Canning / Bottling / Putting Up - 101?

GHA

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The only downside I can see to this is having large aounts of heavy and breakable glass jars in the boat. Is storage a problem?
How do you prevent the lids from rusting, or isn't that a problem?

Yet to have one break, that's using mainly the proper kilner jars. Just stow sensibly with some socks or bubble wrap or whatever. Works for me anyway. The lids are throwaway with kilner, the bands holding the lids don't actually do much at all, or if they are needed then something's wrong, throw it out.
 

Gerry

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Yes the jars are quite heavy but not a problem on our boat. I rarely break a jar. Maybe twice in ten years!
The only rusting that has caused a problem has been storing the 'ring' sealers but I now put them in sealable plastic bags and have had no further problems.
 

OldBawley

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We never had a glass broken, and heavy yes, but we are not racing. We also use real porcelain and glass, hate plastic crockery.
We have used a variety of glasses, the French type with rubber ring and metal hinge / lock, then after I dumped the glasses because we changed sailing area and did not need canning anymore I started canning leftovers in normal throw away jars from industrial canned goods.
Now we use Leifheit glasses.
Before sailing away I ran a chandler store. I had a friend chef, who had just followed a seminar in France dedicated to canning and confit de canard ( duck confit ) and we fantasised about canning and selling high end canned food in my store and internet.
Sailors are known to be gourmets, have money and dont have time to cook.
Great idea. Could have sold a lot of jars in our 650 berths marina.
Only the Dutch business model is poisoned with regulations, before all licences to produce and sell food ware in I left to go sailing.
My friend still has lots of jars and the material to do the canning. Each visit he brings a few jars.
During his holiday, this six foot chef then prepares each evening a gourmet three course supper, all done on a small wood burning stove and a two hub gas cooker. The leftovers are canned the same evening on the wood stove. He only takes free in winter when his restaurant is running slow.
I still have glasses of last January. Rabbit with prunes, several minestrone etc.
Open a glass, warm up and the chef is back on board.
 
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I have been canning venison for over 37 years and haven't had a poisoning problem with it yet, at least not with my canning. Once got serious food poisoning with commercially canned beans.
I have never sterilized jars. 10 minutes in boiling water is not going to kill anything which can survive 1 1/2 hours at 280 degrees !
Put the lids on too tight and the jars break. Finger tight is plenty.
If there is no gas, you don't have a food poisoning problem. Heating it for 20 minutes in an open pan, neutralizes the botulism problem.
Buy "The Bean Book" by Rose Elliot. I no longer buy canned beans. I make all my bean soups and pea soups in my pressure cooker.They warn against it, claiming the foaming can block the rocker.
A spoon full of cooking oil eliminates the foaming problem. Keeps the top cleaner if you are cooking brown rice, as well.
Lagostina makes a great pressure cooker. A bit low on the pressure ,but I switched to a presto weight -rocker, which gives me 17 lbs pressure , much better.
Put some brined butter in my bilge, in a heat wave last summer( didn't sterilize the jar) Still in good shape.
I remember heading for the South Pacific, and hunting up some venison. 20 minutes walking , and a big buck appeared.
BANG!
"Congratulations Bucky ! You just won a free trip to the South Pacific!"
 
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airwave

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Hi guy's . I know this is an old thread , but i've only just joined . I used to sail back in the 80's and lived on my boat in the 90's , but i've never heard of this before .

A really interesting thread , thank you .
 
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Cheese keeps indefinitely if kept totally covered in cooking oil. After eating the cheese you can still use the oil for cooking.
If you cook your fish in peanut oil, it is the least likely to carry the taste into your eggs the next day.


Hi guy's . I know this is an old thread , but i've only just joined . I used to sail back in the 80's and lived on my boat in the 90's , but i've never heard of this before .

A really interesting thread , thank you .
 

airwave

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Cheese keeps indefinitely if kept totally covered in cooking oil. After eating the cheese you can still use the oil for cooking.
If you cook your fish in peanut oil, it is the least likely to carry the taste into your eggs the next day.

Hi there , does the oil not affect the taste , love me cheddar .

Strange as it may seem , fish ent really a problem for me , i rarely eat it . Can't be doing with picking the bone's out . My dad ended up in hospital due to a fish bone , and it kinda brushed off on me .
 
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Hi there , does the oil not affect the taste , love me cheddar .

Strange as it may seem , fish ent really a problem for me , i rarely eat it . Can't be doing with picking the bone's out . My dad ended up in hospital due to a fish bone , and it kinda brushed off on me .

Olive oil may affect the taste .No problem with other cooking oils.
Canning softens bones in fish completely ,eliminating worries about them, or the need to remove them before canning.
 
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Butter, submerged in, and completely covered in brine ,keeps for years. Your grandma is probably a gold mine of info on how they kept things before refrigeration.
 

airwave

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Butter, submerged in, and completely covered in brine ,keeps for years. Your grandma is probably a gold mine of info on how they kept things before refrigeration.

This is an interesting subject , yet it's totally new to me . I have heard of canned butter , but not of the storage of cheese . I know they used to salt , and dry meat for long term storage , unfortunately my grandmother is no longer with us . So that avenue is closed to me , however i'm sure an internet search would produce some interesting fact's .

Now you mention brine , what is the make up of this .
 
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