Monday, September 21, 2020

So...

40 lbs. of browned hamburger has thawed.  16 pints are in the new canner.  Another 16 pints are jarred up and waiting.  And the new canner leaks steam like a sieve.

I fiddled with it all morning trying to get it to come up to pressure.  Nope.  Didn't happen.  The only thing left to try is to order a new gasket and see if that helps. If that doesn't work, back it goes.

Thing is, I could order another pressure canner from Amazon.  They want to charge me $100 over what I paid for the one I have now.  If I am going to spend that kind of money, it will be for an All-American pressure canner.  The manufacturer's website tells me that all the All-American  models are out of stock.

So here I am.  I still have 40 lbs. of browned hamburger and no functioning pressure canner.  Good thing I stocked up on rolls of Food Saver bags.  Figured out the size bag needed to hold a pint of hamburger, made up the bags and vacuum sealed the whole works.

Things don't always go according to the plan.  And I am beginning to think Murphy has taken up permanent residence in my apartment!  I would much prefer to have the meat in jars on the shelf, but rather than lose it, I went with Plan B - vacuum sealing and freezing.

Isn't that what preparedness is all about?  Being as ready as we can be when things don't go according to plan.  Having alternative methods of doing what needs to be done.

The solution to a problem might not be ideal, but if the solution works, then we have accomplished what we set out to do.

Keep on prepping, even if alternative methods are necessary.  The way things seem to be going, we will need every crumb.

8 comments:

  1. It's hard to find quality and dependability in ANYTHING anymore.

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    1. Agreed, Gorges...I used my mother's old pressure canner for well over 30 years with nary a problem. Wish I still had it!

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  2. Vicki, you met the challenge head on! Murphy may have moved in temporarily, but he won't stay for long. He is finding out he did not move in with a wimp. He moved in with a real tough prepper! Glad you won the battle. CW

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    1. Thanks, CW...I guess flexibility in what we do is a good thing. Sometimes things just don't go as planned, but the food can still be saved and that's the important thing.

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  3. Have you thought to call customer service for the pressure canner and see if they'll send another seal to replace the defective one? Worth a phone call, imo.And if not, a return label at their expense to send back their defective unit and get your money back.

    Having a quiet day here but at least the air quality is good again and I can have the windows open.
    Cheers, SJ in Vancouver BC

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    1. Thanks for the suggestion, SJ...I haven't looked into the possibilities yet as I have been busy with other things. I have potatoes, onions and apples ordered for Thursday, all to go in the dehydrators and the trays and liners needed to be washed before then as well as more stuff to be put away in the store room. It never ends. :)

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  4. Murphy is everywhere it seems. I'm not posting for a long while. My squadron is keeping me busy. Best full time, volunteer job, I have ever had..Stay Safe.

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    1. Yeah, Rob...Murphy has been busy, but it is not forever. We will just work around him. Glad you are staying busy doing something you like to do. Take care.

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