[Blindtlk] canning food

Wed Sep 17 21:58:41 UTC 2014

I am really impressed!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Judy Jones via blindtlk" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
To: "Julie J." <julielj at neb.rr.com>; "Blind Talk Mailing List" 
<blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2014 10:58 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] canning food

Hurray for you, Julie.

I first canned back in 1985, and I still have that pressure cooker, too.
Yours sounds like a much better unit, but I had good success canning
apricots, cherries, rhubarb, and also made several batches of pickles.  I
got a book and read it to bolster my confidence.  The book is called,
Preserving The Fruits Of The Earth.

I was concerned about poisoning me or someone else with my home canning, but
didn't happen.  I followed safety and sanitary instructions.

I also did jelly later on with our berries, but I cheated on that one.  I
juiced the berries rather than boiling them down, and it made the
jelly-making go a lot faster.  It was also very easy to get the pectin off
the tops of the jars before sealing.

Have fun.

Judy

-----Original Message----- 
From: Julie J. via blindtlk
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2014 6:02 AM
To: Blind Talk Mailing List
Subject: [Blindtlk] canning food

About a year ago I started thinking about pressure canning food.  You know
like your Grandma used to do, storing garden veggies for use in January.   I
asked on this list if anyone knew any blind people using pressure canners.
that led me to the cooking list and one person who had some helpful info.

A couple of weeks ago I finally purchased a canner.  I got a Presto 16
quart, which was the least expensive option at WalMart.  I left it sit in
the box because well...honestly it freaked me out.  I mean we are talking
about pressurized steam and food born illnesses, what could possibly go
wrong? *smile*I really did want to can food, it was a stretch for me though.

Finally yesterday I got it out and canned some corn.  It wasn’t nearly as
scary as I thought it would be.  It is totally doable by a blind person.
The particular model I bought does not have a visual pressure gauge.  It has
a weighted valve cover.  There are rings that slide onto the weight, the
more rings means more weight and therefore more pressure needed to make it
move.

You can hear and feel the steam and various valve mechanisms to know when to
put on the weight, when it has reached pressure and when it has
depressurized so you can open it.   I did two batches of corn last night.
The first one my sighted teenage son helped with.  Mostly because I wasn’t
certain if I could manage it completely nonvisually or what alternatives I
could use.  Figuring out blindness alternatives on the fly is usually no big
deal for me, but to be honest the pressure canner had me a little concerned.
I didn’t want to get stuck wondering if some valve or another was doing what
it was supposed to while sorting out how I could assess the situation
nonvisually.  A mistake could have been really bad.

We managed the first batch pretty handily.  There were only a few very minor
snags.  Getting the lid on turned out to be the most difficult part.  It’s
not really a blindness issue, just a tricky lid.  I’m going to take a closer
look at it today when it’s cool and I can take my time.   Also recognizing
when the various valves do something, what that means and what it sounds
like required that first batch to fully make sense.  I also discovered that
having some kitchen tools specific for canning would be really helpful.  A
wide mouth funnel and jar puller would have been a big help.

Then my son went over to his friends house, because he is a teenage boy and
because pressure canning is kind of boring compared to just about anything
involving his friends.   So I was left entirely on my own for the second
batch.  No problems at all.  I think it was easier the second time around
because I knew what to expect.

I have 14 quart jars of sweet corn sitting on my kitchen counter and
probably another 7 will be canned today.  That is a lot of corn!  Did I
mention my husband is a farmer?  Yeah, so we have some corn!  *smile*

Thanks to all of you for your help and encouragement!  Pressure canning has
been something I’ve wanted to do for a long time, but was honestly very
afraid.  You guys have helped me to get honest with myself and to not let my
blindness stop me.  Thank you!

Julie
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