Home Canned Meals

[Spider]

Ok, I'm gonna start this thread and hopefully some of you more talented cooks will chime in. Darlene speaks often of canning "home canned meals". While I do a lot of canning, its usually veggies or soup only. I'm curious about these "meals". What do you do to get it from the jar to the table as a whole meal? Thanks.

[Skagitgal]

I do a lot of one-pot meals to can. Stew, chili,spaghetti sauce, de-boned chicken, beef, pork and Salmon.

 

The best 'meals' or meal basics are those your family likes to eat. If they are hollering 'gag me with a spoon' over your lovingly canned limas & ham, I can assure you that you will be more than tempted to let them starve.

 

Just remember, ANY pressure canned item MUST be cooked at a rolling boil for 15 minutes BEFORE you add it to other ingredients. This is not negotiable in any way or form.

 

Home canned items can be used like comercially canned ingredients under this protocol.

 

Else where in this area, there are exclusions [canning no-nos] that need to be observed.

 

I can walk into the kitchen after a half-frozen day on the river fishing and have supper in 25 minutes. A pint of deboned chicken, a pint @ of beans, carrots, corn on to boil; slap a pan of water on to boil for noodles, set the table, warm up breakfasts biscuits, thicken the now boiled chicken, drain the veggies & noodles, combine all, and slide your feet under the table. Dont forget the jam & dill pickles.

 

You can do this with meats & veggies of any combination. We prefer to can individual items, then combine them while making the meal.

 

You have just rotated your preps,provided good nourishment to your family AND SAVED A PILE OF MONEY over going out to eat.

Plus, you get to feel pretty smug about what you have just accomplished.

 

And the most important thing, YOU have used a skill. Now get in there are do another!!

 

 

[JCK88]

I pressure can butternut squash. I also can turkey broth. To make a nice butternut squash soup, I whisk my can of butternut squash into the pan with the turkey broth, add sage, thyme, a little brown sugar, salt and pepper, and run it through the blender, then simmer. It is really, really good.

 

I can turkey in broth and can take that out and turn the broth into gravy by thickening it. (I have to use strange stuff cause I'm allergic to wheat so I use some Bette Hagman flour or plain tapioca flour to thicken mine) and serve it over rice or biscuits....

 

If you can beef, you can take a can of that, a can of carrots, a can of green beans and you can make the meat broth into gravy and put it in a crust for pot pie, or you can make a quick bunch of biscuits and serve it over that...

 

I also can plenty of soups because there is not a single commercially canned soup I can eat due to the corn and wheat allergies. Soup and a sandwich..classic.

 

Many of these things go great with noodles. For dessert, I serve fried apples which are really sorta like pie filling canned in pints and heated in a pan to serve. Or, applesauce, or peaches or pears.

 

A rather elegant dessert I have served to company is pear halves in a fancy little dish topped with raspberries and then drizzled with a tiny bit of chocolate syrup. It is light and looks pretty and people like it! Raspberry preserves can be used. I can a few whole raspberries in syrup just for this purpose.

 

If you have canned spaghetti sauce, then you can always make the tried and true spaghettie and red sauce. You can add some canned hamburger you have put up for a meaty sauce.

 

One of our favorite dishes involves a can of diced tomatoes, a chopped red onion, a chopped pepper, a couple of cups of garbanzo beans, red pepper, a couple of tablespoons of Italian spice, salt and pepper to taste...and it's a great side dish salad, rather like salsa. This also tastes great on burgers, with chips, or even heated up like soup.

 

I have spent the day today rearranging all my shelves and inventorying my home canned items...I am SO happy that I pushed myself to do more this year.

 

But I also store commercially canned things, too. Home canned stuff is used the same way--but somehow it's nifty to feel like something tossed together quickly is still home made.

 

 

[Darlene]

Let's see, a few ideas off the top of my head of things that I do...

 

I make marinara and then marinara with sausage meatballs. I take a jar of my marinara, add oregano and I have instant pizza sauce. I do split pea soup with ham, chicken soup, cuban chicken soup. I do a corn chowder with chicken that I add cream when I heat up. Baked beans, all kinds of veggies, fruits and jams. Stews, conch chowder, all the meats. The chicken and beef that I can, I make into things like tacos, enchiladas, pot pies, ala king. I can chili, pie fillings, sloppy joes, etc.

 

I had a hiatus from canning while I was selling the house and moving, but am just now getting back to it. Especially with the winter coming up and having to be inside more, I can already see myself getting back into my creative mode and trying new things. As I do, I'll share them with you.

 

One thing that I started doing that I never really did before (probably because I never had to because I had the boys with me and they always ate the left overs) was I am now taking my leftovers after I make things like chilis and stews and home canning them. I usually only end up having about 2 pints to can, but it's 2 pints closer to a one jar meal that I made myself, and can serve at a later date when I don't feel like cooking.

[rootdiggr]

Originally Posted By: Darlene

One thing that I started doing that I never really did before (probably because I never had to because I had the boys with me and they always ate the left overs) was I am now taking my leftovers after I make things like chilis and stews and home canning them. I usually only end up having about 2 pints to can, but it's 2 pints closer to a one jar meal that I made myself, and can serve at a later date when I don't feel like cooking.

Darlene, after my son moved out, I had to start doing this as well. That is when I bought my small pressure canner. It will only hold 6 pints, so is great for the leftovers, or the small batches of veggies, etc.

[Darlene]

Yeah, I have the same thing. I bought the AA 910 baby canner that holds 4 quarts and I think 7 pints. It's perfect for those little jobs.

