Canned Nerd

I have the 4th Edition of Putting Food By (ISBN 978-0-452-26899-9) and worth buying. Lots of reading.

I also rinse thoroughly supposedly to reduce much of the salt content.

I used to have an Olive Tree in my front yard and produced lots of olives every year. I finally chopped it down and had the trunk yanked out. I was told the raw olives were poisonous and I was always concerned that kids or animals would eat them, especially when they are covering the ground so I spent too much time harvesting and cleaning up the mess on the ground.

You and the rest of the population, but you have to approach it intelligently and do research to learn what is correct and what is fiction (and there is a lot of fiction out there). One fiction is that all "organic" foods are healthy and good for you. That's not how "organic" is defined. The big bad wolf these days is "GMO" (Genetically Modified Organism) foods and one company in particular, Monsanto.

Most companies these years do restrict their use of hormones and many antibiotics so they don't exist by the time meats reach the consumer. Humans take pills, get shots for the Flu, Measles, Chicken Pox, Polio, etc. It is almost impossible to be healthy in life without some antibiotics to prevent diseases. Animals are no different. Hormones and Steroids are another story and there are good arguments on both sides. Do your homework and decide.

What I tend to stay away from as much as possible is "processed" foods since they generally contain large amounts of salt and usually lots of preservatives. Fortunately some companies are trying hard to provide "healthy" versions, but its hard to do and some companies do cheat. Consumers constantly fight for the "Nutrition Label" and more and better information on them. If you don't read those labels and know what you are reading, you need to start now. I love most frozen single-item foods since most of them are frozen on-site before any spoiling occurs, seafood especially, and require no preservatives.

I home 'can' as much as I can (meat, produce, and fruits) to extend my pantry of non-processed stored foods, which also encourages maintaining a small home garden. Most other produce is purchased at a local Farmers Market and it is easy to quiz them on the methods they use in their farming.

In the end, I wouldn't stress too much on the subject. I live in smoggy Southern California where the air is bad for us, but we can't stop breathing, just as we cannot stop eating, so I just do little things to reduce my exposure to the bad things as much as practical. Since I'm approaching 70 and lived in many part of the world, clean and otherwise, I guess I'm doing okay.

I guess that's what I call a New Age mentality. Correct, but not correct. There's also a canning book entitled "Canning For A New Generation" by Liana Krissoff, that does things her way. I purchased it just to see what the recipes were. I don't recommend it for the people that would probably buy it.

If you want to do some simple canning here is a possible recipe that uses up a lot of bananas:

Banana Jam

Yield: 5 pints

12 cups sliced bananas, (about 20 medium)
6 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups orange juice
3 strips orange peel
6 strips lemon peel
2 sticks cinnamon
6 whole cloves

1. In a large kettle, combine sliced bananas with sugar, orange juice, orange and lemon peels, cinnamon and cloves. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves.

2. Boil rapidly 10 minutes. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 15-20 minutes.

3. In the meantime, fill Boiling Water Canner with water and bring to a simmer (180° F) and use it to heat the canning jars so they will be ready to accept hot jam. Use seperate pan of water to heat flat lids (no need to boil).

4. When jam is thick, remove from heat and ladle immediately into sterilized canning jars. Fill to within 1/8-inch of the top. Screw 2-piece caps on evenly, finger-tight.

5. Place jars on to canner rack in canner as each jar is filled. When all jars are in, make sure there is 1"-2" of water above the tops of the jars. Place cover on canner and crank up the heat to medium-high and bring water to a rolling boil. Boil for 10 minutes, maintaining the rolling boil the whole time.

6. Turn off heat, remove lid and allow canner to cool down for approximately 5 minutes. Remove jars from canner, setting upright on a dry towel or cutting board to cool. leave 1-2 inches between jars for air circulation. Do NOT tighten bands or turn jars upside down. Let jars cool naturally for 12-24 hours.

7. Check for seal. Remove ring (no longer needed), wash jars of any food remnants, label and store.

Hi folks. Just noticed with surprise that this forum section existed. I'm now using a program called RootsMagic that I love since it connects directly with the free LDS database (familysearch.com). For years I've used free PAF but they've discontinued it recently since they can't keep up with needed software advances.

I've charted my bloodline back to the 100's which is kind of exciting. I just recently determined that I'm connected to the British royalty through my father's line (Hicks, Stanclift, Treat) which got me curious about the current royal family of Prince Charles & Kate so I worked the line forward. Turns out I'm their 15th cousin (1 removed). Cool.

I'm also related to Brigham Young (prophet in LDS Church) and farther back to a Witch (Mary Bliss Parsons) involved with the Salem Witch Trials. She actually defended herself and won early on. Guess that's why I exist. My grandmother also told me I had an infamous Horse Thief in the family, but I can't find out the details since a cousin stored our grandmother's genealogy records (50+ years worth) after her death and can't be bothered accessing or sharing them. What a loss of researched information.

