u/Successful-Leek-2020

Hey everyone, long time gardener here but pretty new to canning. This summer my tomato plants went absolutely wild and I ended up with way more than I can eat fresh or give away. I decided this was finally the year to learn water bath canning so nothing goes to waste.

I've been doing a lot of reading and I understand the basics around adding bottled lemon juice or citric acid to keep the acidity at a safe level. I'm planning to start with crushed tomatoes and maybe a simple tomato sauce without any added vegetables, to keep things straightforward and safe for water bath canning.

A few things I'm still unsure about and would love some input on. Does the variety of tomato make a noticeable difference in the final canned product? I have mostly roma types but also some beefsteak and a few heirlooms. And do you precook your tomatoes before packing or go raw pack? I've seen arguments for both and can't decide which works better for home canners.

I want to stick to tested recipes from Ball or NCHFP so I'm not looking to improvise, just want to understand the practical experience side of things that recipes don't always spell out. Thanks in advance for any advice you can share.

Hey everyone, I've been cooking from scratch for years and always end up with a ton of homemade chicken and vegetable stock that I freeze in batches. The freezer is honestly getting out of control, and I'd love to start pressure canning my stock instead so I can free up that space and have shelfstable jars ready to grab anytime.

I've done some reading and I know stock is a lowacid food, so a water bath canner is off the table. Pressure canning only. I picked up a Presto 23quart pressure canner based on recommendations I found here and feel pretty good about that choice.

A few things I'm still trying to figure out before my first batch. Should I be straining my stock completely clear, or is a little fat and cloudiness okay going into the jars? Does homemade stock with no added salt follow the same tested processing times as salted stock? And how do you all handle dial gauge testing? Is that something most people do annually or just before every canning season?

I want to do this right from the start rather than develop bad habits. Any tips or experiences from your first time canning stock would be really helpful. This community has so much good information and I appreciate it.

I recently started growing a small herb garden and I've been completely fascinated by making my own tinctures and preparations from what I harvest. This season I have calendula, lemon balm, and some chamomile coming in really nicely and I want to put them to good use beyond just drying them for tea.

I tried my first tincture a few weeks ago using lemon balm and vodka, following a basic folk method ratio, and I honestly had no idea what to expect. The color shifted beautifully over the weeks and the smell is incredible.