Our daughter's elderly piano teacher was given a box of peaches off someone's tree. The peaches were small and sour and not really good for eating. She asked if I wanted them, and I said heck yes. Peach purree added to fresh-made yogurt is unsurpassed. I took the box home and made them into purree.
I have no particular skill (or so my kids tell me) in making either salsa or pizza sauce, something we use in appreciable quantities. So what I do is buy giganto-sized quantities of both, then re-can them in smaller jars.
Here's four gallons each of salsa and pizza sauce, as well as the box of peaches:
This is the output after everything was canned and re-canned:
Ooooh, and looky what we just found at a thrift store! A food dehydrator! This is nearly identical to the model we used to own, and which we foolishly gave away (during a massive purging of possessions) before we moved to Idaho. I've been looking for one ever since. This dehydrator set us back a grand total of six bucks. Gotta love thrift stores...
So, dumb question... You can re-can store bought sauce?? What is the purpose, to get it in smaller, more manageable size containers, or does it keep longer that way?? I am a big canner, but I have never heard of this.
ReplyDelete-Katie
You hit the nail exactly on the head. Take pizza sauce, for example. If I buy it in #10 tin cans (about a gallon), it's far cheaper than stuff bought in individual cans. Trouble is, I can't use up an entire gallon in one fell swoop, so most of it would go bad once I opened the can. But if I re-can it in smaller quantities, I just use what I need as I need it.
ReplyDelete- Patrice
Ok, one more question... how long do you can it for? Do you water bath or pressure can it? Also, can you can things (like meat) that have been frozen? Maybe there are instructions I can find somewhere on the internet. Thanks!
ReplyDelete-Katie
I can't remember exactly how long I canned the salsa and pizza sauce. The rule of thumb whenever canning (or re-canning, in this case) something is to go with the ingredient that has the longest processing time. If I remember correctly, it was onions that had the longest time.
ReplyDeleteI boil-bath canned the peaches because they're high acid enough to get away with it.
There are several excellent canning books that include long lists of processing times for various foods, as well as detailed instructions. My personal favorite is "Putting Food By" by Ruth Hertzberg, Janet Greene, and Beatrice Vaughan (you can search for it on Amazon).
You MUST pressure-can low-acid foods, especially since most commercial tomato products are made with low-acid tomatoes (as well as all those other low-acid ingredients like onions).
AFA canning frozen meat - sure, it can be (pressure) canned. I do it all the time. However the meat will first have to be thawed and then hot-packed. That means you'll have brown it, or boil it, or otherwise pre-cook it. Some people process meats by packing it raw in jars (a lot of my neighbors can deer meat this way), but whenever I can pork, beef, or chicken I always cook it first. "Putting Food By" gives detailed instructions for all this. - I highly recommend by the book so you can reference it at a moment's notice.
Good luck!
- Patrice
OMGoodness, I'm so glad I've come across your website!!! I'm so excited to get on this re-canning! We've been doing much canning lately and were trying to see if it would work, cannot wait to give it a try!!! Thank you so much, I'll continue to follow you now!
DeleteHappy in Texas :)
I am canning pizza sauce I lprocessed for 15 mins all jars sealed then I remembered theyshouldhave processed for 49 mins Will this hurt my pizza sauce or can I put the sealed hard back in boiling bath for another 25 mins even thought they are already sealed
DeleteAppreciate any help
Thank you
Kelly James
I don't have an answer about the kids. I think they should be replaced BUT I know you must reprocess the entire time without interruption. You can not just do the extra time.
DeleteI've had three of those plastic dehydrators in the past, and have dried lots of apples, mango, bell peppers, celery, potatoes, carrots, and grapes; made many a pound of jerky, too. Recently I bought a stainless steel dehydrator - variable thermostat and a timer. In three weeks I have dehydrated 5 pumpkins, 10 lbs. of green beans, 10 lbs. of English Green peas, 40 lbs. of corn, 15 lbs. of sweet potatoes, 7.5 lbs. of hash brown potatoes, six lbs. of California Medley... and I put all of this in ball glass jars, except for the hash brown potatoes. Now, after reading your story about the refried beans, I'm going to made some up and dehydrate a batch. Thanks for giving me the idea.
