Monday, December 17, 2012

Canning Onions

 
 
 



I have been caning some of my onions. I can them in quart jars then when I open one I can keep it in the fridge to use out of until gone which in my house don’t take long as I cook a lot with onions.

 
 
First I peel a lot of onions.

 
 


Then I quarter them so they will fit in the food processor.
 


I chop them. I just love my food processor I would hate to have to do this by hand.



Then put in a big pan. And cover with water just to the top of the onions so they are covered.
 
 


I cook these down until translucent and fork soft.


I then put into my Jars liquid and onions leaving about a ¼ inch head space.




Put on your hot lids and rings.




Put in pressure canner ( do not water bath) and process for 50 minutes for quarts and 45 for pints at 15 pounds of pressure ( or what your canning book says for your altitude).
After your canner has cooled take out and let cool. The onions will be a darker color that is ok. Use just like you would a chopped onion in your cooking they are a little softer but not to much ( like a cooked onion).
I
 
I use to chop them ythen put in quart jars in the freezer but since I am trying to get away from freezers this works great.

33 comments:

  1. What a great idea! I usually grow a lot of onions and depending on the weather, sometimes a lot of them "go bad." If I were to can them, then, voila! Thank you so much!

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  2. Brand new subscriber here. So excited to find your blog. :) I bought 2 50lb sacks of onions recently and put some of them in nylon stockings to hang, but this looks excellent. I wonder whether it would be okay to just put the onions and water straight into the jars and not pre-cook, as they are already going to be cooked so much in the pressure canning process. HAve you tried this? Any thoughts? Thanks so much. :)

    Sincerely
    Natalia
    (http://preputilityvehicle.blogspot.ca/ Where I post free prepping/DIY/homestead etc. e-books every day, if you're interested at all.)

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    Replies
    1. Natalia,
      Every thing that I have read says you need to precook them. So I don't know how they would trun out of if you should. My aunt said she canned onions years ago but they turned out mushy I am thinking she didn't precook them not sure though. Better safe then sorry so I would precook them. I have alot more to do I might put one jar in the canner that hasn't been precooked just to see. I will let you know.
      Connie

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    2. I remember learning when I was young, that onions should be cooked unlidded or at least with the lid ajar so that certain gases could escape. Maybe that has something to do with cooking them first before sealing them up. ???
      brenda from ar

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    3. This is a late reply, but I cold pack onions and can them with no problem. I haven't died yet. Mine don't brown. I can mine at 15# for half an hour in quarts. No issue in the many years that I've canned this way. I use my canned onions in soup and stews.

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    4. Do you have a time frame or recommendation for canning in 4oz or 8oz jars?

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  3. Thanks for sharing this on Wildcrafting Wednesday! You are one busy lady :) Great job!

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  4. I was so happy to find your blog. I am glad to know I can can onions even happier to find out I can use my food processor. Hate cutting onions.

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  5. Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop this week; I hope you’ll join us again!

    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick
    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

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  6. So excited to have found your site! I just knew there had to be a recipe for canning 'plain onions' out there somewhere - everything is carmelized, pickled or relish....like you I use onions all of the time and love the idea of them already being chopped and ready to go!! Thanks so much....did subscribe to your email....also trying to become as self-sufficient as possible up here in the North Country!! Blessings, Terri

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  7. Does anyone have the answer yet regarding 'why precook them before canning'? I saw another site that says they cut the onions, add beef broth and then can. I'd like to be able to not precook them. For some reason I think they might turn out not so mushy that way. Any help/answers will be greatly appreciated.

    I'm posting this as Anonymous but will tell you I am from central Iowa. Not trying to hide my identity.

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    Replies
    1. I am not sure why you need to precook them I just always have even when I can my french onion soup I precoook the onion. They are cooked in everthing I can like Rotel,stewed tomatoes,salsa. Sorry I couldn't be more of a help.

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    2. They need to be precooked to prevent them from becoming mushy.

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    3. I'm not a canner yet, have just been looking into it recently. Maybe this is my ignorance speaking here, but there are so so many recipes with raw onion in them for canning, it doesn't make sense that you couldn't just can them without pre-cooking them?

