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[SJC <indexer AT localnet.com>]

Lisa K.V. Perry wrote:
> .....If I understood correctly, even with pressure canning I stand a good 
> chance of the jars not
> sealing or the pumpkin going bad or having a thin consistency.
>   
Under any circumstance, a pressure canner is needed for pumpkin as its 
acid content is too low to make it safe for BWB.  Consistency is neither 
here nor there as you can control that by draining the mashed pulp or 
not, although the last time I talked to the Purdue canning gal she 
definitely didn't recommend tinkering with consistency in order to try 
and can it.  As James pointed out, it's difficult at best and why risk 
it, either from a standpoint of waste of time, effort, or material?  I 
have none to waste of any of 'em..... :-)
> My $64 question is how do you dehydrate pumpkin? Slice thin, puree into
> leather or ? 
I shred most of what I dry, slice some bit of it rather thinly.  I 
blanch mine for just a bit, about 3 min or so.  I've tried it unblanched 
and it does OK but really holds up better, esp the color, and longer if 
blanched.  Then spread on trays and dry at a fairly low temp.  Often I 
do it in the oven (I have gas, with pilot on it's just about right) 
because I don't have dryer out if I decide one is not going to hold up 
until I need it.  I dry them plain, till brittle enough to break, then 
vac pack 'em.
> Do you thicken it with something (a bit of ground flax seed or
> ?)
>   
I don't usually make leathers, if that's what you are thinking, but 
occasionally I do some to give to neighborhood kids or to take as snacks 
for a road trip. I still don't thicken it; if it's a little runny, I'd 
just drain it a bit but you could add whatever for thickener, I guess.  
Play around with it.  If I were doing leather I think I would add a bit 
of sweetener.  I usually use honey, maple syrup, or cooked-down fruit 
juice, usually apple, for sweetener, any will do.  Could also add any 
spices you'd like then, too.  Sorghum is a good sweetener for pumpkin if 
you can get it where you are.
> I'm here to learn.
>
> While we're at it, what foods would you prefer to can (if any) v.
> dehydrating?
>   
When I'm deciding whether to can or dry something I try to have enough 
in cans that if I'm pressured for time (company shows up or whatever) I 
have enough things canned to just grab something and start 
cooking/baking/whatever.  Drying, though, is cheaper, takes no more work 
and a lot of times less, and way less storage space, so that's my 
first-line attack for a lot of things.  Apples I can for sauce, but 
everything else (pie slices, snacks, chopped for adding to baked goods, 
etc) I dry.  Peaches I can just a few jars, dry all the rest.  Pears I 
can sauce, dry for everything else.  Zukes I dry, shredded or in 
"chips".  Tomatoes are a mix. 

Apples and tomatoes both, come to think of it:  Wash fruit.  Cut out bad 
spots.  Dry a few really nice ones for treats/gifts.  With the rest:  
cut into chunks with peels on.  Steam for the juice.  Run steamed fruit 
though food mill (Squeezo, Victorio, old-fashioned cone colander, 
whatever), can or dry pulp as applesauce, tomato paste, whatever, take 
skins from food mill and dry those.  Then grind that into a powder that 
can be used wherever you want apple or tomato flavor.  Cook juice down 
and can it.  That way there is no waste except for actual core and seeds 
of apple, none for 'maters.  There are some other fruits I do the same 
thing with: plums, some berries, etc.  Pears I don't keep the peels.
> Can you store in canning jars or how do you store or keep dehydrated foods?
>   
Yes, in glass jars.
> I don't have a vacuum sealer gadget.
>   
Look for a PumpNSeal.  That's the brand name.  Was about $15 when I got 
the last one (first one burned in the last fire or I think it would 
still be working).  It's a manual sealer and I use it for lots of 
things.  Way I do dried foods:  Make sure it's good and dry, put in 
clean jar.  Using a used can lid is fine for this, so when I wash the 
lid from opening something I put it back to use for these.  Make tiny 
hole (thumbtack works fine) in the lid, lay over that a small piece of 
electrical tape, but don't mash it down yet, use PumpNSeal to extract 
air, remove abruptly, lid will be "stuck" and tape will be sucked down 
into little hole.  Make sure all of tape is stuck fast now with your 
thumb.  That seal lasts for years.  You're good to go.  Easy, fast, 
cheap, no power needed.

They make can sealers for the electric vacuum pumps, but those things 
are a hundred dollars or so and they have to have electric, and then the 
part to seal cans/jars is an addon yet.  The little PumpNSeal works 
fine. :-)

Having said all that, I take my elderly neighbor to the grocery store 
when her daughter is gone and we went last week.  There I saw ZipLock 
makes some fancy, very expensive bags for a sealer.  But the part that I 
really noticed was that they had a little vacuum sealer there, too, 
wasn't very much, maybe $4 or so, have forgotten exact figure.  But ran 
through my mind that maybe it would work as well as the PumpNSeal for 
the above process.  I didn't get one, but it might be worth trying out.

Have fun!  Sun's out here, and it's about 45 or so, so going out to rake.

Susan Jane, in Maine
>