Pressure canning help please!!

[AhBee01]

Here is what I have found. This is from the Garden web, the Harvest forum, there are experts that go to this site to make sure people learn to can safely.
You cannot can just any recipe, it has to be approved regardless if it has been done, it just may not be safe, and in the end death could be the result of unsafe canning!
He is something that was on the site about canning barley!

RE: Is barley okay to pressure can?



* Posted by digdirt 6 -7 AR (My Page) on
Wed, Apr 15, 09 at 15:29

It seems that the majority says you can't pressure can barley.

It isn't that you can't pressure can it. The guideline is that you can't add it to anything home canned regardless of processing type.

Thickeners such as rice, flour, barley, pasta, cornstarch, etc. can't be used because they change the density of the product and so make it more difficult for the heat to penetrate. Cooler pockets are created where bacteria can remain untouched by the heat and the soup (or whatever) is at risk. If you alter the density the processing time is no longer valid.

(But, I use a vegetable soup recipe that has been used by my family with great success for 50 years.)

Answer-- Yes, many have old family recipes, but that doesn't make them safe. Some can be modified to meet current safety standards, some cannot. It is your choice to do so of course as long as you recognize the risks. But you need to know that it isn't generally accepted nor recommended to others.

Dave

Also No dairy, no oil, unless it is a tested recipe.

 

[KDbeads]

Quote:
In that case I should just take the canner back. Food allergies prevent me from eating MOST recipes as written and most of the approved pressure canning recipes contain stuff I'm allergic to. If I can't change a couple of ingredients to keep the food from killing me due to allergies then it's not worth the time or effort.

 

[Dragonfly Ranch]

Quote:
I have a Foodsaver and have used for years and love it. But which one allows to do "wet" foods? I really intersting in that. I didn't see anything on their web site.

Sandee

 

[AhBee01]

You can leave out things, you just can't add things not in the recipe. For example I hate cilantro, my favorite canning salsa recipe calls for it, I do not put it in. I also use more green peppers and less onions, as long as I do not go over the ratio for each of those veggies, I can alter the amount. But it wouldn't be safe to add say cauliflower. If you are having questions please go to gardenweb.com, when you get there look for gardenweb forums and click on it, it is under Introducing GardenVoices. Then after clicking it the forum topics come up, click on Harvest. Those people will help you find safe canning recipes, and help you with your food allergies. They are so nice and really help newbies!
I just want people to be safe, canning something the wrong way is very dangerous, and I'm sure no one would want to make a family member deathly ill.
I am not a professional canner by any means, I have done a lot of research, and found things that were once safe have been found unsafe, like canning tomatoes, you now have to add citric acid or (lemon juice) To make sure there is enough acid in there to not cause things to grow, and the processing time is longer. In the old days they didn't do that, but now it is required for your safety. Maybe because the acid levels in the tomatoes have changed? Just like somethings have to be pressure canned, and can not be water bathed.
It is a very rewarding thing to do, but if done wrong you not only risk making people sick, you can also waste a lot of time and money! Just saying!
You don't need to take the canner back, just make sure you get the correct info before you can just any recipe.

Here is another link to some great info about canning soups
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg0812461720977.html

 

[KDbeads]

Quote:
Correct, most of today's hybrid tomatoes are lower than the 4.6 acidity level determined to be safe, that's why you add lemon juice or citric acid to them now. However I have a PH meter here, and have not found anything lower than 4.9 so far this year, but I'm using heirlooms. (yep, in a house with 2 engineers you have gadgets like PH meters just hanging around

)


Quote:
Honestly I was being sarcastic

But it does create a problem when you are allergic to tomatoes and most soups/stews in my books call for them! I'm having trouble even now after canning the ones for hubby, even though I wore a chemical mask and non-permeable gloves all day. Ackk!
For now I'm sticking with whole stuff instead of recipes but I so wanted to can that soup, we love it.

 

[AhBee01]

Do you have the recipe for your soup? If so post it, I will send it over to the garden web experts, they might be able to get it safe for you, you can add thing to it like the barley after you open it! You can can bean soup, and chicken soups, and even stew with no thickeners in it. You would have to thicken it after it was opened! give it a shot, we just might get it close to what you like!
The recipe would be nice anyway, I love to try new recipes!
That would stink to be so allergic to tomatoes, They are my favorite food! Sorry you have to go through so much trouble! That would be hard!

