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| canning bulk sausage | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Dec 13 2010, 11:06 AM (330 Views) | |
| Raven | Dec 13 2010, 11:06 AM Post #1 |
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If you find a good deal on the rolls of sausage, instead of putting the extra rolls in the freezer try canning it so that you rely less on the freezer (electricity). The more you can wean yourself off of the things that cost you now the easier it will be later on. Slice the sausage in the plastic rolls leaving the plastic in tact. Slice it about 1/4" or a little thinner. Very carefully pack the slices in a canning jar. My recipe says that 5 pounds of rolls will fit into 8 pint jars...they caution against trying to cram more into fewer jars as the jars tend to overflow when canned. After the jars are packed, fill the jars with boiling water leaving about 1" of headspace. Process at 10 lbs pressure for 75 minutes. When it cools there will be a layer of grease at the top that you can use for making gravy. I found this recipe in an old book and haven't tried it yet but I will use it when I get another pig butchered and make sausage. I am serious about trying to wean us off of unnecessary electrical stuff. We have two chest freezers and one upright freezer and there are only two of us. If we lose electricity long term then we can't can the stuff fast enough...unless, of course it happened tonight as it is cold as all hell out there in the wind. |
| The truth is not for all men, but only for those that seek it. Ayn Rand | |
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| Mommacat | Dec 13 2010, 11:48 AM Post #2 |
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Are you talking about sausage like summer sausage, salami, thuringer, etc. or like breakfast sausages? I agree absolutely that its a good idea to try to wean ourselves off of electrical conveniences. If all we've read and heard is true, ya gotta know that's the first thing that will go away. I've canned other meats with good success so I'm glad to learn that sausage can also be canned. I like the idea of a little grease on top to make pan gravy - makes me want a plate of hot biscuits to go with it, too!! |
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| Raven | Dec 14 2010, 12:14 PM Post #3 |
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It sounded like he was using the breakfast sausage, like Jimmy Dean and the like. Pay day is Friday and I may pick up the 5# that it takes to do one batch but I can't get to it until next week as we have Christmas with our kids on Sunday and the butcher is coming on Friday to do two of our pigs so I will be busy until the next week. I have mixed success with canning as I tend to fill the jars to full and I have to get my canner gauge checked. I think that my pressure is off. My corn turned out awful...AWFUL this past year. Dark tan/yellow and sour. Can't be good but the pigs sure liked it! |
| The truth is not for all men, but only for those that seek it. Ayn Rand | |
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| Grizzly | Dec 15 2010, 12:04 AM Post #4 |
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Just heard on the morning news that people using food shelf stores have increased 62% through out the state of MN. |
| Our ancestors left Europe to get away from this crap...as seen on a bumpersticker fns | |
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| Mommacat | Dec 15 2010, 08:49 AM Post #5 |
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Raven - very often when food discolors in the canning process its one of two things. First is to not use iodized salt - use canning salt. The second is minerals in your water. I would suspect that might be the problem. I understand that you have your own well, so probably do have lots of minerals - which are healthy for you, but not so good for canning food. I used to have that problem with everything turning orangy/brown and had a really tangy taste to it - it was from iron in my well water. I finally started using distilled water. It sounds like it would be an awful lot of added expense, but you only need to add a small amount to well packed jars and, having your stuff turn out well makes it worth the extra few cents per jar. Another common culprit is aluminum pans and or utensils - it isn't recommended to use aluminum any time in the canning process such as if you partially cook or blanch foods before canning. Aluminum reacts with different chemicals and will cause problems. The other thing that may have happened is that the corn was a little less than fresh when it was canned. After corn is picked, the sugars very quicly begin to break down, so its important to only pick what you can can in a day or two. If the kernels are the least bit wrinkled or don't burst when you prick them, it would probably work better to freeze it rather than can it. Lastly, some veggies, especially green beans and cucumbers, should be picked a tad bit before fully mature for the best results in canning. You may already know all this and if you do, I apologize for going on and on, but thought it might be helpful if you don't!
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| Raven | Dec 15 2010, 10:36 AM Post #6 |
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I don't use any aluminum especially when canning but you could be right about the water. I also didn't know it about the iodized salt. We have a distiller so I could start making the water days in advance and use it. I have no idea how long the corn was picked before I canned it as I bought it from a stand. It seemed pretty fresh and had not started to dent. Gonna try again next year as I am trying to get the stuff out of one of our freezers and get it unplugged. I want to trim down our electrical usage, wean us off it. Thanks for the tips, I appreciate the reminders and welcome them. |
| The truth is not for all men, but only for those that seek it. Ayn Rand | |
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| Mommacat | Dec 16 2010, 09:32 PM Post #7 |
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One other thing that I forgot about until just now. Very often the hybrids we have today are not really suitable for canning. The "super sweet" types of corn don't seem to stand up as well to the canning process. Also, watch for the same thing with tomatos - many varieties have had their acidity reduced, which makes them risky for waterbath canning. Actually, I think the best variety of tomatos to can is Roma (sometimes called Italian or plum) because they are not a very juicy tomato and so you get more tomato than juice in the jar. |
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| Raven | Dec 16 2010, 10:32 PM Post #8 |
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I was wondering about those "super sweet" varieties...I rather like the older chewier corn that tastes like corn, myself, but I am not a huge corn fan. I once knew an old guy who grew that old type and had a lovely pickup load of it. This is just when the candy corn was getting popular. He was just sick as he couldn't sell his...no one wanted the older variety. I bought about 10 bags of it just to can. It turned out great. This new stuff is only fit for freezing. I had to ask a couple of friends about it after you posted about the water and salt. They said that it wouldn't matter as the sugars in the corn can't take the canning process anymore and are made to freeze. My sister in Montana, who cans alot said she has had to throw the last 2 years worth to the chickens too. I will have to tell her it might not be the salt and water and to look for the heirloom varieties.
Edited by Raven, Dec 16 2010, 10:34 PM.
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| The truth is not for all men, but only for those that seek it. Ayn Rand | |
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| Mommacat | Dec 17 2010, 03:43 AM Post #9 |
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Well, true, it could just be the variety, but most canning experts still say that you have to use un-iodized salt. From my own experience with my hard, irony water, it did give stuff a funky taste and sometimes (with pears or apples) where you'd expect a clear juice, it was a bit murky and yellowish. Some people have a lot of lime in their water and they get scaling and a filmy sediment on top of the juice, as well. So, I just decided that I didn't want to go through all that work and not have things come out good and sprang for the distilled water. But, that's just my personal choice. |
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