Thinking of trying an experiment.

[bobbi-j]

That might be another question for your county extension service. I'm not at all familiar with that type so I'm not even going to guess.

 

[lazy gardener]

OK, then I will pick the meat bits out, seal and freeze them, and probably feed the veggies to the chickens. Thanks for the information !
If I remember right, botulism in green beans is NOT something you can see, smell or taste. That's why it's highly recommended to pressure can them rather than water bath. The high temps from pressure canning will kill the botulism. I always check the meat jars for a seal before opening and eating. I would think if canned meat went bad, it would smell. I hope so, anyway.

Re: botulism, no amount of cooking will neutralize the toxins in a contaminated jar of food. (at least that's my understanding). so, without having any experience, I'm wondering if smell, sight and taste will suffice re: canned goods that you would eat cold anyways: like chicken for chx salad, or salsa, or what ever else.

The point that I was trying to make is this: improperly canned product contaminated with botulism would still be lethal, even after the contents are cooked. I was not saying that one should not pressure can. Low acid foods MUST be pressure canned. The extra heat is what is required to kill the botulism spores.

 

[bobbi-j]

I pretty much pressure can everything except my tomatoes and I put lemon juice in them for acidity.

 

[donrae]

How did I miss this thread? Just sat down and read through. I've been thinking of getting my pressure canner back out, haven't used it in a few years now. Ya'all are inspiring me

bobbi-j, just something I was thinking about for your cockerel selection----are you opposed to white birds with regards to predators? Some folks think they're predator magnets, and keeping that white Giant cockerel could give you white offspring. I think Giants are recessive white, so not all would be, but it's something to keep in mind.

 

[bobbi-j]

Thanks for the reminder, Donrae. I hadn't given that much thought. I do have a lot of cover for them, so I don't worry about it too much.

 

[Folly's place]

The botulinum toxin is neutralized by boiling. It's odorless ,tasteless, and doesn't change the look of the product. There were issues when smoked fish were packed in plastic, rather than air dried, many moons ago. I do boil my home canned tomatoes for 15 minutes before tasting, BTW, although I do follow all the safe canning recipies. I've seen botulism poisoning, not pretty. Mary

 

[bobbi-j]

The botulinum toxin is neutralized by boiling.  It's odorless ,tasteless, and doesn't change the look of the product.  There were issues when smoked fish were packed in plastic, rather than air dried, many moons ago.  I do boil my home canned tomatoes for 15 minutes before tasting, BTW, although I do follow all the safe canning recipies.  I've seen botulism poisoning, not pretty.  Mary

That would definitely affect one's decisions on safe food handling. In our family we're very conscientious about proper meat temperatures after my mom got E.coli at a church fundraiser supper.

 

[lazy gardener]

The botulinum toxin is neutralized by boiling. It's odorless ,tasteless, and doesn't change the look of the product. There were issues when smoked fish were packed in plastic, rather than air dried, many moons ago. I do boil my home canned tomatoes for 15 minutes before tasting, BTW, although I do follow all the safe canning recipies. I've seen botulism poisoning, not pretty. Mary

Thank you for this info. I did a little google search, and copied this information. It seems that almost all of the outbreaks in the US are related to improper handling of restaurant food or commercially canned food. I feel assured that my home canning will be safe if I follow established safe protocals. For your perusal:

United States[edit]

All data regarding botulism antitoxin releases and laboratory confirmation of cases in the US are recorded annually by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and published on their website.[41]

• 1971 Bon Vivant botulism case On July 2, 1971, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a public warning after learning that a New York man had died and his wife had become seriously ill due to botulism after eating a can of Bon Vivant vichyssoise soup.
• Between March 31 and April 6, 1977, 59 individuals developed type B botulism. All ill persons had eaten at the same Mexican restaurant in Pontiac, Michigan and all had consumed a hot sauce made with improperly home-canned jalapeño peppers, either by adding it to their food, or by eating a nacho that had had hot sauce used in its preparation. The full clinical spectrum (mild symptomatology with neurologic findings through life-threatening ventilatory paralysis) of type B botulism was documented.[44]
• In April 1994, the largest outbreak of botulism in the United States since 1978 occurred in El Paso, Texas. Thirty persons were affected; 4 required mechanical ventilation. All ate food from a Greek restaurant. The attack rate among persons who ate a potato-based dip was 86% (19/22) compared with 6% (11/176) among persons who did not eat the dip (relative risk [RR] Å 13.8; 95% confidence interval [CI], 7.6–25.1). The attack rate among persons who ate an eggplant-based dip was 67% (6/9) compared with 13% (24/189) among persons who did not (RR Å 5.2; 95% CI, 2.9–9.5). Botulism toxin type A was detected from patients and in both dips. Toxin formation resulted from holding aluminum foil-wrapped baked potatoes at room temperature, apparently for several days, before they were used in the dips. Food handlers should be informed of the potential hazards caused by holding foil-wrapped potatoes at ambient temperatures after cooking.[45]
• Beginning in late June 2007, 8 people contracted botulism poisoning by eating canned food products produced by Castleberry's Food Company in its Augusta, Georgia plant. It was later identified that the Castleberry's plant had serious production problems on a specific line of retorts that had under-processed the cans of food. These issues included broken cooking alarms, leaking water valves and inaccurate temperature devices, all the result of poor management of the company. All of the victims were hospitalized and placed on mechanical ventilation. The Castleberry's Food Company outbreak was the first instance of botulism in commercial canned foods in the United States in over 30 years.[citation needed]
• One person died, 21 cases were confirmed, and 10 more were suspected in Lancaster, Ohio when a botulism outbreak occurred after a church potluck in April 2015. The suspected source was a salad made from home-canned potatoes.[46]

 

[lazy gardener]

Back to regularly scheduled programming: BJ, I had put one of my cockrels into my main flock along with some same aged pullets, thinking that he would be a good addition color, size, and comb wise to next year's chicks. Upon continued observation, I decided that he is a bit knock kneed. So, he will not be allowed to play in the gene pool. Tried to add an other candidate, but he was not well received. So, entire breeding program rests on Jack's shoulders for yet an other year. Unless, I have a broody between now and October. In that case, any broody raised cockrels would be shoe in's for further assessment.

 

[donrae]

I'm sure Jack is willing to take one for the team!!