Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

This takes no special canning knowledge,and very few tools.Just get those jars sterile.

This is not 'government approved' so you do so at your own risk.But many many people do it,I will tell you ours turned out very good and far cheaper than buying canned butter

So here is step by step with pictures...If pictures come up too large,hit your browser refresh button and they will resize to your screen size.

http://eastcherokee.proboards58.com/...ead=1203223180

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Pretty cool.....( like your website too )......any idea how long it will keep like this ? How long have you personally tested for storage ? Does it go rancid at some point ?

Thanks !

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Hey Andy,good to hear from you. I have heard 3 years storage cool and dry and dark.

Dont have personal experience on storage time yet,we just recently did this.

We are thinking 2 year supply with rotation to not exceed that time would be good,most internet sites say 2-3 years.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Thats not kosher, IMO. After putting the butter in the jars they should go into a boiling water bath, just like if you were canning pasta sauce or jam. A canning kettle is cheap compared to canned butter, LOL.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Yes,thats debatable about the water bath.Some have,some dont,some have tried both,results have been the same.You will find proponents of both on the web when searching.

As I say,at your own risk and I should have added comfort level too,huh?

Thanks for the comment Bob,more info,and choices, the better.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Great thread, it got me to thinking about Ghee(clarified butter) it's easy to make and stores for years. I did a search ,founds lots of useful info. Anyone have any practical experience with Ghee vs butter .....would this be a better easier way to go than canned butter ?

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

How does ghee taste compared to butter? Is it a solid or a liquid. Are there differences in how you'd use it for cooking or baking compared to butter?

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Hang on a couple minutes and I'll try to post a link,K

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Here's a post I found.....


Contrary to a majority of opinions here, Ghee need NOT be refrigerated. It will never become rancid or poisonous. It can literally keep forever. It is advisable, though, to make it fresh and in batches that you can use up in some weeks.

Ghee, of course, has to be made right. When the moisture is fully evaporated from the butter, you are left with butter fat. The result is liquid gold, emitting a nutty aroma. This is strained, removing the toasty solids that settle on the bottom of the pan. These solids are flavorful and edible, especially with rice. The filtered fliud is Ghee. Just store it in a clean, dry stainless steel/glass/ceramic container with a fitting lid. The ghee solidifies in the cold and can be scooped. In the summer it stays fluid. Just remember to use clean, dry utensils while spooning ghee out.

In India, where I grew up, ghee was made in batches to last a month or so. This is not uncommon in Southern Indian homes.

The following is off an internet source, cited below :

Ghee

Ghee is the best cooking oil for all constitutions. Like all other oils, ghee contains approximately 120 calories and 13-14 grams of fat per tablespoon. Because ghee is a natural product, it contains negligible amounts of trans-fatty acids (zero according to the FDA). It is simple to make and has a shelf life of 6 months to several years. Ghee is made from butter and is thus a saturated fat. New research has been showing the importance of saturated fats in our diet.

A study in India contrasted two areas of the country and their diets. In one area the people ate mostly saturated fats from dairy (mostly ghee, butter and milk). In a second area the people mainly ate highly processed vegetable oils.

Furthermore, the people in area one were eating 19 times more fat than the people in area two. The study found that the people living in area one, who mainly consumed dairy, had seven times less incidence of heart disease than those who ate the highly processed vegetable oils.

This Indian study clearly shows the health dangers of processed vegetable oils; however, there are cold-pressed vegetable oils that are healthy (olive oil and coconut oil). However, ghee is always preferred.

More importantly, ghee is known for its ability to blend and better disperse seasonings in the food. When cooking with ghee, cook your spices in the ghee and than add them to your stir-fry or casserole. We use one skillet for cooking our main course with a moderate amount of ghee and have a second smaller skillet to specifically cook the spices in ghee and then add them to the main skillet.

In Ayurveda, ghee is the most favored carrier for increasing the absorption of nutrients into the body. Ayurveda claims that Ghee improves the functioning of the brain and is essential in all rejuvenation therapies. Ayurvedic therapists assert that ghee makes the body more flexible and also renews connective tissue. Scientifically, ghee contains butyric acid, which nourishes and protects the lining of the stomach and intestines.

