Water Bath Canning - How to get started!

Fresh fruits and vegetables are plentiful and inexpensive in the summer, but what about the rest of the year? Wouldn't it be great to preserve and save those fruits and vegetables for the winter when pickings are slim? Canning is a great way to do this and save room in your freezer. There are 2 methods of canning: Water Bath Canning and Pressure Canning. The difference being this: Watter Bath Canning is for canning things that have a high acidic value (jams, some tomato sauces, etc), while Pressure Canning is used for items that have a low acidic value (green beans, and other whole vegetables). Now, I haven't done any Pressure Canning myself, so if you are interested in Pressure Canning, please try this resource. Everything from here on out will be about Water Bath Canning.

To get started, you will need a couple of tools:
- A large pot or Canner: When I got started I used my stock pot because I wasn't sure if I wanted to invest in a canner. It worked well, but I was always worried that something would go wrong - the jars were just barely covered by the water by the recommended amount. If you think you'll can more than 4 times, I would invest in a Water Bath Canner. Look for these at walmart (they ONLY have them during the canning "season" - summer) or your local hardware/homegoods store. I got mine for $25.

- Jar Grabber: This is basically a huge set of tongs that you use to take the finished jars out of the BOILING HOT WATER. You are going to want one of these so you don't end up with 2nd degree burns. They run about $10 or less at your local hardware/homegoods store.

- Funnel: This is to make sure that what you are canning safely makes it into the jars. There are special funnels for wide mouth jars, which is what I use. If you are going to can anything liquidy (jams especially), definitely get one. About $5 or less at your local hardware/homegoods store.

- Ruler: It is important to not leave too much space for air in your jars, and most recipes tell you exactly how much space is okay - having a ruler on hand in the kitchen is very helpful if you are not good at eyeballing 1/2 of an inch or less.

- Canning Jars: I would recommend checking your local craigslist or freecycle before buying these at the store. They can be found at walmart, some grocery stores, and my favorite - your local hardware/homegoods store! (You will need the corresponding canning rings for these jars) They amount of jars you will need depends on what you are canning and how many jars can be filled with your recipe.

- Canning Lids: These are NOT reusable. Please don't try, because it is not safe. They aren't very expensive, and you can find them the same places you can buy jars.


Now that you have everything to get started, what are you going to can? Think about the fruits and vegetables that are in season before you decide what to can. Buy things that are in season, on sale, or growing in your yard! The following is a list of what I made last summer - my first summer of canning!

- Peach (show above) & Plum Jam - I used the recipes and instructions that come with Certo - a type of pectin used for making jams. Making and canning jam is what I would recommend for starting out. There are a few different kinds/brands of pectin available at the grocery store with the other canning supplies. Each kind/brand has their own recipe and instructions for canning. Make sure you read all the instructions before you start and make sure you are ready to can before you start making the jam. It might even be best to read the instructions before you decide what kind of jam to make - it will tell you how much of each kind of fruit you will need to make that kind of jam, and also how the fruit must be prepared to begin. The fruit must be perfectly ripe - not under ripe or overripe so timing is key!

- Tomato Sauce - The key to make tomato sauce safe to can is adding lemon juice to raise the level of acidity. It is important to follow an approved recipe. The time in a water bath canner is pretty long for tomato sauce - 30+ minutes depending on your altitude. Feel free to divide this recipe in half or more as long as your preserve the ratio of ingredients.

- Salsa - Ball has some great mixes that you can buy at the grocery store. I used one of them to make and can salsa. The directions are included in the packaging. This also has a relatively long time for processing.

Apple Season! Fall is apple season in my neck of the woods and I found myself up to my ears with apples! I managed to can both apple butter and apple sauce this year.

Apple Sauce - I used my food mill and my arm was killing me by the end, but it was definitely worth it! I did not add any sugar to my apple sauce and it is absolutely delicious.

Apple Butter - I followed this recipe, but I did something a little different because I was making a very small amount of apple butter (I ended up with 1 jar). Instead of starting with apple sauce, I sliced up my apples and put them in the crockpot whole for about 6-8 hours on low. When they are done, they will be VERY soft, and you can just mash them with a potato masher! Then, add the spices, etc, and continue to cook as the recipe entails. This will cook down A LOT, so you will start out with tons of apples and end up with a much smaller amount of apple butter, but it will be delicious. I also used my emersion blender in the crockpot to get it very smooth and I cut back on the sugar and used honey instead. Oh, it was so delicious, we were just eating it right out of the pot.

I hope this has gotten you excited about canning and preserving your fruits and veggies - the harvest season will be here before you know it!

More resources:
http://www.freshpreserving.com/
http://www.pickyourown.org/
http://canningusa.com/
http://lancaster.unl.edu/food/foodpres.shtml
http://www.pickyourown.org/canningresources.htm
http://www.foodsafetysite.com/consumers/resources/canning.html

Frugal Ingredient - Oatmeal for Anytime!

Yesterday I talked about buying a large container of oatmeal to save money on breakfast. What to do with that big container, though, if you are tired of a bowl oatmeal after a few weeks?

Oatmeal can be a main ingredient in Muffins, Granola, Pancakes, and much more! But enough about breakfast foods...

