Green Living
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Mason Jars
Do any of you store and preserve you food in Mason Jars? Can you point me to a good how-to resource?
I'd also love to hear you opinions on the pros & cons of using this method.
TIA!!
Re: Mason Jars
I do a lot of canning (ketchup, salsa, tomatoes, pickles, relish, chutneys, jams...) and find http://canningusa.com/Joomla/index.php and http://www.freshpreserving.com/ to be good websites.
Also, I use the official cookbook from the Ball jar company.
It's great to do, and just be mindful of following the recipes and instructions exactly.
There are many nesties who can and are more than willing to answer questions.
Pros include stocking up, no packaging, cheaper, nutrition, good for gifts...
I can't think of any cons.
Good luck!!!
Store, but not can, yet... We use canning jars for most food storage. Beans, nuts, pasta, tea, sugar, honey, oats (you get the picture)... it's all in various size jars in the pantry. For storage in the fridge, lunches going with us to work, etc. also often involves jars.
The only con i can think of is when they break, they are *sharp* (but not so much an issue if you're canning and not carrying them with you).
ETA: A recent post on canning http://community.thenest.com/cs/ks/forums/thread/53351777.aspx
Best sound ever: baby's heartbeat! (Heard @ 10w1d)
Ditto Sulli, I can a lot (jams, fruits, vegetable). I also use the Ball blue book. Ditto on following the instructions and recipes exactly. They have been tested to make sure they're safe in a home canning environment. Pros to canning include:
-oustanding flavor. Seriously. My tomato sauce is miles better than anything I can buy at the store.
-Knowing what's in my food (no GMOs, preservatives, or other crap)
-Supporting local farms
-Food security
I can't think of any cons either. Canning takes time, but everything worth doing does.
I can a lot. You can read my blog for recipes. I have jellies, chutneys, vegetables, broths, salsa, fruit, sauces, and butters in there. What type of canning are you looking at? If you want to do low acid foods like vegetables, then you have to get a pressure canner. I would reccomend a newer model that uses less water and is more energy efficient. A boiling water canner is good for high acid foods like fruit. The blue book guide to canning is a great starter resource and is less than $5 at WalMart.
Best sound ever: baby's heartbeat! (Heard @ 10w1d)
The Ball Recipe book can be found at WalMart. They have a whole canning section with jars and supplies. It is usually in the seasonal section or with kitchen stuff. My grocery stores also carry canning jars. The library usually has lots of canning books. Garage sales and Goodwill will often have canning jars.