October 28, 2014

In order to can low acid veggies like corn, okra, green beans and peas, you MUST use a pressure canner. No amount of time in a water bath canner will safely can these. And, once you get the hang of it, it’s fast and easy to do!

Canning Corn:

This is actually best if you start outside. Trust me on this one. If you shuck all the corn outside, you will leave your mess there, instead of having to clean it a second time. Take two bowls, a sharp knife and two towels, one wet and one dry with you as well.
Begin by shucking the corn. Grasp the ear in one hand, and pull down the outer shell, and remove as much of the silk as you can. Remove all the leaves, and leave the “handle” intact.
Place a smaller bowl upside down in a larger bowl, and place both on the dry towel to prevent slippage. Place the ear upside down so you can grasp the “handle”.
 
Using your sharp knife, carefully slide the blade down to remove the kernels, being careful not to cut into the cob. Try to keep the cut to ¾ of the depth of the kernel. This will take a bit of practice. The kernels will slide right into the bowl as you cut. Neat, huh?

Toss the cob to the chickens and/or compost pile and continue will all your ears. You will see why you wanted to have a wet towel with you, and why you want to do this outside if at all possible, as this process of removing the kernels can get very sticky. You will eventually be covered with corn “milk”, but that’s part of the fun, right?

To raw pack the corn, simply place the raw corn in a hot, clean jar. Add boiling water on top, leaving 1 inch of headspace.

Wipe the rim with a clean towel, add the hot lid and band, screwed on finger tight, and process in a pressure canner at 10lbs pressure for 85 minutes for quarts, 55 minutes for pints.

Canning Peas

Shell your peas by sliding your finger right on the “seam” of the pod and remove the tender peas. Compost the shells, and rinse the peas.
 
To raw pack the peas, simply place the raw peas in a hot, clean jar. Add boiling water on top, leaving 1 inch of headspace.
Wipe the rim with a clean towel, add the hot lid and band, screwed on finger tight, and process in a pressure canner at 10lbs pressureand process in pressure canner at 10lbs pressure for 40 minutes for both pints and quarts.

Canning Carrots

Peel the carrots and rinse. Save the peels for broth/soup later, if you can. Our rabbits also enjoy them as their treat if I’m not fast enough to put them away. You can leave them whole, slice them, or dice them. I prefer to cut mine into coins. To do this, lay several carrots on a cutting board at once, and use a sharp knife.

Alternate angles in how you cut them, and viola! Carrot Coins!
 
To raw pack the carrots, simply place the raw carrots in a hot, clean jar. Add boiling water on top, leaving 1 inch of headspace.

Wipe the rim with a clean towel, add the hot lid and band, screwed on finger tight, and process in a pressure canner at 10lbs pressure pints 25 minutes, quarts 30 minutes.

http://thehomesteadinghippy.com/canning-low-acid-veggies/