Canning

Dry oven canning involves placing dry foods like beans, nuts, and grains into canning jars and sealing them. The sealed jars are then placed in an oven which is heated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit (93 Celsius). This is supposed to preserve and extend the shelf life of whatever’s in the jar by removing all the … Read more

Summertime is the perfect time to eat meat. If you’re new to canning, here are some tips to help you get started. By following these simple rules, you can ensure that your meat is safely canned and will last for months. Let’s take a look at some of the most important guidelines to remember when … Read more

For the beginner, canning can be equal parts excitement and terror. Extending your food sustainment should be the goal of every prepper. Further, extending the shelf life of otherwise perishable foods expands your food independence. Every calorie on the shelf gets you one more day through rough times. Canning can come at a cost, though. … Read more

Canned chicken broth is a versatile ingredient to have on hand. It can be used in soups, sauces, and other recipes. In what follows, I’ll show you how to make chicken broth step by step. This process is simple and easy to follow. You will need a pressure canner and some mason jars to get … Read more

Did you know that some store bought items come in glass jars that you can re-use for your canning?

Is there a more satisfying meal on a cold winter day than a slice of warm bread and a bowl of hot soup? Growing up, we had a wood stove for central heat and some of the best days were when my parents would cook up a large pot of soup on the woodstove. I’ve … Read more

Ok, this is not your mom’s corned beef… Quick story. My dad always has corned beef hash the night before hunting season opens as a good luck charm. He cooks up corned beef and potatoes, stories are told, and the tradition remains alive for another year. For decades, he cooked Hormel Corned Beef. Then, one … Read more

Protein is one of the most difficult foods to put up in volume. They are expensive when purchased commercially, don’t last as long as other prepper foods such as grains, and the selection is often limited. There are several options to rack and stack your protein. First, you can purchase cans of pork, beef, and … Read more

Hot peppers are literally the spice of life. Left with the decision of leaving my mother-in-law or my hot peppers behind at the end of the world…. Well, I’d at least ask her to carry a case of peppers on her lap. I love fresh hot peppers, but what is the best way to enjoy … Read more

Canned foods are a staple in my household. We eat a can of sweetcorn or baked beans often. They’re quick, convenient, easy to make; you can’t really go wrong with them. With that said, sometimes you don’t feel like standing in front of the stove and cooking so here’s the question: Can you eat canned … Read more

Learning how to can seems daunting at first, but water bath canning is easy! Once you get the hang of the steps, you will be able to can so many different things to store in your pantry. Jams, jellies, sauces, and salsas are at your fingertips. Before you get started, you have to learn how … Read more

Milk is a staple for every kitchen, it is used for so many different things from drinking to cooking many different foods. Milk needs to be kept in a refrigerator unless it has been canned to be shelf stable. You can process any type of milk that you have be it store-bought, raw cow’s milk, … Read more

As a little kid, I was not fond of trying new vegetables – a reluctance that I believe many of us share. However, parsnips were never even an item on our dinner table because they weren’t part of our standard rotation of vegetables. We pretty much stuck to the classics – green beans, carrots, corn, … Read more

Is there anything better than the sweet taste of fresh carrots? I don’t think so. Except, perhaps, the taste of fresh carrots that you’ve just harvested from your own garden. This year, I harvested over a hundred pounds of carrots grown in just two small raised beds in my backyard. I’ve never grown that many … Read more

Confession: this year is the first year I’ve grown enough peppers to preserve. Usually, our peppers end up being stringy, tough, and bitter – something that I have learned is the side effect of too little fertilizer, poor soil, and cold weather that doesn’t allow the plants to mature properly. However, this year I remedied … Read more