First of all, welcome to the Harvest Forum!! It's still a little slow right now, but we pick up a lot during the summer and fall season!

I would suggest picking up a Ball Blue Book. It's a great place to start for canning (both Boiling Water Bath (BWB) and Pressure Canning)), drying and freezing. They usually run around $7-8 I think and should be available wherever canning supplies are sold, including Wal-Mart, Ace Hardware, etc.

I'm also providing a link to the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Great Site!! If it isn't on there, I wouldn't do it!! You'll want to bookmark it and refer to often I'm betting. I've been canning for years and I still go check things.

Next....that recipe from Mother Earth looks pretty risky to me, not enough vinegar, but hopefully Carol (readinglady) or LindaLou will jump in here. There are a bazillion recipes for canning, many that have not been tested for safety. Ultimately, you have to make your own decisions, but for someone just beginning, I would err on the side of caution. Especially with low acid things. You can't see, smell or taste botulism.....but it can kill you! Follow an approved recipe! Why take chances with the health of those you love?

Specific to green beans.........Yes, I can them. Every year. I think I did about 40 quarts last year. Some people like the taste/texture and some people prefer them frozen. I also do jam, jelly, carrots, salsa, tomato soup, spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, pickles of all kinds, saurkraut, peaches, pears, apricots, applesauce, relishes, etc.

Come back with lots of questions, we love to answer. No question is too small and everyone here is very helpful.
There's many, many years of experience and training. LindaLou (and others I think) are Master Food Preservers trained through local extension offices.

Speaking of extension offices, they are also a great source of information. They are an outreach of many universities and do a lot of testing.

Lastly, be sure to read the manual that comes with your canner thoroughly. Then read again!! LOL Today's canner are extremely safe. They aren't going to blow up.

Again, welcome!!

Deanna in Oregon

Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP site

Deanna has covered all the important points well above ;) so I'll just add my welcome to you and my strong agreement that while new to the process and safety regs it is best to use only tested and approved recipes. The rules have changed since your Mom started canning.

You definitely need a current copy of the Ball Blue Book to start with. Once you get into canning "hot n' heavy" we can recommend other reputable sources for canning recipes (remember, not everything that can be cooked, can be canned ;).

Most importantly - wishing you good luck with the gardens!!

Dave

PS: I too can tons of green beans each year but many squash are prohibited in most recipes now days and limas are best frozen.

Thank you!! Yea my moms bday is saturday and i was going to grab her a ball book as well! Green beans are my favorite veg of choice right now and would love to can or freeze them.. Also tomatoes as winter is very bleak and bland for those and i love salsa! I didn't think i would ever can squash as i usually eat it as fast as it will grow! This year I really just want to stick with a salsa, tomato sauce, green beans and some type of peach something as my mom has 2 peach trees that do rather well. Thanks again!!

Hello. Welcome to the Forum. We hope you have many happy seasons of canning.

One thing I wanted to mention about the pressure-canning manual is that the companies (Presto, All-American, etc.) seldom update them, so I would be careful about following their recommended processing times without double-checking with the Ball Blue Book (also recommend the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving, which is much more thorough) or the NCHFP which Deanna linked to.

It's been a lot of years since my Mother Earth days, LOL, but I would recommend as a newbie canner that you avoid recipes from any but the most reliable sources. It's better to start with Ball, the NCHFP, the USDA, etc. because you have absolute security with the recipes' safety.

I agree that salsa recipe seems very low on vinegar. You have large amounts of low-acid vegetables with the garlic, the peppers, etc. In addition there are probably heat-penetration issues, especially with the potatoes, which will likely disintegrate, resulting in a dense mixture.

If the recipe seems appealing, you could later look at doing mixed vegetables in the PC and add a cup of vinegar to that if you like.

Whenever you have a doubt or question, ask on the Forum. I think I can say this is one of the most safety-oriented canning forums online; members are always glad to help those new to preserving.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

I'll also say welcome! I am a relatively new canner - although it's been three or four years now so I am starting to know one or two of the rules :) This forum is amazing, be sure to keep coming back. The people are knowledgable and helpful and never get tired of the same questions over and over again. Well, they may get tired of it, but they don't show any exasperation with us!