 

[booker81]

Quote:
I have a Foodsaver and have used for years and love it. But which one allows to do "wet" foods? I really intersting in that. I didn't see anything on their web site.

Sandee

Like this:
http://www.amazon.com/FoodSaver-Adv...stem/dp/B000AAYD6W/ref=tag_dpp_lp_edpp_ttl_in

It's says "Moist" as one of the options (Gah, I hate that word). The trick is to fill the bag with soup (I also use it to pack fish fillets in water) and set the bag so the edge is in the drip channel. Lock the lid down, move it to the edge of the counter and support the bag lower than the Foodsaver and hit go. It will go slightly slower than normal, but once it sucks the air out and starts to suck liquid, it stops and seals. You can pull the drip tray out every few bags, dump, and repeat

Occasionally it's not "clean" -- it seals the bag fine but there is some liquid on the other side of the seal, so I just rinse the bags in water and dry. I freeze flat so they can thaw faster.

I've had mine now for gah, thinking like 8 years, and have Foodsaved so much stuff it's a joke, usually a few deer a year, lots of fish packed in water, soup, tomatoes, whatever I feel like. Just keep it clean and it will last!

 

[KDbeads]

Quote:
Yeah, it sucks, no tomatoes, no peppers, no eggplant. Tomatoes and eggplant just make me very physically ill, peppers on the other hand have me nearly unable to breathe after just a tiny amount, I've landed in the hospital several times from eating out.

Recipe:
1 lb stew meat or beef for carne guisada
1 cup dry kidney beans
1 cup pearled barley
1 med onion diced
1 medium carrot diced
1 cup frozen peas
tbsp or so salt to taste
tbsp ground ginger
1 bay leaf
tbsp dry cilantro
2 quarts water or broth

Brown meat with a tbsp of oil, add spices/herbs and onions/carrots, add beans and barley, toast for a couple minutes, add broth, cook until beans are just done, add peas and cook an additional 10 minutes.

 

[AhBee01]

I put the recipe up at garden web and I got a reply here is what she said.
I explained that you have food allergies, and that you know this is a safe recipe for you to eat.
here is the response, at the end she give a link for how to can soup.

"I give her credit for asking how to can it safely.

Has she indicated what she hopes to gain by canning this recipe or the nature of her allergies? Entirely aside from the safety issues, I'm not sure this would be very appealing canned. The dried cilantro may not come through very well and this seems a little bland fresh, so canned it will be even flatter. If she has the room, cooking and freezing a triple or quadruple batch at intervals might be a more suitable option.

If she really wants to can this, the closest she can come to this recipe (sans the barley, as you mentioned) would be the beef and vegetable soup. The main issue would be making sure that the solids (meats, beans and veggies) are no more than 50% of the contents with the remainder being broth.

In other words, this would need to be a real soup, not a stew or braise.

Another option, though less of a "quick meal" is to can meat cubes in a homemade stock. That has more versatility and provides a base to which the other ingredients can be added. Then there are no concerns about barley or any other ingredients.

Kidney beans could also be prepped and canned separately. Again, she has a base item ready for that recipe or others she may wish to use them in.

I hope she understands pressure canners. I'm a little concerned about that issue as well. Canner manuals are not always up-to-date in their recommendations for vent time and wait time, so again, the NCHFP pressure canner operation instructions are worthwhile for her to study".

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Can Soups http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_04/soups.html

I know that some herbs do not pressure can well, and also look yucky after sitting awhile. You can always add after opening.
I hope this helps. Again, I'm not trying to be a smartypants, just want to try and help people stay safe. It sucks that we just can't can anything we want, people put their whole lives into this to keep me and you safe. If it was a matter of getting sick and then being ok, it might not matter as much, but growing botulism is a very real danger. If not properly deposed of, it can contaminate
and cause more people to get sick! It is a real eye opener, I'm still leery, I want to learn as much as I can. People say I worry way to much! I don't want to put my family in harms way!
Also anything canned should be boiled for 10 min. before consuming, with the exceptions of things pickled, or canned to serve cold, like salsa.

 

[AhBee01]

KDbeads
Do you have the Ball Blue Book for Canning? There are some approved soups and stews in there. It is a great book to have, and is up to date. The newest one has Peach dessert on the front!
http://extensionpubs.umext.maine.edu/ePOS/form=item.html&item=4024&store=413 here is a pic!
I use a few recipe form here!