Canning Butter
I always thought I knew about canning from growing up on my Father’s farm. As the story goes you’re never too old to learn. I have never canned meats or butter. Meats we always put up in another form.
Recently & thankfully I met a couple of women through the Richmond Meet-up of Survivalism and this is just one thing that I would like to pass along that my new friend has shown me. Enjoy and be sure to leave your comments on how this worked for you.
My intention it to start posting more information on preparing for hard times when the impending prices of foods and materials go up.
Now you can purchase canned butter from The Internet Grocer http://www.internet-grocer.net/butter.htm or make it yourself using the directions below.
1. Use any butter that is on sale. Lesser quality butter requires more shaking (see #5 below), but the results are the same as with the expensive brands.
2. Heat pint jars in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes, without rings or seals. One pound of butter slightly more than fills one pint jar, so if you melt 11 pounds of butter, heat 12 pint jars. A roasting pan works well for holding the pint jars while in the oven.
3. While the jars are heating, melt butter slowly until it comes to a slow boil. Using a large spatula, stir the bottom of the pot often to keep the butter from scorching. Reduce heat
and simmer for 5 minutes at least: a good simmer time will lessen the amount of shaking required (see #5 below). Place the lids in a small pot and bring to a boil, leaving the lids in simmering water until needed.
4. Stirring the melted butter from the bottom to the top with a soup ladle or small pot with a handle, pour the melted butter carefully into heated jars through a canning jar funnel. Leave 3/4" of head space in the jar, which allows room for the shaking process.
5. Carefully wipe off the top of the jars, then get a hot lid from the simmering water, add the lid and ring and tighten securely. Lids will seal as they cool. Once a few lids "ping," shake while the jars are still warm, but cool enough to handle easily, because the butter will separate and become foamy on top and white on the bottom. In a few minutes, shake again, and repeat until the butter retains the same consistency throughout the jar.
6. At this point, while still slightly warm, put the jars into a refrigerator. While cooling and hardening, shake again, and the melted butter will then look like butter and become firm. This final shaking is very important! Check every 5 minutes and give the jars a little shake until they are hardened in the jar! Leave in the refrigerator for an hour.
7. Canned butter should store for 3 years or longer on a cool, dark shelf. [It does last a long time. We have just used up the last of the butter we canned in 1999, and it was fine after 5 years.] Canned butter does not "melt" again when opened, so it does not need to be refrigerated upon opening, provided it is used within a reasonable length of time.
A lovely glow seems to emanate from every jar. You will also be glowing with grateful satisfaction while placing this "sunshine in a jar" on your pantry shelves.
We have canned over 75 pints of butter in the past year. Miles loves it and will open a jar when I'm not looking! I buy butter on sale, then keep it frozen until I have enough for canning 2 or 3 batches of a dozen jars each.
I understand it takes $5:00 per meal. That’s what they tell you when you purchase any of their cards. But I also know there are many different things that they do and I haven’t visited or toured that area yet. I do know however that the same kitchen is used for both operations. It’s called the Community Kitchen. I wasn’t able to tour that area either but very much look forward to going back to see their processes. All of these combined organizations do a huge amount of recycling and the entire Community Kitchen is completely green.
A huge amount of all food distributed goes to feeding children. Our guide explained to the boy scouts that he could take them on any given evening to a chicken restaurant in Richmond and they would see children going through the trash out back looking for partially eaten food because it was better than what they had at home. He also explained that the next time the kids had a snow day or an unscheduled day off of school to be happy as they usually are but in the back of their minds remember that all the children that depend on food from school won’t get to eat that day.
Some little known facts are that when Meals on Wheels and the Central Virginia Food Bank combined into one non-profit organization then President George Bush came to our Food Bank in Richmond to see how it was run and that things were going right. Also, Governor McDonald and his family have been volunteers with the food bank for many years. Unlike most politicians they actually work and not just contribute money. The large dinner most Governors have every year and invite political and other society people. McDonald actually holds his for the Eagle Scouts of Virginia. Also, in the Food Bank warehouse there is a separate area that holds USDA products that is purchased and used by the Government for disasters. At any given time the President can call and collect this food. When Katrina hit New Orleans, which is only 600 sq. miles. All 250 Food Banks across the country filled 1500 tractor and trailers full of food and it was sent New Orleans way before FEMA was ever arrived there. That is something that was never publicized.
