Backwoods Home Magazine - Ask Jackie: Pressure Canning

Table of Contents

Ask Jackie

Pressure Canning

Copyright 1999-2012

ISBN: 978-0-9860152-6-7

Backwoods Home Magazine

PO Box 712

Gold Beach, Oregon 97444

www.backwoodshome.com

Edited by Jessie Denning, Julia Denning, Haley Kessel, Connie Sayler, Lisa Nourse, Rhoda Denning, and Ilene Duffy

Cover art by Don Childers

Illustrations by Don Childers, Jessie Denning, and John Dean

Introduction

Pressure canning is a terrifically important homesteading skill that more and more folks are rediscovering lately. By learning how safe and easy it is to pressure can, you will open a vast array of foods to add to your pantry shelves. In any one year, I usually can ham chunks and dices, roast beef slices and dices, stewing beef, stewing venison, venison steaks and roasts, chicken breast, chicken dices, chicken chunks, three flavors of meatballs, two flavors of spaghetti sauce with meat, turkey breast slices, turkey chunks, beef broth, chicken broth, turkey broth, soups, stews, pepperoni, pizza sauce, green beans, peas, baked beans, pintos for refried beans, kidney and other dry beans, sweet corn, creamed corn, corn with peas, corn with carrots, corn with mixed vegetables, cabbage, rutabagas, potatoes, carrot slices, carrot chunks, whole carrots, squash chunks (I pure them and make pumpkin pie!), and a whole lot more. All using a pressure canner!

As pressure canning looks more involved than water bath canning, and because some folks have heard horror stories passed down through the generations about pressure canners blowing up, a lot of people are fearful to even try pressure canning. Im here to tell you that modern pressure canners are safe and easy to use. Just follow directions and stay in the same room as your canner to monitor the pressure. No sweat. Youll be so glad you gave it a whirl!

A pressure canner is necessary for canning all low-acid foods like vegetables, meats, and combinations of the two. A boiling water bath canner never gets hot enough to kill dangerous bacteria and toxins that could possibly find their way into your low-acid foods. You must use a pressure canner and proper processing times to be safe.

Most of the information in this book pertains to pressure canning, but there could be a couple questions about water bath canning as well.

In these pages, I answer questions about such things as canning meat, dairy products, meals in a jar, vegetables, tomatoes, nuts, peppers, and a whole lot more. Have fun reading and I hope I answered a lot of your own questions along the way.

Jackie Clay

Dairy

Canning powdered milk

I have a question concerning canning milk. I bought milk at a good price and also powdered milk. I thought I could make up a gallon of powdered milk and combine it with a half-gallon of 2% milk and can it up in order to stretch my stores. Well, after about three months it spoiled. I used both the pressure canner and water bath. The pressure canned came out somewhat darker in color than the water bath but it all appeared okay. I put it away for a time then checked them and the milk turned almost solid in the jar, but could in some cases be jiggled back to liquid.

What did I do wrong? Was there something in the powdered milk that caused it to sour? And boy, what a smell.

Pat Fessler, Maryland

I honestly dont know what happened! Ive never had canned milk go sour. But Ive never canned any powdered milk either. (That shouldnt have had any problems.) Pressure canned milk always does get a little darker, due to the sugars in the milk getting heated to high temperatures. And it is common for it to get thicker, like condensed milk. But it shouldnt go bad!

Pressure canning milk

We will be getting a milk cow soon and are excited to use the milk for butter, cheese, etc. I would also like to can some. But I just cant find out how long to process it. Because of the acidity, I believe the only way to successfully can it would be in a pressure canner. Could you please help me?

Dianna

Milk is easy to can, but it does not come out like raw milk. It is fine to cook with, but it sort of caramelizes and gets thicker. Milk is higher in acid than one might think, containing lactic acid. So you can either pressure can it or process it in a water bath canner.

To pressure can the milk, cool your fresh, strained milk, then pour it into clean jars. Leave half an inch of room at the top of the jar. Place a hot, previously boiled lid on the jar and screw down the ring firmly tight. Process in a pressure canner for 10 minutes, at 10 pounds pressure (unless you live at an altitude requiring adjustment; see your canning manual for directions).

To water bath process your milk, simply place the jars in your hot water bath canner and process for 60 minutes, counting from the time the kettle comes to a rolling boil.

Canning milk

I have recently been trying to can milk. According to a recipe online, you can do it. This recipe has you place your milk in clean quart jars in pressure canner. Add 2-3 inches of water and get pressure to the 5 lb. mark. Then cut off heat and let steam escape. Viol, you canned milk! Well, so far, so good, until I went back to check on it a few weeks later. To my surprise, I have lots of yogurt. I kept it out of light, even storing some under the house. Temps only got from 65-80F after cooling in house and under. My questions are these: 1)Can you successfully can milk? 2)How can you do it without getting yogurt and/or sick? I am using raw cows milk.

Melisa Mink, Mississippi

Yes, you can home can milk. But not at 5 pounds pressure. Nor do you cut off heat and let steam escape. Heres how I do it.

Remember that canned milk does not look or taste like fresh milk. It is a bit thicker and a little more tan in color. But it is great for cooking.

You can use the boiling water bath method by filling hot, sterilized jars with warm, strained milk. Leave inch of headspace. Wipe the rim of the jar clean, place a hot, previously simmered lid on the jar, and screw the ring down firmly tight. Process quarts in a boiling water bath canner for 60 minutes.

Or you can pressure can it by filling the jars with warm, strained milk, leaving inch of headspace. Wipe the rim of the jar clean, place a hot, previously simmered lid on the jar and screw the ring down firmly tight. Process quarts for 10 minutes at 10 pounds pressure in a pressure canner.

If you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet, consult your canning book for instructions on increasing your time if you water bath, or pressure if you are using a pressure canner.

Canning whole milk

I tried canning whole milk, about 10 quarts. They have all thickened up and the jars have sealed. Can I use this milk in some way? I lucked out at the time I thought, as our local grocers ad had four gallons for $9.

Rosemary Barber, Iowa

You can use this milk in any recipes calling for milk, such as gravies, white sauces, baking, casseroles, noodle dishes, and more. I use it in place of evaporated milk, as it is thicker than regular milk.

Canning dry milk?

I just read in BHM Issue #94 your description of how to can fresh milk. Do you know if its possible to can reconstituted non-fat dry milk? I have tons of it.

Pat Crowder, Colorado

I wouldnt bother reconstituting dry milk in order to can it. Canned milk is not really that good, except in cooking. The dry milk lasts a long time in airtight jars or even in the original boxes and doesnt take up canning jars better used for something else. Nor do they take up much room on a pantry shelf. Maybe you need to begin using the oldest milk, in order to rotate your stock. Use it in puddings, cream pies, ice milk, and custards. You can even make cheeses out of it if you want.