Canning Potatoes

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(I am experimenting making "movies".  You have to click on it to get it to open.  Bear with me I will get the hang of it)
Today was raining, cold and blustery.  A perfect Fall day to spend canning.  I bought a 50lb bag of baking potatoes for $5.57.  The potatoes were the huge baking variety.  I am sad to say some had rotten spots but they were easily cut off.

This was my first attempt at canning potatoes.  I have cooked up stews with potatoes and canned it sucessfully in the past but not just potatoes.  Since we eat so many taters it was time to can some up.  We like them mashed, fried, baked, in curry dishes, soup, stew and casseroles.

The potaotes were very dirty.  Buying them in bulk means they have not been as processed as the ones in the grocery store.  I let them soak in the sink for a while before peeling them. 

I found the peeler I had was making my hand sore.  I went to my neighbor (who is a great cook) and asked if she had a more friendly variety of peeler.  Of course she did.  She told me she got it at WalMart and I will get one on my next trip to that neighborhood!  It moved very easily and got some serious scraping done. 

I peeled the potatoes although we usually wash them, scrub them then cook them with the peels on.  Most of the directions I looked up called for canning peeled potatoes.  I think it is because they are a root vegetable and grow in the ground.  The ground if full of bacteria and can contain botulism.  I have reported before that Washington reports a hight level of botulism and these potatoes were grown in Washington. Since I want to steer clear of fatal sicknesses, I peeled all 50 pounds of the spuds single handedly. (Note:  I did some more research and found gardeners that had canned their new potatoes with the skins on.  I agree that if carefully washed this would be fine.  Especially if you are an organic gardener and know what is in your soil.)

I also cut off all the marks so they were all white.  I wanted to be sure there wasn't any rot or bruised areas.

Then I cleaned them thoroughly using the faucet spayer attachment.  Now I had a sink full of clean, peeled potatoes to work with.

The steps to can potatoes include:

• Preparing by cleaning, peeling and cutting into desired pieces.
• Blanching in boiling water for 2 minutes.
• Draining.
• Packing in hot clean quart canning jars then adding boiling water, leaving 1 inch of headspace. 
• Clean rim then seal with heated lid and close with ring.
• Process in a pressure canning for 40 minutes (30 minutes for pint jars) all at 11 pounds of pressure under 1,000 feet.

We did the canning outside with the propane heaters even though it was raining off and on.  I needed two large stock pots on the stove.  One was to cook the potatoes for two minutes and the other was to boil water to cover the potatoes in the jars.  I did not think there would be room on the stove to get the job done so outside the processing went.

The cooking time is shorter than meat which was nice.  Now I have 32 quarts of canned potatoes.  I chose not to add any salt for flavoring since when they are cooked later they will probably be salted.  No sense in salting them twice.

The potaoes break down to $.17 a quart (there were some potaotes left over which we had for dinner in a cheeseburger casserole and the rest will be fried up for breakfast).  I have not paid more than .25 a jar shopping at yard sales and estate sales.  Lids probably costs me no more than .10 beause I purchase lids on sale only and in bulk. Finally, the propane costs me about .07 per quart. So if I have figured correctly, a quart oh home canned potatoes cost me $1.22.  Last time I checked a can of potatoes in the grocery store it was .79 and that was probably on sale.  A can is less than a pint.  So, even though it was a lot of effort, I would say canning potatoes is worth the effort.

The potatoes are now cooled.  I am disapointed that they broke down quite a bit and I know it is due to using bakers.  I am sure they will be good for potato soup or mashed up for a Shepperds Pie.  I am going to use a harder variety next time in my experiments.  Also three jars did not seal.  I have to admit I know what happened.  Tim was helping me and I forgot to remind him to wash the rims carefully before placing the lids and rings.  Oh well potato soup tonight!

Tomorrow I will can the potatoes I grew in my own garden.  I have three varieties of different colors.  Since most of the potatoes came up from last year I do not have any real money in them.  The results of my canning will be even more frugal!!!! 

Note: Since I finished my tater caper experience I learned waxy potatoes can up better in chunks than other varieties.  The bakers look more mushy and have more starch in the water than the Yukon Golds and Reds.

Here is a recipe I found on the internet that sounds really good and uses canned potatoes.

Jar of canned Potatoes
Your favorite type of Cheese ( mixed varieties is ok )
Chopped Green Onion or Sliced Onions
Fresh Minced Garlic or Garlic Powder (Opt)
Veggie oil , Butter or Margarine (Whatever you like ~ I like olive oil )
Grease baking pan with veggie oil , just pour a small amount to coat bottom of baking dish. Pre-heat oven to 375. Drain water off canned potatoes and pour into baking dish , cut potatoes in half unless they are chunks , bake for 10 to 20 minutes. Remove and add minced garlic , cheese and onion , return to oven and cook until cheese melts or browns. I like my cheese browned.  Exact measurements on ingredients not available , just use the amount you have or like.

Here is another good idea for potatoes from Backwoods Home Magazine.

I have been looking for canning instructions for canning home made corned beef hash and haven’t found much. Can you please help me with this?

