Just planted the beans today before the rain hits again tomorrow, also got most of the squash seeds in as well. Spinach and beets are in, so now all I have left are pumpkins and they go in the compost bin, but I have to get the chickweed out first with the eco-friendly weed killer since the bee’s are busy.
Sauerkraut
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GWG8541 It used to get passed around to different family members to use & somewhere along the line the front housing was broken, but my one uncle was a machinist & used most of the original parts to rebuild it. No one asks for it anymore so it’s a little safer these days.
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bleathery That’s about what I make a year, depending how much I give to family and friends. I can mine and it stays crunchy, I do it in pint jars.
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bocephus Most of mine gets handed out for Christmas presents so I wouldn’t be seeing most of the jars again. I must have either processed them too hot or too long or both when I tried canning them. They still tasted good, but after cooking all day with a good hunk of pork, it was very mushy. I’ll have to try it again sometime, freezer space is always an issue.
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bleathery Try it right out of the jar, before you cook it all day on a pork roast, see if it is crunchy then.
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bocephus It was definitely mushy out of the jar & obviously went down hill from there, but taste was good so just need to pay more attention to the water bath next time.
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wdaly Cast Iron Canning Green Mountain Grill Team Orange Masterbuilt Power User Military Veterans Regular Contributors Yearling last edited by
bocephus That’s how I do mine as well. I’ve never had a soft texture, even after a year of storage. I just don’t have enough freezer space to freeze it.
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GWG8541 Regular Contributors Cast Iron Sous Vide Canning Team Blue Power User Military Veterans last edited by
bleathery how long are you placing them in the bath?
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GWG8541 I really don’t remember, that was back when I was just getting into it & still learning. Maybe next season I’ll give it a shot again & reach out to all these VERY helpful people on this site for some guidance.
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wdaly Cast Iron Canning Green Mountain Grill Team Orange Masterbuilt Power User Military Veterans Regular Contributors Yearling last edited by
bleathery I use University of Wisconsin’s guide. After you ferment your cabbage, heat it to 185°-200° but don’t let it boil. I then pack it in pint jars and cover with hot brine. I then water-bath the pints for 15 minutes. If you’re doing quarts, water-bath them for 20. Seems to work every time for me. How this helps you.
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wdaly Thanks for the info, I will save that for next time. I know I didn’t heat the kraut before packing & I know the water bath was much longer than 20min, which is why it was already cooked before it ever hit the pork!
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