National Center for Home Food Preservation

[pamela]

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/

hey, we got talking about hamburger rocks in the other thread and it led to a discussion, or question rather, about being able to can things like Hamburger Helper. Premade so that you could have it ready to eat in case of emergency.
I found the above link about canning and though maybe it would be helpful.
Here, we're trying to do as much dehydration as possible as it is easier to carry if we have to bugout. LOL
Sort of kidding, but not really.
Anyway, if someone here has tried pressure canning things like leftover chili or spaghetti or Hamburger Helper, let us know about it.

[CMH]

I have canned chili and baked beans before.  They turn out well, just do not over cook them when reheating, it does change the texture of the beans, but still tastes the same.

I would not can anything that has pasta in it, I figure it would turn to mush.

[pamela]

that's what I was wondering too CMH, although, you might could try it and see, I was wondering if you put it into the jars uncooked and then let it cook while canning.

anyway, go here, get free pdf files on all kinds of canning.

http://www.pickyourown.org/canningpubs.htm

I'm sure it's in this forum already, somewhere, but with all the new folks it doesn't hurt to repeat ourselves sometimes.

[justanouveaufarmer]

Well, last time I canned chicken stock I had a little left over.  I added some uncooked vermicelli and half a bag of leftover frozen mixed veggies and some seasoning and pressure canned two quarts of it, as a test.  It was pretty good.  I called it Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup N Vegetables.   

The noodles soaked up more of the chicken stock than I expected, and they were soft, just like the canned Campbells chicken noodle soup noodles. 

But it tasted great, hubby liked it and it's perfect for when I don't feel like cooking but still want something healthier than pizza or chinese.  I'll definitely make more of it.

[pamela]

ok, that's great justy, now we're getting somewhere!!

[justanouveaufarmer]

Maybe the reason the noodles came out ok was because they weren't cooked first.  They had 90 minutes to soak up the liquid.

[kimberley862]

Just my two cents:

Do NOT can asparagus....

All it did was turn into a vile tasting asparagus MUSH.

Gross. and it cost me a bit considering I bought it all from the store.

[2dogsbrkn]

i hope i'm doing this right, i have a question--how to preserve w/salt or sugar. where can i get the info [if not here] spelled out as if i was 12 yrs. old. i have 3 freezers & if i should lose elect too long, i'd like to know how to save the meat. 1-difference between salt/sugar?, 2- defrost 1st.? 3-put in plastic bag,salt dn.,tie bag closed,? 4-- preserve anything other than meat? etc. stuff like that, need procedure. i have a gen. but still need info.   thx,eugene

[rdocr]

About home canning
Temperature is the key.

Any meats or prepared dishes that we can go into a pressure cooker, since canning temperature is related to pressure- you can reach a higher temperature under pressure.

Add to this list Tomato canning. They can cause problems if not canned correctly ( higher temperatures reduce botulism risk). Botulism bacteria like the acid environment in tomatoes.

We cover this in detail in Hard Times, Vol 2-  Food, our book that details both spoilage and preservation as well as growing..

Fruits and most vegetables are canned in a water bath where temperatures never go above 212F, water boiling temp.

The tricky thing with pressure canning is that the water is super-heated and reducing the pressure too fast can cause the contents to boil out of the jars.

As to asparagus, I have always wondered how canneries treat them and keep them whole, but we always eat our asparagus crop when it is fresh. Some things seem to resist canning, although asparagus is listed as one of the most nutritious vegetables. The stalks do not dry well, either

UGA has some good info, but I would advise people to seek out Agriculture Extension Services from the Land Grant College in their own State. They are more likely to be relevant to what foods exist locally. That is one of the things that Congress did right, way back in 1914.
LOL

Ralph