Dry Pack Canning 101

Dry pack canning is fun, fast and economical. This was our purpose in visiting Honeyville... to purchase 25/50 lb. bags of grains, beans and flour to can. Finding space in the house for the finished cans was the hardest part.

Before you go shopping, have the canner set up and ready to go. The cans/lids may be purchased at Honeyville, the LDS Canneries and other places. If you're unsure of how many cans to buy, someone will help you. Be sure to purchase the little oxygen packets, also. These packets will absorb any oxygen in the can itself to create a vacuum. This extends the shelf life, and kills any lurking insects. Don't expose the small packets to air any longer than necessary.

I set the canner (also called a sealer) smack dab in the livingroom, with a sheet spread out underneath.

The Stake's canner comes with a handy workbench. This is an easy set up. Attach the canner to the workbench with the included C clamps and plug in the cord.

The vertical black handle at the top side needs to be unscrewed and positioned horizontally onto the right side of the canner. This handle will apply the torgue needed to bend the lids edge onto the can and create a tight seal. Posistion the can onto the round white disc. Push the handle underneath to the left; this will lift the disc/can to the proper position to be sealed. If this needs adjusting, slightly change the position of the screw with a wrench.
With the can securely seated, flip the switch on the left. The can will rotate continuously. Push the handle away from you, slowly increasing pressure while the can rotates three or four times. Reverse direction by pulling the handle toward you, using a little muscle to to seal the lid. Rotate the can about seven or eight times. Flip off the switch and lower the can. Inspect the top lid to see that it's been securely sealed.

Remember that it takes strength to dry pack!

Gather your helpers... watch out for the cans' sharp edges!

We assembled in the kitchen, pouring the product into the cans there. It was easiest if we placed the large sacks into the basin, then scooped the grain into the cans. Your helpers may need a small stool to give them a little height.

After filling about 15 cans, we would place an oxygen pack atop the grains, then quickly lay a lid on top. We placed the covered cans on the dining room table, then carried them one by one to the canner. (Be sure to label the can immediately with what's inside, and the day's date.) Then we'd continue with the next group of cans. This was much less messy than I thought it would be... actually very little to clean up afterward.

The day was quite satisfying... seeing all the cans pile up was rewarding. And our helpers made everything so much more fun.

Cake Carrot Muffins

These muffins are a little more mellow than my previous muffin posting. These also are easily made with pantry items. To substitute dehydrated carrots for freshly grated, use about 3/4 cupful carrots rehydrated with twice as much water. Wait about 20 or more minutes, then squeeze out any excess water before adding to the mix.
This recipe is from the New York Times.

Carrot Cake Muffins preheat oven 375 with the rack in the upper third of oven.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/2 tsp. salt

Place the above ingredients into a large bowl; mix well.

2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix the eggs, etc. together with a fork. Stir them into the flour mixture with a whisk or spatula until it just comes together. Be sure there are no pockets of flour; do not over beat, or the muffins will not rise.

2/3 cup golden raisins, mixed with 1 Tbl. of flour to separate the raisins.
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup grated carrots

Fold the above carefully into the muffins, just until incorporated.

Spoon into lightly greased muffin cups, filling them to just below the top of the cup. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and the muffin is risen.

Morning Glory Muffins

These are my favorite muffins... Laura made them once, and I was hooked! Using whole grain flour, and lots of goodies make them moist and delicious. Very filling with a glass of milk.

Morning Glory Muffins** Makes 12 large muffins oven ~ 375 degrees

2 cups white whole wheat flour (or 1 cup ww flour & 1 cup spelt flour)
1/2 cup demerara or sucant (dark brown sugar can be substituted)
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all the above into a large bowl.

1/2 cup raisins
2 cups peeled & grated carrots
1 large tart apple, peeled, cored and grated
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup sunflower seeds (or 1/3 cup wheat germ)

Mix the above together, and add to the flour mixture.

3 large eggs, mixed with a fork
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup melted butter
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup orange juice

Mix the above, and add it to the muffin mixture. Mix well so that all ingredients are moistened. At this point, you may put the batter into the refrigerator to sit overnight to bake in the morning. Spoon into a lightly greased 12-cup muffin tin. If using muffin papers, spray the inside of them.
Fill the batter to the top of the cup, as the muffins won't rise much.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

** These muffins can easily be made with food storage items. I've used 1 cup of dehydrated diced carrots (1 cup carrots w/2 cups water; squeeze out the excess water)
I've not measured the apple, but I would probably use 1/2 cup dried apples with sufficient water to hydrate them... you may want to experiment.
The butter can be replaced with oil.
Dried butter and buttermilk can be substituted for the fresh.
As far as the orange juice... I believe the acid in the oj is used to help break down the phytic acid in the wheat flour. You may want to try it with just water. I haven't done this yet, but imagine it would still be a wonderful muffin.

