It's a Matter of Canning Chili.....encore post

It's a matter of ...... Chili!

Note from LRH:

This is a repost of a very popular post about canning your own Chili.  I hope you find it helpful and will try it.  It's great to have on a cold winter's day.

How to Can Chili At Home:

My son seems to like chili, but only on his terms.  That means, when the moment strikes.  Well, since we are concentrating on chili this week, I wanted to determine whether it was worth the time and resources to can my own chili for him, as he seems to like mine....when the moment strikes. 

Here is a picture of a national brand taken on 6/10/10.  The chili is on sale for $1.79 and supposedly is regularly priced at $1.99,  The LRH did peak under the tag, and it still said $1.79...but was  'regularly $1.99'.....so go figure.

I used a recipe entitled Chili Con Carne from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.  (Please see the link provided for the recipe).

The recipe begins by instructing you to soak your bean overnight.....who has time for that?  Who can remember to do that? The answer is ....certainly not me!  So, I used the quick soak method.  I brought the beans to a boil, and then turned the heat off.  Leave it for an hour.  As it turned out, on my day off, the hospital called and asked me to come in to do a specialized evaluation.  I seem to be the only one in the county who does these these types of evaluations right now.  So, I left my beans, went to the hospital, did the study, and came home.  It was about 1.5 hours in total time.

When doing this, the soaking water will look terrible.  Drain the water and wash your beans.  Here are the beans in question....in the colander.

I choose to use extra, extra lean beef as I hate to pay for something I am going to have to discard.  I also sliced my onions and put them in.  The recipe also calls for chopped peppers, but Rooster Jr. has a severe dislike for peppers, so I omitted them.

Put in all your dry seasonings.

The recipe calls for crushed or whole canned tomatoes.  This is my Tomato concoction that I make every year.  I can make spaghetti, salsa etc from it.  I will be using 2 quarts of them.

Pour the tomatoes into the meat mixture.

Incorporate the tomatoes and beans into the mixture.

After simmering for 30 minutes, place into jars and wipe the rims prior to putting on the lids and rings.

You must process these in a Pressure Canner and not in a Hot Water Bath Canner as the Chili has protein.  For Pints (at our altitude), process 75 minutes at 15 pounds of pressure.

Let the canner cool naturally, because the Chili has protein, you cannot rush this process.  Take the jars out of the canner and listen for the "pop" that let's you know they are sealed.

Now, let's talk money and time:

First, let's talk about time.  I picked  a day when I was going to be around my home most of the time.  I did not babysit this process.  I cut, cooked, bottled a few minutes at a time.  Most of the time was needed to soak (and you now know I didn't even stick around for that to occur), simmer, and process.  This is time I didn't have to spend in the kitchen, even though I would wander through to make sure everything was working as it should.  I cleaned, organized, and did work on my computer.  I even had to take my son to the Insta-care when he returned home from a High Adventure camp-out because of a little mishap he had while he was away.  I let the canner cool during that period.  (If you know my son, please don't mention this to him, he hates it when 'I let everyone know things'....he's so funny).  So, I hope you see that I didn't have to devote a tremendous amount of direct time to the process, however the cumulative process did involve hours.

Now, let's talk money.  I calculated the cost of each pint (without the cost of power, or jars/lids as I already had them) to be just under $1.00/pint.  The pint is roughly equivalent to the 15 ounce can of Chili.  The most important part of this to me was the value of knowing how to do it, knowing how to use my Food Storage Staples, and also to possibly save ~ $.79/jar. The overall savings for 10 pints is $7.90.  This is equivalent to a 55% savings.

Finally, let's discuss convenience.  My children love to open a can of soup after school, or for a quick snack.  It is also nice to have a quick meal on those nights when Dance lessons or Soccer games run really long!  It's ready and all you need to do is heat it up.

So, here is another way to stock up on one of the focus items for this week.   Pull out your Pressure Canner, or ask to borrow one from your friend or neighbor and try it!

