Canning Experiment Results

So my 12 lbs. of hamburger yielded 10 pints of taco meat and 4 pints of Sloppy Joe meat.  That's about right.  I always figure about one pint per pound of meat.  Yesterday we tried the Sloppy Joe meat.  I will not be canning any more.  It isn't bad, but it isn't very good either, at least not for it's original intended use.  It won't go to waste.  I can use it in spaghetti sauce or something else that will hide the flavor.

I know that sometimes when ingredients are added to meat for canning, the flavor doesn't always turn out as one would like.  So I was kind of afraid to try the taco meat.  But we put on our brave faces and had tacos for supper.  They were really good.  And even though I liked the results, I probably will stick with my original plan to can plain meat as ingredients rather than risking a failure.  Groceries are just too expensive these days to mess with what I know works.

The grocery delivery guy brought me 18 more pounds of hamburger.  I had 6 pounds left from the previous batch and I froze that for burgers, meatloaf, etc.  This afternoon I browned the 18 pounds and tomorrow morning I will pack it into pint jars and run it through the pressure canner.

Son started his new job today.  He came home smiling.  He says the people there seem like they will be good to work with and he gets to drive a big, ol' diesel forklift, moving pallets of potting soil and mulch.  And he gets weekends off, although he can get overtime if he wants it.  His previous Minnesota job worked him two weeks at a time with only two days off.  He worked holidays as well and because he worked nights, a good share of his days off were spent sleeping.  Looks like this new job is a good fit for him.  And he says that he is always happier when working a opposed to being unemployed.

Anyway, on his way home from work today, Son stopped at the grocery store.  He brought me home 10 lbs. of the good bacon ends and pieces as well as 10 lbs. of Great Northern beans.  I will dice, brown and can the bacon as soon as I'm done with the hamburger and then can up at least half the beans.  I like having beans in jars on the shelf.  There are so many uses for them and it is nice because I can use them without having to soak them overnight or spend a long time cooking them.  Kind of a prepper's convenience food.

Looks like I will be spending lots of time in my kitchen the next couple of days.  Not complaining, mind you.  I am so glad to be able to add to my food storage.  A person doesn't have to prepare for anything in particular.  I'm really not expecting  street full of zombies outside my building.  Although there are some days when I think maybe they have already arrived.  Lots of strangeness running around loose these days.  But if I am ready for just the normal stuff that happens, then it is good.