First Canning Experience

I hate wasting food.  And what do I hate more than wasting food?  Wasting food that I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into growing.  So with my abundance of veggie harvests right now, I decided to try my hand at a food preservation method that I have not yet tried with my garden goodies: canning.

Experienced veggie gardeners would probably tell you that canning is as essential to the gardening practice as water and sunlight since a good garden harvest is going to produce a lot more food than you can use fresh yourself or give away.  But I have not incorporated it into my gardening repertoire until this point because frankly, it intimidated me.  I always heard how long and tedious of a process it was.  I remember growing up in Wisconsin and picking oodles of strawberries every summer, which my mom would then spend a whole day processing into jam.  I just don't have that kind of time on my hands.  But, since I've had a decent harvest this summer so far and have more veggies than I can eat fresh, and since I hate wasting food, I decided to give canning a try. Turns out, it really wasn't that bad.

Sure, it wasn't the quickest process.  It probably took me a couple hours total (with clean up) for just a few jars.  But, given it was my first time, I know I took a lot of extra time reading directions and making sure I got all the steps right.  But overall, it was much easier and faster than I expected, so I'm sure I'll be doing more canning in the future.

I ended up canning three quart jars of dill pickles, using Botanical Interests' Homemade Pickles cucumbers.  I also canned two pint jars of pickled green beans (Blue Lake 274).  Now, I just need to let the jars sit in the pantry for a few weeks before I can try how they turned out.

Here is the recipe that I used for both the green beans and cucumbers.  Since I'm new to this canning business, I'd love to hear some of your favorite canned veggie recipes!

Ingredients (makes 6 half-pint jars - I doubled the recipe for my 2 pint and 3 quart jars)

• 2 1/2 pounds fresh green beans (cucumbers)
• 2 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup salt (kosher or pickling)
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 1 bunch fresh dill weed
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

1.  Sterilize jars with rings and lids and keep hot.  Trim green beans to 1/4 inch shorter than the jars.

2.  In a large saucepan, stir together the vinegar, water and salt. Add garlic and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. In each jar, place 1 sprig of dill and 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Pack green beans into the jars so they are standing on their ends

3.  Ladle the boiling brine into the jars, filling to within 1/4 inch of the tops. Discard garlic. Seal jars with lids and rings. Place in a hot water bath so they are covered by 1 inch of water. Simmer but do not boil for 10 minutes to process. Cool to room temperature. Test jars for a good seal by pressing on the center of the lid. It should not move. Refrigerate any jars that do not seal properly. Let pickles ferment for 2 to 3 weeks before eating.