Pressure Canner or Boiling Water Canner?

homeandawaywithlisa.com

By : Patrice Hall

I am planning to preserve most of my share this year, and my freezer is full of the chicken from previous shares this year, so I have bought my pressure canner to start working on my food storage goals.  At the start of this summer season, my goal was to eat or preserve everything from my share.  I messed up a couple of weeks when I didn’t store the lettuce and greens carefully, so they became a wilted mess in the plastic bag from the farm.  Oh well, here comes late summer and fall when the vegetables become more hardy and we start receiving more apples (I planned to make my apple sauce this year).

The million-dollar question was which vegetables to preserve via pressure canner and which veggies need the hot water bath.  I consulted the book Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving by the US Department of Agriculture, and it is full of information.  Low acid foods must be processed in a pressure canner to be free of botulism risks.  High acid foods must be processed in a boiling water canner.  I never used a pressure canner before, so this will be an adventure (wish me luck 😊)

I just received my pressure canner and supplies from Amazon, so I will be starting this week on preserving my squash, beans and other foods.  Thank goodness for the CSA and the weekly deliveries, they have been a lifesaver this year!  

Applesauce Recipe (from the Ball Blue Book)

The cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice in this recipe are to taste. 

READY IN:

1hr 20mins

YIELD: 1 quart

INGREDIENTS

3 lbs apples

water

DIRECTIONS

Peel, core and quarter apples.

You will need 3 to 3-1/2 pounds per quart of applesauce.

Place in large saucepot.

Cook apples with just enough water so they don't stick.

Cook over medium heat until soft.

Puree in food processor or food mill until smooth.

Return to pan and bring to a boil.

You may add sugar if desired.

Taste to see how sweet the apples are.

You can also add cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice the last 5 minutes of cooking time.

Keep applesauce boiling and ladle hot sauce into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace.

Remove air bubbles and adjust two piece caps.

Process pints and quarts for 20 minutes in a boiling water canner.

If you like chunky sauce, only puree half of the apples and crush the other half with apotato masher.

Prep time is an estimate as it depends on how many quarts of sauce you are preparing.