ReplyDeleteI bought a 20lb.can of salsa because it was a really good price. I was wondering can I recan them ? Oh I hope so.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Cindy. Heat the salsa to boiling, then ladle into jars. I can mine at 12 lbs pressure for 30 minutes (for quarts). Happy canning!
ReplyDelete- Patrice
can you recan jelly that is store bought also?
ReplyDeleteI've never tried it. Jam and jelly has so much sugar that it stays good for a long time after opening. Even if it gets a little mold on top, it's fine once you scrape the mold off. Therefore I never think about re-canning it.
DeleteBut you know what? Try it. That's half the fun of canning. Follow the processing instructions for jelly and give it a go, then drop a line to let us know how it turns out!
- Patrice
I canned salsa this year that has a little too much vinegar. Can I open the jars and mix with the next batch of salsa and re-can?
ReplyDeleteMy first batch of salsa from earlier this summer ended up with too much vinegar. Can I open the jars and mix the first batch with my next batch and re-can?
ReplyDeleteI don't see why not. Just remember to process the salsa according to the ingredient requiring the LONGEST processing time. And just because salsa has vinegar does NOT mean you can water-bath can it -- because of all the other low-acid ingredients (onions, garlic, etc.) it MUST be pressure-canned. Have fun!
Delete- Patrice
I have a question I'm not a good at canning but I was wondering if I could re can peaches. I buy the big cans but we don't eat as fast? Please let me know? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteCan you re can canned peaches ? I like to buy in bulk . thank you?
ReplyDeleteI have a question I'm not a good at canning but I was wondering if I could re can peaches. I buy the big cans but we don't eat as fast? Please let me know? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteLike many fruits, peaches tend to be fairly delicate. I don't know if re-canning would work -- you might end up with fruit mush -- but you know what? The only way to find out is to try. Give it a go and report your results here so we can all learn.
Delete- Patrice
A co-worker and I were given a bunch of tomatoes. He likes to make salsa and asked me if I would can it for him and we would share it. It has no spice to it.
ReplyDeleteI want to add more peppers etc. The canning instructions for salsa that I had called for water bath. Is it safe to recan it with pressure canner or is the batch unsafe? Made the salsa about 2 wks ago.
I would absolutely pressure can it. Better safe than sorry.
DeleteThe rule of thumb for canning "unapproved" or pre-tested recipes is to can the food item in accordance with the ingredient requiring the longest processing time. So make a list of EVERYTHING in the salsa -- every last ingredient -- and look up the processing time for each ingredient. Whatever has the longest processing time "wins."
So if you're adding peppers, onions, or anything like that, list those ingredients and look up the processing time.
- Patrice
do you think I can re can hot fudge? I picked up a #10 can of it and was thinking I could do it. Pressure can it right?
ReplyDeleteI would be very careful about re-canning hot fudge. Items that contain high amounts of dairy, fats, or oils shouldn't be home canned (they can safely be commercially canned, but home canners don't have that kind of equipment) because the fatty molecules can protect botulism spores from the high heat. Can you freeze the fudge in smaller containers instead?
Delete- Patrice
I am new to canning and am still learning. I have canned some salsa, pineapple salsa and tomato sauce. The wife and I enjoy having spaghetti quite often and our usual recipe is one pound lean hamburger, two jars Ragu Chunky Mushroom. The other night, instead of using two jars of Ragu (we only had one) we used just one jar of Ragu and two pints of our own tomato sauce. The wife absolutely loved it. She liked it so much, we actually froze the left over sauce to have it again. My question is this, can I make this sauce in larger batches to can it so that its ready to go when we want it? I'd like to try it with the hamburger and without the hamburger. I'd also like to know if adding mushrooms would hurt anything. Any help or suggestions you have would be very much appreciated!! thank you for your time!!
ReplyDeleteOf course you can can extra quantities! The rule of thumb for such endeavors is to process in accordance with the ingredient requiring the longest processing time. So list all the ingredients in your sauce (including mushrooms) and look up the processing time for each ingredient. Especially since you have low-acid items like mushrooms, you will have to pressure-can. A canning reference book (my preference is "Putting Food By") is necessary to learn the processing time for each ingredient.