[Spider]

Just a quick thank you for the replies. Keep'em coming. This is great.

[furbabymom]

Originally Posted By: Skagitgal

Just remember, ANY pressure canned item MUST be cooked at a rolling boil for 15 minutes BEFORE you add it to other ingredients. This is not negotiable in any way or form.

Home canned items can be used like comercially canned ingredients under this protocol.

This is something I've always wondered about pressure canned foods - after you've cooked it in the canner for 90 minutes or whatever, and then boiled it hard for 15 minutes, isn't the food just cooked to death?

[KatMom]

I, too, have wondered about the texture of foods that have been boiled for 15 minutes before serving. I would think that it would leave the ingredients very overcooked. Anyone with an opinion on this? Katmom

[HSmom]

It depends on what it is. I think French cut green beans, canned, are a disgusting mush already - without even boiling them another 15 minutes. In my experience, canned meats and bean soups are just fine with additional boiling.

 

The reason for the boiling is to destroy any botulism toxin that may be present. If you've canned correctly, it shouldn't be there in the first place, but because it's odorless and tasteless, it's better to be safe than dead. The toxin - when exposed to high heat - is broken down into harmless compounds.

 

When boiling a soup or chili, etc, I usually add about a cup of water per quart. It will prevent scorching and most of it will have evaporated off by the time the 15 minutes is done.

[HSmom]

Or sometimes I use that boiling time to my advantage. For example, I can chicken soup with only chicken, carrot, celery and broth. When I want to make lunch for my kids, I dump the contents of the jar into a sauce pan, add some water and a handful of dry macaroni. By the time my macaroni is cooked, the soup has also boiled for the appropriate time. Safe and delicious!

[westbrook]

 

bump

[Canned Nerd]

Originally Posted By: furbabymom

Originally Posted By: Skagitgal

Just remember, ANY pressure canned item MUST be cooked at a rolling boil for 15 minutes BEFORE you add it to other ingredients. This is not negotiable in any way or form.

Home canned items can be used like comercially canned ingredients under this protocol.

This is something I've always wondered about pressure canned foods - after you've cooked it in the canner for 90 minutes or whatever, and then boiled it hard for 15 minutes, isn't the food just cooked to death?

I'm wondering where all this information is coming from because it does NOT exist in modern canning processing.

About 30 years ago there did exist a need to boil such foods, including commercially canned ones, for 10 minutes before eating in order to kill active bacteria toxins, but in the 1990's technology and research allowed us to learn about how to deal with the Botulism spore and all recipe books and recipe instructions were rewritten.

Most commercially canned foods can be safely eaten straight out of the can. The food is fully cooked. The same goes for "properly" canned foods at home.

If you want to know accurate and current information on food preservation, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation and perhaps even take their online course on the subject like I did.

[KatMom]

I have just sent an email to them to enquire if this is still a necessary step before consuming the product. We'll see what they say. Katmom

[carr]

I came across this post while searching for a spaghetti sauce recipe. I'm curious, what is the verdict .. I've never heard of the rolling boil rule till today! Anyone have any idea how this turned out?

[Violet]

If you used the current safe tested methods and recipes you do NOT need to boil the foods first.

[TurtleMama]

I have eaten my home-canned chicken, carrots, etc. right out of the jar without boiling them, and happily, I am not dead.

[Horseyrider]

One of my favorite shortcuts is to take some of the apples I dehydrated in the fall and put about a half of a quart jar of the slices in the little crockpot; add some apple juice concentrate and water, some brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg,a pinch of salt and a nice chunk of butter. I put that together before bed, then add a little cornstarch or Clear Flo in the morning, and ladle that hot deliciuosness over pancakes, waffles, or French toast. Sometimes we eat it hot in little sauce dishes as a breakfast side.

[PATRICE]

What is the best way to can turkey? I have several frozen and would like to can them for quick meals. I was going to thaw them, then debone and raw pack them with chicken boullion. I will of course pressure can them. One time I canned chicken breasts that were poached and did not like their texture after canning.

 

I would like to can some corned beef briskets that are also frozen. Is there a way to raw pack it then pressure can it?

 

TIA

[Violet]

Here is a link on how to do the meats.

 

I also prefer to raw pack my poultry and add chicken boullion broth to the jars.

 

 

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can5_meat.html

[Trudy]

Here is a link on how to do the meats.

 

I also prefer to raw pack my poultry and add chicken boullion broth to the jars.

 

 

http://www.uga.edu/n.../can5_meat.html

 

Violet, Do you still add salt when you use boullion broth? How much headspace do you leave?

[Violet]

I don't add any other salt. The boullion is salty enough. I make a broth with the boullion, taste to see if it is how I like it, then use to fill the jars.

 

I leave 1 inch headspace with chicken or meats.

[Trudy]

Thanks Violet!

[PATRICE]

Thanks for the link and the reply. I hope to get the turkeys this coming week.

[etp777]

I tend to can my turkey cooked, as I will roast a turkey, pull some breast out for jerky, use bones for stock, can the meat, etc etc etc. Roasting the turkey as usual lets me use it multiple ways.

 

Plus I just enjoy roasting a turkey.

 

Oh yeah, can't forget turkey soup (using Darlene's chicken soup recipe). Great as is, with noodles, for turkey and rice, or in casseroles. Actually right now eating a casserole-ish thing I made with some turkey soup, noodles, sweet peas and cream of mushroom soup (think that was all it). Pulled it from freezer when I got home from a business trip, and had a delicious dinner