Ginger Watkin's Page

Ginger Watkin commented on Caroline Malcolm's blog post 'How does a newbie prepare for a HOMEGROWN winter?'

"I t is never too late to start. One thing I do every year is chop and freeze things like fresh tomatoes (diced up and frozen, they add a fresh flavor added to chile Homemade or canned, spaghetti sauce, etc. I also chop and freeze fresh…"

Oct 18, 2011

Pat Johnson replied to Ginger Watkin's discussion 'Pressure canner required? (Tomatoes +)' in the group Food Preservation

"I think you may have problems with the pectin being able to set if you re-canned the jam. If you used Pomona's Universal Pectin you might be able to get away with it because the pomon's uses calcium and is not simply fruit pectin (which…"

Oct 17, 2011

Pat Johnson replied to Ginger Watkin's discussion 'Pressure canner required? (Tomatoes +)' in the group Food Preservation

"Call your county Extension office and ask if they do classes for presure canning."

Oct 17, 2011

Ginger Watkin replied to Ginger Watkin's discussion 'Pressure canner required? (Tomatoes +)' in the group Food Preservation

"Thank you for all the advice. So far, so good on my canned salsa and tomato jam. But that brings up another question from this canning newbie! I made a recipe for tomato jam, and while it is very good, it is a little too sweet for…"

Oct 16, 2011

Ginger Watkin replied to Christene's discussion 'Mustards' in the group Food Preservation

"I have made a number of the Ball recipes from their canning book. I was not happy with the results as the mustard seeds did not really soften as I would have liked and the mustard is very bitter. I am planning on trying again, just to…"

Oct 16, 2011

Pat Johnson replied to Ginger Watkin's discussion 'Pressure canner required? (Tomatoes +)' in the group Food Preservation

"The devil is in the detail (isn't it always?). Canning plain tomatoes is a water-bath thing. When you add ingredients of change the density of the product being canned you have other things to consider when determining if waterbath or pressure…"

Jul 21, 2011

Janet Rybacki Buechler replied to Ginger Watkin's discussion 'Pressure canner required? (Tomatoes +)' in the group Food Preservation

"My brother sent me home-canned Marinara sauce and chili sauce using a water bath canner. I called my extension office and they advised me DO NOT EAT them. They need to be pressure canned. With all the conflicting information, I am fearful of…"

Jul 20, 2011

Jerry Peterson replied to Ginger Watkin's discussion 'Pressure canner required? (Tomatoes +)' in the group Food Preservation

"I'm pretty comfortable using my water bath canner, but I would love to learn how to use a pressure canner. I've tried to keep my eyes open to classes around me for several years now and haven't found any. One day I'll…"

Jul 14, 2011

Ginger Watkin replied to Deb Counts-Tabor's discussion 'Canning your own recipes'

"Tara - I'm not sure you would really want to can guacamole, since the heat and acid required for the canning would tend to nullify the taste of the avocados. Here is a hint though that I have used. Freeze your avocados right in the…"

Jul 13, 2011

Ginger Watkin replied to Deb Counts-Tabor's discussion 'Canning your own recipes'

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Jul 13, 2011

Linda Ziedrich replied to Ginger Watkin's discussion 'Pressure canner required? (Tomatoes +)' in the group Food Preservation

"Ginger, the USDA does have processing times for tomatoes in a boiling-water bath, though the times are long. You can find them in booklet PNW 300 at the Oregon State University Extension website (extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog). If meat or a…"

Jul 12, 2011

Pat Johnson replied to Ginger Watkin's discussion 'Pressure canner required? (Tomatoes +)' in the group Food Preservation

"Good point Jerry. You're right about modern hybrids not having enough acid. I don't can the storebought tomatoes (the ones likely to not have enough acids) because not only do they not have enough acid, they also lack enough taste to…"

Jul 11, 2011

Jerry Peterson replied to Ginger Watkin's discussion 'Pressure canner required? (Tomatoes +)' in the group Food Preservation

"Hey Ginger, Tomato acid levels vary quite a bit depending on the type of tomato. Most "classic" waterbath canning recipes don't take into consideration that most modern hybrid tomatoes aren't as acidic as the ones used when…"

Jul 10, 2011

Pat Johnson replied to Ginger Watkin's discussion 'Pressure canner required? (Tomatoes +)' in the group Food Preservation

"Ginger....Tomatos are high acid and should be waterbathed and not pressure canned. You shoud buy the Ball Canning guide. It is a trusted resource for canning and only costs $5 at Walmart. Most things need to be pressure canned. Pickles, jams,…"

Jul 10, 2011

Ginger Watkin added a discussion to the group Food Preservation

Pressure canner required? (Tomatoes +)

Hi. I'm new to this discussion group, so maybe this has been answered before, but. . . I just started canning last year (earned the nick-name "Betty Crocker off her rocker" from my sister. I have an abundance of tomatoes and would like to can some of them this year. I did can salsa last year, although with all the added vinegar, I was not happy with the end results. Do you HAVE to use a pressure canner for tomatoes or can you use a water bath canner? I have found a few recipes (like…See More

Jul 10, 2011

10 Comments

Ginger Watkin replied to Pat's discussion 'peppers' in the group Food Preservation

"Another way to pickle them is by slicing them first. They make great additions to nachos."

Jul 10, 2011