Menus for Frugality

[Mini Horses]

@Cecilia's-life Give it a go! You'll be amazed at yourself. Really nice to have meat on hand AND just ready to heat and eat. We're all intimidated for first tries.

Hey, you just cooked twins with no experience! Chicken in a jar is a piece cake.

 

[flowerbug]

@Cecilia's-life Give it a go! You'll be amazed at yourself. Really nice to have meat on hand AND just ready to heat and eat. We're all intimidated for first tries.

Hey, you just cooked twins with no experience! Chicken in a jar is a piece cake.

slow cooker with low pressure and low heat. at least they had a rhythm section (heartbeat ).

 

[Cecilia's-life]

I have done many things without any experience. But none of it could give me botulism!

 

[flowerbug]

I have done many things without any experience. But none of it could give me botulism!

i've never canned meat but i kinda doubt that if you over cook it that you'll notice too much. at least that is my intuition. i'll let others educate me on this point. *listening*

do the first few batches on things that aren't too expensive and then right after you finish and it cools off you can open one up and see how it went. as you get more experience then you'll have more confidence.

 

[tortoise]

I have done many things without any experience. But none of it could give me botulism!

When you open a jar, boil it for 10 minutes to destroy any botulism toxin. That's what they do in places where safe canning practices are not available.

 

[flowerbug]

When you open a jar, boil it for 10 minutes to destroy any botulism toxin. That's what they do in places where safe canning practices are not available.

if in doubt throw it out or compost it.

 

[Cecilia's-life]

if in doubt throw it out or compost it.

I would be in doubt all the time! my mom made botulism seem much more prevalent than it probably is.

 

[flowerbug]

I would be in doubt all the time! my mom made botulism seem much more prevalent than it probably is.

it is all around. that is a fact.

not many people have issues because they are eating cooked foods or foods that have been canned properly or food that have been properly stored and preparred.

the main things to be concerned about with botulism is food acidity. if food is acidic enough botulism bacteria won't survive or grow. the next thing is oxygen. botulism grows best without oxygen.

canning at just boiling temperatures does not kill all the botulism spores in foods it takes a lot more exposure (time) or more heat and pressure to kill them off. that is why pressure cooking is always recommended for low acid foods. meats are low acid foods. potatoes and other common stew things are also not very acidic. the source of many botulism spores and bacteria will be anything grown in the ground or near the ground. so onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots - aka pretty much everything you'd use in a beef stew would be at risk of carrying some spores or bacteria along with them. as long as the food is cooked and then put away in the fridge and not left out that reduces how fast the bacteria can multiply. they are normally not a problem because most people won't store food that's cooked by leaving it in a closed container just sitting out. they'll put it in the fridge and eventually eat it or throw it away once it's been around too long.

the problems happen when people store food that wasn't properly handled or cooked to begin with. once the bacteria are in there they'll grow as long as the conditions are right. low to no oxygen, low acid, not pressure cooked - yeah, i won't eat things like that.

of course sugar and salt are used as preservatives and also drying agents to reduce the habitat for the bacteria. cooked jams with plenty of sugar have the acidity, sugar and high heat to preserve them. now i'm hungry...

 

[Cecilia's-life]

Wow! Great information!! Thank you @flowerbug

 

[flowerbug]

Wow! Great information!! Thank you @flowerbug

i always enjoy answering questions. keep asking away.