pressure canner

[so lucky]

This is kind of off-topic, but since Marshallsmyth was talking about beans, I had to ask: Marshall, have you checked out the "seed zoo" on the Richter's Herbs home page? There are lots of nearly extinct beans there to buy, but they are mostly from Africa and such. None from the south USA, which you seem to prefer. I just thought of you when I was perusing them yesterday.

 

[vfem]

I am in LOVE with my monster of a canner! 21 Quart All American.... WHOOHOOO! It's just a bit out of your budget. I got mine used on craigslist for $160 and had to buy an additional part to get it working ($20 pressure release value), not bad.

My plan is to leave it to my daughter or maybe granddaughter in my will. This thing will probably out live several generations to come!

 

[897tgigvib]

Thank you for the info about the seed zoo. I'll check it out right away.

I actually don't have a single regional preference for my collection of Beans, I just happen to have more of them.

I adore the Appalachian Beans! They are almost all for eating fresh pods, and they each have such a special history, and they come in special kinds. Creaseback is a green Bean with a prominent line down the middle for stringing. Remember, they are almost all picked at a slightly later stage than your store bought bean varieties, so they are stringed. They have more meat and flavor that way. Greasies are simply shiny smooth, not really greasy. Cutshorts are so cool! They are all bulging, the beans packed in the pod so tight they kind of square each other off. A lot of the Appalachian varieties that are not famous are kind of cutshort, or kind of greasy, or supposed to be greasy but are not quite so. Or, they can be all the above, or a mixed batch of sorts, that can have a history that starts with a civil war soldier walking home picking a few bean seeds here, a few there, and making it home with a pocketful of beans. Cornfields usually fit the bill as none of the above, but they grow well in with the corn. It is possible for a Bean to be a GREASY CUTSHORT CREASEBACK CORNFIELD BEAN. I can visualise it, but not sure if one exists!

Dry Beans are so cool because so many of them are so colorful. A lot of them do come from the southwest and from Mexico, but there are a lot from up north too. They come in so many colors, but I am still looking for a nice glossy brown variety. Seems they get selected away from that color. I'm working on a couple of varieties, actually selecting TOWARD gloss brown.

Italian Beans are cool too! They come in several basic kinds, each very different. Borlottos are dual purpose, but mostly as dry beans, beige and red pinto markings in various shades, sizes and shapes, some pole, some bush. Annelinos are fresh eating beans, and get kind of curly shaped. They are finnicky growing, and don't do well in Montana, at least the ones i tried. Romano beans come in a lot more variety than some catalogs would make you think. True Romanos are big huge flat pods, the EXACT OPPOSITE of Cutshort, and do have a tenderness and sweetness. The beans in the pods might be 2 inches separate from each other. These are extremely vigorous plants, almost as vigorous as some of the Purple podded Beans...

 

[cityfarmer]

Thanks for all the advice. I have both Ball canning books plus a few others already. I think I'm going to go with All American.

 

[lesa]

You won't be sorry... keep us posted!

 

[The Mama Chicken]

My husband found me a very old Presto pressure canner at a yard sale for my birthday. The handle was broken and it needed a new gasket, but he was able to order the replacement parts online. Now I just need to get the pressure gauge tested and order the instruction manual, and I'll be all set to can my veggies this summer!

 

[897tgigvib]

Be careful using that ole one Mama Chicken

 

[chris09]

I have a Presto 23 qt. I think I paid around $100.00 and I like it a lot. Heavy, well built and holds presser very well.
If you are thinking of getting a All American brand presser canner I would recommend shopping around you can find the All American brand under different names and there less money.

Lehman's Hardware carries the All american presser canner under the name Lehman's Best Pressure Canners and there cheaper than getting them from All American.
http://www.lehmans.com/store/Kitche...okers___Lehman_s__Best_Pressure_Canners___910


Chris

 

[The Mama Chicken]

Be careful using that ole one Mama Chicken

I know of people using their grandmother's that are even older than mine, with no problems. The design hasn't changed. It has all of the same safety features as the new ones do, plus the metal is quite a bit thicker than the newer Presto models, so it will hold the heat better.

 

[so lucky]

I ended up buying a small Presto pressure cooker exactly like the one my mother had for years. I have hers, but the bottom warped a bit and it is pretty much useless on my @$#&% glass cook top.