Canning meat/what Equipment is needed, how much canning is necessary

[Cosmos]

I started to look into the canning business yesterday to come up with a good and fast way to cann fatty meats for a long period.
first thing I noticed is that there aren't that many distributors and manufacturers of food canners.
there are different ways to cann food : water bath canning (wich you can do with normal pots) and pressure canning (special pressure pots needed).

when you cann meat you need to have a pressure canner that can produce much heat and a Pressure of at least 15 psi,
that is a lot of pressure and for that it is better to buy a save pot that can not explode. you need that much heat and pressure so that you can kill of as many bacteria as possible and to make the end product as long lasting for consumtion as possible.

I'll buy this one:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002808Z2/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

it has several savety features and a metal to metal sealing system without gaskets
it holds a max of 19 print jars and 14 quart jars wich you can cann in one go

you can buy the All American Canner in several sizes too.
there are other manufacturers for example the "Presto Pressure Canner" wich is cheaper but not that save in my opinion and it also has not that unice metal to metal system wich is kind of handy IMO and you can use the pot always without gaskets.

next I have to buy print jars and/or quart jars.
I will buy those that are out of glas so I can reuse them if necessary.
but now the question is how much print jars and/or quart jars do I have to cann/buy for one person let's say to cover a period of 2 years.

when I calculate with one person and estimate a minimal cunsumption of one jar every two days for 2 years then I come up with about 370 jars
for two years. when I calculate with one jar every day then of course the number would double (ca.730 !).
do you think that is a good calculation for one person on a low carb high fat diet ?

so one would need about 370 jars for one person for two years ? does this add up ?

 

[Laura]

Several things to consider.

First, yes, that's a good canner. We have one only ours does 40 quarts (liters).

Canning meat is a lot easier than veggies, actually. When you can meat, you just raw pack it in the jar (get special canning jars from supermarket or farm store), add a bit of salt and pepper, put the seal on (after wiping the rim with vinegar), hand tighten the lid, and it's ready. At lower elevations, it takes about 90 minutes of "spitting" in the canner. Don't forget to purge the air from the canner for 5 minutes before putting the weight on. It should spit about 2 or three times a minute.

You CAN do meat canning in a boiling bath but if you do, you have to let it boil for about 3 or 4 hours. In fact, a big steel barrel can serve for large canning activity.

Next, consider what you are planning for. The most likely is economic collapse and famine caused by the crazy weather changes. It could be a couple of years before things level out. So, you need enough stuff for yourself and a few others, and maybe stuff to trade or give away.

Under those kinds of conditions, you probably can't eat exactly as you want so you have to do the best you can. A liter of canned meat will make a stew/soup for several people or feed one person for a day very well, sparingly for two days. If you need to feed more people, then you add some kind of thickener (buckwheat flour) to the broth and maybe some suitable veggies, like carrots or sweet potatoes.

You can can cheap stew beef, tougher cuts of meat, which will be quite tender out of the can. Pork, the same. You can do ground meat with spices added.

Pickling is also a very good option, but a bit more labor intensive. It seems that pickled veggies can be good for you. So, pickled beets, cucumbers. Root veggies are better, too, so that would include carrots. We've made pickles with xylitol, too. Working with these things is a bit more labor intensive, but you don't need a pressure canner for them either. Just a boiling bath for about 25 minutes if you raw pack.

So: plenty of canned meat, plenty of buckwheat flour, maybe bags of instant potatoes for thickening and beans that can be used in a pinch (you would soak the beans in salted water and vinegar before cooking to deactivate the lectins). Plenty of pickled beets, carrots, cucumbers. Plenty of salt, Tea, That sort of thing.

Just keep in mind that, under stress circumstances, you will have to make do and help others, so factor that in and make sure that you have cleared up your own health issues in advance because you may definitely be stressed physically.

It's also a good idea to ask yourself how useful YOU are to the Universe at large? That may be more a determinant of how and whether you get through rough times than anything else. Just having some food on hand isn't the only thing to consider.

 

[Cosmos]

thanks for the additional info.

I have several other people in the house that would need to be feed if things get worst and so a couple of jars with buckwheat and some veggies
and other things like buckwheat would need to be done also. the other thing I'm thinking about is to bring my older brother back home.
he is mentally handicapped and currently living in a community for mentally handicapped people in the city near by.

here are two videos that also show how to use the All American Pressure Canner for meat:

Canning Meat Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BIgpwpnGl4&feature=my_watch_later_videos&list=WL43E62C54DBAD1D9A

Canning Meat Part II:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef0bh0Ci-O8&feature=relmfu

 

[Hesper]

thanks for the additional info.

