The NFC B-Day Chat Thread

[ShrekDawg]

Jams and jellies and pickles... anything with a fairly high acid content don't require pressure canning. Just set them in water (water about an inch over top of jars) on some kind of rack (I just used the rings from some other jars). Only loosely tighten the rings. Bring to a low boil for about 15 minutes. Take them out and let them cool. After a few minutes you should hear the lids pop. That's your vacuum seal forming. Tighten rings and voila!

ETA: most recipes will tell you the recommended amount, but leave some space in the jar. Don't fill all of the way to the top of the jar with your jam or brine.

Thanks for the info!!

 

[rjohns39]

Wow they're cheaper than I expected haha I would want a good tray one though rather than the rounded one so I'd need to save as those are more. Though I'm sure both work, especially for my purposes.


And I actually don't even really want to can anymore cause I'm so paranoid of dieseases after this nutrition class and this one particular chapter/chart especially lol so apparently pressure canning is the safest or only safe way to can? So I want to do it the safest way haha


Can you pressure can jellies or? How do you do that safely??

...can you tell I'm paranoid about safety??

KD, Start with the ball blue book and then get into recipes from folks like Pick your own and university extension services. Don't let the germafobes dissuade you. I can fruits, jellies and jams, meat, stock, seafood and much more. The key to safe food processing is learning and understanding what things live and/or thrive in different environments. Many things cannot thrive in an oxygen free environment—while some thrive in an oxygen free environment, and others can't survive high acid content. Salt and sugar keep different bugs out. Super high Temperature kills others.

It might surprise you to learn that the fancy sauces developed in France were largely developed to cover the taste of rancid meat (no refrigeration then), people didn't die from food poisoning because they cooked it hot and long.

The easiest way to get into it is start with proven safe recipes and learn as you go. A good pressure canner can double as a water bath canner. Avoid dry air canning unless you're trying to protect things like dry goods. It is easy, rewarding and can save you lots of money... When I lived in VA I belonged to a CSA and during canning season would buy "canning" vegetables (things too ugly to sell on the stand) really cheap and can them. We also eat a lot of beans, Next time you're at the store look at what a can of prepared beans cost, then look at the price for a pound... You can make 7 cans of beans out of a pound (btw, I go my beans for 19 cents a pound). So happy canning....

 

[ShrekDawg]

This is the part btw ha

(Only putting this one full size cause it's got a lot of writing, I won't put them full size anymore)

 

[ShrekDawg]

Jams and jellies and pickles... anything with a fairly high acid content don't require pressure canning. Just set them in water (water about an inch over top of jars) on some kind of rack (I just used the rings from some other jars). Only loosely tighten the rings. Bring to a low boil for about 15 minutes. Take them out and let them cool. After a few minutes you should hear the lids pop. That's your vacuum seal forming. Tighten rings and voila!

ETA: most recipes will tell you the recommended amount, but leave some space in the jar. Don't fill all of the way to the top of the jar with your jam or brine.

Thanks! That's good to know.

KD, Start with the ball blue book and then get into recipes from folks like Pick your own and university extension services. Don't let the germafobes dissuade you. I can fruits, jellies and jams, meat, stock, seafood and much more. The key to safe food processing is learning and understanding what things live and/or thrive in different environments. Many things cannot thrive in an oxygen free environment—while some thrive in an oxygen free environment, and others can't survive high acid content. Salt and sugar keep different bugs out. Super high Temperature kills others.

It might surprise you to learn that the fancy sauces developed in France were largely developed to cover the taste of rancid meat (no refrigeration then), people didn't die from food poisoning because they cooked it hot and long.

The easiest way to get into it is start with proven safe recipes and learn as you go. A good pressure canner can double as a water bath canner. Avoid dry air canning unless you're trying to protect things like dry goods. It is easy, rewarding and can save you lots of money... When I lived in VA I belonged to a CSA and during canning season would buy "canning" vegetables (things too ugly to sell on the stand) really cheap and can them. We also eat a lot of beans, Next time you're at the store look at what a can of prepared beans cost, then look at the price for a pound... You can make 7 cans of beans out of a pound (btw, I go my beans for 19 cents a pound). So happy canning....

Thanks for all the helpful info!!! Those links are really useful.

And you know, it's funny, I almost bought that book at Walmart haha

 

[rjohns39]

They are referring to Botulinum toxin, and the spores are airborne and everywhere and it grows in an oxygen free or anaerobic environment. The reason you pressure can is that it dies somewhere around 220* and you're cooking the stuff in your jars to a core temp of 240* What makes it so deadly is if you boil vegetables, you're only getting to 212* so you have to kill it during the canning process, if it's even there.

