Winter is the perfect season for bottling meats

Canning season is never over for dedicated preservers!

Winter is here: the fruit trees are dormant, and tomatoes, jams and squash sit in quart jars on the shelf. Canning season is over until June when the strawberries are ripe, and unused jars are packed away in boxes until the next harvest.

That is, unless you’re like myself and many other preservers who use the winter season to catch up on canning we couldn’t get done during the summer! The colder months are a perfect time to pressure can foods, because the heat produced by the canner warms up the house as well as helps empty the freezer. I use the time from autumn to April to can meats, since there isn’t much outdoor work to do until Spring.

The half steer, hog or chickens you bought at butchering time in the fall can be processed at your leisure during the cold months. Maybe you took advantage of a great sale on ham or turkey
 at Thanksgiving or Christmas (the PERFECT time to buy those meats in bulk!). From freezer to cutting board to canner, you can bottle your meats at your convenience and gradually free up freezer space for the warmer months ahead.

I can just about everything, not only because we desire to be less dependent on electricity for food preservation, but it also makes for quicker prep for evening meals for the working woman. Meat comes out of the jars fork-tender and fully cooked. Just heat and serve, or use in casseroles, burritos, chili, and many other dishes. One of the great advantages to preserving your own meats at home is having control over what goes into that canning jar along with the meat you have trimmed to your liking. Salt, flavorings, or spices can be added - or not. You know where your meat came from if you bought it from a local producer or butcher. You can preserve it in quantities you use (half, whole pints or quarts). The options are many and the results are rewarding.

For those of us with limited freezer space, it’s a great way to make room for other foods not suitable for canning such as bread, popsicles, pizzas, etc. If unexpected guests show up at the door, meals go together quickly. It’s easy to keep inventory of what you have (and what you need).

My coworker cans chili and soups during the colder months. Winter is also a great time to make jams and jellies with fruit hastily canned or frozen in summer months ‘just to get it done.’ Canning isn’t much fun when the kitchen is already 85 degrees and bushels of peaches or apples are ready NOW. Whatever I can put off canning for a cooler day, I do.

A good sale on potatoes or white mushrooms can make for a nice afternoon of winter canning. The same goes for bacon or pepperoni… yes, you CAN pressure can these items. It’s great to have bacon bits or pepperoni slices on hand for salads or pizzas or omelets. Did the hunter in your family bag a deer this winter? Venison cans well and can be used in place of beef. Actually, it tastes a lot like beef after it’s been processed this way, and it’s very lean.

I buy used canning jars during the warm months from yard, 
moving and garage sales. Some of them are in a fairly grungy condition when I get them but, for me, the bargain is worth the work to clean them up. I must have a dozen boxes waiting for me to get to, and winter is a good time to get it done. If taken in small quantities once a week, they will eventually all get washed and be ready when you need them for your next project. Be sure to check each jar for chips or cracks around the rim. Damaged jars can be used for storing non-edible items.

If you can fruits and vegetables but have not canned meat, consider this: the canned meat sold at the grocery story is processed the same way, but with a lot more salt, coloring and other additives. Bottling your own meat allows you to store it in the quantities you need for your family and gives you control over what goes into it. It’s ready when you are and keeps for years.
If you are interested in learning to pressure can meats, there are canning classes held by food canneries and some county extension offices. The internet is also a great source of canning information, techniques, and method.

Warm up that canner and you’ll warm up the kitchen and stock your shelves!

This article also appeared in the February issue of Rural Life, in Ohio.