Canning red cabbage?

[animalfarm]

I would not suggest that you do anything you are not completely comfortable with, but I have read the modern canning books and they are rife with paranoia.

Any one who has ever eaten at Aunt Bertha's place and lived to tell about it (everyone has survived into middle age and beyond) will know this to be true. It was scary going down into the dugout and bringing up jars of something or other. She only water bathed, but canned chicken, beef, pork, moose, deer, bear, squirrel and who knows what else. It was good 5 years down the road because just like stuff that disappeared into her freezer, you always had to eat the old stuff first, so it was always old. She also reused a lot of store jars with their original lids. I wouldn't do that.

I have pressure canners because I do beleive the theory behind them is sound, but I would can and would be comfortable with many things that are against the rules nowadays.
I would not however feed them to anyone without their express permission. Many things can be "canned" that are on the no can list now. Hey, raw milk will kill you too according to the government but less likely then a car will and I bet you still get in one every day. Risk assesment first and always.

I don't see a problem with the cabbage recipe, although instead of sauteeing it, I might try a batch with a hot pack and no pre-cooking. Just add all ingredients to the jar along with hot beef stock and process in a pressure canner with meat times. That might well solve the texture problem. Honestly, as long as cleanliness is #1 I don't see where the problem is as far as botulism is concerned.

 

[moolie]

Just a little rule with any cruciferous veggie--always cook without a lid on to get rid of the stronger smelling/tasting compounds. I wouldn't recommend just canning rather than sauting first for that reason alone, in addition to the lovely buttery taste you get when you saut cabbage

As for old canning recipes, I agree to a point that certain recommendations probably go a little too far into trying to scare people (although I wouldn't go so far as to call it paranoia, some people simply don't understand the rules unless you hit them over the head with them so I think that is why those books are so incredibly repetitive), but I also think that most canning rules can be broken down into common sense. I've seen cool online videos about how British people tend to can their fruits, and they like to simmer rather than full rolling boil their jars--they get the contents to the same internal temperature, just more gently. I've never tried it, but have no problem with the science. I'll have to find that link again...

I myself can with glass lids and rubber sealing rings which are not strictly ok by the canning powers that be, but they work great and I love using a re-usable product

ORChick, I think you would be fine pressure canning the recipe as-is rather than switching it all to vegetarian ingredients, and then just using the processing time for the veggie/ingredient (which may actually be the broth) that needs the longest processing time--that's how I figure out how to can my own recipes

 

[ORChick]

Well, the jiggler is jiggling merrily as I type. I made the recipe as written above - with the lard, but without the salt (I always prefer to add salt, if needed, later, and usually IMO it isn't needed). I used some dehydrated mushrooms to make up a cup of mushroom broth - but I should have made more. Since the cabbage and apples weren't simmered for more than a few minutes they didn't produce much liquid of their own, as they normally would, so I portioned out what was there, and topped up with boiling water. My cabbage shredded to about 16 cups, and from this I got 7 pints + at least one more, maybe two, which I am allowing to cook in the normal manner for dinner tonight. We'll see how it all turns out.

Moolie, I agree about the hitting over the head. I think so many people who have never canned are taking it up, but perhaps don't see the purpose behind all the rules; the "authorities" are assuming that we are all stupid about canning, because a few (quite a few?) no doubt are. I don't really mind - wouldn't want to wish botulism on anybody - I just do my own research, use common sense and a grain of salt.

Animalfarm, we didn't all have an Aunt Bertha (from your description is this a good thing or a bad thing ). For my part, my mother never canned anything so far as I know. She wouldn't allow a pressure canner/cooker in the kitchen, and I believe she sealed all her jams and jellies with parafin wax. It is possible that her mother canned - though somehow I doubt it - but she lived in Michigan while I grew up in California, so I didn't have that (possible) role model. I have taught myself over the years, through books and internet - WBC x 30+ years; just started with the PC about a year and a half ago.

 

[animalfarm]

Moolie,

Paranoia is a strong word. I agree with your assesment so I will change that to scared silly.

Again you are correct with the sauteeing of the cabbage because of its characteristics, but there may be some wiggle room with this recipe and the fact that it is being canned. I have a few ideas for variations. The only way to find out is to try it a few different ways. I can always feed the rejects to the pigs so no harm done as cabbage is easy to come by. I may not get to try this for a while although I do intend to sample the fresh version ASAP.

 

[animalfarm]

ORCHiCK

When it comes to Aunt Bertha's food stash, the debate is still on.

She passed many years ago, but her freezers are legendary. The argument goes on, long into the night as to whether or not the family has an extrordinarily strong constitution, God was smiling upon us or she just maybe knew what she was doing. To be fair, pretty much everyone in the country did the same thing, but no one pushed the time limits the way she did. There was stuff in her cellar that was over 15 years old, and to honor a very generous and self sufficient lady, we had one last meal before we dumped it. Mostly, we all just wanted to find out what something tasted like that was canned last week or not completely freezer burnt, but she wasn't having none of that.