Delete- Patrice
I am learning to can, and have a question. My sister in law gave me wheat in black buckets. She says they are about 20 years old. I know in a number 10 can, the shelf life is 30 years. I also know that they found good wheat in tombs in Egypt. I was wondering, can I recan the wheat from the buckets into number 10 cans, and restart its shelf life? I have about 10 large buckets of wheat here...I really don't want to lose it. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteAs long as you store your wheat in suitable conditions (safe from moisture, rodents, bugs) then you shouldn't have to can it. Wheat stores just fine under conditions. Canning is unnecessary to increase its shelf life.
Delete- Patrice
can I re-can green peas? I bought 2 LARGE cans ( I think they are #10 cans) I always cook my peas for about 20 to 30 minutes anyway with "fat back" even on the small cans. If I open one of these Large cans I will have a lot of peas left to do something with if I can't RE-Can them? If I do re-can them will they hold their pea shape or turn to baby food?
ReplyDeleteI've re-canned a lot of peas with fine results, although I've used large bags of frozen peas instead of already-canned peas. If you re-can peas that have already been canned, I don't know if they'll turn to mush or not -- so try it and see what happens. The peas should be heated, then canned at 10 lbs. pressure (adjusted to your elevation) for 40 minutes for both pints and quarts.
DeleteLet me know the results.
- Patrice
Hey Patrice, I thought I would give you a update about canning "Pre-Canned" peas in those #10 cans.
DeleteOut of 2 cans ( 12 lbs. I think) I got 13 pints. They pressure canned pretty good. After processing time and removal from canning the peas they had swelled quite a bit. Wasn't expecting that since they where already Canned. Anyway, this morning when I washed the jars and removed the lids the peas had returned to their normal size. They actually canned up pretty well. They retained their shape and very little residue was in the bottom of the jars. Don't know yet about the taste. Will have to wait till I open up a jar in a couple of weeks. Will keep you updated on the taste.
This is great! Now we know what happens. I'm glad to add this info to the canning repertoire, so whenever anyone comes across a great deal with big cans of peas, we can all take advantage of it. Thanks for reporting back!
Delete- Patrice
Can I recan tomatoes in a water bath canner?
ReplyDeleteYes, but ONLY if it contains nothing BUT tomatoes. If it has anything else -- onions or bellpeppers or whatever -- then it has to be pressure-canned. Additionally, because any commercial tomatoes are likely to be low-acid, you need to add an acidifier -- one full tablespoon per pint of either lemon juice or vinegar (white or apple). If you're recanning in quarts, make that two full tablespoons.
Delete- Patrice
So in theory you could water bath can anything as long as you add an acidifier? And if so, could that be a homemade apple cider vinegar? Grabbed some 2lb bags of strawberry jelly and chipotle sauce from a salvage grocery store and wondered about re-canning them? Thoughts?
DeleteHi Patrice,
ReplyDeleteHow would I re-can store bought hot sauce? I want to buy a large container from Costco and re-can it into tiny mason jars for my wedding favours. Any suggestions? :) thanks in advance this is an awesome blog!
Hi Patrice,
ReplyDeleteHow would I re-can store bought hot sauce? I want to buy a large container from Costco and re-can it into tiny mason jars for my wedding favours. Any suggestions? :) thanks in advance this is an awesome blog!
Offhand I don't see why you couldn't re-can hot sauce, but I'd have to know what the ingredients are before recommending a processing time.
Delete- Patrice
can I re can store bought beans? Like Bushs baked beans?
ReplyDeleteI don't see why not -- they should store for several years.
Delete- Patrice
any idea how long to process them? In water bath canning
DeleteMy canning book says: hot pack only, process at 10 lbs (adjusted for elevation) 80 minutes for pints, 100 minutes for quarts.
Delete- Patrice
Sorry -- forgot to mention -- beans are low-acid, so they must NEVER EVER EVER be water-bath canned -- they should ONLY be pressure-canned. The processing time mentioned above is only for baked beans. If you're re-canning other types of beans, processing time is different.
