[Margot]

Hi I am wanting to do some canning.
Things like a red pasta sauce.
Sweet Pickles using Splenda.
I wonder if anyone has any low or no sugar canning ideas and experience to share.

Thanks, Margot

[TammyPaul]

Just saw this one the other day.

Microwave Bread and Butter pickles and you can use splenda.

http://www.volunteertv.com/chefwalter?recipe=27078509


Looked easy!!!


Tammy
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[Margot]

Thanks Tammy,
I will check it out.

Blessings, Margot

[crazywoman]

Sorry I hate sweet pickles, so I can't help ya there. But that recipe that Tammy gave you a link for would probably be good if ya like sweet pickles. And any sweet pickle recipe using Splenda as a replacement for sugar would probably work. I think the Splenda site may even have a recipe. Personally, I think using liquid Splenda (like Sweetzfree) would be better than Splenda. Less carbs, and no maltodextrin to cloud the liquid.

As for sauce, I don't have a recipe for that either. Not really sure what you are looking for. You said red pasta sauce, but that does cover a lot of ground. David has a recipe for a spaghetti sauce in the recipe section which gets a lot of raves. (It has several ingredients that I personally don't care for, but that is me. Everyone has different tastes. And it can be adapted for different peoples tastes.) You might check that out, and see if you think you would like that.
You could make up a larger batch (with or without meat) & can that.

Have you ever canned before?

Oh, and to the site. I think you will like it here. I love this site!!! I am so thankful to George for it!!!!!
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Billie
4'8" Started LC WOL Aug 2003

BBcode

My mind not only wanders, sometimes it leaves completely.

[Margot]

Thanks Billy,
I have not canned before but recently attended a canning class.
Most of the recipes had sugar in them and prefer to can something I can later eat as a low carber. My mom canned turkey and hamburger and boy did they come in handy. So with her help I plan on doing some meats this fall.
I would like to do a spagetti sauce and will check out the recipe you mentioned.
I guess my question has more to do with the artificial sweeteners vs. sugar which sounded like in many cases it was part of the preserving factor in many of the fruit recipes. I suppose one could can berries - I generally freeze them if they last that long.

I'm kind of wanting to can some make ahead low carb meal elements.
Kind of like batch cooking but not freezing everything.
I'm just starting to wrap my mind around the whole subject and wondered if any one had any canning tips using artificial sweeteners.

I have both water bath and pressure canners.

Thanks for the warm welcome and the input.

Margot

[crazywoman]

You are welcome. Don't think I helped very much tho.

Yes, you can can berries, and you don't have to add sweetener of any kind when you do. We have canned berries, etc. that way (without sweetener) even when we still used sugar, so we could add sweetener when we used it/them for jellies (actually jams & preserves), pies, cobblers, whatever.

Someone else might have more experience in making jellies (jams, etc.) without sugar than I have. Hopefully they might respond. I did make jelly (I don't really make jelly, as I don't strain it, but still call it jelly) with Splenda a few years ago. My Mother-in-law & I made several batches together. We tried different things, and made notes. Unfortunately, we lost then notes! Now I really can't remember what we did.

It would be a trial and error all over again. But next time I make jelly, I'll probably use something other than Splenda (maybe liquid Splenda like Sweetzfree tho). Maybe Erythitol, or a combo of sweeteners. I've heard that a really good pectin for making sugar free jelly is a brand called Pomona. It isn't available for me locally. But you can order it online. My problem is, I have a huge stock of SureJell brand (for no sugar added). I can't see throwing it out. But I would buy the Pomona I think if I didn't have so much of the other. http://www.pomonapectin.com/ Do a search online for it. You might actually find a better price than direct from them. But their site will tell you more about it. A lot of people (I've read online) really sware by it.

And "Speaking" of canning,,,,,,,, I canned 59 pintss of beets today!!! One broke in the canner, so I ended up with 58. Plus we saved back so that were really small to cook fresh. Got to late to do it today, so will probably cook them tomorrow.
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Billie
4'8" Started LC WOL Aug 2003

BBcode

My mind not only wanders, sometimes it leaves completely.

[Margot]

Wow Billy - 59 cans of beats - Yum!

I'm still gathering info at this point so I really appreciate your input.
I'd like to have a garden that is brimming with produce that needs delt with but it has not been hot long enough this year in the Pacific North West. Spring was very slow in coming so plants got in late.

[Dingie_Dinah]

http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/cgi-bin/list_nut_edit.pl


I was thinking that beets were real high in carbs but they aren't too bad, raw anyway. I've had pickled beets, but not home canned or raw. Wasn't crazy about the pickled ones, but I didn't hate them. Billie, you need to send me a quart! hehehehe
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Dingie Dinah
Stella Style since 5/2003

May you always have
Love to Share,
Health to Spare,
And Friends Who Care

"Nothing Tastes as Good as Thin and Healthy Feels"

'Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.'

[crazywoman]

Margot,
Our garden season is always very short!!! And as you said, we had a late Spring/Summer.
Our garden didn't produce well at all this year. We did get some lettuce & a little (very little) Spinach early on. I think I canned maybe 6 pints of Spinach total, and that was about 2 jars at a time I think. (Thankfully I have a small canner as well as the big one. It played out (& went to seed) very early.
The beets is about all we seem to be gonna get out of it.
I do have 2 rather smallish Spaghetti squash. I think they are about ready, and as I said, not very big. Have lots of blooms & even a few baby squashes, but don't know if they'll have time to make before freeze.
Have a few broccoli plants that survived, but only one has a head. One very small at this point head, but it might manage to make a large head. Don't know if I'll get any others. And a few cauliflower plants. Hopefully they will make some heads. I HOPE!!! They didn't make till about frost last time we planted them (only have grown once before). Sooooo maybe!!!
We planted cabbage, but don't think it even came up.
Also planted green beans, but they aren't doing much. Full of blooms tho now, but it sure is getting late. I'm afraid we're gonna have an early fall/winter. We already had a very cool snap in the middle of Aug. a week or so ago! DH bought in a tiny handfull (I do mean tiny) of beans that needed to be picked yesterday. Not enough to cook. So I put them in a bag in the icebox. Hope we will get some more to go with them while they are still good.

Dinah, your link didn't come thru right. But if "you" click on the New Search link on the side, you can type in your food to look up. (I did that then tried posting that link, but it came up the same as Dinah's.) Here is the main page: http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/index.html

Here is another good place to look up nutrition data (again just the main page): http://www.nutritiondata.com/

And I love the downloadable USDA search data base that can be downloaded at this page: http://www.ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=8964 Go to the bottom of the page and click on Download the database for use on your computer with various software packages.
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Billie
4'8" Started LC WOL Aug 2003

BBcode

My mind not only wanders, sometimes it leaves completely.

[bluebetty]

if you like pickled veggies try giardinaria.....google it. I saw a great recipe on about.com once.