A Review...The Organic Canner

It is no secret that I am a fan of Canning and preserving my own foods.  Even though my kids have rolled their eyes when I have asked them to help (which I think they inherited from me....I used to do that too), several of the items we have canned are preferred items.  A Case in point was when I made a batch of Strawberry jam. My youngest son ate 3 jars before warning me that I needed to make more because it wasn't going to last the winter. The goal is always to have your Food Storage and Food Preservation last the winter...and a bit beyond.

Anyone who has ventured into the world of canning inevitably has had a few questions.  That is certainly the case for me.  That is why I was really glad to read and review this new publication by Daisy Luther entitled "The Organic Canner".  (Ms. Luther gracious provided a copy of her work for me to review)

The Organic Canner....

I always wondered how folks canned or preserved items before the likes of our modern 'thickening' agents that are used in things like Jams and Jellies.  I also wondered how to ensure that you have removed all the pesticides that may be on your produce.

Additionally (and professionally), I work with families that have children with feeding and swallowing disorders.  Many of them are on some type of elimination diet due to Gastrointestinal or Allergic reasons.  These families quickly learn how to cook from scratch as prepared foods just don't meet the special needs of their little ones.

These, along with other reasons are why I was interested in reviewing this book. 

Points of Interest:

• Ms. Luther explains why she has objections to "Genetically Mutated Organisms".  She even has her own "Manifesto" which explains her views. 
• She gives 'doable' mentoring on how to water-bath and pressure can at home.
• She sheds light on how to make your own Jams and Jellies without "the box".  It is straightforward and I plan to try it as soon as berries are in season.  By using her method, you actually get 2 products....the jam and fruit syrup.  
• Canning meats is also discussed, which is a personal favorite of mine.  She highlights the serious leftovers we all often have during the holidays. Canning the extra Turkey or Ham is a great way to extend their use.
• Did you know that you may preserve Nuts such as Pecans, Walnuts, and Hazelnuts?  I once had a disaster with nuts in my pantry.  I won't go into it, but I learned a painful lesson.  I had always thought that I would need to seal nuts in jars with my dry-pack canning device.  However, I learned that you can also do this with Water-bath canning.  Yea!  I'm going to try it!
• There are many recipes that I have 'dog-eared' the corner of the page because I want to try them. Here are just a few to pique your interest: Beef stroganoff, Marinara with Meatball, Cajun Jambalaya, Sloppy Joe Filling, Deep South BBQ, Vegetables and Fruits with a twist, Random Pickled Veggies, Honey Vidalia BBQ Sauce, Taco Sauce and many more.
• She has a section dealing with canning your own recipes. She gives thoughtful advice on how to determine the method and time needed for your favorites.
• The only 'glitch' is that she refers to page 237 for directions on "Removing Pesticide from Produce" which actually appears on page 231.  This is not a big issue in my view.

I love this portion of her Disclaimer:  "Ultimately, though, you bear the responsibility for your own food and safety practices."  Overall, that is true for any food activity we participate in and is something we really need to be thoughtful about. If you are concerned about what is in your food and how it is prepared, then this book may really fit the bill for you.

If you are looking for a way to preserve your food more from a 'ground up' approach, you should consider "The Organic Canner".  As of this writing, the price is $16.75 on Amazon.  You most likely will spend more than that going out for dinner and a movie!

Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Who's got Pumpkins?

Yes, that really is a pumpkin that I used for 'decoration' during October and November.  The sad truth is, it is not the only one.  I have always thought about learning how to can pumpkin, but it just seemed daunting.  So, I never did try it. I didn't like throwing good pumpkins away, it always bothered me. So, this year, I did something about it.  

I found directions on canning Pumpkin from the University of Minnesota Extension service.  I followed their directions, but learned a few tricks along the way that I thought I would share.

After washing the pumpkin, cut it open with a sharp knife.

Initially, I cut the pumpkin in half.

After cutting the half again (making quarters), I tried a number of 'tools' to scoop out the seeds and stringy mess.  Guess which one turned out to be the best tool to use?

