Canning your own meats and shelf life in Tropics

[Jdege]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

I think it's more to do with your American lingo which you think is the same around the world.

The process of canning food was invented in France, and was done in glass. Metal cans came later, and were named after the process. The process wasn't named after the cans.

[deanowens1966]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

I think it's more to do with your American lingo which you think is the same around the world.

While I lived in NSW, I found it fascinating that no one grew their own veggies and 'canned' them. When I asked my Mother-in-law about it, she seemed to get rather indignant that I would even ask her this. As country folks, I assumed that they would grow fresh veggies and put some away for the winter months. I quickly came to the realization that this wasn't a common practice. When I decided to grow some of my own veggies, I was laughed at by my brothers-in-law. He said that there was no way it was worth the effort. That was until he tried one of my homegrown tomatoes. The next question I got was how I knew how to grow them. This was something that I still don't understand about many in Australia. For a country who prides itself to be self-reliant and resourceful, many seem to think you have to have a government issued piece of paper with approved skills development and training to do anything.
Now that I've been back in the states for several years and my son lives in Country NSW, I wonder why he would rather rely on Woollies or Coles to get him hothouse tomatoes rather than grow a few of his own full flavoured homegrown `maters. We grow a few things every year. I am planting seeds from last years heirloom tomato crop and I am sowing lettuce and other salad greens soon. Growing your own is one very certain way to ensure quality and NO CHEMICALS! Health Healthy Healthy! As far as growing tomatoes on a boat, I think they would take too much water and room. The salad green on the other hand might be a good fit. I know of people who grow herbs and salad greens aboard. A couple I followed for some time would catch fish and preserve them using their pressure cooker. Another couple actually hunted bear and preserved it on board.

When considering 'Canning' or 'preserving' anything, you can use the ever versatile pressure cooker. If you like bacon and want to carry it on the water, the best way to preserve it is with a pressure cooker. It lasts for many years in jars. Also, you can do the same thing with cheese and butter. I have dried beef and chicken and stored it in both glass and in mylar bags. The dried meet isn't as good as pressure canned, but it is very good in chilli and sauces.

Regardless of your decision, and what ever other around the globe call it, canning or preserving aboard is done by many folks and those of us not on the water who are NOT flush with cash, preserve food to ensure that we have food put away for the later days when it may not be readily available.

[sparrowhawk1]

Originally Posted by Jdege

The process of canning food was invented in France, and was done in glass. Metal cans came later, and were named after the process. The process wasn't named after the cans.

Bingo.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by Jdege

The process of canning food was invented in France, and was done in glass. Metal cans came later, and were named after the process. The process wasn't named after the cans.

I don't dispute that a frenchman invented preserving of food in jars. As a competion put up by Napolian i believe.

BUT, where do you then link the name of 'canning'.

Logically what your claiming makes no real sense. Have glass jars 'ever' been called 'cans'?

I suspect, the word for preserving food in glass jars evolved into metal cans and thus people called it 'canning'. A place that makes 'cans' is sometimes called a 'cannery' (which i had the dislpeasure of working in for a few months in the early 80's. noisey damn place). Then i suspect, you yanks in more recent times have used the term commonly referred to the process of preserving food in steel 'cans' and started using the term for preserving food in glass as well.

though i admit im only guessing.

It would be interesting to know if the French and English differentiate between the two.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by sparrowhawk1

Bingo.

Oh come on your quoting an American dictionary

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by deanowens1966

While I lived in NSW, I found it fascinating that no one grew their own veggies and 'canned' them. When I asked my Mother-in-law about it, she seemed to get rather indignant that I would even ask her this. As country folks, I assumed that they would grow fresh veggies and put some away for the winter months. I quickly came to the realization that this wasn't a common practice. When I decided to grow some of my own veggies, I was laughed at by my brothers-in-law. He said that there was no way it was worth the effort. That was until he tried one of my homegrown tomatoes. The next question I got was how I knew how to grow them. This was something that I still don't understand about many in Australia. For a country who prides itself to be self-reliant and resourceful, many seem to think you have to have a government issued piece of paper with approved skills development and training to do anything.
Now that I've been back in the states for several years and my son lives in Country NSW, I wonder why he would rather rely on Woollies or Coles to get him hothouse tomatoes rather than grow a few of his own full flavoured homegrown `maters. We grow a few things every year. I am planting seeds from last years heirloom tomato crop and I am sowing lettuce and other salad greens soon. Growing your own is one very certain way to ensure quality and NO CHEMICALS! Health Healthy Healthy! As far as growing tomatoes on a boat, I think they would take too much water and room. The salad green on the other hand might be a good fit. I know of people who grow herbs and salad greens aboard. A couple I followed for some time would catch fish and preserve them using their pressure cooker. Another couple actually hunted bear and preserved it on board.

