Canning Question...

[Dinkyjean]

Maybe I missed the answer to my question during my search...if so, I appoligize.

I can food straight from my garden. I am wanting to learn how to can meats, since I also butcher my own beef, pork, chicken, and supplement them with wild game. I do NOT use a presure canner, so at this time, I either freeze or dehydrate certain veggies and all meats.

I do not want a presure canner. I do it all with the water bath method. What do I need to add or do to the low acid veggies and the meats to be ablbe to water bath can them? What do I add, and how much do I add?

ANY advice on this would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks all!!

[wyldflwr]

DinkyJean, you can not can anything low acid without pressure canning. You need the high temps from the pressure canner to kill bacteria so that what you can doesn't spoil.

I use a pressure canner and single burner that uses propane, outside of course, to can my vegies, meats and beans.

[AlgoRhythms]

Originally Posted by wyldflwr

DinkyJean, you can not can anything low acid without pressure canning. You need the high temps from the pressure canner to kill bacteria so that what you can doesn't spoil.

I use a pressure canner and single burner that uses propane, outside of course, to can my vegies, meats and beans.

+1. This is the right answer. Don't mess around. Use a pressure cooker for canning low acid foods. Period.

[FarmerJohn]

we only use the water bath for making jams and jellies for veggies and such we use a pressure canner nothing will ruin your day like a good dose of botulism

[Gypsymoonfarm]

Originally Posted by Dinkyjean

Maybe I missed the answer to my question during my search...if so, I appoligize.

I can food straight from my garden. I am wanting to learn how to can meats, since I also butcher my own beef, pork, chicken, and supplement them with wild game. I do NOT use a presure canner, so at this time, I either freeze or dehydrate certain veggies and all meats.

I do not want a presure canner. I do it all with the water bath method. What do I need to add or do to the low acid veggies and the meats to be ablbe to water bath can them? What do I add, and how much do I add?

ANY advice on this would be GREATLY appreciated! Thanks all!!

I learned to can meat a couple months ago. I watched Michigansnowpony on Youtube and I followed her advice. I have a video about canning venison and pork, I'm Gypsymoonfarm there also.

It is scary at first but if you try it twice you will never look back. It's very rewarding to be able to see all those jars of meat on the shelf and it makes cooking for the family on a workday much easier.

I got my canner cheaply at the Salvation Army. It has it's own quirks but it works fine. You could buy one online or at most superstores.

[Dinkyjean]

OK...thanks for the info...now that creates another set of questions for you.

Where can I find a listing of temps and times for presure canning, and is this something I can do on my wood burning stove? What brand would you recommend and how would be the easiest way for me to learn how to use this thing properly?

[miss becky]

http://www.survivalistboards.com/sho...t=home+canning

[FarmerJohn]

Originally Posted by Dinkyjean

OK...thanks for the info...now that creates another set of questions for you.

Where can I find a listing of temps and times for presure canning, and is this something I can do on my wood burning stove? What brand would you recommend and how would be the easiest way for me to learn how to use this thing properly?

I would say you can do it on a woodburning stove if you can maintain consistancy in your temp of the fire

the books put out by dept of agriculture and is pretty inclusive for all types of canning

Amazon.com: Complete Guide to Home Canning and... Amazon.com: Complete Guide to Home Canning and...
Amazon.com: Complete Guide to Home Canning and...

[Gypsymoonfarm]

Originally Posted by Dinkyjean

OK...thanks for the info...now that creates another set of questions for you.

Where can I find a listing of temps and times for presure canning, and is this something I can do on my wood burning stove? What brand would you recommend and how would be the easiest way for me to learn how to use this thing properly?

I use the Ball Blue Book for my own. I like the looks of the one FarmerJohn has in his post though.

[ranger 81]

good advise there , I was just going to menton the sticky section for canning. r 81

[Monique]

I'll add that I just started canning meat, and it's easy, easy. You have to do super-careful cleanup just as you would with anything involving raw meat, but the process is very simple. I've been raw-pack canning beef and chicken. Only issue has been too little broth.

[vhbrown2]

Regardless of what canner you buy, book you read or video you watch, I suggest going through the entire process with plain water. Get a feel for your canner...how long before the water boils, what temperature keeps the pressure steady, etc. With a wood stove, you might want to practice that. Meats require 10lbs pressure for 90 minutes...

