Posted on 08/12/2017 2:00:52 AM PDT by Oshkalaboomboom
I either read or dreamed that I read in one of the SHTF preparedness manuals that one of the religious orders usually has a canning facility set up in their halls so members can get ready for the future and save via economy of scale. Was that the Jehova's Witnesses? Can nonbelievers use their facility?
Mormon.
My grandmother canned with wire racks stacked in boiling water, over an outdoor wood fire using a large cast iron cauldron, sunbonnet and all. Seems wild now recalling that, sounds so ancient, but she did, right into the late 70’s. Some of my relatives still have some of her fox grape pickles (pickled cucumbers, grape leaves and grapes). Her canned pork sausage was to die for, didn’t look like much in a Mason jar though.
You’re better off just buying an array of nutritious canned goods. Somebody up in Alaska already crammed a salmon into a can and cooked it for your convenience. Just don’t forget your can opener.
I think wanting to know how to can food is a good thing, it’s not necessarily expensive if you already have the jars and canning supplies, can be done over an outdoor wood fire as I noted above. If you don’t have jars and canning supplies it’s gotten expensive. If you’re concerned over some sort of economic catastrophe, those store-bought canned goods put back will only last for so long, then you’re on your own and will need some means of preserving what you produce to tide you over the winter. Develop a taste for turnips, I suggest. Apples, too. Learn how to dry them on a screen and you can make apple pies, apple butter, apple cobbler, all winter long.
A guy I used to work with once said that if things go to hell, all you would need to survive is a good gun and a good Mormon friend.
You can buy a water bath canner (pot) from Walmart for about $ 20.00. The jars you can also get at Walmart and various grocery stores. You also need lids & rings, those can be purchased separately. The lids you only use once. I’ve done canning all my life, if there’s anything else you need to know, don’t hesitate to contact me.
And if the S really does HTF the last thing you’ll really need is fifteen quarts of sweet pickle chips.
Ask my wife about that. She’s already vacuum-frozen a lot of green beans and okra out of garden, a lot of jars of tomatoes she’s preserved, and there’s a big colander of cukes sitting in the kitchen waiting to be pickled. She’s got the spices and the salt to do it, but I caught hell tonight for forgetting sugar at the market. (I like the bold garlic-dill kosher spears, myself.)
If it’s all you’ve got it’ll beat grass. Or dirt.
https://providentliving.lds.org/self-reliance/food-storage/home-storage-center-order-form?lang=eng
The LDS (Mormon) Church has food for storage. The big advantage is it mostly has a 20-30 year shelf life. Instead of rotating your cans that have an 18-month “best by” date, you can buy and forget. I still recommend that you cook with the long-term foods occasionally, just so you know how, but it’s easier. Also, their prices are lower than other sources with extended shelf life or even many grocery stores. And you don’t have to be a member to shop there, whether online or in person.
Their cans are not my only stored food, but they are a major part of my emergency preparations. I also have MREs, regular cans that I do rotate, and a couple other options.
Buy a pile of military P38 can openers scatter then around your life to make sure that never happens.
http://olive-drab.com/od_rations_p38.php
https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Opener-Pack-Military-Issue/dp/B00DMSQT5M
I have my issues with Mormonism but on this point, they’re right and we would be well advised to learn from them.
Thank you, Mormon was the answer I was looking for if not necessarily the one I wanted to hear. I live in Spain and see lots of Jehova’s Witnesses but don’t recall ever seeing a LDS facility.
I agree with the others - why go through the expense and risk of canning when you’ve still got Sam’s Club well-stocked. By a good supply there (as I’ve done), a bunch of rice and/or noodles, and you’re pretty much set for months, or even years if you want to go that far.
If we ever get to the point where home-canning is the only option left (i.e., a year or two into a crisis where there’s no food), I’m not sure I’d want to stick around to see the social nightmare associated with that.
If the shtf it’ll be the Mormons who’d better be armed. Their secret is out. Once the grocery shelves are empty we’re all going to their house.
...and also, store-bought canned foods last a very long time - far beyond their stamped dates. I’ve eaten them 4 or 5 years out without no effect on quality, and I don’t even make an effort to store them properly (i.e., keep them cool). You can find articles talking 20 to even 50 years out.
You can get a lot of what you need off of Craigslist. I’ve been canning for a number of years including meats. It is my favorite way of keeping venison.
The equipment you will need is a pressure canner (http://www.pressurecooker-outlet.com/Mirro-Pressure-Canner-22-Quart.htm), jars and lids. It is not recommended to pressure can above 8000 ft above sea level.
Don’t double cook the food are you will turn it into mush. Put the raw or lightly cooked food into the jar and pressure can it for 70-90 minutes. I can at the shorter time but use 15 PSI. Remove the rings and wash the jars after they have cooled. Store in a cold steady temperature such as a basement and keep it from sun light.
Can opener not necessary for metal cans. I’ve done this for years and even a toddler could do it.
Rub the top of the can where the lid is crimped on to the body of the can on cement sidewalk a few times until the top lip is worn down. You only have to grind through a thin piece of metal. Once you’re through, remove the lid and drink your cold chicken noodle soup. This method is shown on youtube. can get through a can faster than with the P-38.
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