under construction

Canning

I like the idea of canning surplus for consumption later. Waste not, want not. I also admire people who know how to "put by" food. So far I have canned:

beans, baked
beef, cubed
beef, ground
potatoes, peeled/cubed.
milk, whole (not recommended by USDA due to carmelization that occurs)

I also use pressure canners to sterilize some of my homebrewing gear.

water - for sterile quenching of flamed instruments
wort - for storage of sterile starter wort
lab equipment - inoculation loops, steel spatulas, borosilicate lab glass (flasks, tubes, dishes, etc)

my canners

Presto 8qt pressure cooker, for smaller, indoor jobs. Note: quart jars are too tall for this canner. I use it for pints and for sterilizing my brewing gear.
Mirro 22qt pressure canner for bigger, double-decked, and quart-size canning. I use this one outdoors on a coleman stove as it will not fit on my indoor stove.

Canning info

National Center for Home Food Preservation the USDA-funded, internet source of canning information.
NCHFP's online canning course, "Preserving Food at Home: A Self-Study". Requires registration and you'll get your logon a few days after the request. 4 course and quizzes, after which a certificate is provided.
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving. Factual, no-nonsense. What I like about this book it is explains why we can the way we do, what the procedures do, why they are safe.
Ball Blue Book of Preserving. The classic reference.
Putting Food By.

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