Canning and Pickling

**Beo** · 03-13-2008, 02:37 PM

What about a thread on canning and pickling foods. I want to do this but have no idea how it is done. They say canned food and pickle foods last longer but how is it done?

**Riverrat** · 03-13-2008, 03:09 PM

Yep, good idea, we do some and there is a couple of good sites listed on another thread, The national center for Food Preservation. It is in this same section. We do quite a-bit. We are gooing to try meat this year as it keeps the taste better then freezing, and stays good even if the power is out.

**trax** · 03-13-2008, 03:20 PM

Wait here, surferboy will be coming by directly with some pickling and canning links. You know who's a really good resource for this kind of information? Reader's Digest! Yep, they're more than a good scan while sitting on the throne doing "word power". They've published books on this very subject and many many other lovely subjects that we often jaw over right here on this forum.

**wildWoman** · 03-13-2008, 03:50 PM

We can part of our game meat in fall, and my boyfrien also cans smoked lake trout. I don't think we've done veggies yet. There's really not much to it. In order to do it safely, you need to buy a pressure canner (not the same as a pressure cooker!). This will ensure that all harmful bacteria are killed off in the process. Usually the pots come with a manual that tells you how to do it, and the canning times for different products. It's a fairly time-intensive procedure because ideally you'll keep an eye on the pot to make sure the pressure doesn't drop. A rainy day is good for this.
You'll want glass canning jars with screw-on lids, like you'd use for making jam. The jars can be re-used over and over again but you should replace the lids every time to be sure they seal proper.
It's generally advised that you pre-cook the food you're canning but we have gotten away from doing that because some of the meat and fish ended up almost like baby food. It gets cooked again long and proper in the canner anyway, we reason. Now, we just brown the meat a little bit and season it: make a wine sauce, or add a bit of flour, tomato paste, chili powder...you get the idea. We didn't do this at first and found that the unseasoned jars of meat gave off a whiff that was too much like canned dog food for our taste. When it's already sasoned, you don't get that effect.
The sterilized jars get filled with the food, closed, put into the canner, water gets added to the pot depending on how many jars you've got in there, and then the actual canning procedure starts. With our canner, it takes about 45 minutes for the pressure to build up, and meat has to the stew away in there for about an hour or hour and a half, can't remember right now. Once that's done, the pot should sit until the pressure has dropped, about another half an hour. Then the cans can be removed and the new ones, that you've filled over the last half hour, can be put in and the next batch starts. You begin to see the advantage of a really large pot: it'll save you a lot of time and whatever your using as fuel under the pot.
We haven't found a definite answer anywhere on how long canned food can be kept. It should ideally be brought to boiling for 20 minutes before eating to be safe, but we also don't do that. We have still have some jars with bear meat and moose meat that are now 3 1/2 years old and they taste fine.

**Chris** · 03-13-2008, 08:11 PM

PIckling isn't all that hard... canning, you have to be careful. You definitely need the right equipment. You slip up and mess up the sterilization and the can isn't going to keep. I haven't done it yet, but it is something I'd like to start doing just because it is such a useful skill to have.

If you have a Tivo or other method to search TV listings. Set up a keyword search for "Urban Preservation", or, if you cannot do a keyword search, just look for an episode of Good Eats on the food network called Urban Preservation (1, 2 or 3) there is one that is jerky, one that is canning, I forget the third one.

**rebel** · 03-13-2008, 08:16 PM

I know tomatoes are not really that important for survival. However, if you can your own 'maters and use them in your sauce you will never say another bad thing about them 'maters. MMMMMM Good.

**Catfish** · 03-13-2008, 08:23 PM

Do any of you have any experience with canning/pickling at altitude? I live at around 9,000 feet and while I'm not sure what the temperature is for water to boil, it ain't 100 degrees. Coffee's never completely hot and as for tea...bleh.

I'm a shade nervous about preserving stuff if it hasn't 'really' been raised to boiling point. Would the pressure canner doohickey thingy that wildWoman is talking about take care of that, does anyone know?

**wareagle69** · 03-13-2008, 09:28 PM

why is it they call it canning if your using jars?

**canid** · 03-13-2008, 09:48 PM

because it's otherwise the same process[es]; though i think the term canning predates the use of metals in cans.

**wildWoman** · 03-13-2008, 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by Catfish

Do any of you have any experience with canning/pickling at altitude? I live at around 9,000 feet and while I'm not sure what the temperature is for water to boil, it ain't 100 degrees. Coffee's never completely hot and as for tea...bleh.

I'm a shade nervous about preserving stuff if it hasn't 'really' been raised to boiling point. Would the pressure canner doohickey thingy that wildWoman is talking about take care of that, does anyone know?

I don't know about pickling, but the pressure canners get sold with different weights (little knob that goes over the steam valve, that the escaping steam has to lift by building up pressure). They should come with the correct weight at the shops in your area. It will also say in the manual. The weights can also be ordered for a couple of bucks. I'd go into a shop, if you want to get into canning, and just see what they have, maybe write down the manufacturer and give them a call.

**canid** · 03-13-2008, 11:06 PM

yeah, a pressure cooker, if used properly, is basically a miniature autoclave, like they use in hospitals to guarantee sterilization. they cook your food at high pressures well above the boiling point.

steamer canning [the kind you do with those large enamel pots] only cook your food, and are only suitable for high acid and/or high sugar foods such as fruit, as the growth of most bacteria is inhibited by high sugar levels [only somewhat] and the growth of Clostriduim botulinum [the bacterium that caused botulism and from which Botox is made] is inhibited from both reproduction and the production of it's toxic metabolites by high acid substrate.

**Rick** · 03-14-2008, 07:46 AM

Originally Posted by WildWoman

you need to buy a pressure canner (not the same as a pressure cooker!)

Look for a pressure canner that can also double as a water bath canner. It will give you more versatility. You can use the pressure canner for low acid foods like vegetables, meats and fish. You can use the water bath canner for fruits, jams, jellies, pickles and salsa.