SO said he'd heard it didn't work. It was easy and the corn tasted like it was fresh-picked. We enjoyed it all winter long.

[gixxerific]

Oooh, another canning expert! I have the feeling we're going to be asking you a lot of questions as the season progresses.

I second that I still haven't broke my new canner in. I'm waiting for the onslaught of produce I hope to see this year.

Probably pickles first but tomato sauces are my main objective.

[Spongegirl]

Ok, this thread is very interesting to me. I like reading how different folks do things differently. I have some really gorgeous corn on the cobs. My daughter's birthday or the Fourth of July is just around the corner. I am thinking that I need to shuck the corn to make sure there is no bug eating them on the inside but want to save them for a party for grilling. What if I just stuck them in the freezer, shuck and all. What will they be like in a week? Anyone ever done that? I don't want to do something and ruin them.
Also, from what I am reading, blanching is to destroy an enzyme that will otherwise break down the sugars that will change the taste of the veggie. Is that right? do different veggies need to be blanched longer than others. Thanks, btw, for the great links on canning and freezing.

[LindsayArthurRTR]

Kisal, I would love to know your method for freezing ON the cob! when I lived in PA we bought some corn from a road side farmer, it was a-maize-ing ( hehe) it really was the best I've ever tasted. Sugary sweet, buttery... You could eat it just plain. I went back and bought 48 ears! I followed all the freezing directions for freezing on the cob. Had some for dinner a few nights later and......BLECK! What a disappointment!!! I've never done it that way since

I would not suggest freezing your corn whether on or off the cob without blancing it first.
I actually cut the kernels off while raw then scrape the cobs with the back of my knife to "milk" the cobs. Put it all in a pot and bring it just to a simmer. Turn off the heat and put it in your freezer bags. I cool on the table for 30 min then stick in the freezer. I have never had bad results from this method( except when the power goes out for 4 and 5 days )

[jal_ut]

Food preservation just follows growing a garden. We always have much more than we can eat right away and besides canning and freezing give lots away. Here is how we preserve some things:

Pressure can Green beans, tomatoes, other low acid foods. (tomatoes is a low acid food and can be canned in a waterbath canner, but the recommended times were increased considerably a few years ago because the popular varieties of tomatoes were not acid enough or very borderline. So we just do them in the pressure canner.

Water bath can apples, grape juice, peaches, plums, any fruits.

Freeze strawberries, corn (cut off the cob), peppers.

Dry herbs. Sage, Oregano, chives. onions. Sometimes make fruit leather from plums. We use an electric dehydrator.

Onions and garlic are dried and stored in mesh bags in the basement.

Winter squash are stored in the basement. Butternut seems to be the best keeper. We have a dry climate here in Utah so this works quite well. If you are in a humid area, you may not be able to keep squash or onions as long.

I have one caution about home canning. Always use an approved recipe for canning any food and follow the recipe exactly. You can find these recipes in the Ball Blue Book and at your Extension Service. We do this to avoid boutlism poisoning which is a real killer. Most people who get poisoned with botulism will die. By using proven and tested recipes and following directions we can be assureed that our home canned products are safe for us and our families.

Are you interested in a pictorial of how we do our corn, cut off the cob for the freezer? Let me know.