Canning Collards

The decision on canning collards came down to a space storage issue. We simply do not have the freezer space to store the amount of collards that we enjoy eating over a years time period. We need another freezer or canning collards.
The simplicity of adding another freezer and putting the collards in a storage container is what the majority of people do. If you have not figured out by now that we do not follow conventional wisdom yet then I guess here is another dose.

The problem with adding another freezer to the equation is the fact that it would be dependent on having power, nothing breaking, and having electrical access wherever you put it. Typically the places you locate an extra freezer or two is an out of the way place or a garage. We do not have a garage and so it would take up valuable space in our barn.

If you continue to have power and the freezer does not break will you realize soon enough that the freezer has been unplugged accidentally before a total loss. I have first hand knowledge of a restaurant that the simple reality of an unplanned freezer failure meant the difference between making a profit and losing money for the season.

The constant inflation that the United States tries to hide means that we need to try and ensure not losing money. Thus we decided to purchase an All American Canner. This entry will cover the process after the collards are in the jar.

Above we have the empty canner heating up.

The jars are loaded and the top is now ready to be put on.

Once the top is on and the steam is coming out of the vent for 10 minutes you can put the weighted gauge on for 10 lbs. of pressure.

Now you are canning collards and once the pressure reaches 10 lbs. you have 90 minutes to watch the weight jiggle. There is a lot of fun in counting how many times it jiggles per minute.

Once the time has been reached you wait for the pressure to 0. Then you can take the collards out and wait for the jars to cool off. Once they are cool check the seal and then put up.

We now have 21 quarts of collards that are put up on the shelf that are safe to store with no electricity. This is the reason for canning collards.