[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Jars (now with 106% more venison) (Page 4 of 12)
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OdT Its been a while since i checked in on this one, and hadnt seen the pickled salmon till now. Did you end up processing any of it, or just pickle it in the fridge as is? if so, how long does it last in the ffreezer? thanks nice work! I just stuck it in to the fridge. Reports of how long it lasts vary quite a bit, but I'd say I ate the last jar by about 10 weeks or so. It would have likely lasted longer, but to be honest, I couldn't stop myself from eating it.  Yes, I enjoyed it that much.
Not sure if I already commented on it, but on the next batch I will dilute the pickling solution with water slightly to reduce the powerful/strong flavors just a bit, and reduce the lemon slices by half. The lemon was sometimes over-powering rather than a compliment, with pieces that were actually touching the lemon. I also intend to add garlic next time. Dunno how that escaped the recipe last time. Try it. You'll love it. 
ill have to try it, i still have 30+ pounds of reds in my freezer from alaska! |
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This thread is great - internet-enabled knowledge exchange at its best.
Surprised it hasn't been brought up yet, but if you're interested in canning (and you should be!), consider Jackie Clay's canning book available from Backwoods Home Magazine: Growing and Canning Your Own Food This woman is a true guru of home food preservation. Browsing her "Ask Jackie Clay" column on BHM's site is time well spent. (I have no affiliation with the magazine or Ms. Clay. Wish I did.) |
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We've been loving the chicken I put up. I actually have to say I prefer that which is just in water with a little salt over the broth. I only used 1/4 tsp in the last batch and it really could have used a little more. I will probably up that to 1/2 - 3/4 tsp next time. We've been using it on nachos, chicken salad sandwiches, and I'm trying to get the wife to whip up some of her sour cream chicken enchiladas.
Next on the agenda are ham and beef. It just depends on which I find at a good price first. I just missed the $0.99/lb hams. Ham is going to get just water. Beef will get the water/salt mix. I think I'm also going to have to can some duck stock when I make it. That way I can use it for wild rice anytime I want. OdT, this thread is full of win! |
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Quoted: We've been loving the chicken I put up. I actually have to say I prefer that which is just in water with a little salt over the broth. I only used 1/4 tsp in the last batch and it really could have used a little more. I will probably up that to 1/2 - 3/4 tsp next time. We've been using it on nachos, chicken salad sandwiches, and I'm trying to get the wife to whip up some of her sour cream chicken enchiladas. Next on the agenda are ham and beef. It just depends on which I find at a good price first. I just missed the $0.99/lb hams. Ham is going to get just water. Beef will get the water/salt mix. I think I'm also going to have to can some duck stock when I make it. That way I can use it for wild rice anytime I want. OdT, this thread is full of win! Cool deal. You have me dreaming about chicken enchiladas now  |
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We've been loving the chicken I put up. I actually have to say I prefer that which is just in water with a little salt over the broth. I only used 1/4 tsp in the last batch and it really could have used a little more. I will probably up that to 1/2 - 3/4 tsp next time. We've been using it on nachos, chicken salad sandwiches, and I'm trying to get the wife to whip up some of her sour cream chicken enchiladas. Next on the agenda are ham and beef. It just depends on which I find at a good price first. I just missed the $0.99/lb hams. Ham is going to get just water. Beef will get the water/salt mix. I think I'm also going to have to can some duck stock when I make it. That way I can use it for wild rice anytime I want. OdT, this thread is full of win! Don't forget that the presliced, thin, hams make an excellent jerky. TRG |
Makes me wana can. My mom did all meats jelly and fruit and veggies. I called her and started quizin her on cannin she said its too much work for just her. Since kids are all raised and moved away. She said i could have all her cannin supplie she has a couple pressure cookers and probally a few hundred jars and boxes of rings. She said she has enough stuff i need to bring my truck when i come get it. Too bad my sibblings moved out of state and i only live across town  BTW GREAT THREAD
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Home canned beef with mushrooms served over fried red potato. I'm not sure how many bites it took to finish my plate, but I'm pretty sure it was all of them.  Recipe used:
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Looks great! That sure is an assload of beans. 