I have several other people in the house that would need to be feed if things get worst and so a couple of jars with buckwheat and some veggies
and other things like buckwheat would need to be done also. the other thing I'm thinking about is to bring my older brother back home.
he is mentally handicapped and currently living in a community for mentally handicapped people in the city near by.

here are two videos that also show how to use the All American Pressure Canner for meat:

Canning Meat Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BIgpwpnGl4&feature=my_watch_later_videos&list=WL43E62C54DBAD1D9A

Canning Meat Part II:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef0bh0Ci-O8&feature=relmfu

That is very responsible of you, and I hope that it is economically feasible to do that. Also, in terms of feeding others, here in the US it's easy to get huge bags of rice or beans which might last them a while.

 

[Don Genaro]

Also, in terms of feeding others, here in the US it's easy to get huge bags of rice or beans which might last them a while.

This thought has been on my mind recently. The way things are already, getting a canner and extra food is expensive enough as it is so I've been thinking of buying some supplies of chickpeas and lentils. While they may not be ideal, they're better than gluten and sugar as well as being better than nothing. What do others think?

 

[D Rusak]

I have some 3-5lb bags of dehydrated refried beans that I picked up for really cheap in a Mexican market. They actually have good stuff like lard in them and nothing else but salt and a little spice (and I don't really do bad with nightshades so hopefully I'll be ok with these). I figure it's a good backup, especially since often in panic times one might not want to cook- just add water and go. Or good for a trade. Just don't spend a lot of money here! Meats are better if you can afford them.

PS- What I am noticing is that a lot of canners can be found in great condition used. I've seen quite a few at yard sales this summer in my neighborhood, but didn't have the cash at the time. People don't seem to use these nowadays so it can be a great way to save money! Or check craigslist.

My friend gave me this book a few years ago called "Apocalypse Chow". It actually has some decent advice as far as "quick 'n' dirty" meals go, trying to keep things tasty. Worth a perusal IMO. http://www.amazon.com/Apocalypse-Chow-Well-When-Power/dp/B001B2HIIS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1344355003&sr=8-1&keywords=apocalypse+chow

But yes, my goal is to get canning equipment in the next month (waiting for next student disbursement :P
I was hoping to can my own veggies I'm growing but it's been a steep learning curve. I do HAVE veggies but I don't tend to have much leftover, I eat them too quickly! I'll be hitting up the farmer's market in September. Also doing my research this month, once finals are over in a week I will have lots more time! I'll be working on fishing in the meantime, which for me just involves a pole and a short bike ride. Also I've been doing archery, which is so much fun, and, free also! Really big learning curves on all this stuff, but it's been fun! I am trying to learn as much as I can since I live in a city (LA), and relocation is very probable being here. I guess I had to learn the hard way but I'm enjoying while it lasts.

 

[domi]

A liter of canned meat will make a stew/soup for several people or feed one person for a day very well, sparingly for two days. If you need to feed more people, then you add some kind of thickener (buckwheat flour) to the broth and maybe some suitable veggies, like carrots or sweet potatoes.

You can can cheap stew beef, tougher cuts of meat, which will be quite tender out of the can. Pork, the same. You can do ground meat with spices added.

Do you add any tallow or lard to the meat in the cans to make it more Paleo friendly (aka fatty)?

 

[nicklebleu]

Another thing to consider when the going gets tough are - insects. While many insects don't provide a huge nutritional benefit because of their indigestible exoskeleton, many of them do, if ingested in high enough quantities (grasshoppers, grubs, worms, maggots, termites etc.).

Now you might cringe at the idea, but people from some countries like China have been eating these critters for thousands of years. There are not many poisonous species that are harmful, but it probably is a good idea to check this out with an entymologist for your "local critters".

Where I live aboriginal people have fed for thousands of years on grubs, ants and termites ... so, just thinking out of the box, when all else fails.

 

[Beau]

Where I live aboriginal people have fed for thousands of years on grubs, ants and termites ... so, just thinking out of the box, when all else fails.

Have you ever tried one? ;)

 

[Laura]

A liter of canned meat will make a stew/soup for several people or feed one person for a day very well, sparingly for two days. If you need to feed more people, then you add some kind of thickener (buckwheat flour) to the broth and maybe some suitable veggies, like carrots or sweet potatoes.

