I headed down to my local farm stand and picked up a 26 pound box of potatoes today. These potatoes are the best flavored I have ever had. They are Pontiac Reds and are the perfect potato for our areas soil. Red Pontiac is an improved version of the standard Pontiac with deeper red skin color, higher yields, and better adaptability to clay soil. A mid-season variety, it offers sweet, solid white flesh with a flavor you just have to try to believe! The flavor of the potatoes we get have a hint of smokiness. The large, round tubers hold their shape and color during cooking, making them a great all-around choice for boiling, baking, frying, and mashing.
Twenty-six pounds of potatoes will allow me to can about 20 -25 quarts. It is amazing how well these potatoes stand up to the canning process and still maintain there delicious flavor all winter long. The other nice thing about canning potatoes is you do not have to worry about the potatoes starting to sprout in your food storage.
The following is the recipe and procedure I use for canning potatoes;
1. Wash the potatoes and make sure to remove all the dirt from the crevices.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut up into desired sizes.
3. Fill a large bowl with water and a little salt. Mix the salt until it is dissolved in the water. Add the cut potatoes to this water. Make sure the potatoes are covered to prevent them from discoloring.
4. Place a pot of water on the stove and bring to a boil. This water will be used to fill the jars once the potatoes are in them.
5. Santize your quart jars, lids and rings.
6. Par boil potatoes for 2 minutes. Do not be temped to cook longer then 2 minutes.
7 . Transfer potatoes from the water to your sanitized jars. Fills the jars with the boiling water leaving an inch of head space.
8. Seal jars with lids and place in your pressure canner.
9. Follow the instructions from your pressure canner on how to process the potatoes. I am above 4000 feet so I processed them for 40 minutes at 15 pounds pressure. Note, you must use a pressure canner to safely preserve potatoes. Do not use a hot water bath or pressure cooker.
10. Let the jars cool and make sure they sealed. Store in a cool dark location.
Wild Forage 