Canning

[RV-Kitty]

The darn cole crops don't do well where I live so I've bought them also. I love sweet Bread and Butter pickles with cauliflower.

Start stocking up on the lids now. Keep them in a cool place. If the SHTF there wont be any for sale at any price. That's the WEAK spot in canning.

 

[RV-Kitty]

I have a ton of sauce and broth/stock canned.

I hope you followed the Ball Blue Book on canning stocks and broths. I don't have the book down here in FL with me but I'm sure they need to be pressure canned.

I can't wait to get the pressure pot so I can start canning meats.

I have never canned meats. I heard from too many people it really ruins the flavor and texture. Have you ever eaten home canned meat?

 

[Danil54grl]

I hope you followed the Ball Blue Book on canning stocks and broths. I don't have the book down here in FL with me but I'm sure they need to be pressure canned.



I have never canned meats. I heard from too many people it really ruins the flavor and texture. Have you ever eaten home canned meat?

It depends on how you can it

 

[old_anorak]

Danil54grl, I made Dr. Pepper jelly with the kiddo tonight. Just before outcry begins. Yes I know that it has absolutely zero nutritional value and therefore a waste of time, energy, lids, sugar, pectin and anything else that can be thought of and complained about. It was done for fun. I'm sure people can remember what fun is.

Anyhow, she had a blast. We put 12 half pints through the water bath and another not quite full half pint went into the refrigerator. It was tried while ago and declared a success. I'll take her word for it because I can't stand Dr. Pepper. Most of this will be given as gifts to her friends.

 

[RV-Kitty]

It depends on how you can it

Have you ever eaten any canned meats?

 

[old_anorak]

I have eaten canned meats RV-Kitty and as Danil54grl said, a lot of it is in how it is prepared. Canned hamburger can leave much to be desired in texture. Canned chicken isn't bad. I do both raw and cooked chicken, I prefer the raw packed. That is generally what I do with my laying hens that are past their prime. When I can pork, I raw pack in in cubes generally about 1 inch by 1 inch, I'll do beef in the same manner. Some cuts are tougher than others and I will pre-cook those and then can them with meat tenderizer added. I do like the texture of home canned meats more than the texture of commercially canned meats, except for hams.

 

[old_anorak]

I'm not going to lie and tell you that it's going to be the same as eating a steak or a roast because it won't be. I don't can plain ground meat. If I can ground meat, it is seasoned with seasonings that can well and canned in a sauce; tomato, enchilada, something to enhance it. Too many times people will can meat up with the seasonings they normally cook with like onions and green peppers and the results are not good because those vegetables don't can well.

It is nice to be able to have homemade chicken noodle soup on the table in less than a half hour when you're pressed for time by just grabbing a few jars from the shelves. I like the fact that I can control the salt content, I know that doesn't sound like a big deal to many.

 

[RV-Kitty]

I have eaten canned meats RV-Kitty and as Danil54grl said, a lot of it is in how it is prepared. Canned hamburger can leave much to be desired in texture. Canned chicken isn't bad. I do both raw and cooked chicken, I prefer the raw packed. That is generally what I do with my laying hens that are past their prime. When I can pork, I raw pack in in cubes generally about 1 inch by 1 inch, I'll do beef in the same manner. Some cuts are tougher than others and I will pre-cook those and then can them with meat tenderizer added. I do like the texture of home canned meats more than the texture of commercially canned meats, except for hams.

How do you use the canned meat? As flavoring for something like rice or.... ?

 

[RV-Kitty]

I'm not going to lie and tell you that it's going to be the same as eating a steak or a roast because it won't be. I don't can plain ground meat. If I can ground meat, it is seasoned with seasonings that can well and canned in a sauce; tomato, enchilada, something to enhance it. Too many times people will can meat up with the seasonings they normally cook with like onions and green peppers and the results are not good because those vegetables don't can well.

This is probably true. No one I knew canned meat or fish so I really didn't understand the problem.

It is nice to be able to have homemade chicken noodle soup on the table in less than a half hour when you're pressed for time by just grabbing a few jars from the shelves. I like the fact that I can control the salt content, I know that doesn't sound like a big deal to many.

Are you following the Blue Book for density?

 

[old_anorak]

I use the canned meat in casserole dishes, taco fillings, sandwich fillings, chicken salads, pulled pork sandwiches, for all sorts of dishes. I do follow the Blue Book guide lines. I generally do not add water or broth to raw packed meats since the meat creates it's own as it is processed. I don't can fish at all, I don't tolerate the smell of it very well.

 

[RV-Kitty]

I use the canned meat in casserole dishes, ....

Thanks.

 

[jimLE]

im glad i decided to look for a canning topic before starting a new topic in off topic..i want/need to start learning on how to do canning..and that includes buying whats needed to do the canning.like pots pans and what ever for canning.what do yall suggest?also need canning recipes..gonna log into barnes n noble web site to see if they have any thing in recipes for canning..

 

[Mightypugs]

im glad i decided to look for a canning topic before starting a new topic in off topic..i want/need to start learning on how to do canning..and that includes buying whats needed to do the canning.like pots pans and what ever for canning.what do yall suggest?also need canning recipes..gonna log into barnes n noble web site to see if they have any thing in recipes for canning..

You may be able to find canning recipe books for free to download. I got a few for free from Amazon that were helpful.

 

[Danil54grl]

im glad i decided to look for a canning topic before starting a new topic in off topic..i want/need to start learning on how to do canning..and that includes buying whats needed to do the canning.like pots pans and what ever for canning.what do yall suggest?also need canning recipes..gonna log into barnes n noble web site to see if they have any thing in recipes for canning..

http://www.freshpreserving.com/guides/introtocanning.pdf

http://www.freshpreserving.com/home.aspx

The first is a book with step by step instructions from Ball. The second is a link to Ball Canning's homepage where you can enter in what recipe you are looking for

 

[jimLE]

thanks yall...

 

[old_anorak]

On equipment, try to make sure you get at least one good sized non reactive pot, so aluminum is out for that. It can be glass, stainless steel or enamel, but you'll need one so the more acidic foods do not do funky things on you. As for a canner, in my opinion, you're better off buying a pressure canner because you can water bath in it as well. That way you don't need two pots. Also, what kind of stove do you have? Does it have one of those dreaded glass stove tops? The MainStay brand of jars at WalMart seem to do alright for water bath canning, but they don't have a good track record on pressure canning, Lots of people seem to have had quite a few of them break while in the canner. I'd stick with Ball, Kerr, or Golden Harvest for pressure canning. You can find the Golden Harvest at Dollar General. They are all made by the same company, just different names.

 

[jimLE]

i have a propane stove

 

[old_anorak]

Cool beans, you don't have to worry about your cooktop exploding!

 

[jimLE]

oh darn..does that mean my cooking is gonna get better? LOL

 

[Gazrok]

Beef stew, though you'll have to add a thickener when ready to heat and eat.
I've canned this with my grandparents before, and can't wait to do this myself. I could live pretty happily off beef stew for a while.