Frightening Canning Procedures

[cmzaha]

I am sure some of you can food here as I have done for many years. This is just a bit of a rant about a FB Group called Rebel Canning. I do not know how it started showing up on my FB but it is a very frightening FB Group in my opinion. I think I probably clicked on a link from a Sourdough page and ended up on a canning page in that group.

Anyway, I am appalled at the foods they are saying can be water bath canned such as raw meats just as an example. I hope my prediction does not come true that we see a surge in botulism, but if canning becomes more popular and new canners keep reading this FB group there is possible trouble on the horizon. Besides canning raw meats, they love showing canned raw potatoes, green beans, and carrots by water batch. Just to name a few. I am as paranoid about to canning technique as I was about preserving lotions. I pressure can when necessary and water batch when suitable.

My new sourdough bread journey is another story although. What a learning curve this is. For many years I made all my French Bread but not Sourdough, this is very pesky to make... As you all probably know I have not made soap since retiring from my business during Covid, and besides crocheting I needed something else to do.

 

[MelissaG]

My mum used to can. She made the best canned beets in the world and I miss them so much (she died in 2003). I have no idea how she did it. I don't remember the stuff she put in those cans of beets, and my horrid stepdad threw everything out after a flood without talking to me and my sister. Her recipes are pretty much gone with the exception of a few my aunts have. She even said to me once that you can't can everything.

She'd have NEVER canned raw meat. That's incredibly dangerous and it's not just botulism the eater could catch. It's things like ecoli left unchecked. Most of us don't eat raw meat for a reason. Not to mention, can you imagine eaten raw meat that's been just washed and put into the jar after months? Gross.

I suggest finding articles online and sharing them with that group about the safety practices of canning. If nothing else, to save them from poisoning themselves and their loved ones.

Oh I miss my mum's canned foods.

 

[2lilboots]

I pressure can meats.

 

[Ephemerella]

I've pressure canned meats too, primarily game. Good for tenderizing cubed tougher cuts one would normally grind.

With regards to the FB group, this may be callous, but it feels a little Darwinian from what you describe (forgive me, I've had a rough day and not a drop of wine yet).

I used to grow an extensive garden and canned a LOT, for years.

ETA: When I got the bug to try soaping, with zero background, I had no hesitation going right to cold process. After years of breadmaking, I am too much of a big scaredy-pants to even think about trying sourdough Bravo to you!

 

[Nona'sFarm]

I am sure some of you can food here as I have done for many years. This is just a bit of a rant about a FB Group called Rebel Canning. I do not know how it started showing up on my FB but it is a very frightening FB Group in my opinion. I think I probably clicked on a link from a Sourdough page and ended up on a canning page in that group.

Anyway, I am appalled at the foods they are saying can be water bath canned such as raw meats just as an example. I hope my prediction does not come true that we see a surge in botulism, but if canning becomes more popular and new canners keep reading this FB group there is possible trouble on the horizon. Besides canning raw meats, they love showing canned raw potatoes, green beans, and carrots by water batch. Just to name a few. I am as paranoid about to canning technique as I was about preserving lotions. I pressure can when necessary and water batch when suitable.

Wow! I hope folks do more research before following that advice. That is so dangerous. What if someone dies, how can these people recommend such a dangerous process? It seems like because we haven't seen anyone die or get really ill from something that we don't think it's a danger. Folks take the same approach to vaccines - but I remember people getting polio and I remember when the vaccine came out and the relief my parents had knowing there was a preventative. But now there are people so against vaccines and I really believe part of that is that they never saw the devastating impact before the vaccine, so they think there's no danger. So I'm guessing these folks have never seen the deadly effects of botulism. Scary!
I wonder if enough people report them, will FB block the page?

