# Need Recipes from all you canners



## Ashley (Sep 5, 2011)

So I just got a ton of food tonight, with more to come. I am big on preserving food that I dont have to buy but some of it is new stuff so I need recipes.

Tonight I got tons of sweet corn, 2 walmart bags full of green beans, and 2 6 gallon pales of apples.

I know how to freeze corn so thats not an issue.

What can I make with apples? I want to do pies to freeze for sure, and want to try and make applesauce so I have some when baby is older to eat.

Now green beans, with my issues with pickles this year I am afraid to can them. What is better freezing or canning?

I will be also getting carrots later this week.

I want to freeze stuff so in the spring I can make my own baby food with it.

So any good recipes that I can use to make stuff and freeze I would love to have them.


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## Riverrose28 (Sep 5, 2011)

I don't like to freeze green beans, I can them. If you freeze them sometimes they are rubbery when thawed out. Do you have a walmart or Hardwares store near by? Go to the store and look or ask for canning supplies, most carry the Ball Book of canning recipes. Very good for canning, contains all the info needed.


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## liltnt (Sep 5, 2011)

you could try the joy of cooking cook book. I know that there is a recipe for bread and butter pickles in that that are great. I believe most of the recipes are done the old fashion way. By that I mean they use all the different spices rather than buying the container of pickling spice. also try the bayougardener forum. There seems to be quite a few recipes there


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## Kim~Crayonboxminiatures (Sep 5, 2011)

Freezing green beans are easy, cut off the ends and cut to whatever size you prefer for eating, then blanch (put in boiling water for 3-5 mins, until they change color), put them in cold/ice water for few minutes, drain and spread them out on a towel on the table to cool/dry a little before bagging them to freeze. I do them in quart and pint freezer bags so I have different sizes available.


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## kaykay (Sep 5, 2011)

I just got my peaches and apples. I do regular peaches and spiced peached. Also spiced applies and a friend just told me about doing apple pie in a jar. With the spiced peaches and apples I just add cloves and cinnamon sticks to the jar before you pour the sugar water over them. Last year they were gone way too fast! Everyone loved them.

I also can my spaghetti sauce


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## fourluckyhorseshoes (Sep 5, 2011)

I really like Apple Butter-- I don't have any recipes but its really good. Kinda like apple sauce but sweeter and has a bit more "spice" to it.


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## Ashley (Sep 5, 2011)

How long does the food last in the freezer if you put them in bags? I normally vac seal my foods but that broke 2 years ago and didnt buy a new one since i didnt need it last year. I would like the food to be good, without freezer burn until at least next spring so I can use some of it for baby food.

Kay- Whats your receipe?

Apples are new to me this year. I have done the beans both years. I did think about doing them in jars but afraid they will turn out like my pickles. I had to dump about 20 or so jars of pickles and it seems each day more pop open.


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## susanne (Sep 6, 2011)

.

Depending upon the kind of apples you have, applesauce is SO much better without adding sugar. My MIL has to add sugar to everything, which makes it disgustingly sweet (and not so great for diabetic me!)

For freezer applesauce using our Gravensteins, I simply peeled and cored (used the little doodab that does both at once), cut into chunks, boiled and reduced. I pre-sterilized plastic freezer containers, filled and froze. If you don't like chunky applesauce, you can pureé.

You might also check around for someone with a cider press. Our neighbors are having a pressing party in a couple of weeks, but this is a lousy year for our tree.


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## Kim~Crayonboxminiatures (Sep 6, 2011)

If you make sure the green beans are dry before freezing, not too wet they last over a year without freezer burn. Generally I have them a year before we do more next season, but sometimes have kept them longer.

You can freeze applesauce as well, just make sure it's cool before freezing.


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## Ashley (Sep 6, 2011)

I am not sure what kind of apples they are. The trees we have and the ones at my uncles where I got most of them from were both in place when we both moved in. I was told ours were mackentosh (sp?) but dont know about at my uncles. I know they are small in size. OUrs are very very juice. My grandmas applesauce recipe calls for very little sugar to start then add to taste. My grandma had thought the ones from my uncle might be Beacons.


