salt meat

Hmmm.
I have a few things in the fridge that look kinda like that.

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"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster

Hello Dena, I remember you, hope you are well?

I am, but I have had a very rough year an a half. I didn't think my last post was that long ago but then I checked the date of my last post.

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Yes it was quite some while ago now. Sorry to hear that life has not been kind to you, but so nice to see you again :-)

Thank you. I am still dealing with issues but I will try not to stay away so long this time.

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Sterilize the jar. (Boil for a good long time).

Sugar, vinegar, and alcohol are all preservatives.

This is why canning vegetables tends to be done in either very sugary syrups or in vinegar.

Leaving a small amount of air in the cay will prevent botulism from growing (it is anaerobic). However, the food will discolor faster.

The food has to reach a high enough temperature and stay there long enough to kill everything that might grow. My mom did canning in a pressure cooker. I am not certain if this is because we were at high altitude. The fruits we canned were edible over a decade after the canning.

The lid should seal and pull in as the can cools. If the lid pops out - EVER - discard the contents.

One exception to the lid popping. If the lid fails to seal while it is cooling after the canning process, refrigerate and use now. It's best allow some menue flexibility when canning because lids don't always seal for a number of reasons. There is nothing wrong with the food, it's just not safe for long term storage unless you freeze it.

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Sterilize the jar. (Boil for a good long time).

Sugar, vinegar, and alcohol are all preservatives.

This is why canning vegetables tends to be done in either very sugary syrups or in vinegar.

Leaving a small amount of air in the cay will prevent botulism from growing (it is anaerobic). However, the food will discolor faster.

The food has to reach a high enough temperature and stay there long enough to kill everything that might grow. My mom did canning in a pressure cooker. I am not certain if this is because we were at high altitude. The fruits we canned were edible over a decade after the canning.

The lid should seal and pull in as the can cools. If the lid pops out - EVER - discard the contents.

One exception to the lid popping. If the lid fails to seal while it is cooling after the canning process, refrigerate and use now. It's best allow some menue flexibility when canning because lids don't always seal for a number of reasons. There is nothing wrong with the food, it's just not safe for long term storage unless you freeze it.

Do not freeze it in the canning jar. My mom tried this once, and the jar shattered...

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BOINC WIKI

Do not freeze it in the canning jar. My mom tried this once, and the jar shattered...

I thought that as well but there are some exceptions. I use old pasta sauce jars for freezer storage but they are not full and I have never had one shatter. The jars I use are labeled as canning jars so they can take but you need room for the food to expand or you will have a mess on your hand. If you are worried, transfer the food to a plastic storage bag before freezing. I end up with little dabs of pasta sauce left over and I accumulate them in a jar until I have enough for a meal.

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Angela, you might also try to find and watch the canning episode(s?) of Good Eats on the Food Network. I'm pretty sure Itchy and Twitchy make an appearance, forcing Alton to give a warning disclaimer about it.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

I can remember my grandmother in Indiana having jars of jam (or whatever) with wax on top. I never saw her preparing them, though.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

I can remember my grandmother in Indiana having jars of jam (or whatever) with wax on top. I never saw her preparing them, though.

My mom would use the pressure cooker for some things, make pickles, and seal with paraffin. Jams are boiled and then placed in the jar and melted paraffin is placed on top to seal it. If you want, you can also put a lid on top of that but it's not required. When you remove the paraffin, you check for problems and if there are none, enjoy. Once you could buy paraffin in the store but now it needs to be ordered online. Gulfwax is a brand name you can look for.

I have an older copy of Joy of Cooking that has a section on canning that my mom may have worked out of. If you don't have a copy, check the new copy before you buy it, The family is no longer in control of the book and there have been some major alterations to the original book.

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A friend gave me a magazine on canning (Better Homes and Gardens Special Interest Publication - Canning - September 2013) and under the FAQ section there was a discussion related to the question of sealing things with wax.

The question was written: "My grandmother did not process her jams and jellies in a water-bath canner - she covered the hot jellies with a thick layer of melted wax or paraffin. Why can't I preserve my jams and jellies the way she did?"

The answer was: "Your grandmother's method was popular for decades, but it is no longer considered safe. The paraffin she used did not form an airtight seal and was easily dislocated when jars were moved. It was also prone to mold and other bacterial growth."

I took my second canning class today. The instructor was highly organized and I learned quite a bit of useful information. We made orange-vanilla curd and cantaloupe jam. The jam turned out great. Curd, however, is something I probably will not can in the future. When I make lemon curd at home without canning it, it lasts 2-3 weeks in the fridge. The orange curd we made in class only has a canned shelf life of 2-3 months. Also, putting curd in a boiling water bath for about half an hour probably dulls the taste. I'll know for sure when I open it, but prolonged heat generally destroys taste along with bacteria.

I took my second canning class today. The instructor was highly organized and I learned quite a bit of useful information. We made orange-vanilla curd and cantaloupe jam. The jam turned out great. Curd, however, is something I probably will not can in the future. When I make lemon curd at home without canning it, it lasts 2-3 weeks in the fridge. The orange curd we made in class only has a canned shelf life of 2-3 months. Also, putting curd in a boiling water bath for about half an hour probably dulls the taste. I'll know for sure when I open it, but prolonged heat generally destroys taste along with bacteria.

