What I'm NOT Canning this year!

[karenbc]

I've been working on a massive cleanup, rotation & sort of inventory of the canning room downstairs. Great rainy days project. 
Have discovered that we've just been tucking things in willy-nilly wherever there is a space for a jar. What a disorganized mess it is. And lots of surprises!

Have threatened Tim - if he buys one more can of kippers, sardines, salmon...he's a goner. He has 2 milk crates full of just kippers.

So with lots of jars on hand, I'm NOT canning or buying:

Jam or Jelly
Pie Filling
Spaghetti Sauce, Tomatoes (Crushed, Diced)
Soup - both homemade and store bought
Mayo
Dijon Mustard (how did we get 10 big jars of that?)
Salmon, Tuna, KIPPERS!
Corned Beef
Canned Ham
Pickled Beets
Cinnamon (Apparently I'm worried about a world wide shortage in the next decade)
Applesauce
Hot Sauce - how many bottles is too many?
Green Sweet Relish (Was planning to make homemade this year - but not now - Tim has been squirreling it away)
Lard & Shortening
Graham Wafer Crumbs (found a deal on 11lb. boxes and bought 3 - that's a mighty lot of pie crusts)

So, what surprises have you discovered that you don't need to stock up on this year?

[feather]

karenbc,it shows that you are very prepared.
On your list, I'll probably do something with beets. Jams or preserves without salt or sugar...I am putting those up.

BUT tomatoes diced or sauce, you've got enough of that? We go through it so fast all year, we just use it in lots of things.

What do I not need to stock up on? Brown sauce, I have lots of that. I still have enough pepper sauce (peppers, onions, garlic pureed).

I need tomato sauce and diced, ketchup (low sugar and low salt), salsa red, small onions, corn, green beans, no salt or sugar jams/preserves, pizza sauce, and all year long I can dried beans so they are ready to eat. Maybe canned fermented sauerkraut but I am keeping 3 quarts of fresh sauerkraut in the fridge right now, so maybe we'll stay with fresh.

We use a LOT of pear sauce or pear butter, when we make our oatmeal 'cookies' and that supply may be dwindling. The pear tree bloomed and is making pears, so that might be a big project to can them again (no sugar this time). I won't waste them that's for sure.

I used to love kippers I'm glad to know where I can get some in an emergency. You only asked one question in your post. 30 bottles is enough.

[tenbusybees]

I need to get super serious about jarring up. I'm really trying to talk myself out of a third canned. If I find a good deal I'll probably crater.

Not doing anything last year --we were building a house and moving-- has added challenges (or opportunities for creativity, however you want to look at it) to an already challenging situation with the shortages.

Carrots, turnips, and sweet potatoes are three things I may never have to can again though. The first two nobody is a fan of in the canned form and we have plenty. The sweet potatoes nobody wants to eat (from the jar) unless it is in the form of a pie.

[Skandi]

Pickled beetroot have enough for the whole of next year and probably a bit longer! Plenty of things I need to do more of, sliced cucumbers, jam. and some I need to do less of, salsa, picked peppers...

[karenbc]

Jun 23, 2020 12:12:15 GMT tenbusybees said:

 The sweet potatoes nobody wants to eat (from the jar) unless it is in the form of a pie.

Pies are good!

[midtnmama]

tenbusybees, Ideas for canned sw potatoes:
Sw potato hummus
Sw potato based lemon/herb salad dressing (no oil or fat!)
Hidden in vegetable pot pie or shepherds pie

[feather]

I love this thread. Karenbc what a good idea.

Back in 2010 I still worked for a can making company. Which was ironic since I canned my own food and didn't buy store bought canned food. I worked for the company, and cases and cases of canned foods were brought in and given away and we picked them up like everyone else and I put them in my pantry. The campbell's chicken noodle soup was one. When we tasted it, it was so salty and it didn't get eaten.

It's way past time for me to remove it from the pantry. It's just using up space which is hard to come by now. I've had friends going through tough times and gave away cases and cases of that kind of stuff, but now, there's no reason to keep it on hand for us, anymore.

[susannah]

This year I'm not canning...salsa. We went crazy overboard last year and we still have several jars left for this summer. And whether it's due to the vast quantities we've consumed or that my taste buds have changed, I really don't like that recipe any more. AT ALL. I'll be checking out different recipes for canning, and hope to find something better for 2021 - when I'm sure we WILL be canning salsa again.

[karenbc]

Jun 23, 2020 21:11:12 GMT susannah said:

This year I'm not canning...salsa. We went crazy overboard last year and we still have several jars left for this summer. And whether it's due to the vast quantities we've consumed or that my taste buds have changed, I really don't like that recipe any more. AT ALL. I'll be checking out different recipes for canning, and hope to find something better for 2021 - when I'm sure we WILL be canning salsa again.

I find that too susannah, sometimes I'll really like a recipe, and then whammo, taste changes and I won't like it for awhile. 

So today I convinced the dear Tim that we needed to go to town. And "oh" we need to go to Costco. Got a nice metal shelving unit, on wheels. Going to put that in front of the electric water heater - and keep the overflow from the canning room on it. Will need to make some kind of barrier so that things don't fall off the shelves, not sure if it will be chicken wire, plywood or just what. I have chicken wire on hand, so perhaps that.

[ketoriverfarm]

karenbc, thank you for starting this thread. We still have tons of pickles from last year. So only eating cucumbers fresh this year.

I need tomato juice and vegetable tomato juice. We drink a minimum of 1 quart of juice each week. And whole tomatoes which I use in soup.

I have been slowly working on my inventory. We have three freezers, three refrigerators, a large pantry and a cool room where I store dehydrated food, canned goods, potatoes, onions, winter squash and shallots. So I have an inventory list for 8 areas.

I also have started a list of our favorite meals which I created as a spreadsheet so I can sort it several ways. I made it as a data base. And I have categories such as meal type, protein type, vegetables. When I run out of ideas, I look at my spreadsheet.

[feather]

karenbc, are you pondering putting something on the shelves to keep them from falling off, due to possible earthquakes or just general safety?

susannah, I realized while our green salsa recipe is fine (if I had kept a copy of it which I didn't), mr feather prefers red due to the color. I guess it's just that it's an expected color and so all the red salsa is gone while the green is still there. I need to make a very mild salsa this year and it has to be red. If you come across a good recipe you like, please share it.

ketoriverfarm, I wish I could remember how big your household is but I don't remember. Your spreadsheet database sounds like a great idea for inventory. Do you have some highlights of your favorite meals that you'd be willing to share here?

[karenbc]

I've started inventory lists several times - I'm not good at keeping up with it, so don't even try to anymore.

Decided not to put anything on the new shelves to keep things from falling off. Instead I put all canned goods (not glass) on 5 of the shelves, and pasta in boxes on the very top. Haven't had earth quakes right where I am, that's more towards the coast (4-5 hours aways) or north east where fracking happens.

Someone has been tucking away gallon (#10?) cans of crushed tomatoes, pizza sauce and fruit cocktail. I was surprised at how many gallon cans were on hand when they were all pulled out of their hiding spots and grouped together. They are on the bottom shelf of the new unit - good weight for the bottom. I think the tucker-away person just might be me.