Canning and Preserving

[Loddfafner]

Does anyone here have any experience with Germanic preservation? By that I mean Germanic recipes for preserving food for the long winters. How does one make sausage out of regular meat? Can you make your own cheese? Do you have any tips for canning veggies?

If the economy truly collapses, we should be ready to revive these old traditional skills.

[Ulf]

http://www.canning-food-recipes.com/canning.htm

[SpearBrave]

How many people can,freeze,or preserve their foods from their gardens or other sources?

[ChaosLord]

I have some knowledge on the subject, but haven't implemented it yet. Here's a god source.

http://www.survivalist.info/food/index.html

[Kriemhild]

I find canning to be a useful and rewarding practice, especially if homegrown fruits and vegetables are used. My mother and I have made a habit of preserving sliced rings of apples and grapes. One day I'd like to try freezing different fruits in syrup and maybe even curing meat. I used the National Center for Home Food Preservation's site to start: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/. The process seems to be a bit different depending on what you can/preserve. It's also important to do it correctly or else you can contract food poisoning.

[ladybright]

We live in an apartment and can not dig a garden. I make jams from local fruit and can gingerbread for presents. We are thinking about getting a freezer to save more of the wonderful produce from nearby farms. I picked up the BallBlueBook to use for this years jams. I plan on making pickles as well if I am in moderate health.

I have wonderful memories of canning and freezing with my grandmother. Jams and sauces and juices but most of all canning red haven peaches. Concord grape juice was one of the delights of my childhood.

[SpearBrave]

I live in a rual area and we decided to start canning for health befits and the fact that the Amish we live around have fresh produce at a very good price.

My mother canned a lot of food and I have found memories of those times.

Since we have been canning for a little while we have saved a lot of money plus have better food. A good source of info is the USDA or your local farm agent.

Besides the reasons stated above its a way to spend time with the girlfriend.

[Hersir]

Here in Norway we dried, smoked and salted alot of our food. Smoking of fish and meat is still common. In the viking age and middle ages people used to drink alot of beer since the meat was salty.

[Zimobog]

Yes, here in Alaska we smoke fish, too. I have an electric smoker that I run during the summer months to make the alder-smoked salmon. I send some out of town to realitives since everyone seems to like it very much.

My brine recipe/process are as follows:
1) Divide the salmon into fillets, strips, or steaks enough to fill the smoker. Up in large plastic or glass bowl
2) 3/4 Cover in teriyaki sauce, add one can of Coke or Dr.Pepper soda (or if you hate soda, add 1/4 cup uniodinized salt and 3/4 cup sugar). THere are alternate recipies to this, this is just mine. The sugar makes the glaze and the salt makes the brine.
3) Marinate in fridge overnight. Stir/move fish to get even coating.
4) Next day, place salmon on wax paper in sun if sunny or on counter-top in kitchen if rainy. Use a common household fan to circulate air on fish (this brisk breeze keeps flies from landing on fish).
5) When fish has developed a nice carmel colored glaze (it will tacky to the touch) it is ready to smoke.
6) Amount of time in smoker depends on the temputure the smoker can reach. Add pan of wood to smoke once per hour of smoking time. Fish is ready to eat when flaky and pink, but to preserve it for a length of time you must smoke until totally dry.

I promise this will make a lot of delicious fish that will keep in the icebox all winter if kept dry! PM me for any clarifications on the brine or process.

[Vindefense]

Good thread. The best way to do it is to grow your own, but if you can't do that, buying from a local farmer is just as good, maybe even cheaper when you consider how much effort and time it takes to maintain a garden. Buy a book on canning that has a bunch of recipes to get started.

Just got done harvesting a bunch of fresh cucumbers today, which we will pickle in vinegar: onions, sugar, garlic, fresh dill, jalapeno peppers, and peppercorns. Season to taste.

We did some preserves as well: wild black berries and pear. We are experimenting with freezer jam. Next year strawberries will be ready and maybe some blueberries.

Other vegetables we will be preserving or pickling are tomatoes, squash, carrots, cauliflower, hot and sweet peppers, and cabbage. Some things I would freeze are corn, green beans, broccoli, and spinach. I just think they are better that way.

As far as meat goes, I will be making venison jerky (hopefully) this year, and maybe some smoked salmon thanks to Zimobog.