Some of the surnames in my line that I'm interested in are:

Holmes

Snow

Budge

Morgan

Phelps

Wichman/Vickman

Padron Peppers, Jalapenos, and Baby Portabella Mushrooms. The mushrooms were on sale at $1/box which I could not resist grabbing them all. Nice aroma in the house.

As previously stated, it can and is done "if" the proper jars are used that have no neck and the sides of the jars are tapered outward so there is no restriction when freezing/expansion occurs. Of course frozen glass is more fragile so one has to be careful with them.

I personally don't do it since jars are bulky in the freezer so I prefer FoodSaver bags.

I wonder if its related to the government shutdown. I experienced the same issue and is the first time I've questioned my loyalty to FF.

Only specific ones can be used that are designed for freezer. Some actually have the word on the jar, but what you are looking for is a tapered wide-mouth jar (wider at top than on bottom) with no neck. Just remember to allow expansion when frozen.

You might ruin your FoodSaver doing that. Most people seal their Mylar bags with a common Iron. I'm curious why you choose the small Mylar bags instead of FoodSaver Quart or Gallon bags.

I'm a Senior and just received my 2014 coverage book(s) from my Medicare Advantage Plan. Before ObamaCare I didn't have co-pays except for rare items and had Zero co-pay prescription coverage. All that is now gone and will have co-pays on just about everything, especially drugs ($15 ea). Affordable services have taken a nosedive to the minimums (same as mentioned above) and conversations with my local hospital and physician about future patient services aren't encouraging either. My Ophthalmologist of many years will no longer accept Medicare or insurance of any kind, cash only.

And if you don't abide by the government controls and rules to their liking, especially with ObamaCare, you will face fines and prison. Refuse to pay, the system is set up to take money out of my accounts and/or sell your assets.....using information they acquired without your permission or knowledge. You have no rights or expectations of privacy.

Right now I'm just waiting for the next shoe to drop....notification of what my Medicare bill will be for 2014.

I love those containers and have used them for small First Aid Kits, small parts in the garage, on the Dryer to hold lint when the filter is cleaned out (link used for making fire starters), holder for hot glue gun sticks.

I wouldn't use already cooked/canned chicken for a recipe to be canned.

In most of the recipes I see, the actual amount isn't critical to the recipe. If you need more, open another can. Or use less of the other ingredients

That's the procedure I always use. All my chicken is canned in pint jars so I just open one jar, add and eyeball. If part of a jar is left over it just opens the door for the next meal idea.

Hint: I don't put mine into hot water, and I peel them with my potato peeler.

Try the serrated peeler for thin skins and it may cause you to giggle. Now my favorite gadget.

I love love love my mushrooms and constantly on the lookout for discounts at my store, usually 50% or more off. My 99 cent store also carries them occasionally. They immediately get canned in those 4 oz jars, sometimes in half-pints, and sometimes into the dehydrator. I'm never short of mushrooms to add to meals.

I wonder if anyone is interested in knowing that per-sterilizing jars hasn't been necessary for some years now. I just give them a wash/rinse to remove any spiders or other renters. It's been proven that sterilization will occur during processing at the 10 minute mark. Saves a lot of time and energy.

I like those shelves. Haven't seen that style in my area. I've learned my lesson on using plastic shelving.

Either one gives the same results....removing air from the container. I save my Absorbers for larger containers/bags that are not possible to use the FoodSaver with.

If it can't go into the dehydrator to become tomato powder it goes into the compost.

In the news recently someone found a 100-year-old can of preserved food. It was opened and found the food perfectly safe to eat since the can remained intact and sealed. Of course the nutrients were gone along with much of the texture, which is pretty much the only reason why you want to eat canned food earlier than later.

I'm still working on my 2007 canned food and have no complaints. Since I'm now eating for one it is taking me a lot longer to go through my pantry these years.

Considering they are making human organs/parts on a 3D printer, the possibilities are limited only with man's imagination, money, and the technology to make the "ink" of the substance you want the product to be and the mechanism (cartridge) to spit it out precisely. With human cells the technology had to find a way to keep them alive during and after the "printing" process. That in itself boggles my mind.

But computer software has to drive the printer just like our regular printers. The software is CAD (Computer Assisted Design). The person who can draw a 3-dimensional object on the computer will be the authors for the 3D printers. As is now occurring, CAD drawings will be posted on the Internet for people to download and print, just like we do with a color photo or document. Imagine a part breaking on your home appliance, downloading the CAD drawing of that part, and printing it out on your home 3D printer. And of course no more "Made in China" parts.

I hope I live long enough to enjoy some of these benefits.

Your friend has been 'lucky' up to now that her jars did not contain the C. Botulinum spore but, like a person who doesn't wear a seat belt there is an accident just around the corner just waiting to happen. The sad part is there are lots of people out there that just don't like to wear seat belts.