Venting my frustration

8 years ago

Can't vent this to my husband because he thinks you can eat anything canned safely no matter what, lol.

Anyway... I am just frustrated. I have canned for many years (years ago) and decided why not try again? So, everything I made I goofed up in some shape or form. Told myself I give up, not worth the headache. I mistakingly mentioned to my husband after a few days that I may just try again next year with a new canner. Lo and behold I find out he purchased one for me for my birthday, and.....the dread came back. Now that I have one I think "yeah, just try again, why not?" This time with apple pie filling!!

I pay close attention, read the recipe 20 times, pre measure everything but the apples, knowing how much I will need though. 18 cups! Overcook some of the apples slightly, the majority are perfect! Stir everything together, put it in the jars, yada yada yada.

Wait a second.... why do I have so much filling left? Huh, I only got 5 out of the 7 jars called for. Water bath canned them, got them out to set, then got a good look and then it hit me. I miscalculated the cups of apples! Hey, how did I not get all the air bubbles out? More of the apples look mushed up. Looks like too much filling compared to the apples now..... maybe I can use a few cans for a dessert topping....

Then it hits me. You can't eat this down the road, there is possibly too much filling and mushy apples in those to get the right heat penetration while processing. I haven't the heart to tell my husband. Maybe if I hide them he will forget about them

Seriously though, I realize my brains memory holding capacity and attention span is not what it used to be Even when I thought I did it right, I didn't. Wasted alot of time and money because of it. Maybe I will just stick to making pickles.

Featured Answer

bcskye

8 years ago

Don't give up! You can do it. I'm nearly 74 and have made many mistakes in my life but keep trying. The first caused migraines so got rid of him and never had another migraine. Seriously, my first canning goof was peach preserves which turned out like a topping or syrup. I've found out since then that it wasn't uncommon. I usually don't make peach preserves anymore because there are so many others I prefer. My first loaf of white bread would have made Goodyear proud. I followed the directions to a "T" only to have a result that looked like an inch or so of grayish rubber. The first ground beef I tried to cook in my new microwave in the early 70s turned out so hard even the dogs couldn't eat it. Yes, they tried. We learn by our goofs. I sold my jams and preserves at a farmers market this summer and everyone loved them. I can make a beautiful loaf of bread - most of the time. Every once in a while I make a disappointment, but the chickens love it. Oh, and now I'm thinking maybe I really should take some of the tons of beautiful big Georgia peaches out of the freezer and make a batch of preserves.

Madonna

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Comments (7)

digdirt2
8 years ago
Not sure why you think they can't be eaten? They are both acidic and will be cooked again before eating.

If too mushy for pie turn them into Apple Crisp or Apple Cobbler or Apple Brown Betty. When ours go mushy, like if we have to reprocess because they didn't seal - we make fried apples with them.

But yes, pie fillings is not a good thing to jump back in with for many - too many issues with jar filling, boil-over, seal failures etc.

Don't give up just try canning apples plain. That way you can turn them into anything you want later - including pies. ;-)

Dave
growgirl thanked digdirt2
growgirl
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Thank you Dave. You made me feel better about it! I think I worked myself up with all the issues I had, and was thinking issues of pressure canning low acid foods, instead of high acid foods. Ugh. Lol. The options of what to do with the mushier jars is great! It makes me feel my canning was not in vain. And I will follow your advice and stick with more simple foods to can until I get myself back on track. I stuck with recipes I canned years ago, thinking I would have less issues. Well, that did not work out like I imagined it would! And I also learned a good lesson while doing this batch: keeping notes on recipes I have any issues with, so hopefully I won't repeat them if possible:)
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growgirl
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks for making me giggle in the first few sentences, Madonna:) I also appreciate the encouragement! I have realized I am kind of starting canning from scratch due to not doing it for so long. Aaannd... I get frustrated easily lol. So now I am reading my canning books again and paying more attention. Next season I will be more prepared and try not to get too bothered by mistakes.....I hope:) I will also be spending time reading through this forum!
annie1992
8 years ago
Madonna, I also grinned at those first couple of sentences. My first "mistake" didn't give me migraines, but he sure tried! I don't miss him at all, I still need to send his girlfriend a thank you card for taking him off my hands!

I'm 62, but I've never stopped canning. Somehow, I still managed to screw up a batch of apple pie filling last year and got some apple bits in gelatinous goo. Fortunately my grandson loves the stuff heated in the microwave and used to top waffles and pancakes, and I've found that a spoonful in the middle of a bran muffin is pretty good too.

Like Dave, I can apple slices, then just use them for whatever I want. They've made it into pork roasts, apple crisp, I've even used the stick blender and made apple sauce when I needed some and was out. It's just so much more versatile than pie filling.

Happy Canning!

Annie
growgirl
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Annie:)
eddie1025
8 years ago
Don't give up! I've been canning for more that 30 years and pie fillings are the one thing I find the most frustrating. So many things that can go wrong, especially with apples and all that air you have to try to force out. I freeze my apples now and save the freezer space for the cherries! I'm nutty enough to make my own sourdough and panettone the traditional way (look that one up, no sane person does that) and I just don't have the patience for apple pie filling.