 

[Savage Daughter]

Water bath canning raw meat would result in the meat being cooked - providing they kept the jars in the hot water for long enough - but yes, unless that's properly pressure canned, it would still be dangerous. People are doing the same thing with dairy - milk / butter

I agree with @Ephemerella....sometimes things need to work themselves out in the manner which is most appropriate to the situation. Just sit back, grab your popcorn & observe the show

Regarding sourdough, I devised my own ridiculously easy, fool-proof method after listening to foolish person after foolish person telling billions of people what they *must* do to make & 'look after' a successful sourdough starter. After flushing that nonsense down the toilet & using my own common sense, suddenly I had beautiful, fresh, bubbly, yeasty smelling sourdough starter which has been going strong ever since, which I discard not an ounce of, and which I feed with whatever flour I happen to have in my house at the time, and in whatever quantities are reasonable & sensible.

 

[2lilboots]

I was a rebel once. I pressure canned butter, and I used it. I'll go sit in the corner now.

My ex mother in law used to water-bath can green beans for 3 hours. The Amish that live all around this area water-bath all their food stuff. I'm not saying it is the right way.

 

[Savage Daughter]

I was a rebel once. I pressure canned butter, and I used it. I'll go sit in the corner now.

Let your freak flag fly!

Actually, pressure canning butter & milk isn't a problem. Water bath canning butter & milk could turn into a problem however

I make ghee every fall, enough to last me til next fall. I pour the hot ghee into glass quart jars, allow to cool to close to room temperature, then vacuum seal using a manual air extraction pump & Tattler reusable canning jar lids & rubber seals. Not a problem as the water has been removed from the butter in the process of making ghee.

 

[Savage Daughter]

My ex mother in law used to water-bath can green beans for 3 hours. The Amish that live all around this area water-bath all their food stuff. I'm not saying it is the right way.

Until you mentioned that, I had forgotten how *long* my grandmothers & aunties would allow their jars to sit in their cauldrons as everything bubbled away.....I *did* hear them talking about the odd person here & there who died from improper canning from time to time....I also heard about some women dying after using ammonia & other cleaners - mixed - to get a spotlessly clean bathroom....I overheard a lot of things they thought I didn't LOL

Both my grandmothers would keep canned beans, pickles, you name it for YEARS. Now, the canning lids we have available to us here are labeled as being good for a mere 18 months! And they really are compared to what canning lids used to be like. That's why I love those Tattlers.

My own family did a lot of things which, when I think about it now, I sometimes cringe haha But that was the way they always did it, and our way of life was similar to Amish people, Mennonites etc. Funnily, we survived all of it with very strong immune systems are were very, very rarely ever sick with anything

 

[2lilboots]

I love my tattlers as well. I had too many ball canning lids buckle in 2021 and decided to take the reusable seal plunge.

 

[MomInWA]

Growing up on my grandparents farm, we canned (and froze) everything! That was the purpose - to get us through the winter. But they did keep those jars for years.

I still can, but just jams and sweet pickles. They’re easy. Everything must be cooked and sealed properly! You MUST pressure can foods with a certain acidity! Tomatoes and meats are two I can think of off the top of my head. I used to make stew and can it. Dill pickles must be pressure canned, not water bath.

Holy cats, I can’t believe those people think what they’re doing is okay! I wouldn’t even say anything on their FB group. Unless you feel like arguing with a bunch of idiots. They won’t learn anything and you’ll wind up frustrated. I feel mean saying that. It’s just been my personal experience.

 

[2lilboots]

Tomatoes are high acid and can be water-bath canned. Pickles, due to the brine, also water-bath canned.

 

[cmzaha]

Tomatoes are high acid and can be water-bath canned. Pickles, due to the brine, also water-bath canned.

I always water bathed any pickles done in brine although I always PC my salsa just to be on the safe side. I also would pressure my lemon curd because of the butter amount to make lemon curd.

 

[Cindy D.]