Delete- Patrice
I made a batch of salsa that I feel is just too runny for my taste. Can I open all the jars, boil down, add more heat, and re-can it?
ReplyDeleteI would say yes, as long as you can it properly, which means pressure-canning it in accordance with the ingredient requiring the LONGEST processing time.
Delete- Patrice
I bought several large cans of Bush's Pork & Beans. I would like to recan them into smaller portions, enough for two people. Can you please tell me if they need to be presure cooked or Water bath and for how long,
ReplyDeleteMy canning book says: hot pack only, process at 10 lbs (adjusted for elevation) 80 minutes for pints, 100 minutes for quarts. Since beans are low-acid, they MUST be pressure-canned. Never never NEVER use a water-bath for low-acid foods.
Delete- Patrice
Can I reach nacho cheese sauce? I hate to waste a big can. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI don't recommend it. Cheese is a dairy product, and it is not recommended that home canners try to can dairy products.
Delete- Patrice
I buy #10 cans of nacho cheese, empty into pan on stove, heat to bubbling, put in pint jars, wipe rims, place hot lid on, screw down the ring firmly. Process pints and 1/2 pints in water bath for 60 minutes. We love it. mix with pint of ground beef and pint of salsa, pour over chips. Great, easy lunch or Sunday night supper.
DeleteWondering if you can, recan ravioli? I have about 100 cans and I don't want them to go to waste, I know they have meat so pressure can at 10 lbs for 100 min for quarts?
ReplyDeleteAccording to this website:
Deletehttp://www.sbcanning.com/2011/11/what-food-and-ingredients-cant-be.html
...canning ravioli isn't a good idea since flour-based items aren't recommended for home canning (the pasta contains flour). Sorry!
- Patrice
Wondering if you can, recan ravioli? I have about 100 cans and I don't want them to go to waste, I know they have meat so pressure can at 10 lbs for 100 min for quarts?
ReplyDeleteWondering if you can, recan ravioli? I have about 100 cans and I don't want them to go to waste, I know they have meat so pressure can at 10 lbs for 100 min for quarts?
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeletePatrice Thanks for the recanning post! I have an old pressure cooker (45 years old) it has a jiggler pressure weight 5lb, 10lb, 15lb. It holds 7 pint jars and really handy when you have 7 or less jars. I use it a lot. Thanks again
Sue
I like to BUY spaghetti sauce, and ADD sauted onion,black olive,mushroom,bell pepper,a touch of garlic powder,and ground meat...is there a safe way to pressure can this? How long for quart jars? Thank you
ReplyDeleteSince your sauce will have meat, that automatically means pressure-canning it (for quarts) for 90 minutes, 10 lbs pressure adjusted for your elevation.
Delete- Patrice
I like to buy store bought spaghetti sauce and add to it..I add mushroom, black olive,diced onion and bellpepper,garlic salt to ground meat, then pour in my sauce. Can I safely pressure can this into quarts? If so, how long and at what pressure?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much...I can tomatoes, but haven't found a close estimate on MY spaghetti sauce. Glad you could help!
ReplyDeleteI just canned what I wanted to be tomato sauce and I think it ended up being tomato paste. Its very thick looking in the jars. I haven't shaken them or anything but it looks thick. I put them in quart jars. (My first time at tomatoes.) Can I recan it into half pint jars instead. And if so, how?
ReplyDeleteThanks... Monna
Re-canning tomato paste into half-pint jars is easy. The paste should be hot-packed, so heat it in a double boiler (I use two posts nested together, with water in the lower pot). Ladle the hot paste into half-pint jars, and add an acidifier (1.5 teaspoons of either vinegar or lemon juice per half-pint jar) and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Process in a water-bath for 35 minutes.
Delete- Patrice
Hi, I love canning I can everything if you can eat it I can it. But here is my question. I made a large batch of blackberry jam and ran out of pint jars so I canned in quarts. Can I now recan in pints?
ReplyDeleteYes. Just make sure you process your pints the same as if you were processing the jam for the first time.
