Learning to Preserve the Basics---Canning and using potatoes

Good morning to you! 

Although it is a Thursday, we are kicking off a new series that is designed to teach you how to preserve the basics in your home
and learn how to use them in meals.

There will be plenty of recipes throughout the next ten days, and while I can not cover everything, I will do my best to show you the top ten things that we preserve and use weekly (and sometimes daily)

here at The Welcoming House.

Most of the items I am going to be covering in the next ten days use a pressure canning, dehydrator, and water bath canning. In another couple weeks I will be covering the myriad of uses you have when you have a Food Saver, and showing you how I use mine.

I have also recently joined Amazon as an affiliate in an effort to be able to steer you directly to the products that I use here, and hopefully be able to use the blog to support my family a little more with all the time and effort that I put into it. So please, if you are considering purchasing some of the things I talk about, please consider using the link directly in the post as Amazon will then thank me by placing a small amount in my bank account for you choosing my door out of a thousand others. I will also do my best to keep you updated when they have sales of the products that I really can stand behind, and you will hear about it through here. :)

So, lets get started on this new series, shall we?

Let's talk about one of the simplest, and most basic items you can preserve

 via pressure canning and dehydrating.

POTATOES.

Now many of you would simply ask me why in the WORLD I would can up a bunch of potatoes.

Simple.

If you garden, you get an enormous amount of potatoes at one time. And depending on your storage conditions, you may not be able to eat them all before they go bad.

Or how about if you dont garden? Right now we were able to pick up 40 lbs of potatoes for less than $10. I can take advantage of sales, and still be eating and making potato dishes for my family when those same bags of potatoes are at $5 for a 10 lb bag.

Then lets talk about the convenience.

As I have already shared before, I wear a lot of hats, and I know many of you do as well. SO I am always looking for ways to streamline, to simplify, and to make things from scratch quicker and simpler without a lot of fuss. At this time, with five people in the home, using many of the methods we will discuss over the next 10 days, I feed my precious family of 5 on less than $300 a month.

And we eat really well.

So if I can preserve something on sale to feed my family, in the best way possible, then to not do it would be to walk right over to the trash can and throw away whatever money I have in my pockets.

You can do the same thing.

Here is my simple picture tutorial of how to can potatoes, and a few recipes you can use them in. At the end of this series, I will be giving everyone an opportunity to receive an E-book in the mail that includes all these tutorial AND extra recipes, so hang in there as we go on a wild ride of Learning to Preserve the Basics the next ten days!

Many Blessings to you and yours,

Heather

With canning potatoes you are going to need a pressure canner. Make sure your potatoes are scrubbed clean, and not soft. Firm potatoes make the best canned potatoes. You can either peel them, or choose not to. I use both, but when I am peeling the potatoes, I place them in water that has a splash of lemon juice in it, and make sure they are covered with the water while I am finishing up the amount I am peeling. This ensures they are white and pretty.

 Taking clean jars, with tops that have no nicks or dips in them, fill with diced potatoes up to the first thread on the jar (what canners refer to as 1" head space). You do not need to blanch the potatoes for this process. I add 1/4 tsp sea salt to my potatoes, then pour boiling water to the lowest thread on the neck. DO NOT PACK THE POTATOES IN, or you will end up with potatoes that are not covered by the water. Remember, they will cook in the jar so they will absorb some of that water and swell. That could cause a failed seal if they swell too much and push up the lid while you are processing them.
Here is a quick idea for making easy work of the potato dicing and processing:
Potatoes will process for 35 minutes for pints, 
and 40 minutes for quarts.
Let the canner completely cool down before opening so as not to have failed seals (lids that don't seal) on your potatoes.


Now, how do you use them?
 Well, how would you use potatoes?

I use mine in fried potatoes for my breakfast enchiladas.

I use mine for a quick potato soup.

I use mine for making a speedy beef stew
right along with canned beef chunks
and carrots from my garden.

I use mine to make Eggbake,
mash for potato pancakes,
and of course for quick mashed potatoes.

And that is just a few of the things we use them for.

I even save the potato water from the canned jars to throw into my bread batter.
 It makes for a very moist bread and makes it last a lot longer.

You can also add that potato water to a sourdough starter and have a wonderful Sourdough come from it. (Just trying to give you ideas so if you don't want to throw it out, you don't have to!)

Today's recipes are for my Hungry Man Eggbake and my Quick Potato Soup---two amazing meals that are super simple and fun to use your canned potatoes in.

Hungry Man Eggbake

Take 1/2 loaf of bread (homemade or whole wheat store-bought) and either cut or tear into small pieces.
Layer this in a 9X13 pan that has been greased or sprayed.
Top with:
One quart canned potatoes, skin on (liquid too)
 one onion, diced
4 stalks of celery, diced
2 shredded carrots
one package of frozen broccoli
1 lb of breakfast sausage, browned and drained
parsley, oregano, and basil, 1 tsp each, crushed
garlic salt, generously sprinkled over top
In a separate bowl combine the following:
8 eggs + 2 1/2 cups milk +2 tsp prepared mustard +1/2 tsp chili powder, all whipped together until well mixed. Pour this combination over the ingredients layered in the pan, trying not to miss any spots. Press with a spatula to make sure the egg mixture is soaked up and the pan ingredients are covered.

Bake at 350* for one hour, and eat. We top with shredded cheese, and this makes 12 servings of a very hearty and filling meal. It also freezes well, and if you wanted individual servings, you can do this in greased muffin tins (makes about 18 muffin tins), which then, once baked, freeze very well.


Quick and Hearty Potato Soup

This is one of my very quick go to meals when I only have about 20 minutes,
have fresh bread (or a Master mix Biscuit Mix on hand) and need to feed my family SOON.

In a stock pot, fry up half a pound of bacon, just enough to get the flavor and taste from the bacon into the pot. This takes about 5 minutes if bacon is thawed. Remove bacon and set aside.
In a food processor pulse one onion, one stalk of celery, and two carrots until the pieces are very small (this allows them to cook much faster) and add to the hot pan, allowing them to sear until the onions are translucent and the celery/carrots beginning to soften up.
Immediately add two quarts of home canned potatoes,
one can of evaporated milk, one can of water,
1 tsp sea salt,
pinch of marjoram, basil and garlic powder.
 Stir to combine and allow to cook for about twenty minutes, simmering. Meanwhile, pulse the bacon until it is in pieces for topping...then make your biscuits or cut your bread and toast it,
topping it with butter.

If you like smooth soup you can puree it with a hand blender, but we simply leave it chunky. Top each bowl with a dollop of mock sour cream, the bacon pieces, and some dried chives. We let ours cool about ten minutes for the kids since it is very hot, and stick-to-your-ribs filling.

I wanted to take a pic but the kids ate it before I could, sorry!!!