Times past I have canned beef stew. I am down to just a few quarts of stew, so it was time to can more.
I did things a bit differently this time. Instead of adding beef cubes to the jars, I canned just the vegetables.
My grocery order last week included 6 lbs. of carrots, 4 lbs. of onions and 10 lbs. of potatoes. The vegetables were peeled, sliced and diced. I wish I had remembered to buy celery, but I have half pint jars of canned celery on the shelf that I can toss into the stew when I heat it.
Each quart jar got 1 cup of diced potatoes, 1 cup of sliced carrots, 1/3 cup of diced onions, 2/3 cup of crushed tomatoes and 2 beef bouillon cubes. Water was added to within 1 inch from the top of the jar and the quarts were processed for 40 minutes at the pressure for my altitude. Unless it is something like taco meat or chili, I don't use seasonings until I am using the canned food as there are times when seasonings can become bitter or stronger during the canning process.
The beauty of this mixture is that it can be used in several ways. As is, it can be vegetable soup. Add a pint of canned beef cubes and you have vegetable beef soup. Thicken the liquid and you have beef stew to serve over biscuits or rice, or as the filling in a pot pie. I often add a packet of beef gravy mix for extra flavor. And having all the veggies in one jar makes it possible to make small batches of soup or stew instead of having to open several jars for the same results.
I got 14 quarts of vegetable mix. There were leftovers, and not being one to let anything go to waste, I canned them separately. I got 9 pints of diced potatoes, 7 half pints of diced onions and 2 half pints of carrots. They were processed for 40 minutes, which is the longest processing time for one of the vegetables.
Now is not the time to slack off on preparing. Our future right now is uncertain at best. So after Christmas I think I will can something similar for chicken, omitting the tomatoes. With power hungry bureaucrats losing their minds over a virus and promising more lockdowns, it is a good thing to have a variety of foods stored to get us through hard times.
Keep on praying and prepping!
Well, you are just making me hungry!
ReplyDeleteOh dear, One Family...I'm sorry. But if it inspires you to can something yummy, then I am not sorry at all. (big grin)
DeleteI wish I had someone to teach me how to can. It kinda scares me to try on my own.
DeleteOne Family...Canning is not difficult. It is mostly a matter of following instructions for various foods to the letter. If you lived fairly close, I would be more than happy to help you. But if that is not possible, there are many YouTube channels that show how to can food. If you have never done any sort of canning, you might want to start out with water bath canning. That requires a large pot with a rack inside to hold jars. Tomatoes, fruit and jam/jelly may be canned this way. Meat and vegetables require a pressure canner. The National Center for Home Food Preservation website has lots of good information. Here is the link.
Deletehttps://nchfp.uga.edu/index.html
Another good resource is Pick Your Own website. Here is the link.
https://www.pickyourown.org/
This one is a place to find the pick your own orchards, etc. in each state, but if you scroll down you will find a list of instructions for preserving food. This is my 'go to' resource.
You can do this!!
Thank you for the info! I live in Montana or I'd be at your door LOL. I think it's the pressure canning that scares me, but meat and veggies seem like such a great thing to have in the pantry.
DeleteOne Family...Your knock on my door would be most welcome. I have news for you. :) Meat is probably the easiest food to can. I mostly just pack it in jars raw and run it through the pressure cooker. It really makes quick meals so easy. If I can help in any way, just let me know.
DeleteVicki~I hope this day finds you well. If you have the components that can make many different meals instead of just one, all the better. I enjoy having the basis for multiple meals at hand. I bought a six pound can of corned beef from a restaurant supply store. We broke it down into 8 ounce packs and froze them. This morning we had scratch made hash and eggs.There are 11 more meals in the freezer for two people. I was speaking with my daughter the other day and asked if they would rather have a grocery delivery instead of some gift cards for Christmas. I heard her husband in the background yell "YES". So they have food and supplies being delivered this week. I asked my son if he would like the same. I'm waiting to hear what is on their list. The garden is doing well. I harvested sweet potatoes grown from slips the other day. Talk about tasty. Pray. Set as much aside as a person can. Better to have good food than the bling, lights and sounds that will break or be tossed aside in a short time. Have a Blessed Christmas. Red
ReplyDeleteRed...It just made sense to me to can veggies together that have many uses. That way I can make a meal for one or two people without needing to open several jars.
DeleteGood for you on the corned beef. There are no restaurant supply stores close by without having to go into Minneapolis, and these days I am staying as far away from the city as I can. But I will have to check to see if similar items can be had at Sam's.
Grocery delivery is a great gift! That also would be a really good way to either get someone started in prepping or adding to their preps.
Still stacking it to the rafters! May God truly bless you and yours.
You all be safe, Vicki. Thanks for this.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and God bless.
Thank you LindaG...Take good care and God bless!
DeleteVicki, that sounds wonderful and sensible too. I don't think we "can" have too much food in our cupboards;the more the better! Take good care and enjoy the season. CW
ReplyDeleteCW...Made sense to me, too. This way I can make a meal for one or two easily, which works for me. Take care, my friend.
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