Anyone else can/freeze?

[chippers21]

I started by making several dozen jars of blackberry jelly and black raspberry jam.
Then came the bread-and-butter pickles.
Now I am hard at work canning tomatoes.
All from our little garden. (We have less than a third of an acre.)
I also froze alot of zucchini for future zucchini bread prep.

After the tomatoes will be dozens of jars of applesauce. We have so many apples this year, the thought is a bit overwhelming.

And then...Bill will be making lots of fig wine. If you could lay down under one of our fig trees you would look up to see a virtual starry sky- of figs, everywhere.

Proud of my production, but it is alot of work.
Anyone else do stuff like this????

[hmsram]

I currently do none... But next season I really need to learn how to do the tomatoes. We have so many that never get used and end up wasted. I really need to take the time to learn how to can tomatoes.

I was wondering if you can freeze them in freezer bags and if they would still be good for cooking ?
Would much rather can, but not sure if I would be able to do it right and with my kitchen staying so hot all the time I would be afraid they would go rancid...

[june72]

i usually freeze blackberries for cobbler(if i get time to pick them this year)
gonna can green tomatoes
want to do some red ones too(will be first time for these)
last year we made crout for the first time was great
gonna do pickles this weekend
gonna have to do our beans soon
then if nothing happens to our peaches will be cannin them to
this is a busy time of year

[chippers21]

Originally Posted by june72

i usually freeze blackberries for cobbler(if i get time to pick them this year)
gonna can green tomatoes
want to do some red ones too(will be first time for these)
last year we made crout for the first time was great
gonna do pickles this weekend
gonna have to do our beans soon
then if nothing happens to our peaches will be cannin them to
this is a busy time of year

It sounds like you are about as busy as I am. I refuse to freeze our beans tho. I did way too much of that growing up. What kind of pickles do you make?
We have peaches too. I tried peach jam one year and no one ate it. Same with strawberry. But the family (and friends) love the blackberry and black raspberry that I make. I give it away as gifts too.

[chippers21]

Originally Posted by hmsram

I currently do none... But next season I really need to learn how to do the tomatoes. We have so many that never get used and end up wasted. I really need to take the time to learn how to can tomatoes.

I was wondering if you can freeze them in freezer bags and if they would still be good for cooking ?
Would much rather can, but not sure if I would be able to do it right and with my kitchen staying so hot all the time I would be afraid they would go rancid...

I have never frozen the tomatoes. Always can them, a couple jars at a time. I just select the perfect ripe tomatoes from each days crop, wash them off and boil them until the skin is loose. Then I cool them enough to peel off the skin, while I wash the jars and sterilize them by boiling for about 10 minutes. I keep the lids in hot water, waiting. Fish out the hot jars, stuff them with peeled tomatoes, wipe off the outside, seal, and do a hot-water bath for another 10 minutes. You cannot reuse the lids, as they will not seal properly. You can re-use the bands, as long as they are not dented or rusted.

[mayfly]

Does anyone here do freezer jam? Its SUPER easy if you don't do it. I am not a cook, and I can do it, so there is proof. You take your fruit (recipe is in Every fruit jel/pectin box), sugar, and boiled pectin and mix them together. Then you put it in the fridge! We go berry picking, so I freeze my berries in the right amount size freezer bags (usually qt. size), so I pull out a bag any time we need jelly. This makes the best raspberry jam you have ever eaten in your life! You can also make a huge batch up and freeze it that way, if you want to use fresh berries.