A couple weeks ago, I went into the city for our once-a-quarter Big Shopping, and picked up a few things for canning (or re-canning). I have a 40-lb. box of boneless skinless chicken breasts waiting my attention in the freezer, and last week I canned up 12 pints of mushrooms.
I also got a case of cheap mustard. It's not a condiment I care for, but Don likes mustard with his sandwiches, so having an abundant supply is convenient. For this reason I buy it bulk, and re-can it into smaller portions.
It was also an excuse to use, for the first time, the two water-bath canners I got for my birthday last year.
I had been storing the canners in the barn, so I pulled them out, along with the mustard (the case held four containers of mustard, but one was already in the house).
I like to hot-pack mustard, so I scooped it all into a pot, using a double-boiler arrangement so the condiment wouldn't scorch. Older Daughter didn't know I had started this canning project until she came out of her room and saw the full pot. She burst out laughing. "That's a lot of mustard!"
The mustard heats slowly since it's not over direct heat. I stirred it periodically. Meanwhile I washed jars. I also washed out the mustard containers since Don likes to use them in his shop.
Those four containers filled 25 pints.
Scalding the lids and rings.
The two canners held 18 pints between them. What a joy to have so much room! (Ignore the old labels on the lids. They'll come off in the water bath.)
I process mustard for 20 minutes at a rolling boil. By the end of the evening, all 25 pints were processed.
And Don has plenty of mustard to last a long time.
Thanks to your posts, I tried re canning Barbecue Sauce and it turned out great. Now I make my own from Rhubarb but it was great to have the knowledge you offered so I could branch out on new things. Thanks for teaching and encouraging. God Bless!
ReplyDeleteIt would take me the rest of my life to eat that much mustard. Tommy would eat it no time.
ReplyDeleteI had one of those mustard containers long ago. It was where broken crayons went. Those containers are handy.
One year I took a bunch of broken crayons and made "crayon cookies". First I made sure there were no papers. Then I filled clean tuna cans with assorted crayons. I put the tuna cans on the wood stove where they melted nicely. Once they cooled I popped them out. The children had fun with them.
DeleteDebbie in MA
One thing I like to do is put chipotles in adobo sauce in my ketchup and blend it up for use. You have to be careful with amounts because it can be very hot. Now I'm thinking this might be a good candidate for re-canning since I love it way better this way. Sometimes spices don't turn out right with canning, but I think this probably would.
ReplyDeleteI like some of the flavored mustards in the store, such as the Southwest one. It's sweet and hot. To do mustard I would probably try my hand at creating the flavors I like which are too expensive. Condiments really make a difference.
We enjoy nacho cheese sauce once in a great while but it's not cheap. Bought a #10 can from a big store and recanned in in pints-got 6 pints and enough leftover to put on potatoes one day and broccoli another.
ReplyDelete