Wednesday, July 10, 2013

"More Equipment for Food Preservation....."

We had a delivery yesterday afternoon from Amazon.....one that I have been anticipating since Don and I talked about "my wants".  ;)

My new PRESSURE COOKER arrived!  LOL  Yes, it is that simple to make me happy and fulfill "my wants".  ;)  We knew it was "Made in WI", but didn't know it was made in Two Rivers/Manitowoc, WI!  We have a Madison friend from Two Rivers, Dan Walkner, who is a musician (http://dane101.com/dan_walkner), and we've also taken the SS Badger Ferry (http://www.ssbadger.com), from Manitowoc, across Lake Michigan, to Ludington, MI.


What makes this pressure canner so special, you ask?  It does not have any rubber gaskets or seals to contend with or replace.  It is a "metal on metal" seal, thus the screw downs all around the top edge of the cooker.  I've never been around anyone who used a pressure cooker (my Mom, as well as my wife, Cindy, were scared of them because they could "blow up", due to gasket/seal failure), so this is a totally new experience for me.  I am taking a class on using them sponsored by our local co-op, Oryana (http://www.oryana.coop), and the Michigan State Extension Office (http://www.msue.msu.edu/portal/default.cfm?pageset_id=27320), later this month.


Also in this delivery, was a Food Dehydrator, which I have used before "back in the day" when the kids were very young.  Actually, I think this is the exact same one we'd bought so many years ago.  Evidently, it has stood up to the rigors of innovation/time, and hasn't needed improvement?

I see dried fruits and fruit leather in my granddaughter Abigail's future.  ;)


This is an exciting time for me, preserving food by canning, freezing, and drying.  The small amount of experience I have brought to this adventure, takes me back to the 1970's, and the new ones have me thinking about the possibilities of what foods I can and want to preserve, and which method(s) to use, plus the thought of spending time in the kitchen this Winter using the preserved "fruits of my labor, makes me smile.  :)

3 comments:

dc said...

You are going to have so much fun, I used to can alot in my "other life" as I call it. Doesn't seem to be any need now with just the two of us. And we don't have room for a garden. Sigh! Miss those days, well some of them. My dehydrater sits on a top shelf of the garage and my old canner probably has a dry rotted gasket. LOL Enjoy!

Barb said...

Fantastic! I'm intrigued by the gasketless pressure cooker and look forward to your reports on its performance.

lakeview6 said...

The difference between gasket and non-gasket: the former blows, part of the kitchen is gone; the latter blows, the house is gone. But if you keep it under 1000 Fahrenheit, you'll be fine. KIDDING!!!