The best tool was a serrated Steak Knife.  I started from one corner and pulled the seed/string mixture to the center.  I flipped the piece around and repeated it on the other side.  After taking a couple of large scoops out, the knife cleaned up all the 'strings' and left the flesh.

The directions indicate that you should cut the pumpkin flesh into one inch strips and then peel.  After cleaning the inside, I put a sharp knife in the middle of the quarter piece and cut toward the tip. I repeated this process from the middle to the other tip.

"Peel"?  I had never peeled a pumpkin and thought that it might take forever. It would have too if I didn't get a bit creative.  I initially started with a sharp paring knife.  That took way to long and didn't leave a smooth surface.  I then tried a potato peeler and it worked really well,  It was relatively quick too! Look at the difference between the two above in the picture.  The only suggestion I would give is for portions of the flesh that have deep indentions.  Cut along the indentions and use the peeler on the edge to get all of the peel.

Next, cube the strips and drop them into boiling water.  Boil for 2 minutes.

I chose to use a strainer to retrieve the pumpkin dices after boiling.

I poured the hot dices of pumpkin right into the jar from the strainer by using a funnel.

Fill the jars with the hot water that you boiled the pumpkin dices in, wipe the rim and place a sterilized lip and ring on the bottle. This pumpkin made 5 quart jars of pumpkin.

Process for your area in a Pressure Canner.  As I live over 5,000 feet, I processed at 15 lbs pressure for 90 minutes.

Cost:

Now, you may be asking yourself if this worth it.  I believe it is.  I got that pumpkin for free!  A 29 oz can of pureed pumpkin (the national brand) costs $3.33. I got 4 cups of diced pumpkin in each quart.    The smaller pumpkin gave me the equivalent of ~ five 29 oz cans once the dices are pureed.  

I am guessing that I may get 7 quarts from the larger pumpkin that remains. (Just for a point of reference, I paid $2.00 for the larger pumpkin I have yet to process).  That means that with the larger pumpkin, I will save ~$21.31. (Here is the math:  7 cans would cost $3.33 each leaving a total of $23.31. Subtracting the $2.00 I paid for the pumpkin leaves a residual amount of $21.31)

Time:

Once I got my system going, it took about 10 minutes to get the seeds/strings from the inside and about 30 minutes to peel the entire pumpkin.  As I used a large stock pot, the boiling of all the pumpkin dices was under 5 min.  So, it took about 45 minutes to prepare the food for the canner.  After placing the jars in the canner, I set the timer for 90 minutes and went about my other pressing tasks.

Uses: 

I plan to blend the dices and use the puree as I would in any recipe.  It could be used in bread, soups, and certainly pies.

Recipe:

Canning pumpkins and winter squash

By William Schafer, University of Minnesota Extension educator

Revised 2010

Vegetables must be canned in a pressure canner for the correct time and pressure (PSI) to ensure their safety. If not canned correctly, these low acid foods may contain the deadly botulism toxin.

Vegetables may be canned without salt. Salt adds flavor but does not prevent spoilage. If you use a weighted-gauge canner and can at an altitude less than 1000 feet, you may use 10 PSI instead of 15 PSI for the canner pressure. This will improve nutrient and quality retention of the vegetables. Check with your local county extension office or Soil Conservation District for altitude information.

Cubed pumpkins and winter squash (acorn, banana, buttercup, butternut, golden delicious, or hubbard)

Quantity: An average of 16 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 10 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints – an average of 2-1/4 pounds per quart.

Quality: Pumpkins and squash should have a hard rind and stringless, mature pulp of ideal quality for cooking fresh. Small size pumpkins (sugar or pie varieties) make better products.

Procedure: Wash, remove seeds, cut into 1 inch-wide slices, and peel. Cut flesh into 1 inch cubes. Boil 2 minutes in water. Caution: Do not mash or puree. Fill jars with cubes and cooking liquid, leaving 1 inch headspace. Adjust lids and process. For making pies, drain processed jars and strain or sieve cubes.

