Why no noodles or rice/barley in home canning?

[Vic303]

Ok, better a silly question before I screw up so here goes:

Why should I not can soups containing noodles or grains like rice or barley? Is it because they would over cook? Or is it something harmful?

 

Thanks!

Vic

[CrabGrassAcres]

To start with, they will be mushy and yuck. Supposedly it thickens the contents of the jar and makes it unsafe. I'm not convinced of that part, but I don't like the texture/taste of rice or noodles that are way overcooked. Daughter can't have barley so I don't use it except for my faux coffee.

[Darlene]

Pastas, rice, barley, etc interfere with the heat and pressure properly infiltrating the jar during processing.

 

And, like CGA said, it turns to mush anyway. Regardless, if it was safe, they wouldn't be saying it wasn't...lol

[Evergreen]

And what are other things that we do not need to can? Is it things high in fats???

 

My sister brought me over some good red beans tonight (I did the rice separately) anyway- I though it would be good to can but she puts cut up link sausage in there with the beans and seasonings- Would that be OK to can?

[Leah]

We need to sticky a "What not to can" thread. Something like this one - http://www.mrssurvival.com/forums/ubbthrea...ge=7#Post165096 Can someone do that?

The subject comes up several times a month...

[kappydell]

not much you can't can. just ask the amish. i have one of their canning books, and they can rice, noodles, all manner of things that the blue book says is a no-no. the only thing i have not been able to can is pureed pumpkin (cubes did OK though). So I can cubes and puree them in blender with my other pie ingredients. Instant pumpkin pie!

[Violet]

They are considered thickeners and interfere with the heat absorption of the foods when canned. They change the density of the foods. Foods with those things are considered underprocessed and can allow botulism to grow. Also, they will lower the acid level, so the ph is too high to be safely canned.

They also do turn to mush.

Noodle, rice, etc. should be added when you open the jars to heat them for serving.

This is the warning from USDA about canning soups, but does apply to all homecanned foods.

*******************

Soups

Vegetable, dried bean or pea, meat, poultry, or seafood soups can be canned.

 

Caution: Do not add noodles or other pasta, rice, flour, cream, milk or other thickening agents to home canned soups. If dried beans or peas are used, they must be fully rehydrated first.

 

 

 

These are the USDA safe, tested guidelines concerning adding rice, noodles, etc. I appreciate Darlene's stance on just providing the methods that have been safety tested.

 

It is safe to can sausages, but the density with the added beans can be a problem. You will see in the method below, they are cut into pieces, browned, drained of excess fat, then packed into jars with water or broth added.Putting them into the jars with the beans could make the product too dense for the heat to safely penetrate the food while canning. I would recommend canning them seperately, then combining them once opened while heating them for serving.

*******************

Procedure: Choose fresh, chilled meat. With venison, add one part high-quality pork fat to three or four parts venison before grinding. Use freshly made sausage, seasoned with salt and cayenne pepper (sage may cause a bitter off-flavor). Shape chopped meat into patties or balls or cut cased sausage into 3- to 4-inch links. Cook until lightly browned. Ground meat may be sauteed without shaping. Remove excess fat. Fill jars with pieces. Add boiling meat broth, tomato juice, or water, leaving 1-inch headspace. Add 2 teaspoons of salt per quart to the jars, if desired.

 

Fats can surround the particles of food, like a blanket. It can allow botulism to survive even pressure canning. That is why bacon is not safe to add to most things, like green beans, or bacon not canned by itself. (I know there are a few things, like dried beans with some amout of pork, ham, or bacon added, but the recipe has been safety tested. It allows for a 3/4 inch cube of ham, pork, or bacon per quart jar.) Same reason butter is not safe to can. The milk solid particles can harbor botulism.

Fats also slow down the heat penetration process in foods.

Water heats faster than fat does.

[Evergreen]

"It is safe to can sausages, but the density with the added beans can be a problem."

 

Hmmm I am not sure if that makes sense to me- this is red beans (were dry beans) and sausage - (baby links-Conech or Royal sausage -the kind that come about 2 feet long if you uncoil) Peices are cut 1/4 inch thick. She probally used 1/2 lb sausage to 1 lb. of beans. The only other thing in there is water that the beans were cooked in and seasoning.

 

I am wanting to can some 'meals in a jar' type of things - like chili- and I though this would be a good alternative -something good, nutritious, and cheap with dry beans- maybe not??????

[GinnyB]

Evergreen, I am new to pressure canning (just been doing it for about six weeks or so), but, like you, wanted to do some meals in a jar. Like you, am finding that not much besides chili seems to have been tested as safe. I have canned a lot of seasoned hamburger and a couple of trial batches of both plain and seasoned beans. Last week, I combined a jar of seasoned hamburger and a jar of seasoned beans. I did add some fresh veggies - but you wouldn't have to - and this made a very easy and very good minestrone-type soup. So, maybe the solution is to can a few things separately and then just open two jars instead of one. Perhaps others could join in as to which canned items they combine for an easy, nutritious meal.

 

Ginny

[Leah]

Used to can meat, carrots, green beans, corn, and potatoes separately, and then open and combine with dried onions, etc. to make soup.

[Evergreen]

Originally Posted By: Leah

Used to can meat, carrots, green beans, corn, and potatoes separately, and then open and combine with dried onions, etc. to make soup.

That just seems like a lot of jars to open for one meal- does not seem wise to me because of storage space or economically (at .75 a jar I would be adding $3.75 to the cost of each meal on top of food cost)

I was looking at Violets recipe for Vegetable beef soup to can (posted today) -I don’t see the difference between canning that stuff together and the beans and sausage.

I am NOT trying to be difficult- it is not that i do not believe you or trust your judgment -I just need to understand WHY.

I dont even cook red beans and sausage that much- I just want to understand what I can can- and what I cannot.



Thanks for the patience...

[Darlene]

Perhaps, even though the sausage is only 1/4" thick, it's a larger space (like a disk), so that combined with beans, which are a higher density food product, that it puts it in the boarderline category...yanno what I'm trying to say?

 

Maybe Violet will have a more detailed reason...I'm like you, knowing 'why' makes all the difference in the world to me, because I'm prone to go ahead and do things sometimes if I don't understand the 'why'.

[Violet]

Normally when someone cans dried beans they are not "soupy". They soak up so much liquid when they are canned, making them a lot thicker and more dense than a soup. At least that has been my experience with them and seeing how peoples homecanned dried beans turn out when I have seen them. That is my concern with the combination of the beans and sausage.

If you check the soup directions, you will see that the jars are only half filled with the solids, the other half of the jar is broth or liquid of some sort. If you canned the beans with the sausage, you would need to be sure it was thin enough or the heat would not be able to properly penetrate to consider it safe. Also, beans in soup must be fully hydrated. With the directions for canning dried beans, they are cooked for half an hour before they are ever put into the jars.

 

That is the difference, most people I know who can plain dried beans (nothing but beans and water, and salt) don't can them as "soupy" as soup.

I hope I am making sense. I am tired and not thinking as clearly as I should be.

[Evergreen]

Originally Posted By: Violet

I hope I am making sense. I am tired and not thinking as clearly as I should be.

LOL- This is how I feel most of the time I post- it is either first thing in the AM or right before bed! Thanks for taking the time to answer when you are so tired

OK- One more question- I was thinking of canning these when they are full cooked- ready to eat - but there is not 1/2 liquid (she made a big pot- we are not eating all)- maybe 1/3- 1/4 liquid. Will this work if the beans are fully cooked?