Peaches, oh I would love to have a peach tree or five, peaches are my very favorite summer fruit. There is a Peach Salsa recipe on this site (Katie's? is that right?) that is wonderful. Since you like salsas, you might give it a try. Also, I love simple canned peaches. That is the first thing I started canning because I remembered my mom's from growing up. We eat canned peaches for breakfast all winter (or applesauce or cherries or .. whatever). I made peach jam last year and will admit was a bit disappointed, it didn't seem to hold the peachy flavor very well.

As for green beans, I prefer them frozen myself, but I think I'm going to have to try the Dilly Beans next year just for fun.

Have fun!

Ann

Ah, what the heck...............

Here's Katie's Peach Salsa recipe (my notes from 2006)

Peach Salsa (very good, 2006, make more next year)
Recipe By :Katie (GardenWeb)
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Preserving
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
6 cups peaches -- diced
1 1/4 cups red onion -- chopped
4 jalapeno peppers -- chopped
1 red bell pepper -- chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro -- loosely packed (sub Mint)
1/2 cup white vinegar (sub lemon or lime juice)
2 tablespoons honey -- or sugar
3 cloves garlic -- finely chopped
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
Simmer for 5 minutes. Pack into hot jars and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (0-1000 ft.), 15 minutes (1001-6000 ft.), and 20 minutes (above 6000 ft.).

And so it begins...........

(grin)
Deanna

That sounds YUMMY I have made quick peach salsa before just for one serving also mango salsa which is also yum. Has anyone had or made tomato preserves? My grandma used to make some from red tomatoes with cinnamon and other stuff like lemon juice i remember eating it growing up on biscuits but im sure it is not a safe canned thing because im sure all it had was lemon juice and BWB. ive seen recipes for the yellow tomato preserves before but not the red.

bela,

If you can dig up grandma's recipe for tomato preserves, you can probably can it if it has added acid and not much in the way of other veggies added. BWB is fine for tomatoes even under the modern guidelines, but they do call for adding a bit of acid, since toms are on the borderline of acidic enough to kill botulism, and for processing somewhat longer than older books used to recommend.

As for green beans, you'll have to try freezing some and canning some (pressure canner only for those) and see what you like best. People on this forum definitely disagree on that one. And in fact, while I love beans fresh, I decided I didn't like the texture much of EITHER preserving method, so mostly now I just eat LOTS of them in season, and occasionally buy imported "fresh" ones off season.

Access to fresh peaches? Ah, you lucky duck! They freeze well (the texture suffers, of course, but the flavour remains great), can well in syrup or juice, and there are all kinds of yummy preserves, salsas, jams, etc. you can make with them too. Life gets pretty exciting around here in peach season!

Let me add my welcome.

You've got me all excited about the season to come now! Time to go start a few seeds, I think....

Cheers,

Zabby

When I grew limas, I froze them after blanching. The same with peas. Last summers crop got picked a bit late so many were big and yellow color. These I pickled in a sweet vinegar and tarragon pickle juice. Not sure what they taste like now, but the combo tasted good when I sampled some while filling the jars. Kind of like a bean salad, with just limas. For home canning, I don't like the color or mushy texture of canned beans or peas, but much prefer frozen. Same with corn, which I pick and immediately remove from he cobs and freeze. I blanch the corn while still on the cobs, which makes it a little easier to cut off. Because of the probably high sugar added, the tomato jelly would probably be safe as sugar and the natural acid work well togther and keep the jellies from spoiling. Thats where BWB can do well, making most any kind of jam or jelly. I have seen red tomato jelly sold on line. If you can or even freeze peaches you MUST add ascorbic acid to prevent them from oxidizing and turning a very unappetizing brown color. Last summer I made a big batch of apricot preserves and they were a very bright orange color due tonthe fact that I added plenty of ascorbic acid.
Did you know that they even add ascorbic to yeast breads? Not only does it help improve the yeast rise, but helps to prolong the bread from getting moldy too soon.

Green beans are safest and freshest tasting if frozen. I blanch them, cool them in ice water, drain and pat a little to dry them with a paper towel, lay them on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper, parchment paper, or spritz of Pam. Stick them in the freezer for a couple of hours. When completely frozen toss them into 2 gallon size freezer Zip-lok bags. When ready to eat you can take out just what you want since they won't freeze in a clump and stick together. I steam mine for 15 minutes. Tastes just like fresh picked. My mom, MIL, grandma, etc. always boiled green beans to death ending as a soggy flavorless mess. Even with the nitrates added with old bacon fat, they retained no nutrition (water soluble vitamins) and zero fresh taste. You should try steaming them just to see how fresh they taste.