Recommended Processes

1) Dial-gauge Pressure Canner

Pints – 55 minutes 11 PSI 

Quarts – 90 minutes 11 PSI

2) Weighted-gauge Pressure Canner

Pints – 55 minutes 15 PSI 

Quarts – 90 minutes 15 PSI

........................................................................

So, if you still have a pumpkin or two left...you ought to give this a try.  It really was a worthwhile task and I will be doing it again.

Try it! 

I don't have time.......

"I don't have time......."   We have all had this thought about something or someone at one time or another.  In regard to our focus item this week, I have often thought "I don't have time to think ahead to soak..." or "I don't have time to cook beans.....ever".  Well, with age I hope comes wisdom.  We are about to see.

Hopefully by now you have read the posts that focus on the different types of dry beans that are available.  Please know that this is not an exhaustive list!  The most popular question I have heard next to "I don't know what kind to get" is "What do I do with them?"  Well here is one option.....can them.

If you purchase beans in the can, then this option is one you can really do instead of buying them in cans.  The best part is....it is one of the easiest things to do.  To get started you will certainly need you beans, some salt, water, jars, lids, rings, and your pressure cooker/canner.  If you don't have a Pressure Canner, ask a neighbor or friend to help you.   Here are the steps:

Wash and sort your beans.  Sometimes beans have rocks or small sticks in them.  I use my colander and do this step.

Clean and sterilize your jars and lids.

Set up your jars and place a funnel into the first jar.

For pints, put a 1/2 Cup of dry beans into the jar.  For quarts, use 1 Cup of dry beans.

For pints, put in 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  For quarts, use 1 teaspoon.

Fill up the jar with water.  Leave about 3/4 inch of headspace.  I just put water in until I reach the glass circle that stops the ring when it is screwed on.

Here, you see that I have 4 different types of beans.  That is one of the things that is so great about doing this.  I only can a few jars at a time....as I need them.  I have Black beans, Navy Beans, Pinto Beans, and Kidney Beans that I will be canning in this batch.

Wipe off the top of the jar with a clean cloth.

Place a sterilized lid on the jar.

Next, place the ring on the jar.

Place the jars into your Pressure Canner.  If you have hard water, make sure you put in a few Tablespoons of Vinegar into the water in your Canner.  If you don't, your jars will come out with a hard-water film on the outside of them.  The beans will be fine, your jars will look.....funny.

Here, you can see that I have 7 pints in my canner.  This is equivalent to 7 cans of beans.  Process them for 90 minutes at 15 lbs of pressure. 

After 90 minutes, allow the canner to cool naturally.  Do not rush the cooling process as beans have protein.  You should never rush a canner to cool quickly when canning proteins.  After the cooling process, remove the jars from the Canner. 

Here is a jar of Navy beans.  As you can see, most of them are plump, but some are not.  There is no reason to worry.  After a few days, they all will be plump.

A few additional points:

1. This works with beans that are newly purchased, and beans that have been in storage for many years. The Kidney beans that I canned have been in my storage for over 7 years. If I soak them or slow cook them, they take forever.

2. A pint of beans is equivalent to a 15 oz can of beans that you purchase from the store. You can substitute it in your favorite soup or chili recipe.

3. I don't can batch after batch at one time. I just do one batch, and when they are gone, I do another. This is a great way to use your empty jars during the winter.

4. A can of Kidney beans on Amazon.com costs just about $1.30 a can. This comes out to $.08/ounce. An ounce of dry Kidney beans (same source) is less than half a cent per ounce. This works out to be about a 63% savings.

5. I am a very busy person! So, after work, I will quickly prepare 7 jars (it takes about ~5 minutes), and put them into the Pressure Canner. I set the timer and go about the other million things that I have to do on my list. When the timer goes off (after 90 minutes), I turn them off and usually wait until morning before removing them from the canner.

So, in response to the initial statement about "not having time", you really do have 5 minutes. You really do have 90 minutes while you are watching the Olympics or other primetime shows that you love.

Give it a try!

Pantry Gold.......

