WHAT ARE YOU CANNING TODAY?

[DianeS]

I made and canned dog food. I feed my prts as well as I feed my family, so that means natural, identifiable foods that don't come pelleted. Although I don't worry about taste for them. This batch was 2 whole chickens that were a bit tough, baked and deboned. Several pounds of green beans and mixed veggies that had a little freezer burn on them. And lots of rice. Cooked it all up individually, and layered into canning jars: about 3/4 cups per serving, each serving consists of 1 part chicken, 1 part veggies, and 2 parts rice. Keep layering until the jar is full, I can get usually 2.5 - 3 servings of those into one pint jar if I press it down well.

The dog loves it. And it's the same price (sometimes cheaper) than the natural organic stuff I would feed from a bag. My dog is 45 lbs, without all the corn and junk fillers in bagged food 3/4 C of food twice a day is plenty to keep her energetic and healthy.

 

[Corn Woman]

Today it's 9 pints of ham. Yesterday I canned 11 pints of chicken thighs I got for .59 a pound. Still working on the chicken stock so maybe 5 or 6 quarts when done.

 

[moolie]

8 quarts of turkey veg soup, 6 pints of borscht soup, and 7 pints of split pea soup.

 

[SSDreamin]

Did up 25 half pints of cheese - got a super deal on chunk cheese during the holidays.

 

[TanksHill]

SSdreamin, Can you explain how you canned cheese? what does the final product turn out like?

g

 

[moolie]

10 pints of ground bison last evening, hubs' third time pressure canning on his own and he didn't even ask me any questions! (he had previously done a load of carrots and a load of ground bison)

He said it went way faster than last time

 

[SSDreamin]

SSdreamin, Can you explain how you canned cheese? what does the final product turn out like?

g

I follow the method in a Jackie Clay book I have. Very simple, but time consuming. Sterilize jars, set them in a pan with water that is 2/3 of the way up the jar. Cube the cheese into the jars, while heating the water to a solid simmer. Add more cheese as it melts down, until it is 3/4 full (1/2" head space) and all cheese is melted (this part takes FOR EVER ). Wipe rim, slap on a boiled lid/ring. WB for 60 minutes. Done. I did two batches, which took just shy of six hours. Ugh. I have done cheddar and velveeta so far. It turns out like cheese in a jar I like it - to me, there's no difference between it and the package you get in the store. Dip the jar in hot water for a minute, flip it over and it pops right out (with a wide mouth jar). Slice it, grate it. I use mild cheddar, because it will get sharper the longer it sits. Next time, I plan to do up the rest of the cheddar and some more velveeta (what can I say, we like the stuff!) and try making some home made canned cheez whiz from a recipe I just got. Mmmm...cheez whiz

 

[k15n1]

10 pints of ground bison last evening, hubs' third time pressure canning on his own and he didn't even ask me any questions! (he had previously done a load of carrots and a load of ground bison)

He said it went way faster than last time

Great. The official buy-in of the spouse.... pigs'll fly before my wife does any canning. I'm just happy that they'll eat the end product.

 

[k15n1]

This probably falls on deaf ears, but canning cheese isn't tested properly so it is a real food safety risk. I know you thinking "well, I canned cheese and I didn't die", but read this article about canning quick breads and you might think twice. Turns out, if you store the jars of quick bread at a cool temperature and consume them quickly enough, the toxins produced by the C. botulinum are at a low enough concentration that there won't be any effect. So it seems like it's a safe recipe, but it's a significant risk.

http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/v...as_sdt=1%2C24&as_sdtp=#search="canning bread"

Also, real cheese will be so transformed by the process that it may not be any good in the end.

Cheese has been used as a way to store dairy and some of the hard cheeses keep very well on their own. There are other methods of preserving cheese. Besides, the best way to ensure a cheese supply is to keep it on the hoof.

 

[moolie]

10 pints of ground bison last evening, hubs' third time pressure canning on his own and he didn't even ask me any questions! (he had previously done a load of carrots and a load of ground bison)

He said it went way faster than last time

Great. The official buy-in of the spouse.... pigs'll fly before my wife does any canning. I'm just happy that they'll eat the end product.

Lol! I'm probably pretty darn fortunate to have a husband who is into trying new things/learning new skills, and both of us have always been totally on the same page when it comes to our lifestyle