| Author |
Message |
Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Thursday, January 08, 2026 - 4:05 pm 
As many of you know Mrs Mack is retiring here in a few weeks. One of the things we’ve discussed we’d like to do is go back to canning. We have never done it together as a couple but decades ago I had a house with a small orchard (apples, plums, peaches) and a little garden. My ex and I didn’t have a lot of money so we canned a lot of stuff. Mrs Mack grew up in a family that canned quite a bit and she has copies of her family’s recipes. Not so much about saving money more the special meaning of doing it together and resurrecting some great recipes like her parents bread and butter pickles and several other things. We’ve already started to prep storage in the house and have bought some of the equipment. Really looking forward to at least trying.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Friday, January 09, 2026 - 7:05 am
Mack do you use the boiling method to can the jars, or the steaming method?
If you haven't used the steaming method, you should check it out. It's a lot faster and easier in my opinion.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Friday, January 09, 2026 - 7:31 am
My son, per my suggestion, gave Mrs Mack a pressure canning pot. We’re also looking at a typical boiling method pot as Mrs Mack is more familiar with that method. Mrs Mack has also bought a couple of canning cookbooks for not only the recipes but also the difference methods of using the standard boiling method and the pressure cooker. Our initial read is the pressure cooker is more used for things like meats, etc., which doesn’t interest us. It will be interesting and hopefully fun to experiment.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Friday, January 09, 2026 - 10:40 am
I googled a pressure canning pot. Wow! That's quite a contraption. Now I'm wondering what meat a person would can and how it would taste. Certainly doesn't seem to appetizing.
I read up a little on it, and now I know why my mother never canned vegetables. Well, she did do tomatoes once when I was a kid, back in the 70s. She was leery of them, and I think they sat in the cupboard forever and then she threw them out. Back then, they must have been on the cusp of having enough acid, but it was probably dicey.
I won't push you to try the steam canner. Just keep it in the back of your mind after you guys get everything perfected and then one day you don't want to deal with all the weight of the water.
I'm looking forward to your canning stories. 
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Friday, January 09, 2026 - 11:34 am
Mrs Mack got rid of her canning water bath because it got chipped and cracked when we moved from Virginia to Texas. She’s now looking at an electric water bath that can also do steaming. It’s Ball branded and has good reviews. The main attraction is you can sit next to your sink and has a spigot to drain it. No carrying a heavy load of water from the cooktop to the sink. We’re not as young as when we canned before. 😬
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Friday, January 09, 2026 - 11:41 am
Ohhh... that one sounds cool!
And no worrying about burning yourself, either.
I approve! 
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Saturday, January 10, 2026 - 9:03 am
The only problem with the electric water bath is the cost. It’s about three times the cost of an old fashion porcelain bath. On the positive side the base with the heating element, actually separates from the bath and has automated settings for things like warming the glass jars, sterilization, and a canning cycle. Takes out some of the guess work and external timers. I’m actually surprised Mrs Mack hasn’t ordered it. I think what’s holding her up is that we haven’t cleaned out and reorganized our pantry so we have places to store the canning supplies, the baths, and the canned goods. We used to entertain a lot but haven’t for years but back then we had seasonal dish ware, glasses, chaffing dishes, etc., that haven’t been touched forever and they just take up space. Son has already laid claim to the chaffing dishes and the rest will probably be donated. Only seven weeks until retirement so she may be holding off until we have time together to tackle that chore.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Saturday, January 10, 2026 - 11:27 am
Well, on the bright side, you have 7 weeks to keep checking to see if it goes on sale.
I'm kinda in the same situation as you, right now, Mack.
I have a galley kitchen and in between the basement door and the counter I have a built in "pantry" if you want to call it that. Before i moved in, my bf redid the kitchen, and there was a smaller "pantry" there. I thought it was the perfect size for its use. But no, he had it go deeper in depth. It's now 2 feet deep and it's all wood, so it's dark in there, too. So now when I fill the shelves, I completely forget what I have in them.