Delete- Patrice
I canned in quarts zucchini relish I was out of smaller jars and nobody near had any in stock.can I recanning in smaller ones now . Do I reheat the relish then can?
ReplyDeleteI would, yes.
Delete- Patrice
I canned in quarts zucchini relish I was out of smaller jars and nobody near had any in stock.can I recanning in smaller ones now . Do I reheat the relish then can?
ReplyDeleteI want to recan store bought apple pie filling. Do I heat the filling prior to canning? Water bath? Processing time ?
ReplyDeleteMy canning literature recommends both pints and quarts be processed for 25 mins. in a water bath (adjusted for altitude; it should be 30 minutes above 1000 ft, or 35 mins. above 3000 ft elevation). And yes, I would reheat the pie filling.
Delete- Patrice
I'm excited about this re canning veggies etc. My daughter told me about doing it. Thanks for the information.
ReplyDeleteI would like to pressure can my pints for spaghetti sauce and don't know for how long...can you help me?
ReplyDeleteThe sauce is from a #10 can from Sams.
I don't know what's in the sauce, so I can't say for certain. The rule of thumb is this: the food must be canned according to the ingredient requiring the LONGEST processing time. You'll have to look at the ingredients list on the can and see what's in it to figure it out.
Delete- Patrice
Lovely to find your post on re-canning. My elderly mom lives alone now and can never use a large jar of sauce so I want to do some recanning into small sizes for her. Have my pressure canner out from doing pumpkins anyway so I'll get right on it. Thank you for the many ideas and hello from over here in Spokane!
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Molly!
Delete- Patrice
I have tomato sauce I made last year and quart jars can I take the quart jars now and make tomato juice from it and still water bath it thank you and I'll tell you I've been reading your site and it is really great thank you again
ReplyDeleteAs long as your tomato sauce has NO OTHER INGREDIENTS (such as peppers or onions) it should be safe to water-bath it. It would be best, however, to add an acidifier to the tomatoes -- one tablespoon of white or cider vinegar to pints, two tablespoons to quarts.
Delete- Patrice
Can you recan store bought spiced apple rings. I buy in bulk and would like to use them in several holidays.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you are buying bulk canned spiced apple rings (I've never used, or even seen, bulk apple rings), but hopefully this link will be helpful:
Deletehttps://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_02/apple_rings_spiced.html
- Patrice
I was gave 5 #10 cans of refried beans I wanted to know if I could recan them in print jars and how long do I pressure can them for
ReplyDeleteNo, do NOT re-can refried beans. To understand why, see this post and follow the links within the post as well:
Deletehttp://www.rural-revolution.com/2012/11/the-invincible-canner.html
You might try putting the extra refried beans into baggies and freezing them.
- Patrice
I'm sure I already know the answer but have to ask, can canned tuna be rescanned?
ReplyDeleteWe have a few commercial size cans of it and hate to see it go to waste and if I could re-can it into half pints it would be awesome.
Yes, absolutely. I would only re-can tuna packed in water, NOT packed in oil. As with all meats, it should be processed at 10 lbs pressure (adjusted for your elevation) for 75 minutes/pints or half-pints, or 90 minutes/quarts.
Delete- Patrice
Can you re-can #10 cans of chicken breasts?
Delete
DeleteYes, absolutely. Chicken (and all meats) MUST be pressure canned, not water-bath canned. Process as you would any other meat product -- 75 minutes for pints, 90 minutes for quarts, at 15 lbs. pressure. It doesn't matter that the chicken has already been cooked -- it still needs to be processed for these amounts of time/pressure to be safe.
- Patrice
I received several 10 lb cans of diced green chilies from my local food bank. Am I able to recan them in smaller quantities? It is just me and my husband and would be too hard for him and I to finish
ReplyDeleteCan I recan yams in syrup? I got a good buy today and I just need to downsize into pint jars.
ReplyDeleteYes. According to my canning book, yams in syrup should be processed in a pressure canner at 10 lbs pressure (adjusted for your elevation) for 55 minutes for pints, or 90 minutes for quarts.
Delete- Patrice