Growing our own!!

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  • Bella0608
    Bella0608 Posts: 196 Member
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    I agree with sjlepkowski about the pressure canning, but as you're UK like me, when I first heard about pressure canning - I thought tin cans. Apologies if I'm teaching you things you already know, but pressure canning is actually like jam jars, but the lids have two parts - a screw part which has a circle cut out and a metal disk with a rubber like seal on the part which meets the jar.

    The idea is that the change of pressure and heat in the pressure canning unit pulls creates a vacuum between the rubber seal and whatever is in the jar and you secure the metal disk in place through the screw top.

    It is worth the investment. The jars are available from Lakeland.co.uk and I got my pressure canner brand new on Ebay.

    For freezing, yes most things I blanch like sjlepkowski, but some just go straight in. I do this with herbs particularly coriander. I grow this from seed and when it’s ready I’ll use some fresh and ten freeze the rest.
    The other one that goes straight in after chopping into slices is chilli. At £1.50 for 4 small chillies in the supermarket I go all out in summer to grow as many as I can (21 plants this year, each giving me at least 10 chillies). I slice these and freeze them. When cooking, I just put the frozen slices straight into the wok or pan without defrosting. It works.
    I did try preserving the chillies a couple of years ago in oil, but found that most of the flavour and heat leeched out into the oil and I like heat!

    Good luck with the veggies.

    Great thanks im just off to koo on ebay now :)
  • Suzannejl
    Suzannejl Posts: 212
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    When I lived in Germany I found canning jars(yes glass) at the Real store. Do you have those in the UK? Also, the lids in Europe were one piece, they worked just as well for me. Good luck!
  • BFit40
    BFit40 Posts: 163 Member
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    When I lived in Germany I found canning jars(yes glass) at the Real store. Do you have those in the UK? Also, the lids in Europe were one piece, they worked just as well for me. Good luck!
    I don't think we do have Real stores here or it could be that they're in another part of the country to me.

    These are the jars from lakeland:
    http://www.lakeland.co.uk/13219/500ml-Kilner-Jars

    Once you know what you're looking for, you can shop around and get them cheaper, bu the picture on the site shows you what to look for.
  • Bella0608
    Bella0608 Posts: 196 Member
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    thanks will definatly look into it we have a lakeland shop not too far away might go for a nosey at the weekend
    after ive seen to the garden of course :)

    we have just got news that we can go and pick our ex battery hens up next week too :happy:

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