[Homestead] pressure canners

EarthNSky erthnsky at bellsouth.net
Tue Jun 9 10:34:51 EDT 2009



Lynn Wigglesworth wrote:
> Wow...canning season? We just had our last frost last week.

Well, some people in these parts have tomatoes.  I don't yet.  Before
the end of the week is out, I'll be picking green beans, and yesterday,
I picked my first cucumber.   I now have only 4 cabbages in the
refrigerator, after making cole slaw with one last night...
I know that soon, very soon, I'll have beans, so I pulled out the
canners and checked everything well.  I have never replaced my gaskets,
so I think I will do that this year. I have a big 22Q Presto canner, an
8 Quart Presto cooker and a 4 Qt Mirro.  It is funny that I have 3, when
I am so scared of using them that I do it outside on the side burner of
the grill or on the propane burner. It is a homestead fear that I have
yet to conquer.  I wish someone who pressure cans/cooks all the time
would come and give me a few tips or at least watch me to see if my
habits and methods are good/safe.


The only thing
> I'm harvesting is greens.

I'm waiting on round two of spinach, harvesting chard and lettuce

  Except for a few early Stupice (golf-ball sized at
> the moment), it will be a month or more before I see a tomato.

no tomatoes here yet.


  Everything is
> sitting, waiting for warmer weather, especially squash, which isn't
> looking very happy.

I've already cooked two batches of squash and have grated squash for
squash bread that I need to make.


  The early green beans that I started in cell packs in early
> April are just starting to bloom. Pole beans have just come through
> the ground.

Some beans are blooming; I saw 3" long green beans on my bush Romas.



Onions are doing well, but not forming bulbs yet.

Same


Garlic doesn't
> care about the weather and looks great.

I harvested my garlic last week,  I let it cure for a few days outside
and I brought it in last night.  Today, I am going to dry about half of
it, freeze some, and save some whole.


Peas are just forming pods.

My peas are done, I am just allowing them to produce seed now.


  Potatoes
> are still getting hilled...weeks away from blooming.

I have some I could dig.


  Corn is an inch or two
> tall.

I have two foot tall corn and I have two inch tall corn planted last week.

> 
> I have a lot of pears amd a few peachs. It looks like the apples ALL
> got hit by the late frost...four apple trees, lots of blossoms, and ,
> for the second year in a row, no fruit.

I have apples and pears.  Lost peaches.  It looks to be an average
blueberry year and a bumper blackberry year.  All three of my grapevines
have grapes, some are 1/2" diameter.  Yesterday, I noticed that the
Japanese beetles have finally arrived(they are about a week late this
year), so I may lose everything.

> 
> Today's project is to set up a bumch of pots with good soil to start
> the strawberry runners so I can force them in the greenhouse next
> spring.

I stopped pinching my blooms off last week, so I should start getting
strawberries soon.



I have some gardening pics on my blog, and will be putting up a few more
for my next entry which might be tonight, but probably tomorrow.


-- 
I am having an out-of-money experience.
http://erthnsky.blogspot.com/
EarthNSky Farm, Northwest Georgia, USA


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