Dry Canning Nuts

Nuts are a little more involved ...  but very doable.   Due to their moisture content, they must be dried out in the oven prior to processing.  Here's how it's done:

1. Remove nuts from shells.
2. Spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet and put into a 250 degree (F) oven stirring occasionally.  Do NOT allow the nuts to scorch or turn brown!
3. Pour hot nuts into pint jars allowing for a 1/2" headspace.  Do NOT add any liquid.
4. Wipe rims and add lids.
5. Process in a Boiling Water Canner with the water levels 1-2" below the top of the jars.
6. Do not begin the timer until the water is boiling.  Below is a chart of process times for differing altitudes:                        

• Altitudes          0 - 1,000 ft     ...     Process 30 min
• Altitudes  1,001 - 3,000 ft     ...     Process 35 min
• Altitudes  3,001 - 6,000 ft     ...     Process 40 min
• Altitudes  over 6,000 ft          ...     Process 45 min                                   

What a wonderful way to preserve nuts!!     My favorite  to do this way is almonds!                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Dry Pack Canning

So what is it?  Dry Pack Canning (cold) is just another method of storing foods for significantly longer periods.    As the name suggests, however, the items you preserve must contain little or no moisture to begin with.   A few examples would include unsweetened cereals like Cheerios,  pasta, powdered milk, sugar, wheat, rice, and nuts.   This is not an exhaustive list, but these generally work very well and will provide much longer shelf life than normal. Storage times vary depending on which food type you are canning, room temperature, etc.

Here's a few things I did over the winter...

 

I simply put the dry goods into a canning jar, added an oxygen packet (can be purchased on the internet in several places), and screwed on the heated insert and ring.  Inserts heated in water must be dried with a towel before putting them onto a jar containing dry goods.  Some prefer not to heat the inserts...  that is okay too, but your lids might take awhile longer to seal, and my experience is I get more lids that don't seal.  Another thing to be aware of with this method is that the lids seal over time.  Mine took anywhere from 1/2 hr to as much as 10+ hrs. to seal.  Once sealed, store your jars in a dark, cool place.  Cooler temperatures yield longer shelf life.

                                                                            

                                                                

Canning Chicken

Hi All...   

I've had a full weekend.  Spent time Saturday at a birthday party for 2 of my grandkids, turned 2 and 5...  how time flies!  Then got to see our small town's parade and fireworks that cap off the annual town fair.  What fun we had!   

Today, I spent the day pressure canning chicken.    I typically can meats/soups/stews in the off-season while waiting for fresh produce from my garden.  I ordered fresh, boneless, skinless breasts bulk from our local GFS (Gordon Food Service).  Paid approx. $1.63/lb.  ($65/40lbs).  I get approx. 2lbs chicken/quart.   Turned out great!

  < < < Finished Product

Oh ...  so tender!  > > >

 Don't be intimidated by pressure canning...  here's how I did it...

(No need to sterilize jars when pressure canning)

• Cut raw chicken into 1" strips and fill the clean jars to about 1" headspace (space from top of food to top rim of jar)  Adding 1 tsp salt is optional.  I do NOT add any for health benefits.
• Adding liquid such as boiling water or broth is optional...  I do NOT add any liquid because you can see in the picture above that the chicken will cook in its own juices very nicely.
• While loading your jars, have your lid inserts boiling in water on the stove.
• Once the jars are loaded, wipe the rims of the jars with a wet rag.  Anything left on the rim may keep the jars from sealing properly.  Don't take any chances!
• Add an insert and a ring to each jar, only finger tightening.  Do NOT crank them down hard as that can cause lids to buckle under pressure.  Load up the canner.
• Place lid on the pressure canner and turn up the heat on your stove. Allow steam to vent out for ten minutes before placing on the pressure regulator.
• Bring the pressure up to the correct amount for your elevation** (mine was 10 pounds pressure). Process for 75 minutes for pints and 90 minutes for quarts.
• Turn off heat and allow pressure to come down naturally. This can take awhile so be prepared to wait. Remove the pressure regulator from the vent pipe to make sure all pressure is out.
• Using a jar lifter, remove jars and allow to cool.  Check seals, label and date them.

** If you don't know your proper altitude adjustments for pressure, please get a copy of a BALL canning guide or other appropriate canning book... or there are charts on the internet as well.   This is very important when canning!

Enjoy!                  

Introduction

Time for canning and preserving our favorite garden and orchard produce is fast approaching!   My garden is coming on nicely even though drought is ravaging this entire area this year!!

Because canning is a large part of my kitchen repertoire, I begin early making sure I have enough supplies (canning jars, lids, etc) on hand because these are seasonal items and tend to run out quickly at the local stores. 

Now is the time to make sure you have all the necessary equipment and recipes on hand.  I started buying one case of new Ball canning jars each week to build up my supply.  May I recommend to anyone out there who even thinks they might be interested in preserving food to do the same?  There is initial upfront expenses when canning and preserving, but the savings in the long run far outweigh it!!  I can buy in bulk when produce or meats are on sale and preserve it for use all year long.  It really helps stretch the budget further!

A list of canning basics includes the following:

Pressure Canner  and/or  Water Bath Canner (depends on what you're preserving)

Canning Jars/lids/inserts

Canning Funnel

Magnetic Lid Lifter

Jar Lifter

Skinny Spatula to free bubbles

Recipes

Try looking at garage sales, Goodwill Stores or even flea markets for these items.  

For a good recipe book, one of my favorites can be found HERE
 

Will be back soon with tips, recipes, and how-to's.