Canned food Buy it or Jar it at home?

[john1929]

I would like to know what you think. Buy cans of food and be done with it or jar it your self? I feel you get more for you money jaring but it dose use alot of time.

[ssonb]

We do both ,We buy more canned food than we put up ourselves, For us it is a lot less expensive to buy on sale than to can at home. Canning at home has become like reloading ammo the components can be pricy but the results have a reward all their own.. But by all means get the basic gear and recipe books and learn to can !

[610Alpha]

We haven't started canning yet...so we buy ours for now. I have even gone so far as to buy the #10 cans from Sams and freeze or dehydrate a portion of the can once we opened it. I will start with small batches when I do though. I have been buying jars when i catch them on sale.

[harrya]

I'm with ssonb. We do both. When boston butts were on sale, we bought a BUNCH and canned for 2 days, but it was a really good sale. Same with chicken breasts. On whole chicken, first we made chicken broth (what a price savings on that AND we know what's in it), then we made & canned chicken soup and then we had chicken soup for supper and lunch. We also buy extra from the store. Also just made our first order from Sams on #10 LTS stuff. Will order more next month. elittle has the right idea also, use some of the #10 can and then put in smaller jars for near future. Watch yard sales, craigs list, etc for jars.
harrya

[jmc7104]

I do both. When there is sales on we try to buy extra and either can it as in meats and dehydrate it as in vegies. Example, Hi Vee here currantly has frozen vegatables in one pound bags on sale for 59 cents each, corn peas carrots green beans ect. Dehydrated 15 pounds last four days. Vaccume seal in quart jars and store lts.

[crossbow]

A lot cheaper to buy them already canned by the case at a discount store like save a lot or aldies. gardens are nice if you have lots of time,jars and a good stove which we have but buying the stuff just works better

[barfife]

I'm with ssonb. We do both. When boston butts were on sale, we bought a BUNCH and canned for 2 days, but it was a really good sale. Same with chicken breasts. On whole chicken, first we made chicken broth (what a price savings on that AND we know what's in it), then we made & canned chicken soup and then we had chicken soup for supper and lunch. We also buy extra from the store. Also just made our first order from Sams on #10 LTS stuff. Will order more next month. elittle has the right idea also, use some of the #10 can and then put in smaller jars for near future. Watch yard sales, craigs list, etc for jars.
harrya

Would you mind sharing how you can the boston butts and chicken? Procedure and receipe. Thanks

[TyrannyUnleashed]

Would you mind sharing how you can the boston butts and chicken? Procedure and receipe. Thanks

I second that request.

btw...
I do both as well. I like to can, because it gives me a good feeling after I'm done with all the hard work. I even like to look at the jars when I walk by them (while they're cooling down}.
Because my garden has failed miserably this year, I've had to by from the farmers market, and that does not really save me any money from buying the canned produce.

[john1929]

Thanks for the input everyone.

[hua man]

My Conspiracy guy will eat home-canned foodstuffs. He believes that the preservatives in Commercial-canned stuff is what is causing a lot of the health related problems that have sprung up over the last 50 odd years. According to him, genetic anomalies happen over many generations, where most of those strange diseases you hear about that have come up in said timeline. The constant bombardment of chemicals on our health through ingestion (flouride, MSG, etc.), has caused most people to be sensitive to certain foods. Just look at how many food allergies were common during the 50s vs today.

[Dr Manhattan]

any advice on how to can your own? or is there a thread for that already. sorry, new guy lost in the halls... but on topic i will say that post shtf canning your own will be the only option, so, i would recommend at least knowing how to do it. (still learning here) i would say its fine to take advantage of the canned stuff you find at the grocery store, take advantage while you can. (pun intended). i dont know how to make a home-made rifle but that wont stop me from owning a mass produced one. a lot of people think that if you cant get it post shtf means you cant have it now, i say, take every advantage possible from our mass produced society to help you survive the collapse of it.

[baldsith]

Well my wife and I started out canning our own jelly...grape, peach and strawberry...kids like the peach and strawberry the best..so I figure don't can what they won't eat....my wife and I buy the peaches and strawberry's when costco has them on sale...when that happens we just reserve ourselves to a canning day....we make like 12 qts at a time...in the long run it costs less than store bought and the only ingredients is sugar and fruit....kids will eat it all day long and prefer it over store bought...we are looking to pie fillings and tomatoes next....not sure about meats because you need a pressure canner....baby steps

[chipinsc]

We have recently started canning. It is work but the rewards are certainly worth it in my eyes.

[Rmplstlskn]

My Conspiracy guy will eat home-canned foodstuffs. He believes that the preservatives in Commercial-canned stuff is what is causing a lot of the health related problems that have sprung up over the last 50 odd years. According to him, genetic anomalies happen over many generations, where most of those strange diseases you hear about that have come up in said timeline. The constant bombardment of chemicals on our health through ingestion (flouride, MSG, etc.), has caused most people to be sensitive to certain foods. Just look at how many food allergies were common during the 50s vs today.

I 100% agree!!!!! In normal times...

But in a WROL/SHTF situation, I will eat anything that is not specifically listed as "non-food" in the Scriptures... So with that perspective in mind, we stock normal canned goods and frozen veggies... The frozen stuff gets eaten first naturally, in an event. It is the most convenient for us, and tied in with sales and coupons, a very affordable way to stock back some storage foods.

Then in year 2 and later, as our gardens and farms begin to ramp up in size and quantity, I can go back to avoiding "additives." (We all are learning gardening now, aren't we?)

[harrya]

:Dbarfife & TyrannyUnleashed,
Sorry for the time delay. Didn't see the post. For canning meats or anything with meat (even a little bit), get the Bell Canning Book and stick with it. When it says 70 minutes, don't do 65 as "good enough". It's not that hard. Get a pressure canner. I use one I picked up in a yard sale for $10.00 and had NEVER been used. I've done it in the house on the kitchen stove and that's a JOB. Now I use a fish cooker in the garage, get a chair, get convertible, read a book (read the Bell canning book) and keep an eye on everything. Shut off the fire when the time is up and let it cool off as per instructions. Use a jar lifter and set them on a towel and let them pop. The next day I wash them off a little if needed and put labels with name, date, etc on and store. I just talked with my Mom who made BBQ with some boston butt that we did 3 yrs ago and she wants more. :) So on the next trip north, she'll get some as well as apple sauce and chicken. Not a real hard job, just do as the book says.