Saturday, October 25, 2008

Canning "Survival Chili"

Well I made a big batch of my World Famous Chili today and I canned what was left over. We love chili and was wondering if we could can it at home, Hormel does it so, I thought we should be able to also. After a little research over at Jackie Clay's Blog I found out how to can my own at home. We ate all the chili that we wanted and still had 5 qts. left to can. This will provide easy meals that you just heat and eat, that's my kind of cooking. I much rather can foods than freeze them because ya just never when the electric my be off and you loose all the stuff in the freezer that you can't eat up pretty quick. Plus this is good Survival food. Throw a quart in your 72 hour bag as you head out the door and you have a good meal that's easy to prepare. I guess I may have to start calling it "Survival Chili". In an power outage one can heat it up on your woodstove, you do have one don't you? If not think about it getting one soon, the grid is and will be even more unpredictable in the future (Near Future)

Here's the question that one of Jackie's readers ask:

Canning chili with beans


I was wondering if I am able to pressure cook can chili with beans. I am only able to find recipes without beans.

Yes, you may home can chili with beans. I do it nearly every year, which gives us convenient, instant meals without the chemicals included in store-bought chili. Besides, mine tastes like chili, not some flavorless goopy paste.
Make up a big batch of your favorite chili, then ladle the hot chili into quart jars to within an inch of the top of the jar. Remove any air bubbles with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Process the chili in a pressure canner only, at 10 pounds pressure for 90 minutes. If you live at an altitude above 1,000 feet, consult your canning manual for instructions on increasing the pressure to correspond with your altitude. — Jackie
2 qts. filled and ready for the canner. We canned 5 qts. in all.

10 comments:

Amy said...

What a great idea! Maybe some day I will tackle learning how to can. But I have to take baby steps. Today I made my first pie crust EVER! And I feel like Queen of the Universe. Your survival chili looks very good and I'm sure it's very nutritious too. Great job!

Rook said...

Chris - where is the inch of head space in the shot? Looking good man. No kids yet?

Rook

The Scavenger said...

Amy, thanks, canning is not really that hard. I just bought my canner this summer and done some research and jumped in with both feet. So far I have canned up a bunch of goodies. Pie looks great.

Rook, lol, I had to spoon out a little after I looked it all over. No kids yet, not sure what's up with that. I guess they'll come when they come.

Thanks for the comments.

Chris

Anonymous said...

What a good idea! I can beans every year (pinto, black-eyed peas, kidney, black) but I've never canned chili. I think I'll give it a try! Thanks! Gen--IL Homesteader

Marie said...

Do you care to share your chili recipe? I'm always looking for new recipes... :)
Canning your own complete meals is a fantastic idea --warm it up and you're done! Have to say that I'm glad I can count myself among those that own a wood stove now and feel very fortunate about it ... Congratulations on all of your productivity with the chili and apple butter!

Throwback at Trapper Creek said...

It looks very good - I bet that 5 qts won't last too long :)

Anonymous said...

Under pressure for 90 minutes...that's serious stuff! I am sure it is wonderful though! I love chili. Anything red goes into our pot of it. We have never canne dit though...great idea!

Anonymous said...

I am anxious to try canning chilli next!!! My mom & I have been canning beans for some time now. But I have to say that the best thing we have learned to can is chicken breasts. MUCH better than out of a can you get at the grocery store. Preasure cook at 15lbs of preasure for 90 minutes!(check your preasure cooker's booklet!) So easy! We've also done ground beef, but the texture is different than if you fry it fresh. But I have found that if you fry the ground beef after you take it out of the jar and before you add it to any recipies, the texture improves. Thanks for the info on the chilli!

Anonymous said...

I would like to pressure can chili with beans (store bought canned kidney beans)...is it possible to do this without it being complete mush. I would also like to pressure can homeade chicken noodle soup with store bought egg noodles....do I need to not cook the noodles beforehand so that they will not be mush after pressure canning? Thanks for your help

The Scavenger said...

I have canned chilli and chicken noodle soup both with great results. I just prepare like I do to eat it. I usually just can what I have left over from the meal. Soup, chilli and pinto beans are all great. Just open you jars and heat and eat. Great stuff. Hope this helps.

Chris