Damn good source of vitamins, fiber and protein. I am a vegetarian and eat alot of beans. I got a pressure cooker fror XMAS and can now cook my beans in about 10 minutes (after soaking them in cold water for 24 hrs) It is amazing how long a 25# bag of black bean will feed you, for pennies a serving! AC |
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Quoted: Looks great! That sure is an assload of beans. Damn good source of vitamins, fiber and protein. I am a vegetarian and eat alot of beans. I got a pressure cooker fror XMAS and can now cook my beans in about 10 minutes (after soaking them in cold water for 24 hrs) It is amazing how long a 25# bag of black bean will feed you, for pennies a serving! AC Yes, it's very economical eating. I can't recall if I've already posted about costs in this thread, but with the price of the jars, most of the meats have ended up around $4 per jar. As the jars are reused over and over, the costs will of course average down to more sane levels. Most meals we make average around $3-4 per plate/serving with all the ingredients and rounded up to account for the electricity used. But we use rice and beans in a large portion of them, so I'm sure that helps on the end price. Not bad for healthy home cooked meals, and competitive with the pre-packaged trash that many of us consume. (we happen to like both rice and beans prepared in many variations, so it's not a cost thing foremost for us) The frozen meats/foods also cost money to store, which is another perk with canning at home, and with the dry goods. Wish I had started this hobby long before we did. Cooking with the end product has been a ton of fun for us too. Extremely versatile and simple to use. |
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Quoted: Hey OdT, what cuts of beef have you been canning? This is something I want to do soon. We used top round on the first batch, which we canned with store bought beef broth and a clove of garlic in each jar. The later batch of beef we used water and salt only in the jars with the beef, (same with the other meats too), and we definitely prefer those ingredients. More versatile product, easily spiced during meal prep. But I don't recall which cut of beef we used on the second batch. I do recall it was $1.99 per pound, and it wasn't nearly as lean as the top round. Better product in our opinion. We're down to only three jars of beef left out of all. By far the most popular in this house. It's just about time for us to fire up a new batch. If I can remember, I'll report back with whatever cut we use next time. |
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Sometime soon I'll work a pressure canner into the budget. Right now I've got some money set aside for a chest freezer. When I get the other bedroom cleaned up and organized a bit I'll buy one from Sam's.
Canner vs. freezer –– each has advantages and disadvantages –– for my current situation the chest freezer is the priority. This should expand our long term food storage (albeit dependent on electricity) and allow us to buy in bulk during sales to stock up. It also takes a whole lot less thinking to throw something in the freezer and 'forget it' than to go through the entire canning process. Probably less electricity costs as well. The 7cf chest freezer I have my eye on uses an estimated $30 per year of electricity (and the average rate they used to compute this is close to what we pay).
My family and I are looking at doing a large garden this year at my grandmother's farm. If we did, I'd probably grab a pressure canner for that. I bet that'd be fun –– have the canner set up next to the garden, pick some green beans, rinse, then can them straight out of the garden. 