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    4. In my experience, cold pack pressure canning is better. The food comes out fresh looking and firmer in texture. And it is safe.

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  8. Now does anyone know how to can celery? I did it but have not seen it done. I did it same way as onions only precooked for 3 minutes then processed for 35 minutes at 10 pounds of pressure.. They look great but I haven't used them yet.

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    Replies
    1. Mrs. Volfie from Our Half Acre Homestead cans celery. Check her out on youtube.

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  9. I was wondering when you use the onions do you have to boil them for 15 minutes like it tells you in canning for dummies?

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    Replies
    1. Evaline,
      I never have I just put them into what ever I am cooking and they cook with it.
      Connie

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  10. I wonder if they need to be pre-cooked so much as blanched. When I can garlic, I pour boiling water over the raw, minced garlic and let it sit for 5 minutes before transferring to my jars and pressure canning. Does anyone know if this would work the same way? Any advice would be appreciated! ~Caroline

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    Replies
    1. Caroline,
      I think they need to be cooked or they will just turn to mush when you can them.
      Connie

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  11. Just a thought I had. Could you puy the onions in a Fruit Fresh soak for 5 minutes, like you do for fruit, so they would'nt turn color, like fruit? I think I'd like to experiment and see if it works! Thanks so much for sharing your method for canning onions! I have frozen mine for years and now I'm thinking I should can them, thanks to you.

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  12. Pre cooking is like blanching. I do heat but not COOK. Fruit fresh can help. I sprinkle a little over as I am preparing the onions whether whole sliced or diced. I pack the jars and then pour boiling water over them as I am putting on the lid. For "firm" small whole bulbs, you can add 1/8 tsp Pickle crisp or alum to help with firmness.The browning comes from Cooking long periods. It breaks down the thin skin layer between the onion which causes browning. I live at 5600' and process my onions in half pints and pints at #15 for 20min. So far I have survived my grandmother's teachings for 60 years and still kicking! If you can eat it, you can preserve it is my motto. I was raised with you can, not can't. Do as you feel or fear is right. Happy fooding! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and passing on the "good life"

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    Replies
    1. I can as much or dehydrate as much as I can. Freezers are my temporary storage area.They get unplugged or quit and that creates loss of food, or frantic cooking, canning, or dehydration! Shelf stable is GOOD...

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  13. too bad this does not come off like printer friendly instead of all the advertisements being printed on top of the directions for canning onions.

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  14. Why can you not use waterbath canning?

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  15. Can onions be processed in pressure canner in half pints and 4 oz jars? Any suggestions for cooking times?

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  16. I am downsizing and using more pints, half pints & 4 oz jars. I still buy in bulk & would like to free up freezer space. Can I use the smaller jars for onions? Also I have a digital pressure canner. Any suggestions for cooking times?

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  17. So glad I found this. We by mistake planted a few bunch onions last year. This year in a 2' square we had over 200 little green onions. We didn't want to waste them. So they are now cooking and will soon be canned. However, we will never plant bunch onions again. They are so small ranging from 1/8"-3/4" in width but from 2"-6" in length. It has taken us 2 days to get to this point. If I ever see bunch onions in our garden again, I will burn them.
    Thank you for all the info here.

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    1. We use bunching onions as green onion tops (schallots) raw in salads or on pizzas, in salsa etc. Never ever pull them up unless to be shared with another gardener. Same goes for garlic chives. Hope this is helpful.

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  18. Since I got no answer to my question about canning onions in smaller jars I went ahead with the 8oz jelly jars. Still had a lot of darkening of the onions, especially if the onions were above the liquid line once canned. So, I did the next bunch and placed a 1/4" slice of potato on top of the onions to keep them below the liquid line. Potatoes & onions both process for 40 minutes. Worked great. Still the normal discoloration, but not the REAL dark above the line like before. Potato was good fried with morning egg too. LOL>

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  19. Onions are not Acidic, so cannot be water bathed, but with addition of vinegar- maybe 1 tbs per pint or two, they could be canned like tomatoes in water bath. I would use white vinegar, 5 % acidity. Boil for fifteen minutes?

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  20. Found a site for those who prefer not to precook. I don't, I raw pack. https://getbusygardening.com/canning-onions/

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