Canning Frozen Vegetables Tip

One of the downsides to a non-electric lifestyle is that you have to find alternative ways to store foods that are purchased frozen. During the times of year when the garden is not yet producing or when the pantry is getting low, we buy frozen vegetables. It is far less costly than the canned ones and are closest to fresh that you can buy without paying the higher price of the fresh produce.

Not having a freezer to store the vegetables in, I home can them. I have found that by slightly cooking them in water, I am able to process them without having the problem of over cooking and the vegetables becoming too soft or the water in the jars becoming cloudy from the starches in the vegetables being released. I heat the frozen vegetables just to the point where the water is beginning to steam. I fill the jars and use the water from heating the vegetables so that any nutrients that were lost in the water are still contained in the canning jars. Just as with canning fresh produce, I put some salt in the jars to help in preserving the vegetables.

When using salt in your canning, only use kosher or canning/pickling salt. Table salt contains extra ingredients to prevent the salt from clumping. Some of these ingredients can have a negetive effect in the quality of your home canned foods.

I have found that home canning frozen vegetables works out very well. I am able to take advantage of the lower costs of the vegetables while avoiding the additives that the processed canned foods contain. The overall cost for canning the frozen vegetables is still lower than buying the vegetables in cans at the store.