Canning deer meat...the old-fashioned way?

[Beekissed]

One of my patients is an old Mennonite lady who is 94. Her daughter and I have discussions all the time about putting up food, gardens, etc.

We were discussing canning deer meat and she said they have never owned a pressure canner and have processed meat all these years in a boiling water bath! I had been thinking of this myself and had asked my mother about it earlier this year. She had never tried it without a pressure canner, so she couldn't say.

I would like to try it and will be doing this tomorrow evening. My mom said that she has been doing corn for years in a boiling water bath because, when she did it in a pressure canner, the corn came out looking brown and was tasteless and mushy. So, all these years she has been canning corn in a boiling water bath. No mishaps yet, with nine kids over 57 years. No mishaps for the Mennonite family over who knows how many years!

Mom says to boil it hot and for a long time, suggested around 90 minutes. Anyone else ever did this? Now, don't get all hopped up on telling me how dangerous it may be....I'm going to try it anyway. Just want to know if anyone has ever tried it besides the Mennonite ladies who have lived so very long and healthy!

 

[2dream]

Never heard of it myself. I often wondered how people did it way back when. DH says his grandmother canned chicken without a pressure canner but he does not remember much else.
My favorite set of books, The Foxfire series, mentions canning different meats but I don't really remember. I will look that up.
I do have a vague memory of a mention of botulism (sp) being a problem but I also have a vague memory of something being said about after opening up the canned product cooking the meat to a high temp will kill it. Not sure about any of this. So like you I will ask that no one jump on my vague references.
I will also say this in reference to our new canning guidelines. Back when...air and water were cleaner. Mutated viruses and germs were not as abundant. No one used pesticides like they do today.
You are apparently going to do this anyway but please use caution. We all like you.
I really would like to know the process you end up using and the times. I will also look and see what I can find in my books.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Water bath canning is what I am wanting to learn! Let us know how it turns out, Bee! My dh will hopefully get us a nice deer (or two!) this year, and I want to try canning some of the meat!

 

[ams3651]

me too. My one grandmother (passed) used to can meats and my mom and I cant remember seeing a pressure canner here anywhere. My other grandmother has never used one, always just a hot water canner, but she doesnt do meats. Let us know what you think and how you did it.

 

[patandchickens]

People took ptomaine poisoning a whole lot more seriously back when it was not so uncommon to know people who'd died of it...

Good luck,

Pat

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

People took ptomaine poisoning a whole lot more seriously back when it was not so uncommon to know people who'd died of it...

Good luck,

Pat

Hi, Pat, I am sorry, but I am confused by your post? What is ptomaine poisoning? I have never heard of it?

 

[2dream]

Food Poisoning = ptomaine poisoning

 

[patandchickens]

I guess that is my point, that in this day and age, our vocabulary for, and attitude towards, the results of improperly canned food have changed so much, because of the changes in canning practices.

(Looking up the definition now of 'ptomaine' I see that it is less thoroughly synonymus with botulism [specifically] than I had thought, but still...)

www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1649141

Improperly canned food used to be a not especially rare cause of death. Even today, with all of modern medicine to treat it (assuming you have access to all that), you can still end up dead or with permanently poor health.

While remembering old-fashioned ways of doing things, please also remember old-fashioned ways of dying, too, k?

I'm not trying to talk Beekissed out of anything, it's a free country and she's certainly a grownup - but anyone else contemplating intentionally using not-so-safe canning practices should think seriously about the dead-or-health-permanently-impaired possibility before feeding those products to themselves or, heaven help us, to anyone else.

At the very least, holding the food at a vigorous fast boil for 10-15 minutes before you eat it will improve your odds.

Pat

 

[2dream]

Great reference Pat - I read the whole thing. Not something I want to even think about having to deal with.

 

[coopy]

I am not trying to discourage anyone from doing anything. Not trying to step on anyones toes either.

I freeze my meat and pressure can it.
When I was in grade school my brother and I got food poisoning at school. Not a good thing. Alot of the kids was sick. I remember being so sick. The hospital was full of kids. We were on beds in the hallway and everywhere.
I never want food poisoning again now that is some bad stuff. Once was enough for me.
I for one will pressure can mine or freeze it.