Saturday, April 17, 2010

I have one left....



This is my last jar of Beef Stew that I canned last year.  The reason I am showing this, is that I wanted share a little secret.  I didn't have enough Roast Beef (from another dinner) to make this large batch of stew, so I added some of my Freeze-Dried Beef to the recipe. 

In the middle of the winter, when it is cold and snowy (and you are really short on time....the story of my life!) there is nothing as welcoming as some hearty stew and homemade biscuits.  That is what happened to the rest of my bottled stew...and it was a wonderful convenience for me and great conversation-starter for my family at dinner time.  It's something to consider...and is really easy to do.  Please remember that the LRH does not do anything that is "too hard"....I just don't have the time....or patience!

Addendum:  I received a request for the recipe.  I used the following recipe from the Ball Blue Book of Preserving page 61.  It is also found at http://www.freshpreserving.com/

Beef Stew  Makes about 7 (32 oz) quarts or 14 (16 oz) pints

You will need:

 4 to 5 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
 12 cups cubed and peeled potatoes (about 12 medium)
 8 cups sliced carrots (about 16 small)
 3 cups chopped celery (about 5 stalks)
 3 cups chopped onion (about 4 small)
 1-1/2 Tbsp salt
 1 tsp thyme
 1/2 tsp pepper
 Water

 7 (32 oz) quart or 14 (16 oz) pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Directions:

1.) PREPARE pressure canner. Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Set bands aside.

2.) BROWN meat in oil in a large saucepot. Add vegetables and seasonings to browned meat. Cover with boiling water. Bring stew to a boil. Remove from heat.

3.) LADLE hot stew into hot jars leaving 1 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center hot lid on jar. Apply band and adjust until fit is fingertip tight.

4.) PROCESS filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure 1 hour and 15 minutes for pints and 1 hour and 30 minutes for quarts, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.

2 comments:

Sondra said...

Do you have the recipe posted somewhere? I'd love to start canning my own soups, stews and chili. I'm having a difficult time finding canning times for soups with meat in them. I'd love it if you could give me the link or do a post on canning your beef stew. Thanks for the great idea!

The Little Red Hen said...

There are several recipes that can be found both online and in the Ball Blue Book of Preserving. Here is a link to the Ball site for this recipe http://tinyurl.com/y45av93. Also, Page 61 of the Ball Blue book as many different types of Soups and Stew recipes.

Enjoy!

01 09 10