Canned Nerd

Took some stale frozen bread, hotdog/hamburger rolls, that had outlived their useful life and put them in the blender to make bread crumbs. Bigger bread pieces got cut up as croutons. All went in to oven with some simple herbs to be toasted a little before going into sealed bags. Don't know if that saved me much since it opened up a ton of space in the freezer that I want to go out to the store now to fill up.

"Canning" bread is kind of a misnomer since you are only baking in the jar and putting a lid on. There is no processing in a canner, which also means there is no killing of bacteria spores, especially C. Botulinum that loves sealed jars to grow its toxin. And the environment of a low-acid bread is ideal for other molds, yeasts, and other spores.

Fruits and Vegetables should be sliced and dehydrated between 130-140 deg.F. according to the Mary Belle Dehydrating book.

You can run the canner through its paces with just water to see how it performs, before you actually do a canning load. That way you are assured the seal holds, etc. If it uses a dial gauge, it must be tested before using since it could be off quite a bit. If its a rocking weighted gauge you are all set.

I spent extra time working on my 72-hour kit and also my First Aid supplies....encasing much of it in FoodSaver Vacuum sealed bags, both for longer fresh storage and also protection from moisture and other contamination. Some reusable things are being put in Ziplock (new) vacuum seal zip bags since the Ziplock unit is manual, very light, and not dependent on batteries. Toilet paper is being stored in those large blanket vacuum bags to keep fresh and away from moisture.

Have you researched ClearJel®. It is a cousin to cornstarch but that is where the similarity ends. It is the only thickener approved by the USDA for high heat canning uses and both the regular and 'instant' variety are used heavily in the bakery industry for making pies. It is excellent for making jams and jellies without sugar for the diabetic. Unless you have a bakery nearby you may have to order online. It is not found on the normal store shelves.

Be careful with some of the books printed before 1990 since all canning recipes and instructions changed after that date to deal with the Botulism issue. What may be a good deal at first may lead you down the wrong road.

Cooked bacon is risky because of the oil. It will go rancid. Cook and freeze it (fast freeze individually first) which is what I do.