Not to scare you or anything, but the reason some ethnic groups have a higher tolerance for toxin is they eat small quantities of it very regularly by dipping their bread in it. One of the best sources for the toxin is that jar of olive oil on the counter with garlic in it. But when they cook with it, it's heated to 350*+ and they eat too little to be harmful when dipping their bread.

Another thing to consider is the FDA and USDA have been hugely influenced by big pharma and big ag for years. They really don't want us growing and processing our own foods so they use scare tactics.

When I can pumpkin and squash, I do it in chunks in heavy syrup due to viscosity issues and ensuring it get's to the correct core temp in the time cooked. It's safer that way and it's easy to puree once I take it out of the can.

 

[ShrekDawg]

They are referring to Botulinum toxin, and the spores are airborne and everywhere and it grows in an oxygen free or anaerobic environment. The reason you pressure can is that it dies somewhere around 220* and you're cooking the stuff in your jars to a core temp of 240* What makes it so deadly is if you boil vegetables, you're only getting to 212* so you have to kill it during the canning process, if it's even there.

Not to scare you or anything, but the reason some ethnic groups have a higher tolerance for toxin is they eat small quantities of it very regularly by dipping their bread in it. One of the best sources for the toxin is that jar of olive oil on the counter with garlic in it. But when they cook with it, it's heated to 350*+ and they eat too little to be harmful when dipping their bread.

Another thing to consider is the FDA and USDA have been hugely influenced by big pharma and big ag for years. They really don't want us growing and processing our own foods so they use scare tactics.

When I can pumpkin and squash, I do it in chunks in heavy syrup due to viscosity issues and ensuring it get's to the correct core temp in the time cooked. It's safer that way and it's easy to puree once I take it out of the can.

Thanks for all the info! This has been really helpful.

So question...

When you boil vegetables, like say potatoes to make mashed potatoes, ir steam veggies, or cook them or baked potatoes in the oven or microwave, or sautee them on the stove, and all that stuff... is that dangerous?? Or is it only when canning that it is dangerous??

 

[rjohns39]

Thanks for all the info! This has been really helpful.

So question...

When you boil vegetables, like say potatoes to make mashed potatoes, ir steam veggies, or cook them or baked potatoes in the oven or microwave, or sautee them on the stove, and all that stuff... is that dangerous?? Or is it only when canning that it is dangerous??

Only when canning as the jar is an oxygen free environment. The toxin can't grow with Oxygen, with the garlic oil, oils and fats prevent O2 from reaching the garlic, so the toxin will grow in the garlic.

More than 20 years ago I was in Riyadh looking in our little compound library for something to read. I found a book written in the late 17th/early 18th century, a survival guide for homesteaders heading west. I had to figure out how translate some of the terminology but it was an awesome read and packed full of ways to keep food and stay alive.

That was truly the beginning of my quest to understand food science. I remember my grandmother had jars of canned goods on the shelf capped with paraffin wax (she was canning before Ball invented the two piece lid). I also remember her pulling out the wax, scraping the mold off the surface and setting the jelly jar on the table. So I really wondered how people didn't die from food poisoning back in those days. I mean, no preservatives, no chemicals, no modern machinery, no FDA or USDA???? So I started by learning how the different food borne bugs grow and what inhibits them or kills them.

 

[Teila]

Good Morning Friends

Catch up time for me!

Speedy and friends are so cute Michelle!

LOL Cap loved the buy to sell ratio!

Sorry about the truck Debby

Saturday we went to the movies in the morning as planned and had lunch in town and did a small grocery shop before heading home; thoroughly enjoyed the change of pace.

On returning home, I popped over to see my elephant ear friend and came home with another Audrey! Potted her and then had some relax time and watched a movie: John Wick.

Saturday evening we watched the boys play and they won!! Very exciting because this was a game they were not expected to win. So much so that in the Footy Tipping Competition only 5 tippers out of thousands tipped all 9 winners and I was one of them! Sadly, I did not get closest to the winning margin so did not win the $100 for that week but yeah, out of thousands of tippers, only 5 picked the Kangas to win; I tip with my heart not my head

Sunday I did the housework and then we went in to town for a large grocery shop; back home to clean the coop and do some washing and then more relaxing watching another movie: John Wick 2.

Sunday night I cooked this, very yummy! The rosemary and parsley were grown here and dehydrated.

https://www.afamilyfeast.com/chicken-breasts-mushroom-onion-dijon-sauce/

Today, being our bonus day off for ‘Labour Day’ is all about the garden .. mowing, weeding, watering etc. Beef roast for dinner with potatoes and broccolli cheese

 

[rjohns39]

Teila that sounds awesome and you fancy the same types of foods I do.

 

[CapricornFarm]

Looks like this is going to be an expensive swap Cap!

Yeah, i spent a fortune. But if even half the turkeys hatch, 15×10= $150. I paid $30 for 30 eggs. I only paid $20 for the incubator. And i had fun...priceless!