Canning

[mightyboosh]

I've just been watching a programme called 'Inside the Factory' where they show how food is produced. This one was about canning baked beans and followed the process from a furnace full of steel to the finished product. Apart from the awesome machinery involved, they talked about how long food can last in a can. They opened a 45yr old can of kippers and after testing, it was found fit to eat with no bacteria in it. Amazing eh?

 

[Furballsmom]

Heh, I bet spam can beat that LOL

 

[Willow's Mom]

I've just done boiling water bath canning: jams and jellies, fruit, tomato sauce, pickles, etc. wh eich I consider giftable for a year but perfectly edible for a lot longer even if it does get discolored.

In light of the "new reality" of Public Safety Power Shutoffs, I'd love to learn more about canning low acid foods in a pressure canner. I don't like all the salt in commercial canned beans.

 

[Furballsmom]

My mom used to do green beans et al but I don't recall anything about the process she used, except watching for the lids to seal.

 

[catapault]

Sweet preserves are safe with water bath canning because of the sugar content. Pickles are safe with water bath canning because of the vinegar / low pH

In order to can meat, soup, and low acid foods such as vegetables and fruit you need a pressure canner . A pressure cooker (including an Instant Pot) will not be good enough.

The USDA has very informative guidelines. Here's a link: National Center for Home Food Preservation | USDA Publications You especially want Guide 04, on canning fruits and vegetables, and Guide 05, on canning meat, poultry, and seafood

The advantages of canning - no worry about power outages. The drawback: jars in quantity and in a variety of sizes are expensive. They are fragile - glass can break. Jars and rings may be reused, the flat lids are only used once.

 

[DreamerRose]

I used to do a lot of canning when I had a garden, but I never canned meat or soup. I did have a pressure canner, which wasn't terribly expensive. You can collect the different sizes of jars, but a relative who lived on a farm told me that you can use any jar that the ring and lid will fit on. So that means pickle jars, mayonnaise jars and so on. And of course, never throw your used jars away. Wash and clean them for next year.