Learning to Can with Fagor Home Canning Set

Disclosure:  I received my Fagor Home Canning Set for free, however, all thoughts, opinions, and experiences are my own...unless you want to come help me can vegetable!  Thank you to Fagor America!  

Upon moving home I decided that I wanted to garden and learn to preserve my own foods.  I am not a health freak, but I think the food I grow taste better and is healthier.  I am a complete idiot when it comes to this stuff, seriously, I can cook, but I have no clue how to do much more than freeze my veggies and fruits.

A few months back I received an email from Fagor America advertising their Fagor Home Canning Set, the product seemed too good to be true, but I am a sucker for trying something new.  I was first excited for the chance to learn and try out the canner, but as time neared I got nervous....I didn't want to ruin my veggies, or fail in front of everyone.

Well this past week I got brave, or well I had to do something with fruit and veggies that were coming off the trees and vines, so I broke out my canner and got started.  Fortunate for me the canner comes with everything I needed, except jars, lids, rings, and the food I want to can.  I quickly read through the instruction manual  and Grandma H handed me over a Ball Blue Book of Preserving (I highly suggest this book also) and off to work I went.

While I worried myself to death over how to use this product, rather I would fail, if my jars would seal.....I am a complete idiot.   The Fagor Home Canning Set really is as simple as it says it is!

Yesterday (my second time using the canner) I made coleslaw in a jar, our neighbor gave me 15 heads of cabbage...yes I have cabbage everywhere, so I had to be creative with what I was going to do with all this cabbage.  I found a recipe for coleslaw in a jar and I decided this would be my true test.

I borrowed Grandma H's food processor, chopped up my cabbage, added in some carrots, onions, green peppers, and red peppers and then soaked my mix in salt water for an hour.  An hour later I drained the salt water, combined sugar, vinegar, and my vegetable mixture in a large saucepan and let it simmer for 20 minutes.  (see below for full recipe) The directions said to hot-pack (hot pack means put it in the jar while it is still hot) the mixture in the jar, tighten the lids and then process in the canner for 20 minutes.  Guess

what....I have coleslaw in a jar, no in fact I have coleslaw in 20 jars.

I can say now that I have fallen in love with Fagor Home Canning Set, I know I should lust over things such as this, but I have a list of veggies, fruits, and jellies that I intend to make with the help of my Fagor Home Canning Set and my Ball Blue Book of Preserving.  I will also say I had not used a pressure canner since I was probably 15 and living at home with my parents, I always thought they were costly, thought they were too costly, and I hated how you had the jiggler thing on top of the pan that made all that noise...well my Fagor Pressure Canner does not have that.  The canner is made in 2 pieces, the lid and the pan, and I like this alot.  I am not the most organized person ( I wish I was), so this canner is perfect for me as I do not have to keep up with all my extra pieces....SCORE!

I am going to share with you the recipe in detail for my coleslaw in a jar....I will also be sharing (hopefully weekly) new recipes that I am learning and preparing with the help of my Fagor Home Canning Set.

Happy Adventures,

~Becky

Cole Slaw in a Jar

1 qt of chopped cabbage
2 cups of chopped onions (I used purple)
2 cups of green peppers
2 cups of red peppers
2 cups of carrots
1/2 cup of salt
2 quarts of cold water
3 tablespoons of mustard seed
2 tablespoons of celery seed
1 qt of white vinegar

Combine veggies in large bowl, dissolve salt in water and pour the salt water mix over veggies.  Let stand for 1 hour and then drain (some say you can rinse if you desire).  Combine veggies, spices, sugar, and vinegar in saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes...bring to a boil.   Pack hot relish into hot jars, leaving 1/4 of headspace.  Process in  canner for 15 minutes.