As to wax sealing the jam ect...that is still done and quite effective. Government regulatory bodies are fear mongering amongst people who have never been exposed to food in a real sense. They are messing with preservation methods that have passed the test of time by saying there is the possiblity that something bad could happen and there fore it should be banned just in case. I feel it is more due to corporate lobbying to get a bigger slice of the pie then it is about caring if we live or die.

 

[moolie]

The modern "rules" about not following old methods like sealing jam with paraffin wax are a modern reaction to any sort of food spoilage rather than serious safety concerns.

Jams (or any high acid canned foods like fruits) don't grow botulism toxin, only moulds and yeasts. For those of us who grew up on those types of "canned" items, our Moms/Aunts/Grandmas either chucked anything suspicious or scraped off the mould and went on with life, any minor tummy upsets were never traced to the jam and major ones were blamed on "the flu".

But we all probably had a way better colony of gut flora and fauna back then, because we also ate apples right off the tree with just a brush off on a shirt or jeans, and ate peas right out of the garden, and drank real milk (or at least I did, living near my uncle's dairy farm).

I do agree with modern canning "wisdom" that it is probably better to go by modern processing times, but mostly to avoid loss of food due to spoilage--to me that's just senseless waste. But I won't balk at eating my best friend's Mom's yummy home made plum jam sealed with paraffin either if it looks safe to me

And I won't personally eat any low-acid foods not either pickled or pressure canned, I just think there's too much possibility for error there--botulism is scary and I won't risk my own or my family's health on that score.

 

[ORChick]

I agree with both of you - moolie & animalfarm - There may indeed be some sort of hidden agenda with the Powers That Be vis a vis home canning. Course it could just be that they are talking to the weakest link in the chain, the ones who think that "She does it (grandma, best friend's mom, that nice lady on u-tube), and it looks so easy; but why should I go to all the trouble of (insert time consuming but necessary step here)? It will probably be alright". I am a big believer in research, and my research and experience tell me that paraffin sealed jams are most likely OK, and (silly statement, really) "I haven't died yet". But I have a really hard time accepting gifts of pressure canned things (fish, meat - don't like canned veggies) unless I know the person who did the canning. Just too risky. A friend gave me a jar of salmon that her cousin had canned - cousin lives way up north in BC (probably only about halfway up, but that is still pretty far north ), and, one assumes, knows her stuff. It sat on my shelf for the longest time, and by the time I had got up the nerve to try it there was rust on the lid, so I tossed it out. I never had a problem with my mother's wax sealed jams, or with my German friends' jams where the lid was allowed to seal from the cooling of the heated jar; stuff that has been, or should have been pressure canned - yes, there I am more wary.
But I agree that those of us raised "back then", with parents who let us play in the dirt, etc. are probably better able to handle a slightly higher level of risk than many who were born later, and who have led a more sheltered life. Sad really, for them.
Animalfarm, your Aunt Bertha sounds like a feisty old lady, who was probably a wonderful person to know. Some of the more fun people I have known I have not seen entirely eye to eye with, but it didn't stop me liking them.

 

[ORChick]

All the cabbage jars sealed. It looks like a lot of the color from the cabbage has leaked out into the liquid, but that liquid is still red purple as it should be, and not ugly gray, like red cabbage sometimes turns without any acid (the ACV) in the mix. I imagine that when the jars are opened, and re-heated the color will even out somewhat. Or maybe even as the jars sit on the shelves. We'll see.
The pot on the stove with this evening's portion of the cabbage smells so good. I've got some sausages defrosting to go with it.

 

[~gd]

ORCHiCK

When it comes to Aunt Bertha's food stash, the debate is still on.

She passed many years ago, but her freezers are legendary. The argument goes on, long into the night as to whether or not the family has an extrordinarily strong constitution, God was smiling upon us or she just maybe knew what she was doing. To be fair, pretty much everyone in the country did the same thing, but no one pushed the time limits the way she did. There was stuff in her cellar that was over 15 years old, and to honor a very generous and self sufficient lady, we had one last meal before we dumped it. Mostly, we all just wanted to find out what something tasted like that was canned last week or not completely freezer burnt, but she wasn't having none of that.

As to wax sealing the jam ect...that is still done and quite effective. Government regulatory bodies are fear mongering amongst people who have never been exposed to food in a real sense. They are messing with preservation methods that have passed the test of time by saying there is the possiblity that something bad could happen and there fore it should be banned just in case. I feel it is more due to corporate lobbying to get a bigger slice of the pie then it is about caring if we live or die.

dUH artificial sweeteners do not have the preserving power of sugar. Honey is loaded with the spores that cause botulism toxin but it can be used if the acid level is high or the oxygen level is high. Finding the statistics are hard but more people are killed by commercial canned foods than home canned. Of course there are tons of commercial canned foods when compared to home caanned but home canned gets all the press if something bad happens.

 

[animalfarm]

All the cabbage jars sealed. It looks like a lot of the color from the cabbage has leaked out into the liquid, but that liquid is still red purple as it should be, and not ugly gray, like red cabbage sometimes turns without any acid (the ACV) in the mix. I imagine that when the jars are opened, and re-heated the color will even out somewhat. Or maybe even as the jars sit on the shelves. We'll see.
The pot on the stove with this evening's portion of the cabbage smells so good. I've got some sausages defrosting to go with it.

Dirty pool.