Posted on 02/26/2018 12:12:20 PM PST by CottonBall
I’ve been missing the vast amount of information on prepping, survival, camping, simple cooking, the old ways of doing just about everything – all the things nw_arizona_granny knew so much about and shared with us, along with numerous other posters with a vast array of skills and knowledge.
We have our various related-threads here, a recipe thread, a gardening thread, and even a prepper thread. They are all great and I don’t mean to take anything away from those and the hard work their owners put in.
But I was missing a place to talk about ALL those things, to get the camaraderie that we used to have on granny’s thread.
I learned how to can on those threads! The pressure canner was not my friend, I thought, but I bought one and stared at it for a month, intimidated. Then I read the directions for another month. But with the help and encouragement of posters on granny’s threads, I jumped in and now have my very own food storage room in the basement with lovely jars of shelf-stable meats, vegetables, and fruit. When we moved, I fashioned my food storage room – and insisted upon having a basement – from what I learned on her threads. Getting started gardening was from her threads. Making my own cleaning products….the list is endless.
So I thought I would take the chance and start another comprehensive prepper thread and see how it goes. I used to have granny’s ping list since I made one of the threads for her, but alas, with numerous computer changes, I cannot find it. So please pass this onto any posters you think might be interested.
We’ll just keep it running until..whenever. Granny created a new thread at 10,000 posts or so. I do like the idea of having ONE thread to go to – because often I cannot find or keep track of the weekly threads. I won’t be posting lots of recipes or tidbits myself – to any mods concerned about the size of this thread. I’d just like a place to chat, post questions, post ideas, make new prepping friends.
Here are granny’s threads, if anyone wants to peruse them:
nw_arizona_granny’s Thread #1
PS - when prying canning lids off jars to re-use, make sure the top thread on the jar don’t get damaged by the tool (knife, can opener, etc) used to do the prying. I chipped a thread once and was ultra careful after that.
I bought the little jar openers that tattler sells for use on their lids. And I use a regular can opener for the metal lids. I’ll be more careful when I open them, since they can be reused. Sometimes they get a bend in them.
As long as they are wide-mouth, it matters not to me which brand. I use the Quarts for Chickens and Green Beans. The pints for beef, pickles, beets-basically anything else.
One summer, I ran across a 50% off sale on rings and lids-bought a case—might have to buy some lids at some point, but I think I almost have enough to last for my lifetime. LOL
I bought the food saver type adapters, so that I can vacuum pack dried goods-like spices-chili powder, etc. Mostly those are pints, but a few of the bulk purchases I used the qts. for those.
I still have a few regular size jars-I try to can pickles in those to give away to the kids. Eventually, I’ll just have wide mouths left-that’s my plan anyway.
A side note on canned goods. The easy open pull top cans at the store are not good for storage. The lid has been scored to make them easy to pull open which compromises the cans integrity, causing early failure.
I like the widemouth also. And it’s nice not having to have a variety of pix sizes. I bought all my Tattler’s in wide mouth. I have a few smaller jars, like the jelly size, that have to have a regular mouth. But they actually make those in a widemouth also, they’re just not all that pretty. Kind of short and squat.
After I first bought the Tattlers I thought it was a dismal failure, I did the same thing as you, I went and bought a case of metal lids. Now that the Tattlers and I are friends, it’s nice to feel like i have “enough” lids.
Spices - great idea to vacuum pack! I had tried storing some with oxygen absorbers, they get pretty well glued together, and become one spicy rock. And hard to separate.
I’m wondering about the price of Canning, it can be quite expensive these days. When I watch shows on the depression and how they are canning I’m wondering about the jars and lids, they must’ve been a lot cheaper back then even by today’s dollars. Money was scarce.
I kinda like those short and squat-they are cute. I put dehydrated cherry tomatoes in them for a snack. Also good for stuff like apple butter etc.
I have a nice recipe for spiced pecans-looks really festive with a ribbon tied around for Christmas gifts.
The vacuum pack works great for the spices. I also do the same thing for flour—I don’t do much baking, so it takes a long time to use up a bag. I have some 1/2 gallon wide mouths for storing stuff like this.
Well, I’m to the point where I am re-using jars—some for the 3rd time, so it’s not as costly as it was. Good investment.
Those are the ones! I guess I like the Quilted jelly jars better. But they are a nice size.
That food saver jar thing is pretty neat. I like it because it doesn’t end up sucking up the powdery stuff like flour or spices.
That’s true, if I look at it as a long-term investment, or I can probably reuse each jar an infinite number of times, then the cost is spread out.
A friend of mine wanted to get into canning and her husband was complaining how much it would cost. I’ll remind her that it’s probably just a one-time cost just to set up. I think I’ll let her borrow my canner and she can see if she likes it first. I know I was hooked after the first time.
That’s a really good point. I hadn’t checked to compare the difference, but I will assume the shelf life on the pull-top cans is less then the others.
Does your friend have a job, or is she a stay at home wife/mother?
I like the jelly jars too-for syrup-we don’t do jelly anymore. But for some things I like the little squat jars.
“Does your friend have a job, or is she a stay at home wife/mother?”
Sorry I didn’t answer, I have a problem with missing notifications. She doesn’t work, so maybe it’s the money, was that what you were thinking?
Copied this:
In place of mason jars you can use other glass jars, such as ones that held commercial mayonnaise, provided that the mouths fit the two-piece mason jar caps. If you use such jars, though, expect more failed seals and occasional jar breakage, since these jars have narrower rims and are less tempered. Some people use mayonnaise jars for pickles and jams, and reserve their mason jars for pressure canning, which puts more stress on the glass.”
North Dakota Extension agrees. You can use them for water bathing, but avoid for pressure canning.
Some people like to re-use glass mayonnaise or salad dressing jars. The National Center for Home Food Preservation says that is OK if new two-piece lids are used. However, they have a narrower sealing surface and are tempered less than Mason jars, so expect more seal failures and breakage when reusing jars that once held commercial products. Don’t process mayo jars in a pressure canner, though.”
My mom used old mayo jars almost exclusively.
We could not afford the real canning jars, and she said she had far less breakage with the mayo jars than the actual canning jars.
Did she pressure can with them or only watwr bath can?
I better start saving mayo and pickle jars. Although I wonder if the mayo jars are made cheaper these days, than in your mom’s day.
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