Loving my new Presto digital pressure canner
I had been telling my wife that I intended to start canning again soon to build up a stock of ready-made meals for times we are too tired to prepare and cook a meal or for frugal times when we can't get to the store for whatever reason. I had mentioned to her that I've watched vids on YouTube where people used an electric digital canner and I thought, from what I saw, that would make canning much easier. With our current stovetop pressure canner, I had to be in the kitchen or very near it for the entire 90-minute canning process adjusting the flame to keep the pressure at the recommended level. With a digital canner, once I put on the regulator and hit the advance arrow to can, I could go to bed and let the canner do its thing. But the price for such a canner was kind of high I thought so I told my wife that getting a digital canner is just a dream for now.
Well, she got me one for Christmas! She had made and sold a lot of spice jars to other people who wanted them to give as gifts and they made more than enough to buy the canner.
So far, I've canned 15 quarts of refried beans and 8 quarts of charro bean soup. Later this week I plan on canning another 10 quarts of charro bean soup. Over the next few months, I plan on canning chili, spaghetti sauce, and ham and bean soup. My goal is to build up a supply of 80-100 quarts of ready-made meals. I may also can some of my homemade sauerkraut and Kaleva Kimchi. Another possibility is to can sucker fish.
When the 3C garden is up and running, I'll certainly be using the canner for preserving beans, beets, tomatoes, tomato sauce but that's a few years from now as I had to put working on the garden on hold for the next 3 or so years.
While the canner is turning out to be an important tool for me to use in working to achieve my goal of building up a stock of supplies which we can use to ride out frugal times, I also am having fun using it.
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I've always been afraid of pressure cooker anythings (especially after that Boston Marathon incident where at least at that time, there was extra scrutiny over purchases of them despite the fact they had been around for many many decades). The few times I canned, I did it using a traditional hot water bath which can be time-consuming.
I just made some kimchi a couple weeks ago, but am curious about the automation of canning this way. Didn't have any plans for "canning" the kimchi since the aging of it is a feature and not a bug.
and I grew up with bags of Kissling's in the house!
I actually never tried doing any "home made" sauerkraut myself but obviously if I can make kimchi I could do that too (although I don't eat it that much but it's a must have on a Reuben sandwich)!