Canning Potatoes

Homegrown potatoes are so good canned up and I've recently had several to ask how I do it.

So, here you go ....

Wash and scrub potatoes

Peel 

Cube potatoes (our personal preference is about half inch in size).  I use this vegetable chopper to chop the potatoes.  It makes quick work of the job and for us, it's the perfect size.

Place cubed potatoes in a big bowl of water until you get the desired amount.  This is to keep them from turning brown.  I don't add anything to the water.

Fill clean and sterilized jars with potatoes, adding 1 teaspoon salt to each quart or 1/2 teaspoon to each pint, cover with water.  I leave 1 inch headspace.

Remove air bubbles.

Clean rim of jar, put lid on and screw on ring.

Process quarts 40 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure in a pressure canner.  Process pints 35 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a pressure canner.  This is the poundage for my altitude area, it may be different for yours.  Please consult a reliable canning source for the correct altitude and poundage for your area.

We enjoy these fried, in soups and stews and in casseroles.

until next time,

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 44 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

This is Why! part 7

Previous entries can be found HERE.

Thus far we’ve talked about how I use leftovers to help stock my pantry, how I shop to fill my pantry, how I use the great outdoors to help keep my pantry filled and how I fill my pantry through food preservation.  In this issue we’re going to talk about using our calendars to help us stock our pantries.

Calendars????

Yes ma’am, read on …

In addition to bargain shopping on an ongoing basis for everything we put in our pantry I also shop with a focus using a yearly stock up schedule.  I try to purchase items when they are typically at their lowest prices and for the area I live in it looks like the following …

(I buy as much as I can and preserve it!)

67.   In January I focus on hog jowl and collards

68.  In February I focus on candy.  When I find a good after Valentine Day sale, I stock up and vacuum seal it in jars after I get it home.

69.  In March I focus on meats of all kinds

70.  In April I focus on ham

71.  In May I focus on beef, chicken and strawberries

72.  In June I focus on blueberries and strawberries

73.  In July I focus on beef, chicken and peaches

74.  In August I focus on fruits and vegetables

75.  In September I focus on beef and chicken

76.  In October I focus on candy

77.  In November I focus on celery, canned soups, spices, baking supplies, butter, ham, turkey, cranberries

78. In December I focus on baking supplies, ham, celery, canned soups, spices, butter, candy

79.  In addition to a monthly focus, I throw in a challenge or two throughout the year like  …  ‘this month I want to add 100 items to my pantry’ or a similar challenge.

In case you haven't noticed, I am very serious about keeping a well-stocked pantry!

Okay, I’ve shared with you how I use the calendar to help me fill my pantry, how about you?  Are there certain times of the year when you can get better deals on items you stock in your pantry?

Your comments are what will make this series more helpful so please share your wisdom.

To see how I incorporate all these ways in my daily life, join me at A Working Pantry.

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

Canning Mushrooms

This is a question I received from more than one person last week, here's the tutorial I promised ...

The recipe can be found in Growing and Canning Your Own Food by Jackie Clay and in the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving.

I purchased these mushrooms for $.79/box at Aldi's last week.

I placed pint jars in the oven to sterilize while I prepared the mushrooms. 



The mushrooms are in the sink ready for washing.  I washed them one by one to make sure that I got all the dirt off of them.

Put them in a big pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil and boil 5 minutes.

Drain and pack in pints or half-pint jars only. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pint or 1/4 teaspoon salt to half-pints.  Fill each jar with hot water. Remove air bubbles.  Clean rim of tops of jars, add lid and ring.



Process half pints and pints for 45 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.

  

patsi

A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.'

You can follow A Working Pantry on Facebook and Instagram. 

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting this site via one of these ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

This is Why! part 6

Previous entries can be found HERE.

Thus far we’ve talked about how I use leftovers to help stock my pantry, how I shop to fill my pantry and how I use the great outdoors to help keep my pantry filled.  In this issue we’re heading into the kitchen and talk about how I fill my pantry through food preservation.

51.  I re-can store bought #10 cans of food.  I’ve re-canned tomato sauce, bbq sauce, hominy, and black olives, etc with great success.  I’ve found that prices are much cheaper when buying in #10 cans as opposed to smaller containers.

52.  I use a dehydrator and dry fruits, vegetables and herbs.

53.  I use a food chopper to grind dehydrated vegetables into vegetable powders.

54.  I use a food chopper to grind dehydrated fruits into fruit powders.

55.  I vacuum seal and fill my freezer with things such as fruits, vegetables, and meats to name a few.

56.  I pressure can meats, vegetables and nuts.

57.  I use the water bath method for fruits.

58.  I use a vacuum sealing machine to vacuum seal things for the freezer as well as some items that are shelf stable.

59.  I use a vacuum sealing machine along with jar attachments to preserve things such as tea bags, candy, some cereals, etc.

60.  I oven can lots of different things.  

61.  I dry can (pressure can) nutmeats.

61. I make sour kraut by using the method of fermenting.

62.  I make jams and jellies.

63. I make my own beef broth and pressure can it.

64.  I also make my own chicken broth and pressure can it.

65. I render lard using my crockpot.


66. I use a roaster to cook down sauces before canning.


Okay, I’ve shared with you how I use the different methods of food preservation to help fill my pantry, how about you?  What food preservation methods/tools do you use to preserve your food?

Your comments are what will make this series more helpful so please share your wisdom.

To see how I incorporate all these ways in my daily life, join me at A Working Pantry.

Until the next time ...

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

You might be interested in my other blogs ...

Grandma's Got a Sewing Machine 

From This Heart of Mine  

Zucchini Flour

Zucchini is prolific in our garden and I’ve been on the search for ways to use it.  Here’s what I’ve found so far:

Zucchini Bread 

Zucchini Pineapple

Zucchini Flour

Yes, you read that correctly …  zucchini flour.  Here’s how to make it:

Wash and peel the zucchini

Using a carrot peeler, ‘peel’ the zucchini until it is all in small strips.  I used the zucchini that had gotten BIG.   I also sometimes peel the zucchini and slice it into 1/8 inch slices.  In fact, having tried both ways I think I prefer the later, but that's just my personal preference.  Both ways work fine.

Place in dehydrator and dry.

When drying is complete, put the dried zucchini strips in a blender, food processor or chopper and grind it into flour.

Okay, so now we have zucchini flour, what do we do with it?   Here are some ideas:

Substitute 1 cup for flour in bread recipes ...

As a filler in meatloaf, burgers, etc ...

or in squash/zucchini patties.

What are some things you do with zucchini?

patsi

A Working Pantry

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27

My pantry is intentional, purposeful, simple, practical, frugal and what works for my family.  It’s the food items and household supplies that keep my household running smoothly ready and available when they are needed.  It’s my contribution to our family’s economy and my work-from-home ‘job.'

You can follow A Working Pantry on Facebook and Instagram. 

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

If you are encouraged by what you read here, please consider supporting this site via one of these ways. Your expressions of appreciation help me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked!

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.