BTW - home canned green beans seems always to be the top one for botulism poisoning since canning began. I don't even pressure can them anymore like I did 40 years ago since long time high temp cooking is the same as cooked to death.
Loose frozen is the only way to go IMHO.

Nancy

Sigh, green beans are one of the very few things DH dislikes, so we don't grow or process them. I console myself with a few solitary batches in season.

Here's a previous thread on tomato preserves. You can learn a lot by searching earlier posts on the forum. Generally speaking tomato preserves, jams etc. aren't a safety issue. Most of the recipes have some added citrus juice for the pectin and high levels of sugar bind the water which botulism spores require. I worry about a lot of things in canning, but tomato preserves wouldn't be one of them.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Tomato Preserves from the 30's and 40's?

Suggest that you try growing few bush beans. The yellow wax variety. At the present time, I still have 4 big gallon bags or mixed pole beans of Kentukey Wonders, purple, and red noodle, which are just 'ok' when I cook them in the microwave without adding any water. The bush yellow wax beans I grew last summer are almost all gone and I also started out with 5 big gallon bags of them. As I mentioned in my last note, and another posted stated the same thing, canning beans isn't a very tasty way to serve them all pale color and grayish. Blanched and frozen, they cook up bright green. The yellow waxed ones have a much better and fresher taste to me, and I could eat a big bowl of them anytime. I will be planting more this year as I was very impressed at last years results.

Not to hijack this thread and turn it into a debate on green beans :) but as Zabby said, "People on this forum definitely disagree on that one."

We pressure can them by the quarts (50+ on average each season) and have yet to see a pale, grayish, mushy, soggy, or flavorless one yet.;) And safety, when canned according to directions is not an issue and neither is serving presentation when done drained, steamed with slices of onion and a dab of butter or margarine.

But we all do agree (I think) that Dilly Beans are hard to beat.

Dave ~ who shall go down fighting for his home canned green beans. ;)

I'm on Dave's side!!! I'LL BE RIGHT BEHIND YA, YOU TAKE THE FIRST SHOT...

I grew up eating home canned green beans and maybe that has something to do with it........what we are accustomed to...

Here are my preferences:

Beans.....Canned.....or Dilly Beans
Carrots...Canned
Peas......Frozen
Corn......Frozen
Beets.....Pickled Only

Apples....Sauced....or canned or frozen for pies (depends on space available)
Peaches...Canned
Pears.....Canned
Apricots..Canned

And of course all sorts of jams, jellies, relishes and pickles.

so you see, it's really a matter of personal preference.
You just have to try both and see what you like.

You can do small batches to see what you like, then process more of whichever one you prefer.

That's the fun of it!
Deanna

Hi and welcome to the Forum. I think everyone who has responded to your post have pretty much stated the basics, get the current Ball Blue Book, keep the NCHFP link in your favorites and don't be afraid to ask questions on this forum when in doubt.

We're green bean lovers and I can them because I'm limited on freezer space and save what I do have for meats and fish and a few other things. DH prefers the canned beans and we eat fresh in season. Corn, however, is a different matter. DH will not eat canned corn in any way shape or form so it always gets frozen.

I've picked up so many great recipes from this forum, too. Katie's Roasted Tomato Garlic Soup, Annie's Salsa, Apple Pie Jam, Ambrosial Jam. Now I'm getting hungry.

Seriously, hope you have a great time in your canning adventures and take advantage of the knowledge of the wonderful people you'll meet on here.

For beans, you also have to consider the freshness and strains of string bean. I froze a bunch of purple and red noodle ones and once cooked they do turn green, but a bit darker green than a regular green bean. I detest any store bought green beans and corn as they just dont have the taste and texture of frozen. To each his own, I say..

I dried green beans this past summer for the first time. I added to soups but the larger pieces where tough. Now I know where the term 'leather britches' comes. I found it helped to grind the beans into smaller pieces. Best part of preserving food is the experimenting.