You may wonder what this means. Well, it is the term that the LRH's sister uses for canned meat. Many of you have said that canned meat costs so much money....and you are correct. However, consider the following option.......canning your own meat.

"Are you kidding!!!!" (I can already hear you say it.....loudly!). No, I really am not. I first learned about canning your own meat when I lived in the Northwest. I couldn't think of anything I didn't want to do more at that time.....because I was so cool and had a reputation to think of (or so I thought). However, a wonderful friend named Marilou Hutchison (who has since passed away), kindly showed me how to do this....and it was really easy. I am indebted to her kindness and patience when she taught me how to do this. And, my family has benefitted greatly from her instruction over the years.

Some folks say, "It probably costs too much to do that....and it's gross to touch raw meat". Well, if it is less expensive to buy it canned....then do it. If you don't want to touch it....use gloves (I do!). Let's see how much it costs per ounce to can the chicken I did today:

First of all, I bought boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $1.38 a pound, which works out to be about 9 cents an ounce. Compare that with the Hormel brand of White and Dark Turkey in water (5 ounce can) at 31 Cents per ounce. That is a 290% mark-up in price.

Also, please know that this is so very simple to do....and when I do show others how to do it....they often say "Is that all there is to it?". The answer is an overwhelming..."Yes".

So, let's take a pictorial tour of canning chicken.

First, cut up your chicken into chunks. If there is any fat, please remove it. With these chicken breasts, there was hardly any......I really lucked out! Notice that I am using gloves....not only to be hygienic....but also because I really don't like to touch raw meat. It took me about 10-15 minutes to cut up enough chicken to put into 8 pint jars.

Place the pieces in sterilized bottles. Here I am using Pint jars. I sometimes use half-pints because that is about 1 cup.

You can add seasonings if you wish. I choose to add some salt. If you have issues with sodium, you could add herbs or nothing at all.

Add broth, or hot water.

Be sure to get all the air bubbles out. Some advocate a plastic spatula, I use a knife to do this. Just make sure you get the air bubbles out. After this step, you sometimes have to add more liquid.

Wipe the rims with a clean cloth to prepare the jar for a sterilized lid.

Put the lid and clean rings on the jar. Prepare to place the filled jars in a PRESSURE CANNER....you cannot do this in a Hot water bath canner or a Steam canner. The pressure is required to heat the food hot enough to kill bacteria etc.

Place the jars in your canner. Now, how long do you process it? According to the Ball Blue Book of Preserving (copyright 2006), it states the following: "For boned meat (i.e. no bones) process pints 1 hour and 15 minutes, quarts 1 hour and 30 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a steam pressure canner". However, this recommended "pressure" is for an altitude of 0-1000 feet. I live up in the mountains. Therefore, according to the same source, I would adjust the weight to 15 pounds with a weighted gauge (which is what I have) or 13 pounds if I had a dial gauge.

It is very important to let the Pressure Cooker cool naturally, you cannot use the quick-cooling process as this food is a protein. After the canner is cool, remove the jars. When I took my jars out of the canner, they were still boiling inside. Here is what they look like:

This is the "Pantry Gold" that my sister was referring to. If you have ever lived off your food storage, meats become very precious to you. I have frozen meat, freeze-dried meat, and canned meat. If one method fails, I have 2 other methods available to me to feed my family. Using only pint jars, the 40 lbs yields about 40 pints.

I realize it is not the ordinary canning most people are familiar with, but think of the money savings you could enjoy. I bought 40 lbs of chicken ($1.38/pound) at a total cost of $55.20. If I were to purchase 40 lbs of the Hormel canned chicken, I would have to spend $198.00. That is a savings of $143.20! An additional cost would be the lids, but if you have the bottles and the canner, this is a very realistic savings. Heaven's you could even buy a canner with at the savings you could get just from this example alone. Even if you had to purchase the bottles at ~$9.00 a box, the savings would be $116.20..