Odt, what recipes do you normally use to can things? Do you try to follow something from the Ball book, or perhaps the USDA guide, or what? Not having canned meat I wouldn't have the slightest idea...all the recipes I've perused seem to be 'plain' while yours look quite elaborate. |
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Quoted: Sometime soon I'll work a pressure canner into the budget. Right now I've got some money set aside for a chest freezer. When I get the other bedroom cleaned up and organized a bit I'll buy one from Sam's. Canner vs. freezer –– each has advantages and disadvantages –– for my current situation the chest freezer is the priority. This should expand our long term food storage (albeit dependent on electricity) and allow us to buy in bulk during sales to stock up. It also takes a whole lot less thinking to throw something in the freezer and 'forget it' than to go through the entire canning process. Probably less electricity costs as well. The 7cf chest freezer I have my eye on uses an estimated $30 per year of electricity (and the average rate they used to compute this is close to what we pay).My family and I are looking at doing a large garden this year at my grandmother's farm. If we did, I'd probably grab a pressure canner for that. I bet that'd be fun –– have the canner set up next to the garden, pick some green beans, rinse, then can them straight out of the garden. Odt, what recipes do you normally use to can things? Do you try to follow something from the Ball book, or perhaps the USDA guide, or what? Not having canned meat I wouldn't have the slightest idea...all the recipes I've perused seem to be 'plain' while yours look quite elaborate. Right on. I'd get the freezer before the canner too. (both in the long run, as you've planned) You may have good reason to want a chest freezer rather than an upright. But if you don't, you might want to consider how much of a pain it can be to have to dig to find what you're looking for while bent over in a chest freezer. Uprights freezers, with all the shelves and door pockets are usually a bit more user-friendly. (I know some folks have specific needs for the chest style, but thought I should mention it if you hadn't considered your options) I went over some of the recipe choices earlier in the thread, but they might be a pain to find. Basically, we went with a combination of recipes found in the Ball book, the canners manual, talking to other folks who have canned for decades, and finally with experimentation. Here's what we've settled on, by choice; Beef- Water and salt Chicken- Water and salt Pork- Water and salt Ham- Water only Smoked salmon- Specific and elaborate recipe, received from a friend. Great snack.... too rich to use as a meal. Turkey- My girlfriend did ours at her aunts house on Thanksgiving day, (their family tradition, I had to work). Believe it or not, they just put the pre-cooked meat right in the jar without any liquid or seasonings. I don't know how they came up with that method, but they've been doing it that way for a long time. They have been sharing it with us for several years prior, and it's definitely good eats. (I cooked our turkey on our smoker before she took it to her aunts house, so our batch from this past year has a nice smoked flavor) We may still try new recipes in the future, but that's what we've settled on so far. Good luck. |
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Quoted: Hey Odt, can't remember if I asked this before or not but what are you expecting to get for storage life out of stuff like this? I'm very interested and have started looking at canners, books, recipes etc. J- Answers vary quite a bit on that question. The books all suggest '1 year', if stored properly (cool, dark, and dry). Ours are stored in the house, which is seldom cool, but they are dark & dry in the lower pantry cabinets. Growing up, we frequently ate home canned foods that were in excess of two years after the process dates. And my father recently bragged to me that he's currently eating stuff from five years back. (fruits and veggies) Neither of us have ever had any complaints about the taste or texture. However, some of the fruits do lose color. Our old joke is 'that if you're hungry enough, it'll taste wonderful' Anyhow, I suppose it's a personal choice. I'm not concerned about stretching storage length beyond what the lawyers write down. I do inspect the lids for rust or damage when opening however. (I also recall my parents throwing some home canned foods out when I was young, due to some pretty deep rust on the lids) Good luck |
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Hey Odt, can't remember if I asked this before or not but what are you expecting to get for storage life out of stuff like this? I'm very interested and have started looking at canners, books, recipes etc. J- Answers vary quite a bit on that question. The books all suggest '1 year', if stored properly (cool, dark, and dry). Ours are stored in the house, which is seldom cool, but they are dark & dry in the lower pantry cabinets. Growing up, we frequently ate home canned foods that were in excess of two years after the process dates. And my father recently bragged to me that he's currently eating stuff from five years back. (fruits and veggies) Neither of us have ever had any complaints about the taste or texture. However, some of the fruits do lose color. Our old joke is 'that if you're hungry enough, it'll taste wonderful'
Anyhow, I suppose it's a personal choice. I'm not concerned about stretching storage length beyond what the lawyers write down. I do inspect the lids for rust or damage when opening however. (I also recall my parents throwing some home canned foods out when I was young, due to some pretty deep rust on the lids) Good luck copy thanks sounds good J- |
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Our old joke is 'that if you're hungry enough, it'll taste wonderful' My parents have some tomatoes my grandmother canned in 1984 still sitting on a shelf in their kitchen. Bottom shelf way out of the way behind stuff...they don't rotate things out that often, apparently. 
I'd be tempted to throw out the sludge and reuse the glass jars but even that would probably give me the willies. 
You are welcome to sample them if you'd like.