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## kaykay (Sep 6, 2011)

I love making applesauce and will be making some this week. If you use naturally sweet apples you dont need sugar. I also add cinnamon red hots to the sauce to add flavor and make it pink




Thats how my grandma always made it. I use macintosh and honey crisp. Seems better if you use two varieties.

Heres the basic recipe I use to can peaches. No I do not hot bath them and ours are always fine.

3 lbs peaches = 1 quart

1/2 Cup sugar or honey

2 Cups water

Edited to add I do put fruit fresh on the peaches as soon as I cut them

Bring sugar (0r honey) water to a boil. Drop prepared peaches (skinned and halved) into the hot syrup. Simmer until fruit is tender 3-5 minutes depending on ripeness. Use a slotted spoon to remove peaches halves. Place the halves cut side down and layer in jar. Bring remaining syrup back to a boil and pour over canned peaches leaving 1/2" head space. Be sure to wipe the rim clean. Immediately put on caps and rings and listen for the jar to seal. You should hear it pop almost immediately after putting the rings and seals on.

BE SURE the peaches are totally covered in sugar water. Last year I had two jars where the sugar water shrank after canning so some of the peaches turned brown. Also don't forget to run a spatula or knife down the jar to remove air bubbles

* to make skinning them easy drop whole peaches into boiling water for about 2 minutes. Drop into a bowl of ice water. Skins will just fall off. Be sure though if you do this not to cook them as long in the syrup.

To make them spiced I put whole cloves into the peach halves and some cloves in the sugar water. Then I add some cinnamon sticks to the sugar water. I always make sure each jar has a cinnamon stick when I pour the syrup on.

You can also do this for apples etc.

I just found a neat peach jam recipe that you dont have to peel the peaches so I am hoping to try that today. If it comes out well I will post the recipe


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## kaykay (Sep 7, 2011)

My first time making peach preserves was a success! Its not quite as firm as I wanted but the taste is out of this world. We just ate some on english muffins and its like having a fresh summer peach on your muffin.

I think I didn't do the hard boil long enough so be sure you do a rolling hard boil! This is a really easy recipe as you dont have to peel the peaches. The peel just disappears. Follow the directions exactly for best results. Some cut the amount of sugar but know that if you do that it may not jell. My pectin was 1.75 oz so had to open another pack

Ingredients

12 fresh peaches, pitted and chopped

4 1/2 cups white sugar

1 (2 ounce) package dry pectin

Directions

Crush 1 cup chopped peaches in the bottom of a large saucepan. Add remaining peaches, and set pan over medium-low heat. Bring to a low boil, and cook for about 20 minutes or until peaches become liquid (my family likes a few bits of peach left) .

Pour peaches into a bowl, and then measure 6 cups back into the pan. Add sugar, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Gradually stir in dry pectin, and boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat after 1 minute, and transfer to sterilized jars. Process in hot water bath canner for 10 minutes. Let cool, and place on shelf.


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## billiethekid40 (Sep 7, 2011)

My mother always froze her apples in slices, they can then be used for pies, crisps, cobblers etc or boiled down to make apple sauce. I was always stealing bags and defrosting/cooking them in the microwave, adding suger and cinnamon and eating them warm- mmmmmmm. You can toss them in a little lemon juice to prevent browning if you desire. Freezing in slices gives you more options later on instead of being stuck with a bunch or bottles of sauce in the spring you can make pies or serve a toddler steamed slices as finger foods. They do need some kind of cooking when thawed as freezing does alter the texture but you don't notice that in pies or other baked goods.


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## Ashley (Sep 7, 2011)

Well I did 6 jars of apple sauce, burnt some so not as much as I had hoped. I have a pot of apple butter cooking now. Also make apple crisp tonight. Have one more bucket of apples to go, with more coming friday. I made some chunkier apple sauce for us adults but make some into baby food to freeze for later.


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## disneyhorse (Sep 7, 2011)

My babies are eating solid foods now (well, pureed) and from what I've read, it lasts about a month if frozen and only three days if just in the fridge. So, in the freezer it goes! But, I would think that canning would greatly extend the life of it if you can do that. It would last longer and wouldn't get freezer burn.

Andrea


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## Ashley (Sep 7, 2011)

If you use the right containers it will last longer in the freezer then in the jars. Either way if it dont, I will be able to make more next year when she will actually be eatting much more. When canning season comes around again she will be 9-10 months.


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