Preserving Foods

by

Preserving Mushrooms

While shopping at Aldis, they not only had onions on sale, but they had mushrooms on sale for $0.69, so I bought 12! What am I going to do with these mushrooms, especially since I already have a bunch of dehydrated ones?  I’m going to can these so that they can easily be added to homemade pizzas, etc.  Mushrooms have to be pressure canned.  They CANNOT be water bath canned.  I followed the instructions in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving.

 

First, trim stem ends & any discolored areas.  Soak in cold water for 10 minutes.  Drain & rinse well. Aren’t they pretty?!

 

IMG_0926

 

I sliced my mushrooms with an egg slicer, then placed them in a lemon juice solution to keep them from browning.  Next I placed the mushrooms in a stock pot with enough water to cover & bring to a boil over medium-high heat; boiling for 5 minutes.

 

IMG_0927

 

I drained the mushrooms, discarding the liquid, and the packed them into half-pint jars (half-pint or pint jars ONLY).  Next, I ladled fresh boiling water over the mushrooms, leaving 1-inch headspace.  Then, I pressure canned them for 45 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure.  (The pounds of pressure & time are the same for half-pints and pints).

 

IMG_0928

And a close-up look:

IMG_0929

 

I think they turned out beautifully!  This is the first time that I’ve canned mushrooms, but I can guarantee that it won’t be the last.  I first read about it over at A Working Pantry, so I knew that when I came across another good sale on mushrooms, I was going to give it a try.  (Thank you, Patsy!) They were so easy to do.

 

My oldest daughter thought they were store-bought canned mushrooms!  LOL  I guess that means I did a good job, then!  Just one less thing that I have to buy that’s precanned/processed.

 

This post is linked to:

Heritage Homesteaders

Oak Hill Homestead

by

Long Term Onion Storage

My local Aldis had onions on sale this week – 3 pounds for $0.79!!  Great stock up price!  So, I bought 18 bags = 54 pounds of onions!  So, now what?  How in the world do you store that many onions until you can use them up without going bad?  Well, it’s simply really.  Old panty hose!  You take a pair of old panty hose, drop in an onion, tie a knot close to the top, repeat process until the legs are full, tying a knot above the last onion.  To store, simply hang in a cool, dry, dark place.  When you need an onion, simply cut below the last knot and you have your onion!  Simple.  Easy. Frugal. 
Here’s what 54 lbs of onions (minus 4 onions) looks like once they are in the panty hose. 
IMG_0896
They will hang in my pantry to await use.  I may eventually dehydrate some but, for now, they will simply hang in my pantry.  Stored like this, they will keep for up to 6 months!  Another great reason to take advantage of a great sale!
This post is linked to:

Laura Williams' Musings

The Morris Tribe Blog Carnival

by

Product Review & Giveaway!!!

On Monday, I was anxiously awaiting this little package in the mail!
Blog Pic - Tattler Box
Any guesses as to what might be inside? 

OK!  OK!  I’ll tell you!  Or, better yet. I’ll SHOW you! 
IMG_0805

IMG_0806
I’ve been eyeballing these for quite some time.  When I mentioned them to my sweet husband, he was not as sure about them as I was, and the price definitely threw him.  His question to me was, “Are they really worth it?”  So, I contacted Tattler regarding their product, relaying my sweet husband’s doubts, and asked if there was any way I could sample them.  They responded to my email fairly quickly with a “Yes!”  They would send me a sample of their product to try.  And this is what I received! 
IMG_0804IMG_0807 
I was extremely happy since I had only expected maybe a couple of them! So, I did what all canners do – I put them to work immediately! Since I was in the middle of canning tomatoes & banana peppers, that’s what I used them on.  Tattler lids are a little different than your regular metal canning lids, but they have a couple of big benefits that make them worth their money.  Not only are they reusable again & again, but they are BPA free!   The lids are made in 2 parts, you have the lid itself, and then you have the rubber seals that you use, both reusable numerous times. 
Here’s what I did when I used my Tattler Lids:

While getting everything ready, I placed both the lids & rubber seals in a pan of boiling water (turned heat way down right before placing in water) so that they would be heating up while I was ladling my tomatoes into my jars.   

IMG_0808IMG_0813IMG_0815
After my jars were full, I carefully wiped the rims of each one with a slightly damp rag to clean them of any food particles, then dried the rims.  I took 1 lid & 1 seal of the hot water, assembled, them, and then centered it on my jar, holding it in place while I screwed the metal band in place. Now, this step is extremely important!  Unlike your regular metal seals, the Tattler Lids have to be able to vent while processing, so only tighten to fingertip tightness, then turn back 1/4 of an INCH! So, just barely turn back.  Again, this allows the product to vent while processing. 
IMG_0819IMG_0823IMG_0824
Once all 7 quarts were sealed, I placed them in my water bath canner & processed for 40 minutes.
IMG_0826IMG_0827IMG_0829
Once their time was up, I carefully removed each jar, placing them on a towel, and tightened each band down tightly, which allows the Tattler Lids to seal properly. 
IMG_0837IMG_0841
I only had 1 causality, but am unsure if it was because I had the band too tight, or if there was a weak spot in my jar.  However, I did remove the Tattler Lid from the jar, washed both pieces carefully, reheated, & reused it on my next batch of tomatoes, being careful to turn the seal over for even wear as per the instructions.  
IMG_0838IMG_0839
I followed the same procedure with the Tattler Lids on my banana peppers as I did with the tomatoes.   I allowed my jars to cool completely overnight before removing the metal rings. 
Here they are, all cooled, wiped off, & ready to be stored until ready to open:
IMG_0854Here’s a close up of the lid, sealed on my tomatoes  and banana peppers:
IMG_0856IMG_0860

See, they seal just as tightly as the regular metal ones!

IMG_0849IMG_0850
So, my overall opinion of the Tattler Lids?  I LOVE THEM!  I do miss the tell-tell “ping” that the metal lids make, but I am NOT going to miss the ever-increasing cost of buying  new ones each year, or the fact that they are not making them as well as they used to.  I’ve been a big Ball supporter for many years, but lately, the jars and lids just do not work as well as they used to.  Even friends of mine who use the same lids are saying they have had more failures in the last 2 canning seasons than they’ve had in many years combined. And the fact that it’s hard to find a new set of jars in the store without damaged metal rims, is also a problem.  When did the rims become so easily damaged? 

So, now I’ll be saving up my “egg money” to buy more of these wonderful reusable canning lids.  But, in the mean time, Tattler is happily allowing me to do a giveaway of 2 dozen of these wonderful lids!  A dozen each of the wide mouth & regular mouth lids!  Would like to win some of these for yourself?  Well, here’s your chance.   I’ve decided to time this around my birthday, which is next Tuesday.  So, between now and next Thursday (Sept. 20th) , get entered to win.  Just follow the instructions using the Rafflecopter box below.  Winner will be announced next Friday!

This post is linked to:

Laura Williams' Musings          Making your home sing Mondays

The Morris Tribe Blog Carnival

** AT THIS TIME, THIS GIVEAWAY IS OPEN TO RESIDENTS OF THE U.S.A. ONLY.**

a Rafflecopter giveaway