Just an FYI, you are able to can most meats raw, but not all. For example, you must cook hamburger and rinse it first. Check with the USDA guidelines or a source like the Ball Blue Book of Preserving for more information. The USDA guidelines can be found at the following link: http://extension.usu.edu/washington/files/uploads/Home%20Preservation/TIMETABLE%20FOR%20CANNING%20MEAT.pdf

If you are wondering how to use them, they are very versatile. They can be used in soups, sandwiches (think of chicken salad sandwiches), and casseroles. Make it a goal to try this.....soon.

Get your own "Pantry gold" for your family.

"What is Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness?"

I have a new definition of Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness. Here it is:

"Food Storage and Emergency Preparedness compromise a set of skills with supporting equipment and supplies".

I have really come to believe this. Becoming self-sufficient and being prepared is like becoming acquainted with a new hobby. When you begin a new hobby, you get needed supplies, take classes or read up on the subject, and practice until you are proficient. This is the same process to use when becoming prepared.

As such, I am offering information to help build those "skill sets". Below is information on canning. You may be thinking that it is a bit early to think about preserving food when some of us have just put in a garden. It really is the "right time". Opportunities to obtain needed equipment and supplies begin now. For instance, locating canning jars in 2008 was difficult because many people decided to get "back to basics" and tried to preserve their own food. That happened here in Highland, American Fork, and the surrounding areas. Since the economy is even more challenged in 2009, that trend most likely will continue. So please read the following information and "glean" what will be of the most use to you.

Now is the time to get the needed equipment that you may need. Below you will find information on two types of Canning Equipment:

Water Bath Canners:

The boiling water bath method is safe for tomatoes, fruits, jams, jellies, pickles and other preserves. In this method, jars of food are heated completely covered with boiling water (212°F at sea level) and cooked for a specified amount of time.

A water bath canner is a large cooking pot, with a tight fitting lid and a wire or wooden rack that keeps jars from touching each other. The rack allows the boiling water to flow around and underneath jars for a more even processing of the contents. The rack also keeps jars from bumping each other and cracking or breaking. If a rack is not available, clean cotton dish towels or similar can be used to pack around jars. If a standard canner is not available any large metal container may be used as long as it is deep enough for l to 2 inches of briskly boiling water to cover the jars. The diameter of the canner should be no more than 4 inches wider than the diameter of your stove's burner to ensure proper heating of all jars. Using a wash kettle that fits over two burners is not recommended because the middle jars do not get enough heat. For an electric range, the canner must have a flat bottom. Outdoor fire pits with a solid grate will also work however close attention is required to insure proper boiling temperature.

Pressure Canners:

Pressure canning is the only safe method of preserving vegetables, meats, poultry and seafood. Jars of food are placed in 2 to 3 inches of water in a special pressure cooker which is heated to a temperature of at least 240° F. This temperature can only be reached using the pressure method. A microorganism called Clostridium botulinum is the main reason why pressure processing is necessary. Though the bacterial cells are killed at boiling temperatures, they can form spores that can withstand these temperatures. The spores grow well in low acid foods, in the absence of air, such as in canned low acidic foods like meats and vegetables. When the spores begin to grow, they produce the deadly botulinum toxins(poisons).

A pressure canner is a specially-made heavy pot with a lid that can be closed steam-tight. The lid is fitted with a vent (or pet-cock), a dial or weighted pressure gauge and a safety fuse. Newer models have an extra cover-lock as an added precaution. It may or may not have a gasket. The pressure pot also has a rack. Because each type is different, be sure to read the directions for operating.

Where in the world do I get equipment like this:

We are lucky in our area to have several sources for the "Canners". Consider the following:

• Allred Ace Hardware Store (5353 W East Parkway Street in Highland, UT)


• Smiths Food and Drug (1550 E 3500, Lehi )-The manger states they have jars etc now, but will have the Canners in about 3 weeks.


• Walmart in Cedar Hills (4689 W Cedar Hills Dr Cedar Hills, UT) and American Fork (949 W Grassland Dr, American Fork)


• The Mending Shed (1735 South State St., Orem, UT)

Source: http://www.canning-food-recipes.com/canning.htm