I really accomplished a lot yesterday. I spent the entire day in the kitchen, and it was heaven for this happy homemaker.
I tackled the twenty plus pounds of tomatoes first. I blanched the first batch to remove the skins, cored them, and then crushed them to raw pack in jars. Seven quarts of beautiful, red goodness in no time.
I decided to make stewed tomatoes with the rest. I got two full quarts with tomato, green peppers, celery, and onion. The other two quarts were more juice, but there is pulp in them, too. I'll use those for chili, and they'll be delicious.
I didn't want the day to end without processing chicken breasts. I had ten pounds of breasts, which I cut into 2" cubes, per the recipe. I raw packed the meat into hot pint jars, and they took and hour and fifteen minutes to process at 11 pounds of pressure. They finished processing just as Handsome came in the back door with takeout Friday fish dinners for us. The canner depressurized while we ate, and then I could remove the jars to photograph them for you.
I'm so tickled to be able to say I'm a pressure canner now. There are so many foods I'll be able to process now that I couldn't with the water bath. I actually used my electric water bath canner today to keep my jars warm. I'll continue to use it for many things, but this pressure canner is going to get a real workout! Hear me roar! lol (Well, maybe just meow.)
You've been busy!
ReplyDeleteI love the look of canned food all lined up in jars, so pretty.
Glad it worked out for you.
Marilyn
Hi Marilyn:
DeleteI love how the pantry looks when it's stocked with home-canned goods. I can hardly wait to do more! Happy weekend, dear.
xoxo
Donna
Wow - you're certainly christened your new canner! Such a feeling of accomplishment for you I know, just to see those pretty jars all lined up.
ReplyDeleteMust admit I'm a little amazed (if I understand you correctly) that the chicken went in the jars raw? I have a hard time wrapping my head around that one!
Hi MA:
DeleteI'm feeling pretty accomplished myself! Yes. I followed the instructions implicitely. The jars are washed first, then I put them into my water bath canner to keep them hot until I need them. I cut up all the chicken at one time, and then packed the hot jars. Wipe the rims of the jars with vinegar to clean and kill any bacteria, then put on the heated lids and rings. Immediately into the hot water in the pressure canner (the water is only about 2" deep). Close it up and time according to instructions. The heat from the boiling water, plus the pressure vacuum seal the jars, cooking the chicken at the same time. No need to add liquid, because the chicken creates its own broth as it cooks. It's magic, I tell you! I have recipes and instructions for "Meal in a Jar" recipes, too...from chili to pot roast. I can't wait to do more!
Happy Weekend,
xoxo
Donna
Rather than putting your jars in the hot water canner to keep them hot could they be put in the oven? We usually put ours in the oven at about 250F for half an hour (or more) prior to filling them, but I don't know if that would work for pressure canning.
DeleteI never thought about putting them in the oven, but my electric water bath canner is in the pantry away from the stove. I think (without air conditioning), the kitchen proper might get too hot with all the stovetop cooking and prep there, if I also turned on the oven. As is it, I don't turn on the kitchen fan to avoid causing a draft with the pressure canner. I'm glad that, at least my hair is short. I'd be a hot, curly mess otherwise! Thanks for the suggestion, though. I may do that in the winter when I'm putting up meals in jars.
Delete