You can can cheap stew beef, tougher cuts of meat, which will be quite tender out of the can. Pork, the same. You can do ground meat with spices added.

Do you add any tallow or lard to the meat in the cans to make it more Paleo friendly (aka fatty)?

If you get fatty, cheaper beef from the butcher, you do not need to add anything. The fat renders during the processing and when it is cooled you have about 3 inches of pure fat sitting on top of the meat in its own juices. Like I said...... add nothing but raw meat, salt and a bit of pepper unless you are doing spicy pork or something special.

We've already been to a farm in the past couple weeks to get beets and cucumbers. We did a BUNCH of beets and 105 liters of bread and butter pickles. We canned all our carrots - a bunch -only thing that grew well this year and then we pickled green tomatoes. We continue to do a load or two of meat every day and we'll be doing pickled eggs probably next week.

Based on what our butcher says, the price of meat is going to go up in September already. He's making us special deals on bulk stew beef, something like a buck fifty a pound. We found the source of the canning jars so we got them in bulk, too. So it's way more logical to can meat than to rely on beans and rice. Just takes some work.

 

[Laura]

Also a good idea to have plenty of gelatin (plain) on hand in air-tight containers. You can make a stew and with gelatin in it, it becomes something you can slice and spread around.

We've also been making loads of liver pate and canning it.

 

[Laura]

We've also been rendering the piles of fat we take off our very fatty pig halves and canning it. Just cut it up in chunks, cook on slow heat for several hours until all the fat is rendered out, pour in canning jars, process in a boiling bath for about 25 minutes. Wash the outside of the jars (some fat tends to leak out and make them greasy during processing) check the seals, and store in a cool, dark place with the rest of the canned stuff. We put the jars in boxes packed around with wadded newspapers.

 

[domi]

Another thing to consider when the going gets tough are - insects. While many insects don't provide a huge nutritional benefit because of their indigestible exoskeleton, many of them do, if ingested in high enough quantities (grasshoppers, grubs, worms, maggots, termites etc.).

Interesting you should bring this up.
I've thought about starting a BSFL (Black Soldier Fly Larvae) colony, mostly to feed the chickens.
The last few days I've thought about how it certainly would be a good source of protein if things get bad.
The great thing about BSFL is that they eat pretty much anything.

domi

 

[zim]

I have some questions about this procedure since this is new way to have food for me I never canned before, since this is top important for all us can I have some help on this matter to do the best thing in my home?

Several things to consider.

First, yes, that's a good canner. We have one only ours does 40 quarts (liters).

Im lost here a canner is the same as pressure cooker?

Canning meat is a lot easier than veggies, actually. When you can meat, you just raw pack it in the jar (get special canning jars from supermarket or farm store), add a bit of salt and pepper, put the seal on (after wiping the rim with vinegar), hand tighten the lid, and it's ready. At lower elevations, it takes about 90 minutes of "spitting" in the canner. Don't forget to purge the air from the canner for 5 minutes before putting the weight on. It should spit about 2 or three times a minute.

Those special canning jars are from glass or it must be metal?

What kind of vinegar can I use for that?

( I think Im lost in all the procedure! )

You CAN do meat canning in a boiling bath but if you do, you have to let it boil for about 3 or 4 hours. In fact, a big steel barrel can serve for large canning activity.

So I put meat salt pepper in a glass jar and cook in a pressure cooker?

Next, consider what you are planning for. The most likely is economic collapse and famine caused by the crazy weather changes. It could be a couple of years before things level out. So, you need enough stuff for yourself and a few others, and maybe stuff to trade or give away.

I got some seeds to do a farm in my home also my neighbors have some veggies they have yucca and platanos those are veggies that are everywhere where we live so in a moment of famine that could help to food people...

I think I need to use what I can get here since the food is increasing but the pork is still cheap so I could keep more pork than anything else all the gluten free food are expensive so I can buy them once each 15 days so eat a lot of pork and some veggies are my family options...

 

[zim]

here are two videos that also show how to use the All American Pressure Canner for meat:

Canning Meat Part 1:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BIgpwpnGl4&feature=my_watch_later_videos&list=WL43E62C54DBAD1D9A

Canning Meat Part II:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef0bh0Ci-O8&feature=relmfu

[/quote]

Thanks Pashalis

Those videos are the answer of some of my questions before :P