Doing the Can Can

It is too hot to work outside in the garden. This is a good time to can. Tuesday 16 pints of sauerkraut and 11 pints of tomatoes were put up. It was fun because my wife and I did it together. Monday night we put the empty jars in the dishwasher before going to bed. Tuesday night I packed the sauerkraut into jars within a ½” of the rim and filled the jar to that level with kraut juice.

Ana wiped the tops and put the jars in the canner. The tomatoes cored and dropped into boiling water for a couple of minutes and then plopped into a bowl under a cold faucet. The skins were rubbed off and the tomatoes pushed into jars. The liquid from the tomatoes filled the jar to the level of the tomatoes. A tiny sprinkle of salt was added before the lids were placed.

Instructions said to cover the jars with about an inch and a half of water and boil for 8 minutes. Some of the kraut did not seal using this procedure. The time was increased to 12 minutes and every single jar sealed. 5 jars of kraut that were processed for only 8 minutes had to be redone.

David Segrest is an International REALTOR in Charlotte, NC. His email is david@segrestrealty.com , His webpage is http://davidsegrest.com , and his international real estate blog is http://dointernationalrealestate.blogspot.com/