Tom Harden
Klawock, Alaska

Tom: I have had great luck canning hash. It’s easy. Grind your trimmed corned or roast beef in a meat grinder. Then grind several quartered RAW potatoes until the mixture is to your liking. In a large frying pan, add just a little oil and begin frying the hash, stirring well to mix the potatoes and meat. When the mixture is nice and hot….but not cooked, spoon out into hot wide mouthed pint jars to within an inch of the top. Don’t pack it down tightly. Add a tsp of salt, if you wish, to each pint jar. Wipe the rim clean of grease and food bits, then place a hot, previously simmered lid on the jar and screw down the ring firmly tight.
Process the pints at 10 pounds pressure for 75 minutes. If you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet, consult your canning manual for directions on adjusting your pressure to suit your altitude. — Jackie

Remember it is advised to boil canned food for 10 minutes to kill anything not killed during the canning process.  Be careful and use judgement or you might end up with mush.  I would add canned potatoes to soups in the last step of the recipe.  A jar of canned beef, some fresh veggies and a jar of canned potato would make a good quick stew or soup on a cold Fall night.  Canned spuds would be a good addition to a chicken pie also.  I love to make chicken pie with leftover chicken or turkey pie with my canned turkey.

I hate to admit it but I still have beets and carrots in the garden that need to be canned.  I hear them calling me.

Marblehead Red Flannel Hash

If this article piqued your interest, you are probably wondering what in the world Red Flannel Hash is. It is a New England fish dish.  While researching for this article I had a good laugh reading this posting on  Cooks.com .

Suspecting her husband of unfaithfulness a mining camp wife, who was also ran a boarding house, awoke in a bitter mood. When she went to cook breakfast for the miners she noticed the laundry hanging to dry in the kitchen. In a fit of anger she grabbed her husband's red flannel long johns, ground them up and threw them into the hash she was preparing. The breakfast was served and the miners kept asking for more of that "bright red hash". The wife had ground up her husband's only pair of red flannels, so she substituted beet in the next batch of hash. They proved to be just as popular.

No, Marblehead Red Flannel Hash was not made from some red long johns that had not been washed all winter. It is a fish dish concocted out of necessity by early settelers along the Atlantic seacoast. 

Front Stree at Fort Sewell ater a Northeaster

Life in those days would have been harsh. Wind, cold, snow, high tides and rocky soil created hearty souls that persevered using foods they could store. Homes were small, with low ceilings, small rooms, handmade glass pane windows and dirt cellars.  The hearty souls had to made do with what they had to survive.

Early Gregory Street, Marblehead

In their unheated cellars, they stored winter vegetables like potatoes, onions, beets, carrots, parsnips, turnip and winter squash that they might have grown in the rocky or loamy soil.  They also would have had salted Haddock and Cod and pork fat. These were not rich people but hard working survivors.

Salted fish racks in Nova Scotia

Marblehead Red Flannel Hash is unique because it is made using salted or corned fish.  Salted fish was rolled in rock salt and dried in the sun then packed in wooden boxes.  The dried fish lasted most of the winter.  Corned fish is fresh fish that is rolled in course salt like kosher salt and refrigerated till use usually the same day.  Our family always uses Haddock instead of Cod.

Salt, Salt Pork, Dried Beans and Common Crackers were staples of early New England settlers

To make Marblehead Red Flannel Hash you need potatoes, onions, beets, salt pork and corned Haddock.  The amounts will depend on how many people you are going to feed.  A good sized fillet of Haddock will feed a family of four.  Look for a thick fillet.  Ask the fish monger to corn the fish.  If they look at you oddly, bring the fish home and sprinkle liberally with kosher salt and refrigerate till dinner time.

Salt pork is a piece of pork fat  usually from the back of the pig that has been salted and cured.  One side is rind which has to be removed with a sharp knife and discarded.  I presume in the olden days this piece of rind was also cut up and cooked but I was taught not to use it as it is tough (we would have used it in baked beans). The remaining fat is cut into very small pieces, put into a fry pan and fried till golden brown.  The small brown pieces are called rashers. Salt pork is similar to bacon but does not have any meat attached.  Salt pork rashers are very salty.  The liquified fat will also be used in this dish so do not throw it away.  For all of you Cardiologist wannabes out there please do not email me with warnings about sodium content and fat content.  This dish was created for hard working people who used salt to preserve their food and did not eat prepared foods and convienence foods laced with artificial ingredients.  The salt was commonly collected from the ocean and contained more nutrients and minerals than the iodized stuff we have today that might be laced with aluminium.

I prefer to use fresh beets straight from my garden. 

First the beet greens are cut off and kept for another dish.  I like them steamed with some onion as a side dish.  Next the beets are scrubbed to get off all the dirt.  Then the root is pulled off.  Do not cut it off or the beets will bleed as they are cooked.

I boil my beets till I can insert a knife easily then pour off the boiling water.  Then run them under cold water and the skins will slip right off.  I finish them by cutting off the end where the stems grew and the root end.

Boil the potatoes and onions till done then rinse the excess salt off the fish and place the fish in the boiling water with the potatoes and onions and cook for 7 minutes.  The fish will break into flakes when done.  Pour the contents of the pan into a colander and drain off the liquid.

Put potatoes, onion, beets, fish on a plate.  Mash it all up till it turns into red mush.  Sprinkle with some pork rashers and a little bit of the liquid fat (teaspon or so) to taste and you have just made Marblehead Red Flannel Hash.  If you like Haddock and boiled vegetables with a taste of salty pork pieces you will savor this dish.  If you try this I really want to hear about it because it is one of my family's favorites and we consider it a treat to have (especially since we have to fly the Haddock to the west coast).

Marblehead's Barnacle Restaurant Corned Beef Hash

Red Flannel Hash is a name more commonly used for corned beef hash.  Often leftovers of a boiled corned beef dinner were mashed and fried the next morning and topped with an egg.  The hash gets a nice crust when fried and is delicious.  Red Flannel Hash is a common breakfast at New England diners and local restaurants not to be mistaken for the Marblehead Red Flannel Hash. 

Here is a great Recipe for Red Flannel Hash. Give it a try.