New Colander- from Grandma Hildy!

I am bursting with excitement to tell you about my new canning tool- the canning colander. It's an upside down cone shape with a wooden pallet to mush all the vegetable (or fruit) goodness. Jeanne and I were planning on canning on Tuesday, but the Chicago weather has thrown a big wrench into our plan. It rained more in one day than any other day causing major flood damage for both me and Jeanne. Our old (but vintage charming) Chicago homes could not withstand the rain so we will be cleaning up on Tuesday instead of canning- bummer! If we recover early we'll have a canning party later this week. I think it's about time to crack open the Tomato juice and add a big lolly of vodka - we need it after this mess. Just in case you're concerned- none of my canning supplies or canned stuff got damaged .

Canning Pictures

I haven't quite figured out how to add my canning pictures from my Flickr page but check out the new photos I uploaded separately.
thanks,
Becky

Tomato Juice - Best Recipe for Bloody Mary's and More!

Here's my top secret tip- Fill an 18-qt roaster oven with 3 recipes ( so triple the recipe below) for about 10-12 quart jars and let simmer all day (or until the vegetables are soft and you're ready to can. Fill jars to 1/2" head space and process in pressure canner for 10 minutes /10 pounds.

6 qts tomatoes (15 lbs)
1 bunch celery
1 onion
1 pepper
4 jalapeno pepper
-all cleaned and chopped up
1 T celery salt
4 T canning salt
4 T brown sugar
2 T lemon juice per jar

Grandma Hildy's Tomato Soup

For all you canners out there, this is the BEST tomato soup recipe from my Grandma Hildegard. Don't be intimidated by the amount. Visit your farmer's market and get to work for amazingly delicious tomato soup this Fall. Or be like Grandma Hildy (she's 83) and plant a big garden each year to can your own harvest.
14 quarts tomatoes, cleaned and cut up (skins, seeds and all)
7 onions
14 stalks celery
7 green peppers
14 stalks parsley
20 whole cloves
Boil all (for about an hour and a half) and strain through colander. Then heat again and add 1 pound melted butter with 14 T. flour (7/8 cup), 16 T. sugar ( 1 cup), 8 T. Salt (1/2 cup). Fill jars and seal. Then place in pressure canner and process at 10lb. pressure for 10 minutes. Makes about 10 quart jars.

Canning- Tools & Tips

Here's the scoop:
1. Go get some jars at Menards or your local hardware store. You'll need quart jars for soups and juices and half-pint for jams.
2. Buy the pectin at Whole foods Market. It uses less sugar and the jam is super-yummy!
3. Buy a pressure canner - this is absolutely necessary for tomato soup and juices
4. check out garage sales for old canning pots and other equipment. Cheap.
5. VERY IMPORTANT- find a friend to do this with you. My friend Jeanne gave me the push to can and now I can't stop. It's more fun to can with a friend - chatting during the process time and help mashing all those tomatoes.
6. Have Fun- It's not as hard as you might think.

Canning- For Beginners

You enjoy fresh food. You like going to farmer's markets during the summer and wish you could capture all that goodness before the snow begins to fall. Then start canning! Shop locally and enjoy the local harvest during the cold winter months.

I grew up in rural Wisconsin, down the road from my grandparents small farm in Chilton, WI. My Grandma Hildegard (Hildy) always has a huge garden, cans non-stop durng harvest time, and still bakes scrumptious pies and tortes for the local Supper Club. So I've had a lot of inspiration. This year is my first time canning and I'm feeling so inspired that I want to share some of Grandma Hildy's canning recipes with you. It may take some time and a few tries, but trust me- you'll wonder why you didn't start canning sooner.
Check out my pictures on Flickr.
Becky