So far I've canned a dozen quarts of beans. I'm wondering whether I should can more.
One of the jars in my last batch didn't seal. The kids and I ate the beans for lunch yesterday. Canned beans just are not as good as frozen. And frozen are not as good as fresh. I knew that already, but yesterday my tastebuds gave me a vivid reminder. It seems such a waste to bring in those lovely beans and not enjoy them in the fullness of their blow-ya-away deliciousness. Canning seems to overcook them and make them too mushy.
The prospect of our nation's future makes me want to can so that I will have shelf-stable food where preservation does not depend upon electricity to operate my freezer. But I'd much prefer to eat the beans that have been frozen than the beans that have been canned. So basically, I'm gambling premium taste against confidence in my access to electricity.
I hate gambling.
Friday, August 28, 2009
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Freeze the beans! Although things look very grim, I feel confident in saying that we are far from the electrical grid breaking down.
ReplyDeleteBut there's also ice storms and squirrels that fry themselves to death...
ReplyDeleteI cannot speak to the squirrels, but with ice storms, well, you know, it's cold enough to move your frozen foods outside until you can deal with them.
ReplyDeleteAnd ultimately, if electricity is lost, you can pull out the beans and the pressure canner, and have an old fashioned pioneer canning session sans electricity, and save them, albeit not as yummily as before.
I think you may have talked me into it...
ReplyDeleteAdded to that - be outrageously un-frugal and let the family eat all the fresh produce they want while it's fresh. I have such a strong instinct to limit what we eat so I can save it for later. It's never as good as fresh. I have to remind myself it's fine to be extravagent!
ReplyDeleteOh, Sandy, YES! The only reason I was putting up beans was because we've got more than we can eat right now. I'm perfectly okay with having steamed green beans in copious quantities 5 times a week. But we've also got so much produce right now that we're eating almost no meat, and just making meals out of fresh produce. Yummy! (Although sometimes we get hungry before the next meal.) But when there's still more cukes and beans and other veggies than we can eat, something needs to be put away so that it doesn't go to waste. Beans seemed the easiest to learn to work the canner. But yeah, I think I'm going to freeze the next batch that comes in if it's more than we can gobble up.
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