Canning recipes, food preservation and food sales

[TheGrey]

I use many recipes from this site- I've been very satisfied with the results. Here's what I used for canning peaches (again, I used the water bath method. )

http://www.pickyourown.org/peachescanning.htm

One thing I feel I need to share- I know it states that you can use Stevia or Splenda instead of sugar, and you most certainly can do that, as long as the sugar substitutes are for flavor enhancement only (although I personally don't care for the taste of Splenda.) If you're making jelly or jam, use low-sugar/no-sugar pectin and the amount of sugar the recipe calls for. The sugar combines with the pectin and acts as a preservative. The sugar replacements such as Stevia don't have the same preserving properties, and your jellies/jams won't last as long on the shelf.

[Madeinhb]

Sweet. Thanks for that. Will give that a shot when I get some peaches from the farmers markets

[TheGrey]

Sweet. Thanks for that. Will give that a shot when I get some peaches from the farmers markets

I hope they turn out sweet and juicy!

[TheGrey]

I've come across a few articles on foods that you should never can at home. The articles all used state and county extension offices as sources.

Before I list them, I know some of the people reading this will have experience in canning the items (or will know someone that has) that are considered verboten. I ask that you take into account the fact that food science is ever-evolving, and that something that may have worked for Grandma or Aunt Jenny may not work for your family. Botulism is invisible, tasteless, and odorless. It can take up to ten days' incubation time. It's scary stuff, and you have to weigh the known dangers against what you know or have always done.

1. Pureed pumpkin. You may can cubed pumpkin safely, but pureed pumpkin is simply too thick to be certain of the food in the very center reaching that 240 degrees that is crucial for killing botulism. This includes pumpkin butter.

2. Bacon. I know this will be a bone of contention, but every extension site I've looked at says the same thing: bacon cannot be safely canned at home. There's simply too much fat in it to be able to can it safely. I've also seen recipes online as to canning bacon, and suggest using brown paper bags to fold and wrap around the meat- I'd suggest that brown paper bags aren't really made to cook in. Have you seen how brown paper bags fragment and shred when they are wet? Canning bacon would partially cook it (again, never knowing if you've reached the 240 degrees necessary) but would also wet the bag enough to let tiny fragments of brown paper to get into your food. A double whammy.

3. Butter. I've seen recipes for creating "ghee," otherwise known as clarified butter. Extension sites suggest that butter is too high in fat, and just like bacon, is impossible to reach that temperature of 240 degrees. The good thing is that butter freezes beautifully. Personally, I think that the powdered butter available is all kinds of vile, although it's okay for baking. Really, though. Ick.

4. Eggs. There's just no canning eggs safely. Raw, scrambled eggs swell in a jar, so you can only fill a jar halfway. That's still a lot of eggs. After processing, they turn sort of grainy. And green. And foul. You can preserve eggs far more effectively by freezing them (I like using those little square Ziploc containers; I can scramble two or three eggs per container, and they stack nicely. Just be sure to scramble the eggs first, and freeze them outside of the eggshell) or dehydration. You can also pickle them, but after about three days' time they have to live in your refrigerator (and can do so for a disturbingly long time.)

[TheGrey]

The King Soopers by me has a sale on canning jars and lids/rings. Jars are $10 for a case and under, lids are $1.79/pack, a dozen rings and lids are $3.99. Check at the Kings nearest you, and take advantage of the sale!

[hollohas]

Jar $7.59/case for quarts, $6.59/cs pints at Costco. Best deal around.

[TheGrey]

Jar $7.59/case for quarts, $6.59/cs pints at Costco. Best deal around.

WOW! Is that regular mouth, wide mouth or both?

[hollohas]

WOW! Is that regular mouth, wide mouth or both?

I think regular mouth pints and wide mouth quarts. I think...

[TheGrey]

Yellow onions, 2 lbs for $1, at Sprouts. I'm late getting this sale up, but it goes through Wednesday. I picked up 10# and will slice them and cook them in the crock pot with a little olive oil before canning them in small jars for those times when a little onion would taste good. I have a devil of a time keeping onions from molding and/or rotting. Can't keep the temperature and humidity levels steady in this house.

[rbeau30]

King Soopers has Ball Quarts for 9.99 /case. It isn't as cheap as Costco right now but all the costco's around me do not have Quarts.