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Hey OdT, what cuts of beef have you been canning? This is something I want to do soon. ODT inspired me to get into canning. I've been buying chuck roast at Costco. I trim as much fat off it as I can. See the thread here.... Canned Beef |
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Looking sharp In spirit of the fun we've been having experimenting with the jar meats, here's another meal prep. It looks like we haven't been using much of the canned pork shoulder (photoed earlier in this thread), so that will be the center of my meal at work later tonight. After a quick look in the fridge, I found an open can of tomato sauce, and some leftover sliced green onion. In to the pot;
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Cripes. |
ODT....I could put a smile on my face and give you a good punch in the arm....you've made me hungry AND I want to start canning even more. I just ate some smoked brisket from a lodge fundraiser a little while ago.
I got a bunch of old mason jars down out of the attic a few days ago, now I need to get lids, etc. and something to put in them. Has anyone used a turkey/fish fryer burner outdoors to heat the pressure canner? I'd like to keep as much heat out of the kitchen as possible since, well...it's summer and the electric bill will go up.
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Cripes. No kidding....that's a lot of jars. |
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Quoted: ODT....I could put a smile on my face and give you a good punch in the arm....you've made me hungry AND I want to start canning even more. I just ate some smoked brisket from a lodge fundraiser a little while ago. I got a bunch of old mason jars down out of the attic a few days ago, now I need to get lids, etc. and something to put in them. Has anyone used a turkey/fish fryer burner outdoors to heat the pressure canner? I'd like to keep as much heat out of the kitchen as possible since, well...it's summer and the electric bill will go up.I would be comfortable using a propane burner outside if the wind was very mild or blocked 99%, but no, I haven't tried it personally with a pressure canner. With the water bath method, it works beautifully. 360 jars above. 20 cases of quarts, 10 cases of pints. We're going to experiment with vacuum sealing some dry goods in the quarts soon. With the jars at .75¢ ea., it won't take many repeat uses to pay for themselves, instead of using the vacuum sealer bags.... which aren't cheap or reusable. |
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Quoted: I thought you don't want a bunch of light getting to your jars? That's what they say. (keeping the boxes for that very reason) Without a decent way for us to do that, this will have to suffice. 102 jars of dry goods done, just in time for something cool to sip on-  Pearled Barley  Month & year  40 lbs barley, 50 lbs pinto beans, 50 lbs rice. (and some red beans that had lost their seal in the vacuum bags)  We got new counter top canisters too.  |
| For canning dry beans and rice. Where did you get that vac top? And how long do you usually have the beans a rice last. My wife and I eat a lot of rice and beans fixed various ways. After reading this I'm going to give it a try and buy some 50lb bags which should be WAY cheaper. |
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New shelves assembled and fastened to the wall just in case. Pickup unloaded. Now we're ready. http://media.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=18632 YOu might want to put something to keep the cases from sliding off the shelves. Maybe just some rope or something. I have done a little of the vacsealing dry good in the jars. Most of mine is in Mylar. I like the jars for the stuff we use in smaller amounts. |
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Quoted: For canning dry beans and rice. Where did you get that vac top? And how long do you usually have the beans a rice last. My wife and I eat a lot of rice and beans fixed various ways. After reading this I'm going to give it a try and buy some 50lb bags which should be WAY cheaper. The vac jar sealer attachment was free with the sealer. I had no idea such a gadget even existed until we got it home and opened the box. I don't know how long they will last when stored this way. It's a bit of an experiment. Odds are that they will be eaten within a few years as we rotate new stock in. For prices Purchased in bulk-
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Quoted: The shelves have a rib to prevent that.Quoted: New shelves assembled and fastened to the wall just in case. Pickup unloaded. Now we're ready. http://media.ar15.com/media/viewFile.html?i=18632 YOu might want to put something to keep the cases from sliding off the shelves. Maybe just some rope or something. I have done a little of the vacsealing dry good in the jars. Most of mine is in Mylar. I like the jars for the stuff we use in smaller amounts. |
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Without a decent way for us to do that, this will have to suffice. What about in the shop, above the carport, back in the back of the pickup, move a child? 
Any room in your shop? I know for a fact he has 12,000+ sf under roof. It's a compound over there. |
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Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: I know for a fact he has 12,000+ sf under roof. It's a compound over there. I've 'added on' since you were here. You're clearly out of control. I'm still waiting on pics of that greenhouse, btw.  I wouldn't be surprised if he has added more since I was there, a couple of hours ago. |