This is a great way to get comfortable with a pressure canner. I was scared of mine until I ran through the plain-water process a couple of times.

[Herbalpagan]

I use the Ball Blue book and also the book that came with my pressure canner. I got a presto from WalMart and it works fine. I believe you can use it on your wood cooker, you just have to be able to keep the temperature fairly steady for 70 minutes for most items.
You MUST pressure can vegetables and meat to ensure safety!

[SgtBooker44]

Originally Posted by Dinkyjean

OK...thanks for the info...now that creates another set of questions for you.

Where can I find a listing of temps and times for presure canning, and is this something I can do on my wood burning stove? What brand would you recommend and how would be the easiest way for me to learn how to use this thing properly?

Anywhere you buy jars, lids etc you can get the Ball Blue Book. It's a great starter book on canning. It's reviewed every year and is very reasonably priced.

I pressure can chicken, beef and pork plain. A pint jar holds about 1 pound, a quart holds 2 pounds. Anytime I can find boneless, skinless chicken under $2 a pound, 2 cases of pints go into the canner.

[SgtBooker44]

Something I forgot to add, check with your county cooperative extension and see if they have a Master Food Preserver Program. Just Google your county and cooperative extension. Awesome classes and training.

[oldandcrotchety]

I'll poke my 2¢ in here. Although it can be done on a wood stove, it would be so much easier to do on a gas burner. You can have the burner turned up a ways to get the temp and pressure up in the canner, and then as it approaches the 10 or 11 # reading on the gauge, you can turn it down slowly until it stops right where you want it to stay. Even then, you may have to occasionally adjust the flame slightly to maintain it just right. Much harder to do this on a wood stove. Also, someone recommended the presto canner. I would second that. It is inexpensive compared to most, and does an excellent job. An All American is better, (much better) in my opinion because it has been made to a tolerance so close that you don't even have to have a gasket, and if you can afford one then that would be the one to get. But, as for me, all I can do is drool over one of those. If you don't have a gas or propane stove, you might get a stand-alone burner and a bottle of propane to use just for canning. When I bought my presto, it said not to do this, but I don't see why not. Fred

[Gypsymoonfarm]

Originally Posted by Monique

I'll add that I just started canning meat, and it's easy, easy. You have to do super-careful cleanup just as you would with anything involving raw meat, but the process is very simple. I've been raw-pack canning beef and chicken. Only issue has been too little broth.

I ran into the too little broth. I mix up about 1/2 cup of bullion for each quart I'm canning. If you pack your jar and add just 1/2 cup of broth they turn out very pretty without all the dried up meat poking out.

[ForestBeekeeper]

Low acid foods require pressure-cooker canning.

However not everything is low acid.

Meats like beef, pork, poultry, fish, mutton, chevron, and venison can all be canned using hot-water-bath methods if you use tomato juice or lemon or vinegar instead of water. The end pH must be 5 or higher.

We do both pressure-cooker canning and hot-water-bath canning every year. It depends mostly on what recipe my wife is using.

I am not sure about other meats; we only can those meats that I listed [beef, pork, poultry, fish, mutton, chevron, and venison]. If you wanted to can something else, then I am not sure. But for these the primary principle is always low-acid needs a pressure-cooker while high acid can be hot-water-bath canned.

Now do not forget the other methods commonly used for preserving meats

Canning, dehydrating, smoking, corning, pickling, freezing, and freeze-drying.

[Ammon]

There is one way I know of, that was used back in the 1800's, but because I would not use it myself, I don't want to cause others the temptation of using the method either.


I had a botulism scare one time. I ended up not getting sick, but thought I was going to. I took a sharpie and wrote on my torso what I had eaten. at what time it had been eaten, why I thought it may have been contaminated with botulism, and a few other key details, so if I were to call 911, they would not waste time trying to diagnose me.

That was one of the worst and most scary instances I've been through, and would say, WHATEVER reason you have, to not use a pressure canner, drop it. Get rid of whatever objection you have, and get one. $60 is worth the security it gives to your health. if you water bath everything already, you must not be concerned with the energy consumption because with a pressure canner it will only be marginally more.

[cranky1950]

For meat canning information go here-
USDA HOME CANNING CENTER
and here-
Ball Website

The big factor is that you follow the recipes exactly so the viscosity of the product remains true to the tested recipe. The recipes presented on the ball site and the home canning center have been tested to death and are guaranteed not to kill you if you follow the directions.