My canning season starts in April and runs through the end of October every year. I got my first taste at canning when I was a little girl helping my grandmother in the kitchen. When I became an adult, I expanded on the skills I had learned and now I’m proficient at water bath and steam (pressure) canning. It’s a great way to preserve food for later use without taking up valuable freezer space. Plus, everything is shelf-stable.

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Last month I was given 6 large bags of white potatoes. We’re a family of two (empty nesters) and there’s no way we can eat up that many potatoes before they would go bad. Hence, I decided to steam (pressure) can them. I make a lot of homemade soups and stews throughout the wintertime, so I quartered the potatoes. If they’re under 2″ in size you can do them whole. If they’re larger than 2″ they recommend quartered, diced or thickly sliced.

You will need a steam pressure canner, basic home canning accessories, glass mason jars, rings, seals, etc. I keep a stash of old kitchen linens (dish cloths and towels) that I only use for canning.

Home Canning – Quartered White Potatoes with Recipe

You’ll need 2-3 lbs. of potatoes, or 15 medium for each quart jar.

Wash potatoes. I place them in a large colander in my (clean) kitchen sink. Let water drain away. Peel and wash again. I like to use my Tupperware Veggie Peeler which has a sharp blade and fits comfortably in my hand. Decide if you want whole, sliced or diced.

Fill up a large pot with hot water. As you quarter, dice, or slice your potatoes place them into the pot of water to prevent browning. Continue until pot is full or until you’re done.

Use the Hot-Pack Method:

Bring to a boil over medium to high heat. Boil small cubes for 2 minutes and small whole potatoes for quartered potatoes for 8-10 minutes. I vary the cooking time a little bit depending on how hard or soft the potato is before I begin to cook them. Softer ones need less cooking time, harder ones may need more. Don’t over-cook them. You just want to heat all of the pieces all of the way through, don’t cook until their soft or they will fall apart. Drain and discard cooking liquid. (I let them sit in a clean colander).

Fill up the pot with hot water and bring it to a boil. You want to pack hot potatoes into a hot jar and ladle the hot water over the top. You need to leave 1″ headspace at the top of each jar. Remove air bubbles. Wipe the jar rim clean, add the (hot) seal and the ring until it’s fingertip tight. Place jars in your pressure canner.

Note: Pressure canner should have 2″ of simmering hot water in it before you place jars inside. Continue filling jars and placing them into the canner.

Lock the lid and bring water to a boil over medium to high heat. Vent steam for 10 minutes, then close the vent. Continue heating to get the gauge to the 10 lb. pressure level. Once at the 10 lb. pressure level you’ll process pint jars for 35 minutes or quart jars for 40 minutes. Turn off heat. Let the pressure come down until gauge registers ZERO. Set timer for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid. Let jars sit inside for another 5 minutes.

Use your jar lifter to take the jars out. I place an old kitchen towel on my counter-top and place jars on top to cool. Don’t touch them or move them during the cooling process. Once cool, check the tops to make sure they all sealed. Label and date. Store. They will keep for 12 to 18 months if properly processed and stored.

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Last month one of my neighbors gave me several fresh eggplants from his backyard garden. Normally I preserve our fruits and vegetables by canning them, but it’s recommended that you ONLY freeze eggplant for later use (not can it). When freezing it you want to process it quickly…within a day or two of picking it.

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How to Freeze Eggplant

Wash, peel, and slice eggplant 1/3″ thick pieces. I toss mine in my colander and rinse them a final time before blanching them. Let the water drain from the colander.

Fill up a pot with hot water containing 2-3 tablespoons of Fruit-Fresh and bring to a full boil. Place eggplant into the hot water and blanch for 3-4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to “fish” out your pieces and place them in a colander under cold running water to quickly cool them down to stop the cooking process. While they’re cooling I had another batch of Eggplant slices into the boiling water and continue with the blanching process until all of it done.

Let all of the water drain away from the colander. I place 2-3 paper towels on a platter and gently lay all of my slices on top. I gently use 2-3 additional paper towels to blot off excess water. Place pieces on a non-stick baking sheet and place in the freezer for 30 to 45 minutes to help them get a jump start on the freezing process. This will help to prevent sticking later on.

Remove from freezer and gently place your eggplant slices into freezer containers or freezer-safe storage bags. Label bags with contents and date.

Additional Notes: If you want to skip the part on freezing the slices on a non-stick baking sheet you can. Just layer a sheet of parchment paper between the layers in your freezer bag or container to help keep the slices from sticking together.

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