The other thing is that the lowest shelf is to low and the garbage can is below it and I can't open the top all the way when I use it. So, I don't know why in the past few months I've taken the garbage can out and have been leaving it out on the open floor in my narrow kitchen.
So, this morning I all of a sudden I was determined to take care of the problem. I dragged all the food off the shelves and have found so many forgotten things that unfortunately have expired that I would have used if I had known I had had it. I also found a lot of corning ware that is never used.
I had to stop and run some errands and I'm trying to get motivated again to finish washing the pantry and changing the shelf heights and throw out a lot of stuff. But you'll get a kick out of this. Way in the back of a middle shelf, I've found some unidentified home canned jars. Two I know are beach plum jelly, but the other 3? Im going to guess that 1 is a jar of bread and butter pickles I made probably in 2019. The stuff inside the jar has completely disintegrated. I can make out onions, but they look more chopped than the thin rings. And there is either cucumber seeds or are they mustard seeds hard to tell. Another jar looks like the insides are red colored. I have no clue what it was originally. Same with the 3rd jar. They will forever be a mystery and this is why I hate deep shelves and cabinets.
OK, I am going to get back and finish tackling this project. And I'm determined to get pull-out shelves in the future.
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Dipo
Member
04-22-2002
| Saturday, January 10, 2026 - 12:06 pm
It's so funny that we are all in the "re-organization" mode for different reasons.
Grooch, you should look into buying some PUC lights that are motion sensor activated. I have those Mahogany Colored cabinets which I thought I would love until I realized they are so dark I can't see back in them!
So I got the PUC lights and now when I open the door it goes on and I can see.
Nala and Mack, I have a Goodwill box going because since I am not moving I am being ruthless about putting things back in an organized manner and getting rid of stuff that hasn't seen the light of day since I moved in over 3 years ago. Surely there is someone out there who can use these things.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Saturday, January 10, 2026 - 2:40 pm
Neither my wife or I have lived in the same house much less the same town as long as we have here. Carey is surprised at how much stuff we have acquired and kept. When you don’t move for almost 25 years you acquire a lot of “stuff”. Of course I came from a military family and my ex was military so I pretty much moved every two to three years so that facilitates getting rid of or not acquire as much. The pantry notwithstanding we have two attic storage areas that need serious attention. Pantry first because that supports the interest in canning. We’ll certainly have that done by early spring so we can start our canning adventure with the early crops here.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Saturday, January 31, 2026 - 11:54 am
Mack, quick note before I forget (in the middle of doing things).
Check out the YouTube channel/person "Grow and Preserve". I just found her while looking for a video for growing microgreens. I really liked her. She has videos on preserving, fermenting, etc. You and Mrs Mack might enjoy watching her.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Saturday, January 31, 2026 - 11:57 am
Ooooohhh... I'm watching her video on "most useful tools 2024" and she's starting on the different canners.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Saturday, January 31, 2026 - 11:59 am
Presto-electric is her favorite pressure canner.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Saturday, January 31, 2026 - 12:09 pm
Just today we ordered the Ball electric water bath. We have a cooktop canning pressure canner but wanted an electric bath. It finally went on sale so we ordered it.
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Grooch
Member
06-16-2006
| Saturday, January 31, 2026 - 3:21 pm
Yay! For the electric water bath!
I hope you still take a look at her videos. I think you both will like them.
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Mack
Member
07-22-2002
| Saturday, January 31, 2026 - 5:00 pm
We will. Yesterday was a watershed day as Carey got her February 28 retirement confirmation. We have several things we’re like to take our hands at canning and the timing seems great for local produce. One of the first up will be the local strawberry harvest in April. Gives us a couple of months to finish with our organization in the house and time for Carey to wind down from the grind of work she’s been under. We’re excited.
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Christy358
Member
07-10-2007
| Saturday, January 31, 2026 - 10:05 pm
I like that Mrs Mack is now Carey. We are all friends here.
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