PRESERVING OUR FOODS USING CANNING or FREEZING

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

WHEW! Success is making a successful split, then not having to hold your breath to see it turned out right.

I know at least some of you all preserve at least a few things you feed your families, either by canning or freezing the things, so please share your method of doing so with the rest of us, including any tips you have. Herbs are another thing that can be preserved by freezing. Share your way of freezing them, so you don't have to resort to using the dried ones. I've used a lot of dried ones, but they really don't hold a candle to the fresh ones for flavor.

A lot of us keep our freezers so full with meats, and other things to feed our families, that when it comes times to preserve other things, there just simply isn't room for the things from the orchard and/or garden, even those great things you all often find at the local Farmer's Market.

Chime in here and let us hear what you do.

Other Mary, this one's for you, and any others wanting to at least try this. Hop in here and let us hear you all!!

Who knows, maybe, some of you all use other methods of preserving things, such as drying, smoking, or Daddy use to put some things in a special salt made by Morton's (I believe) to cure them. I believe that was maybe used for some pork, and was really good! If you use other methods, we'd love to hear about those as well.

mstacks · **Posted:** Thu Apr 26, 2007 8:48 pm

<snip> Who knows, maybe, some of you all use other methods of preserving things, such as drying, smoking, or Daddy use to put some things in a special salt made by Morton's (I believe) to cure them. I believe that was maybe used for some pork, and was really good! <snip>

Ohhh you just had to bring up THAT idea, didn't you MaryK!

How I'd LOVE to find somebody that (1)still had their own smoke house and (2)knew what to do with a box of that mortons Brown Sugar Cure and a big ol' hog hanging from the rafters!!! Talk about your Christmas Ham heaven!!! :lol:

Hmmmm. I might have to investigate how to do a little smoking this year. :wink:

MaryT

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

Mary, surely it isn't a lost art, and you can use that sugar cure without a smoke house to smoke it. I think Daddy sometimes packed it down in layers with that salt in between and every so often he got it out and did something to it, but I don't really remember what he did. Maybe, someone knows and can chime in to tell us more about how this is done?? I really hate to remind you, but that was from "the old days!"

tiffysma · **Joined:** Sat Nov 05, 2005 9:29 am **Posts:** 1187

Here's a link, girls and there is a book you can order on curing ham and meats.

Morton Salt/Sugar Curing

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

Come on, Phyllis, aren't you going to help us do this? I'll betcha you and DH could enjoy some of that good ole sugar cure.

Oh BTW thank you for the link.

Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

Just now looking, we now have two threads with the same title. I don't have a clue how that happened, but I know what happened, and since I can't combine them without just simply copying and pasting maybe, we'll just stay with this one. Sorry about that! :oops:

I hope that's the last goof I ever make!

mstacks · **Posted:** Sat Apr 28, 2007 9:15 am

Thanks for the link, Phyllis! It never even occurred to me to check the Mortons site itself. DUH! :oops:

That curing book is going on my check-the-library list...then very probably onto my gotta-have-it list!!

Anyone else out there that does their own gardening and food processing (by whatever methods)? Don't tell me MaryK and I are the only ones that have a freezer! I bet some of you 'city-folks' at least have a good trip to the farmers market you can brag about! :wink:

MaryT - the rationing-the-last-quart Lime Pickle Loving OtherMary

tiffysma · **Joined:** Sat Nov 05, 2005 9:29 am **Posts:** 1187

I'll let you ladies experiment. I prefer to think that meat comes from securely wrapped packages at the meat counter of the grocery store. About as rustic as I get is going to the meat market and letting them wrap it in butcher paper instead. I don't have a freezer, so I'm limited to what I can put up. I usually try to do a few peaches and strawberries, but it looks like the late freeze killed any chances of that this year :cry:

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Mary K. · **Joined:** Fri Sep 26, 2003 5:34 pm **Posts:** 9788

Oooh! that late freeze may have gotten the peaches here in the state as well! That happened last year, and I had the berries of a time (no pun intended) finding peaches to put in the freezer and even just decent ones to eat, and Phyllis, you remember my many trips to that shade tree to see if they had some good peaches. I still have peaches in the freezer, but when it's time I really would love to have some to eat and fix peach cobbler and such. I love those things!

Anyone else out there who cans, freezes, salt cures or in some other way preserves any of the food for your table? Hop right in here, and share with us "old die hards" which method you use, and any tips you have to share. I'm like Mary, and don't believe we are the only ones who do any of those things.

Just in case we lose the other part of our thread to this same subject, HERE'S A LINK to it!

PRESERVING OUR FOODS USING CANNING or FREEZING

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