Home 'canning'

withabix

Occurence of serious food poisoning (particularly botulism and salmonella etc) is a lot higher in the USA due to the popularity of Canning.

Canning is popular there because fresh food is actually more expensive in the USA and Canada (and bulk-buying has always been popular) - we get very cheap food here, no matter what you might think!

You can buy canning pressure cookers here:

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=canner&hl=en&cr=countryUK%7CcountryGB&newwindow=1&sa=X&tbs=ctr:countryUK%7CcountryGB&prmd=imvns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&ei=blyfUOn5HcqJ0AWmsYCIDA&ved=0CFEQrQQ&biw=1600&bih=775

(Note that a lot of these stores will be in the USA however!)

Sambucus_Nigra

They do it alot over there mainly due to the weather and the loss of power - alot of homesteads will have their own generators when the power goes but that's for light and heat, they won't want to be trying to keep freezers going for 5 days whilst the power is reconnected. Hence, canning rather than freezing. Say what you want about the UK but it's not that often we get horrendous weather and power outs for days on end. Whereas in lots of the USA and Canada, that's exactly what happens.

Anyway - I've canned my own grown tomatoes before, and plenty of my chums do their home grown stuff but I'd be very hesitant about meat based stuff to be honest - mainly for the reasons described above. I usually store, freeze, pickle, jam, jelly or make wine with my growings and pickings depending on the end use of the stuff I've grown or scrumped. But then I don't eat meat so I could be biased. I just wouldn't chance it...

Pink.

This thread may help:

Home 'canning'

I'll merge this with that one later.

Pink

Angel_Jenny

My Amish pen pals can a lot of things. They grow more fruit and vegetables than they can use in Summer and can it to take them right through Winter.

They say they couldn't afford to buy fruit and vegetables all Winter. One does have 8 children though!

I was surprised at just what they can. Not just tomatoes and things like that but meat, cordials and apple pie filling. Must take up a lot of space to store it all though!

Canning is also mentioned on the Homesteading for Beginners DVDs but those are American too. Interesting though!

dandy-candy

Wow Angel Jenny that's really interesting! How did you get Amish pen pals - that sounds wonderful

Angel_Jenny

I wrote into a magazine called Keepers at Home which is produced by Mennonites and read by all sorts of people including the Amish.

Lots of people write in for pen pals! I thought being in England and "worldly" would put them off but I got a lot of letters. I write to about 10 people now - both Amish and non-Amish.

Patchwork_Quilt

At your own risk - the Bible of home canning is 'The Complete Guide to Home Canning and Preserving' by the US Department of Agriculture ISBN 13:978 0 486 40931 3 OR 10:0 486 40931 7. I use their recommendations in a pressure cooker at 15 lbs but only for veg. I 'canned' some chicken stock once that went really BAD. I also sterilise some jams and lemon curd to make them last longer. Do be careful, though.

Angel_Jenny

I don't know how they stop it going off over there - you would think the temperature differences in the storage room would be more variable.

I would be a bit worried about poisoning myself!