Honeyville Farms ~ The Store

We took a trip to Honeyville Grain and had a lot of fun! The retail store is really quite large, with lots of things from which to choose. I won't tell you how much I spent, but DH suggested I be content for a while with our emergency supplies as is. :)

The retail store carries many more products, at a cheaper price, than the online store. The first thing that caught my eye were the 5 gal. water containers.

Inside the front door there were more water containers on display, including a 200 gallon black barrel! One would need a large truck to carry that baby home. I'm thinking if it were set up in a sunny area, it would deliver hot/warm water during the summer or other sunny periods.

The carts are large with plenty of room for 50# bags if you'd like. We filled up three of carts. The aisles are wide, with many various products. However, we did have trouble with some of the items not being labeled clearly. There are two sizes of oxygen absorbers, but they aren't marked as such. Check the package itself. I picked up a 25# bag labeled WW All Purpose Flour. Instead of regular winter wheat flour, it was spring wheat. Spring wheat has less gluten, and is used for dessert items, such as cookies, pie crusts, cakes, etc. So check the fine print on each item!

I do like the grains they sell. Unlike some, the wheat and oats I've noticed are very clean with little chaff. I'm assuming all their cereal products are this way.

Also available are shelf stable milks (the chocolate milk is great!), packaged mixes, such as pancake, blueberry muffins, etc. For gluten-free diets, Honeyville has a nice selection of baking flours in 25# bags, or various packages of the mixes.

There are freeze dried #10 cans of veggies/fruits, dehydrated milk, butter and shortening. Packages of nuts and nut flours, flax seed and ground flax, seeds and just about any baking item you may want. The people working in the store will help you decide how many cans you'll need for what you're canning.

Honeyville sells Sun Ovens (although no one beats my price!), the Stove-Tec Rocket Stove and the Volcano Grill.

There are food grade plastic buckets in several sizes, along with the #10 cans/lids for dry pack canning. First aid items are available, also. Canning jars, pressure canners, recipe books and advice is available. The people working were very helpful, and someone always helped us get our purchases into the car.
Prepare for your trip to Honeyville by first making a list of what you need; it's easy to spend money there! Going with a friend is fun, and helpful as you discuss what you'll need and how you'll use it. Be sure to have lots of trunk space in your car. The last trip I took with a friend, we arrived at Honeyville about 9:30am. Shopping took a couple of hours, and at home we did stop to have lunch... after canning everything and cleaning our mess (just a little one!) it was 4pm. So give yourself an entire day or two for this project.

The Plum Tree

After finding plenty of half-eaten plums on the ground beneath the tree, we decided to pick every plum that looked halfway ripe. The birds and those dang squirrels will strip the tree if I don't get the fruit first.
Laura and I picked two large colanders of plums, and decided to make jam. Best decision we'd had for awhile. The jam is delicious!

We have a Santa Rosa plum tree, and the fruit clings to the seed. To pit the plum, slice completely around, top to bottom and twist the fruit. One half will come off; cut carefully around the other half to remove the pit. Do not peel the plums.

This recipe is adapted from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. Using less pectin and sugar and more fruit than the recipe listed gave us a very soft, spreadable jam, with no overpowering sweetness. DH seems to like it thicker, but I don't. I thought the jam perfect. Everyone thought the taste was wonderful. Especially on Laura's freshly made bread.

Traditional Plum Jam ~ makes about 11 pint jars.

9-10 cups of pitted plums & 1/2 cup water
1 package (1.75oz./57g.) regular powdered fruit pectin
5 cups white granulated sugar

1) Stir together the plums and water in a large stainless steel pan and add the pectin. Stir to completely dissolve the pectin.
2) Bring the mixture a boil over medium heat. Stir often until plums are softened, about 5 minutes or so.
3) Mash the plums to desired consistency, so that there are small chunks of the fruit in the mixture. The mixture will seem quite soupy and have a delightful aroma.
4) Add all the sugar, and bring to a full, rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly.
5) Boil hard for one minute.
6) Remove from heat, and ladle hot jam into clean 1-pint jars; leave 1/4" headspace.
7) Wipe top of jars with a dampened, clean paper towel.
8) Center the lid on jar, and screw band down until snug.
9) Place in a waterbath canner, and bring to a boil with the lid on. Process for 10 minutes. Remove lid and wait 5 minutes. Remove jars to a towel and let cool.