I'm glad this one was better than the first Angela! :)

Re: Curd... I think it always tastes best the fresher it is. But I do fiddle about with the recipe (by reducing the sugar and/or increasing the lemon or orange) because I generally find it much too sweet otherwise. It does reduce storage time I think - but as it never lasts long once some meringue hoves into view - I couldn't swear to it because it's gone before it matters! :) The stuff you buy in the shops here - bleuch bleuch. THAT can stay on the shelf for... well... ever... as far as I'm concerned :)

Yes, commercially jarred curds on this side of the pond also tend to be uni-dimensionally sweet. Homemade is almost always better.

At first before I saw the content of this thread here Angela, I was thinking why would anyone want to discuss, the Can Can?

The animals doing the Can Can... Sorry I just had to do this.

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The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's

I took my second canning class today. The instructor was highly organized and I learned quite a bit of useful information. We made orange-vanilla curd and cantaloupe jam. The jam turned out great. Curd, however, is something I probably will not can in the future. When I make lemon curd at home without canning it, it lasts 2-3 weeks in the fridge. The orange curd we made in class only has a canned shelf life of 2-3 months. Also, putting curd in a boiling water bath for about half an hour probably dulls the taste. I'll know for sure when I open it, but prolonged heat generally destroys taste along with bacteria.

I'm glad this one was better than the first Angela! :)

Re: Curd... I think it always tastes best the fresher it is. But I do fiddle about with the recipe (by reducing the sugar and/or increasing the lemon or orange) because I generally find it much too sweet otherwise. It does reduce storage time I think - but as it never lasts long once some meringue hoves into view - I couldn't swear to it because it's gone before it matters! :) The stuff you buy in the shops here - bleuch bleuch. THAT can stay on the shelf for... well... ever... as far as I'm concerned :)

This all sounds like magic to me. What sort of sorcery is this??

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Reality Internet Personality

This all sounds like magic to me. What sort of sorcery is this??

:)))))



lemon meringue pie... just possibly one of my favourite desserts... :)

Lemon meringue pie ala Crazy Raccoon Lady!!!




Add me to the long line (queue???) of people who love this dessert, but also color me curious. This discussion of lemon pies between you two British cooks has absolutely mystified me. I have never used lemon curd in my lemon meringue pies. I make a stove top cooked lemon filling by thickening water and sugar with cornstarch, and then adding lemon peel, lemon juice and butter. The topping is a French Meringue, which is baked rather than broiled. I always thought I made a pretty classic lemon meringue pie, but your discussion now makes me wonder if there is a better way?

I make lemon curd in a double boiler by heating butter with lemon juice, sugar and lemon peels. Then I temper eggs, add them back and cook everything very slowly and gently until thickened. The peels are strained out before the curd fully sets.

Is curd a standard pie filling across the pond?

AnnieT and Esme, how do you two make a curd that is thick enough to slice in a pie??? Talk about sorcery!!!

I use homemade lemon curd at that bottom of fruit tarts, where it can form a thin layer that clings to the crust and simultaneously anchors the fruit topping. I also use it for a thin layer in jelly roll style cakes. If I want to use homemade lemon curd as a layer cake filling, I generally find that I need to thicken it a bit with gelatin when I am making it. Is that your secret? Gelatin???

Lemon meringue pie ala Crazy Raccoon Lady!!!




Add me to the long line (queue???) of people who love this dessert, but also color me curious. This discussion of lemon pies between you two British cooks has absolutely mystified me. I have never used lemon curd in my lemon meringue pies. I make a stove top cooked lemon filling by thickening water and sugar with cornstarch, and then adding lemon peel, lemon juice and butter. The topping is a French Meringue, which is baked rather than broiled. I always thought I made a pretty classic lemon meringue pie, but your discussion now makes me wonder if there is a better way?

I make lemon curd in a double boiler by heating butter with lemon juice, sugar and lemon peels. Then I temper eggs, add them back and cook everything very slowly and gently until thickened. The peels are strained out before the curd fully sets.

Is curd a standard pie filling across the pond?

AnnieT and Esme, how do you two make a curd that is thick enough to slice in a pie??? Talk about sorcery!!!

I use homemade lemon curd at that bottom of fruit tarts, where it can form a thin layer that clings to the crust and simultaneously anchors the fruit topping. I also use it for a thin layer in jelly roll style cakes. If I want to use homemade lemon curd as a layer cake filling, I generally find that I need to thicken it a bit with gelatin when I am making it. Is that your secret? Gelatin???

My secret involves going to the bakery and buying it ready made. I can assure you that I am happy to eat the consequences of your unnatural witchery, but I would never dabble in such dark arts myself!

Besides, I always injure myself when attempting to cook.

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Reality Internet Personality

This all sounds like magic to me. What sort of sorcery is this??

:)))))



lemon meringue pie... just possibly one of my favourite desserts... :)

Mine too, until my mama stated making ice box lemon pie. She used the egg whites whipped toppings for both types of lemon pies.

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Mine too, until my mama stated making ice box lemon pie. She used the egg whites whipped toppings for both types of lemon pies.

Like a mousse pie? Mmmmm!!! Tell me more.