There is more than one fb group like that. I've blocked them several times. I've seen people try to correct them and warn others it's unsafe, it just resulted in rude comments or worse.
I still can, mostly PC. I pc chicken meat for our cats and it's and plain tomato sauce. We freeze and freeze dry foods too. I love the tattler lids also, but they don't seem to work as good on new jars. The new jars don't feel as smooth as the old ones do around the rim. And they have changed the metal rings so some don't work with the tattler lids.
The coating on the ball lids is so thin now, I find rust if I use them for canning, even when I check all the lids to be sure there are no scratches.

 

[Ephemerella]

There was a day, back in time, when I used to really have energy and tend my garden, ride my horses, put in 10 hours at my day job, pick the garden, make a supper from said pickings, can a bit and then work on a quilt while listening to the pop pop pop sound of the lids. then do it all again the next day.

I don't have the energy of my younger self to do it all any more. And I was hoping in my move to the great frozen north to put the gardening and canning days behind me, as I'm forever spoiled for having lived many years in the perfectly loamy 7b region.

But gosh, reading through here, I am missing that smell of a beautiful summer day when I pop open a jar of home grown Jersey tomatoes.... I mean, that is what heaven must smell like.... good golly I miss that.

 

[dibbles]

But gosh, reading through here, I am missing that smell of a beautiful summer day when I pop open a jar of home grown Jersey tomatoes.... I mean, that is what heaven must smell like.... good golly I miss that.

I don't can anymore either. I didn't ever do much, but always tomatoes. I'm lucky enough to have a DH that likes to garden and there is nothing that can compare to a home grown tomato. We (and by we I mean he) plants quite a few and now I just stew them and freeze them. Easy peasy, and we had chili made with garden tomatoes this week for dinner.

 

[KDP]

Back in the day that's how folks canned..the fancy high dollar "gadgets" weren't around then. Over across the pond..they water bath also, if they want a pc then they have to order and pay extremely ridiculous prices for the item and shipping. If you're smart and careful on your procedure, you won't get ill from eating water bath foods. I believe the Amish use this method as well.

 

[melinda48]

Growing up on my grandparents farm, we canned (and froze) everything! That was the purpose - to get us through the winter. But they did keep those jars for years.

I still can, but just jams and sweet pickles. They’re easy. Everything must be cooked and sealed properly! You MUST pressure can foods with a certain acidity! Tomatoes and meats are two I can think of off the top of my head. I used to make stew and can it. Dill pickles must be pressure canned, not water bath.

Holy cats, I can’t believe those people think what they’re doing is okay! I wouldn’t even say anything on their FB group. Unless you feel like arguing with a bunch of idiots. They won’t learn anything and you’ll wind up frustrated. I feel mean saying that. It’s just been my personal experience.

And, sadly, we used to be able to process tomatoes in a boiling water bath - no more! The vast majority of the tomatoes we buy today are lower acid and have to be pressure canned as well - so frustrating but - I still love preserving my own foods!

 

[melinda48]

Back in the day that's how folks canned..the fancy high dollar "gadgets" weren't around then. Over across the pond..they water bath also, if they want a pc then they have to order and pay extremely ridiculous prices for the item and shipping. If you're smart and careful on your procedure, you won't get ill from eating water bath foods. I believe the Amish use this method as well.

No. Most Amish do not use boiling water bath to can low-acid foods. We have a large Amish community here and they use pressure canners just like the rest of us.

 

[melinda48]

Tomatoes are high acid and can be water-bath canned. Pickles, due to the brine, also water-bath canned.

There is more than one fb group like that. I've blocked them several times. I've seen people try to correct them and warn others it's unsafe, it just resulted in rude comments or worse.
I still can, mostly PC. I pc chicken meat for our cats and it's and plain tomato sauce. We freeze and freeze dry foods too. I love the tattler lids also, but they don't seem to work as good on new jars. The new jars don't feel as smooth as the old ones do around the rim. And they have changed the metal rings so some don't work with the tattler lids.
The coating on the ball lids is so thin now, I find rust if I use them for canning, even when I check all the lids to be sure there are no scratches.

agree about the Tattler lids - they don’t seem to work as well on the newer jars.