Oatmeal can be incorporated into more than just breakfast! A well-known favorite is oatmeal cookies. Quaker Oat's Famous Oatmeal Cookie Recipe is the best one out there, in my opinion. There is a plethora of variations on this cookie as well. Baking your own cookies at home is always a frugal choice over buying packaged cookies. There are plenty of variations on this recipe as well. Adding any flavor of baking chips (chocolate, butterscotch, white chocolate, etc) will definitely give this recipe new life.

In addition to use in sweet foods, oatmeal can also be used in Meatloaf, Meatballs, and more meatballs!

By the time you've tried all these different ways to incorporate oatmeal into your everyday eating, you'll have to go out and buy some more!

What are some of your favorite recipes involving oatmeal?

Frugal Ingredient - Oatmeal for breakfast

Oatmeal might not seem like a frugal food when you look at the instant packets in the cereal aisle of the store. They can run up to $3 a box (or more!) for just 6-8 servings. Not my idea of an inexpensive breakfast.

But on the bottom shelf below all those "convenience" oatmeals, you can find oatmeal that comes in a large container for a considerable amount less per serving. Whether you get Quick Oats or Old Fashion, the process for making a bowl of oatmeal is the same. If you are unsure about the measurements, they are usually right on the side of the container.

Not a fan of "plain" oatmeal? Add fresh fruit, honey, brown sugar, cinnamon, maple syrup or anything else you can come up with! Buying dehydrated fruit pieces from the bulk section of your grocery store can add a bit of fun to this normally boring breakfast, too. The sky's the limit with this one, so have fun and enjoy!

Trent over at The Simple Dollar makes his own oatmeal packets. Check out the post for a cost analysis and some ideas about flavoring!

What do you like to have in your oatmeal? Please share your concoctions in the comments! My personal favorite is a little bit of cinnamon and brown sugar and a handful of raisins.

Tune in Friday for more things you can do with that large container of oatmeal!

Frugal Ingredients - Keeping the Pantry Stocked

Keeping cooking staples in your pantry is a great way to keep your cooking costs lower. Buying items on sale that you know you use often is a great way to lower your cost per meal. If you are just getting started, starting over after a move, or looking for some new ideas, here is a list of what I always keep on hand:

• Flour
• Sugar (regular, brown, and confectioners)
• Baking powder/soda
• Salt
• Vegetable Oil and Olive Oil
• Herbs and Spices
• Rice
• Pasta
• Beans
• Oatmeal
• Tomato Sauce
• Diced Tomatoes
• Salsa
  
• Crackers
• Cereal
• Cheese (mozzerella, cheddar - in the fridge)
• Eggs (in the fridge)
• Milk (in the fridge)
• Better-Than-Bullion (chicken or beef - in the fridge)
  
• Chicken Breasts (in the freezer)
• Ground Beef (in the freezer)
• Frozen veggies (in the freezer)

Buying all of this in one shopping trip will make it an expensive trip, however, a lot of these are non-perishable and can make more than a few meals. You will not find yourself replacing them very often. And when you see that items on this list are on sale, stock up! You know you'll use them.

Just looking at this list, I can make chili, cheese omelets, soup, flour tortillas, nachos, crackers and cheese, pasta with meat sauce or chicken parmesan. That's just a few things I came up with off the top of my head. Keeping a well stocked pantry/fridge/freezer with things that YOU like to use in your cooking will save you a lot of trips to the grocery store. It will also help you to feel secure that even if you don't know when your next paycheck will show up, you know you can make yourself dinner!

Frugal Ingredient - Dried Beans

I think anyone you talk to will tell you that beans are an excellent addition to any diet. For those who don't eat meat (and everyone else for that matter), they add an excellent amount of protein to your diet for pennies on the dollar. When checking out the rows and rows of cans of beans in the grocery store, you'll see that you can probably get a 15oz can of any of your favorite beans for about $0.50 - $1.00 depending on brand and any sales. Not bad, right?

Well, I can do you better. Look around the cans - below, above, to the right or left and you will see bags of dried beans. In my area, I can get a 1 pound bag of dried beans for about $1. Maybe less, maybe more. Now, you are probably wondering what is so great about that - the cans are a comparable price or less! However, a pound of dried beans is equal to 4 cans of beans! That's right! Buying a pound of dried beans for $1 is like buying 4 cans of beans for $0.25 each. A sweet deal.

I'm not going to kid you, though. Cooking with dried beans does take a little extra planning and time. But for a little extra time and preparation, you can save a great deal on your groceries. The directions for soaking and cooking beans are normally right on the bag, but you can also check out this page for basic bean preparation information. The quick rule of thumb is as follows, though:

1/2 cup of dried beans (pre-soak) = 1 15oz can of beans
1 1/2 cups of beans (post-soak) = 1 15oz can of bean

Yes, you heard me right. The beans will TRIPLE in size when you soak them. Do not make the mistake of thinking that they look so little. The first time I worked with dried beans - I had more chickpeas than I could figure out what to do with. Storing dried beans is easy. They should be stored in air tight plastic or glass containers (bags work fine, too) and they can be kept indefinitely if stored at room temperature.

Want to know more about beans?
Basic Bean Prep
Storage and Soaking
Cooking Your Beans
Bean Recipes