When considering 'Canning' or 'preserving' anything, you can use the ever versatile pressure cooker. If you like bacon and want to carry it on the water, the best way to preserve it is with a pressure cooker. It lasts for many years in jars. Also, you can do the same thing with cheese and butter. I have dried beef and chicken and stored it in both glass and in mylar bags. The dried meet isn't as good as pressure canned, but it is very good in chilli and sauces.

Regardless of your decision, and what ever other around the globe call it, canning or preserving aboard is done by many folks and those of us not on the water who are NOT flush with cash, preserve food to ensure that we have food put away for the later days when it may not be readily available.

The indifference to younger generations to 'growing' food is a western trend across the globe in all first world places. I work part time in a primary school where we are growing our own food as a teaching lesson. The kids are quite amazed that food doesnt just come from the supermarket. The same with meat products.

[nicholson31]

Here Canning is Canning, Bottling is just that, we do not generalize the term as both processes are carried out. For the most part I Bottle but will also "can" so I can easily throw a few meals in a back pack and don't have to worry about breaking. But any meat or fish can be done up in a mason bottle vise a can if you wish.

Newfoundland being an island, Smoking, salting, drying bottling and canning is still actively carried out and preservation is a necessity as we still have communities that are only accessed by boat. Many peaople still even construct cellers.
murelyn; I have kept bottles and cans in my furnace room for 2 + years which is easily 80-90 degrees at times no problem. As been pointedout, as long as the lids are sucked down on bottles the seal is good.
As for cans, Never had a bad one yet. The only can I everhad an issue with was a store bought can of crab, food poisoning is not pleasant!!
Give me home canned/bottled food any day, I know exactly where it came from and what’s in it..

[sparrowhawk1]

RC Just do a google search.

[zboss]

To confuse matters even more... advanced home canners use actual cans for canning

Can Sealers - All American Can Sealers

[deanowens1966]

Originally Posted by Rustic Charm

The indifference to younger generations to 'growing' food is a western trend across the globe in all first world places. I work part time in a primary school where we are growing our own food as a teaching lesson. The kids are quite amazed that food doesnt just come from the supermarket. The same with meat products.

Unfortunately, the people I was speaking of were in no way 'Young'. My now deceased mother-in-law was well into her 60's when this occurred. I am now 50 and I think the issue is that many have succumbed to the marketing of the huge grocery stores and would rather watch the footy on Saturday then toil in a garden. I understand that, but the resulting food is so much better than anything you ever get from the store.

The word “can,” by the way, comes from the Latin “canna” (meaning “container”), it has nothing to do with glass or metal.

[Siberianhusky]

Was reading abut canning butter today, anybody have any first hand experience?
I've seen bottled ghee many times but never regular salted butter.
Seems that with pressure canning you can put just about anything you want to in jars.

[seasick]

We always pack on a pile of butter but we just boil the jars, let them cool on a clean towel, pack in the butter 2/3rds full and fill the remainder with pure water with a bunch of salt mixed in. Screw on the lids and store upright in the bilge. It comes out months later as good as the day it went in.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by deanowens1966

Unfortunately, the people I was speaking of were in no way 'Young'. My now deceased mother-in-law was well into her 60's when this occurred. I am now 50 and I think the issue is that many have succumbed to the marketing of the huge grocery stores and would rather watch the footy on Saturday then toil in a garden. I understand that, but the resulting food is so much better than anything you ever get from the store.

The word “can,” by the way, comes from the Latin “canna” (meaning “container”), it has nothing to do with glass or metal.

The English word 'can' is an Old English word which was once 'canna'. The word 'canna' is Coin Greek for 'reed' which Latin later took on. (from my seminary days). And whilst your entirely correct it had nothing to do with metal or glass those hundreds of years ago, in most of the world TODAY, a 'can' is made from metal such as tin cans. And of course, you yanks refer to prison and toilets as 'cans' too.

[Rustic Charm]

Originally Posted by sparrowhawk1

RC Just do a google search.

Looky me, I can google too -
can Meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary

• can noun (CONTAINER)

A2 [C] (also tin can, UK also tin) a ​closed ​metal ​container, ​especially cylinder-shaped, in which some ​types of ​drink and ​food are ​sold: a can of ​soup/​beans› [C] (UK also tin) the ​amount of ​food or ​drink that is ​contained in a can: You'll need a can of ​tuna for this ​recipe.› [C] (UK also tin) a ​metal ​container, ​especially one with a ​lid, ​handle, and ​shaped ​opening for ​pouring: an ​oil cana can of ​paint

[sparrowhawk1]

RC, the original post is asking questions about canning. canning can be done in either metal or glass. I think we beat this horse to death