Bottling Split Pea Soup

Soup and bread for dinner can be the perfect dinner, especially when the soup is your own, previously bottled and waiting on the pantry shelf!
Here is the recipe I used for split pea soup. I wasn't happy with the color of the soup (what happened to the 'green' in 'green split pea'?)but the taste was quite good.
This recipe is modified from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving and makes two quarts of soup.
But then I thought "Why go to all this trouble for just two quarts?" I increased the recipe to process seven quarts of soup. However, this was a little much for the large pot I used. So increase the following recipe, but proceed at your own risk!
One note, after looking at my beautiful carrots, I decided I'd rather oven roast them later. I used dehydrated carrots for the soup, and it was fine & quick.

Because the soup is a low acid food, it must be canned in a pressure canner.

Split Pea Soup
(Makes 5 pints or 2 quarts of soup)

2 cups dried split peas
8 cups of water
1 1/2 cups of sliced carrots
1 cup diced onion
1 cup sliced celery
1 cup of ham (I used a meaty ham bone for the seven qts.)
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste

Using a stainless steel pot, bring peas and water to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat, cover and gently boil for one hour or until peas are tender.
Prepare the canner, wash jars and lids in hot soapy water for canning.
Add carrots, onion, ham and bay leaf to saucepan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. If soup is too thick, thin with water. Season with salt and pepper.
Ladle hot soup into hot jars, leaving 1" of headspace. Remove air bubble, and if necessary add more hot soup. Wipe jar rim with damp paper towel. Center lid on jar, and screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
Place jars in pressure canner. Adjust water level, lock lid and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Vent pressure for 10 minutes, then close vent. Process at 10 lbs ~ 75 minutes for pints, and 90 minutes for quarts.
Turn off heat. Let pressure return to zero naturally. Wait a few minutes longer, then open vent. Remove canner lid. Wait ten minutes, then place jars onto a towel to cool. Wipe jars if necessary. Label and store.

Here are the jars, cooling atop my kitchen sink on a towel. The soup will continue to simmer in the jars for a long time, so watch your children.

Canning Ham

I had previously purchased a large Farmer John ham for about 60% off cost with the idea of canning the meat. I cut off large chunks of the ham, diced it into 1" pieces and placed into a heavy pot with some water. While I prepared the jars for canning, I brought the water up to a simmer, which created a nice ham broth. I wasn't cooking anything, but wanted heat up the ham to process it.
I divided the ham between five jars, poured in the broth, and processed the bottles at 10# for 90 minutes.
So simple, and much better than anything I can purchase in a metal can. We now have canned ham that can easily be added to soups, casseroles, scrambled eggs and other foods.

What to Store and Where

I've been thinking about my feeble attempts of securing a three month supply of food. Like others, I've a hodge podge of items in the pantry... brown rice, canned chicken, tuna, soups, canned beans and chili. Lots of sugar and a nice store of chocolate in various forms have their own spot on the shelf. All purpose white flour, small blue boxes of jiffy corn mix (for flavorful waffles),yeast, honey and peanut butter to spread onto bread. Or just to eat from the container in a pinch. There are many cans of fruit cocktail, and packages of raisins and dried cherries. I've also dozens of #10 cans of hard winter wheat, dried non-fat milk, potato flakes and popcorn. Popcorn is easy to pop, and everyone loves popcorn. I've discovered that freeze dried raspberries and strawberries are really quite good. Freeze dried green peas make a nice snack upon which to nibble mindlessly, and the dried carrots cook nicely in soups.
I've been sorting through my kitchen cupboards, laundry room (a nice pantry with shelving there), and other nooks looking for mini-larder areas. I even purchased four large gizmos that elevate a bed; I want to slide boxes of canned diced tomatoes underneath.
But my nagging question is "what do I do with this mix of food?"

So I'm beginning my seven card file ~ recipes for seven days of meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks. I've played with a few food storage meals. I'm working on a chicken pot pie, and think that will work with a little tweaking. Canned beans and brown rice, of course. A chicken tex/mex casserole would be easy enough to concoct.
So this is what I'll be doing in the next couple of weeks... experimenting with filling dishes which are simple enough to produce, while supplying calories, nourishment and comfort. Of course, the big trick is to know exactly what I need in my storage down to the last 1/4 tsp. of salt for each of the meals.
There are several helpful sites with different plans to help one be organized... many of them have downloadable pdf files that need to be purchased. Here is a link with a simple plan to help you create your meals and the foods to make them. It takes just a little time to stay organized once you've chosen your meals.
Stay on top by making notes of what foods you need to replenish as you use them.
What are some of the meals you've planned from your food storage?