Canning food after TSHTF

I'm very into canning, myself. The best form of canning is pressure canning. Once you get a nice big pressure canner, you can pretty much an indefinitely with it. It's an initial investment for sure, but after that, it pays for itself many times over.

You can certain can stews and soups and pickle all kinds of things. Stews and soups are best done using a pressure canner, in my opinion, it's more reliable than boiling bath canning.

Anything that isn't acidic requires either the addition of acid, or to be pressure canned. Most of the ways to do this require tropical type fruits, so that would be something to keep in mind-- it would be well worth the money to get a pressure canner of good size if you were going to do canning.

In a crisis type of situation, you may well not end up having the ability to get your hands on acidic foods.

Another thing I would do, in a survival situation, is have hemp seeds (which of course, I cannot legally advocate that anyone else do). This part is, naturally, totally hypothetical... ;)

Hemp is an amazing plant, because its fibers can be used for everything from making clothes, to ropes, to buildings. It can be burned for fuel, and it also leaves behind a lot of nutrients in the soil for other plants (just the roots themselves release them as a "byproduct). It's also naturally repellent to many insects.

It grows pretty quickly, and it is fully renewable.

I live in BC so they sell hemp seeds in the grocery store.
And hemp products everywhere. I agree hemp and survival is a good thing. Paper money and rope were made out of hemp. I don't know if the still are.

One thing I noticed about canning as opposed to 30 years ago, is that the stuff doesn't keep like it used to because the water is bad. Have you noticed that?
What type of water do you use for canning?

I use tap water, but I live on a well.

I haven't noticed that, personally, perhaps because of being on a well.

I think it also makes a big difference when I use organic stuff. I do notice in that case that it goes downhill fast. I try to use as much local produce and even meats as I can.

I bought an old used pressure canner. Do you have any suggestions on how to test the pressure gauge? I'm afraid of blowing myself up.

I've done hot water bath canning (pickles, salsa, tomato sauce, etc.) but would like to try pressure canning.

bump

Here's a site with all kinds of tips on things like testing it and how to use it. Recipes, too. :)

[link to www.pickyourown.org]

Great! Thanks Sandi T.

How long does the stuff last if you can it yourself do you think?

Like lets say you made some deer meat stew with organic veggies and well water.

I don't know, I just opened some bison chili I made a year and a half ago. That's pretty much when I started it, so I can't really say past that time frame.

Every year you are supposed to take it to your local extension office where they test it for free. Only takes a couple minutes.

Thanks. I can google what an "extension office" is.

the chinese can supplied food is contaminated now,melamine before the shtf,but Tomasine poisoning,from the break down of the cans lining,so approx a year from expired date

Well then jars are the way to go anyways if you do it yourself. I think maybe the first year I would trust the stuff off the shelves I scrounged for, much longer if forced to, but if I had the option of growing my own and canning it myself, I would choose that. Spend the first year eating the store stuff while you set a greenhouse and canning shed.

When I was a kid on the farm everyone canned their own stuff because they liked to do it and it was easy to grow stuff and they shared their stuff out of pride.
You know a nice gift to bring over on a visit was some canned stuff you did yourself to show off your recipe, or the fish you caught, or the deer you bagged whatever because then that gave you something to talk about while you got drunk together.

and what happens when tshtf and ye cannot find lids for canning? canning is useful as the dickens but without the lids to seal it's kind of pointless.

Actually, before they made the nifty rubber things that we use now, they used paraffin and beeswax as seals regularly. Of course, given the tyrants at the FDA, I also cannot suggest that anyone do that, but it has been done in the past...

We used jars and wax one time. I think you do jams that way anyways. The wax on top of the jam keeps out the air.

I see an extension office is an American thing. Being CDN I'll have to find another way to test it out

Who's canned with wax? How do you do that?

I was just gonna say that. Hold on I did say that. You beat me to the punch.

Lots of extra jar lids should be on any canner's prep list.

Also a good idea to have back-up seals and pressure release vavle's for your pressure cooker, they do wear out over time with use.

One advantage of home canning is the food is canned the day it's picked.

Also food canned in jars has a very long shelf life.

Well you do your regular canning everything has to boil for whatever time 5 minutes or whatever and your jars have to be sterilized, then you simply pour melted wax slowly on top. It seals it completely. I don't remember the details but I think we still put lids on the jars. Its just that they were just ordinary jars I think. Like used ones from the kitchen.

It's just like driving a car. If you're careless you'll have an accident. It's no different than watching a boiling pot with a lid on it. Watch the amount of steam coming out of the top. The gauge will let you know how many pounds of pressure you are at. If it's too much, turn the heat down. There are a lot of websites that can help and also youtube.

and you can pick off the wax, save it and reuse it..

To can with wax, you ladle some melted wax on top of the food. You slowly and gently rotate the jar (using your cannning instruments, as it should still be hot while you do this-- that keeps the germs from getting into the mix). When the wax in the food has hardened, you add another layer, once more rotating it gently just til the wax coats it evenly.

You want about an 1/8 inch (4 mm) of wax on top.

Erm, but of course, I can't legally recommend this method, as an American, and all that. The FDA might show up at my house and fine me.



Oh, I forgot to mention, have something like a toothpick nearby, and pop any bubbles.

It's wise to cover the jar with something else, too, on top of the wax. Just to keep dust off the wax, is all, really.

Last Edited by Sandi_T on 01/30/2010 10:14 PM

food is for losers

Become a breatharian

lol

Take your canner to the closed County Extension Office......and they will test your canner gauge for free.

Do it!

Sorry I didn't mean closed........

I meant take your canner to the CLOSEST COUNTY EXTENSION OFFICE.

I'm being serious. I'm not very far from being one. I only ate bread with mustard today.

I India there are gurus who have gone 30 years without food, and Bill Murray once caddied for the Dali Lama and when it came time to tip him, he said, when he dies, just before he dies, he is going to get total consciousness. So he has that goin for him.

"Hey look at this, what kind of steak is this? You can still see the marks where the jockey was hittin it!"

Oh. Well best of luck with that.