Posted on 04/13/2011 5:41:50 AM PDT by djf
There was a very short news item on the late news Monday evening.
It was a statement by the manager at a local hardware chain that said that the canning goods (jars, lids, etc) were literally flying off the shelf and he was selling the stuff as soon as he could unload it off the truck. He is hearing stories after stories of people putting in gardens and planning on trying home canning.
Have FReepers heard similar stories about people trying canning for the first time?
Have any FReepers ever had botulism?
Hints and tips about canning would be good, while it sounds easy enough, it seems to me it would also be easy to make a small mistake with VERY deadly results.
Does anyone know whether botulism always causes a gas release, so if stuff is bad, it will start to pressurize?
Symptoms? Signs?
First aid for botulism? Anything at all people at home can do, or is an emergency room trip a must?
Our parents and grandparents would often store things in vinegar because the acid kills the bacteria. Anybody have good recipes/ideas/results from this kind of storage/canning?
Bookmark for anticipated reference :>)
I’ve been surrounded all my life by people who can their own produce. Forty years ago I did know one family whose members got botulism from bad canned goods. One family. Forty years ago.
If you follow the instructions and make sure all the jars ares are sealed properly, you shouldn't have issues.
Of course, it is much more fun to run through the forum screaming "BOTULISM!!!! WE ARE ALL GONNA DIE!!!!
"AND IT IS GEORGE BUSH'S FAULT!!!!"
It would seem to me that people are concerned with the leadership of this country today, and are preparing for the worst. One cannot blame them for being concerned after these past couple of years of the Obama mismanagement of our Nation.
There are many books available on canning to help anyone interested do it properly, and safely.
Realize you are probably talking about families that learned how to do it from their grandparents and had generations of experience behind them.
Not newbies who read something on the web about it or has the “Canning for Dummies” book!
Be smart and avoid the problem.
The bug is anerobic, but produces gas as it grows.
If the can/jar has a “bubble” on the top/lid, DON’T EAT IT.
Also, let your nose rule. If it smells bad, DON’T EAT IT.
If someone you know or love dies from it, don’t blame me.
I’m just asking questions so that I and everybody else can learn more about it and do it safe.
Home canning is safe and easy. The trick is to can what is so over-abundant that your ability to consume it freshly would result in most of your stock rotting.
Stuff like tomatoes, pears, plums, beets, eggs, green beans, pickles, apples, carrots, and even monster size cuts of chuck roast or serloin. Canned beef is the absolute best!
A good rule of thumb is to can one jar for each day of the year to supplement what you may bake or cook that day. It's unrealistic to think canning will be the sole source of your diet.
Hint.........Dry beans, rice, root crops in a root cellar, dried fruit, dry fish and meat, dry milk, lard, coffee beans bought in 25lb bulk, sugar and flour in 50lb bags will keep you fed all year.
Thanks. I had read that it produces gas and will cause cans to bulge.
Over the years, very rarely, I have opened older cans of stuff (professionally canned) that have had bulges and promptly thrown it away.
We have canned for yrs with no problems. To store rice and flour—freeze the item for 30 days at 0 F. This kills the bug eggs. Then store in food grade 5 gallon plastic buckets.
Green beans have to be pressure canned to avoid toxic problems. Most everything else can be water bathed.
I have canned for literally 27 years. No botulism. In fact, I can honestly say (as with most canners) that our finished product is far safer than anything you buy at the grocery store. It isn’t a complicated process. It is simply about cleanliness, following directions, sterilizing the equipment and following simple directions. If something didn’t go “right”, the jar won’t seal. Personally, I think we have enough to worry about then someone canning peaches or making blueberry jam. IMHO.
You do know that canning is 200 year old technology, right?
Of course.
But I also know that with all the things going on, there is going to be alot of people trying things that they never did before.
And I am wondering if other FReepers had heard of friends or acquaintances saying they were going to try canning for the first time.
I am a home canner and have been for years. There are very good articles on Backwoods Home magazine on the subject written by Jackie Clay. Here is one on canning meats in a pressure canner. http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/clay105.html At this link, you can read many many articles on the subject by Jackie, and she has tons of great recipes too. I recommend subscribing to the magazine.
I had been canning fruits and pickles in a water bath for years, but reading Jackie’s articles gave me the courage to venture into canning low acid foods like veggies, meats, stews and the like in a pressure canner.
The USDA has free online canning guidelines here: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html
Careful there. If it's meat, you must pressure can it. If it's low-acid veggies (like green beans), you must pressure can it.
Absolutely best advice I can give is get the Ball Blue Book and follow it. It's under 5 bucks at Wal-mart and is truly the canning bible.
Preemptive fretting. A cheap attempt to scare the little people back to being totally dependent on others for every scrap of food instead of being more self sufficient.
My whole family has been canning food since I was a little kid, and we have never had a case of botulism from anything.
For starters, anyone who cans food knows that a bulging canning seal means the food has spoiled, and if the food has spoiled it generally smells pretty bad and might even have mold in it.
Everyone I know who cans uses a good canning cook book and they follow the directions closely.
I would also point out that spare canning rings and seals are a must have item for any emergency preparedness pantry.
Right you are FrogMom! Every canner that I know uses the Ball Blue book as their canning “bible”. It is complete with details, descriptions, and even pictures (canning peaches for example). People can also buy them on Ebay.
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