Ghee is best prepared fresh at home but is also available at health food stores and some grocery stores. Here is the recipe for ghee:

Ghee Recipe
Use Real Unsalted Butter (Organic is best)

Place your sticks of butter in a medium saucepan and warm to a medium high heat. As the butter melts into a clear golden oil, the white milk solids will rise to the top. Skim off these milk solids with a large spoon. Reduce heat to medium.

It is important to allow all of the water to evaporate. Many people are surprised to see how much water is contained in a stick of butter. The steam will continue to rise as the water evaporates. Keep reducing the heat so that the milk solids do not burn and yet the heat is high enough for the evaporation to continue.

As you remove the milk solids, a clear golden oil remains. This is clarified butter, more commonly known as ghee. If there is still some crackles and pops, then the water has not been completely cooked-out and the ghee is not yet done.

Ghee will become solid at room temperature and is best stored in a glass jar. Do not pour your ghee out of the saucepan until it has cooled to a warm temperature that is safe to touch. When we make ghee, we usually make a large quantity by using 3-5 lbs of butter. The shelf-life of ghee is 6 months to many years. If your ghee would become moldy in the next few months, then the water and milk-fat were not fully removed and the ghee should be discarded.
1 month ago
Source(s):

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Butter has been preserved in brine solutions in stone crocks before any of us were born.
It can be done in mason jars too.. no cooking necessary.
A Salt solution concentrated enough to float an egg, some suggest
a certain amount of salt peter too.

Fill the jars all the way up, if done in a stone crock.. put the butter
in cheese cloth, tie it up with some sort of weight so it will stay totally submerged.
The fat in the butter will keep it from absorbing the salt and the salt will preserve the butter.

Peace
TLM

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Too bad you didn't ask me before you did this. I canned butter, both in a water bath and using the oven method three years ago, with in 8 months it was a spoiled toxic mess. I still have a couple jars just to see what they did, they have some funkyness growing in them now. DO NOT DO THIS, it dosen't work and can make you very ill and in a situation where you may not have good medical care, as in TSHTF, you do not want to get sick.

As for the GHEE, this keeps wonderfully, I made many jars of this and its still perfect. But really, the read feather butter is the best, and when you calculate the cost of the butter and the jars, its costs the same.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Thanks nub for that great info on ghee. I'm going to make some to see what it tastes like and find out how well it works for cooking.

TLM, the brine-preserved butter sounds good intriguing too. Do you know how long it keeps that way?

mightyspuds, I'm going to try your method also. Maybe I'll find I like one form of butter better than another, or perhaps I'll find I want to put up some butter using all the methods.

Great thread.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Thanks for the info on NOT canning it. I knew that all the more recent stuff I've seen says to use a water bath, but didn't know it wouldn't work for butter.

So, can you can the GHEE safely?

How long will it last if you do?

Butter is $1.50 a lb here on sale, so it would make a lot of sense since I have plenty of jars and lids I could use as compared to $6.00 a lb for prepackaged.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

By the way, my stored butter now consists of several cases of Red Feather canned, and about 30lbs in the freezer that we rotate.

I'm thinking seriously about a Gurnsey or Brown Swiss cow and cutting out the middle men.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Milking cows is a whole nuther ball game, more power to ya.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

That Red Feather butter is expensive at $4.50 per pound. If butter can be commercially canned so successfully, then why shouldn't it be equally well home-canned like mightyspuds said?

I mean, I don't doubt you that you found it untenable, but I'm wondering why. Could there have been a problem with your process?

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

When cows are milked they have manure and mud all over their feet, udders, etc, which gets into the milk (this is why they pasteurize commercial milk) which can we say botulism? The temperatures during pasteurization are not high enough to kill this. The only way to safely can butter is to pressure can it. I don't have a pressure canner, the home canned butter turns out grainy, red feather is smooth and yummy, so I stick with that. Good thing a couple women stuck around or you all would be living in your bunkers eating home canned butter and giving yourselves botulism.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Going with commercially canned butter is the only way to ensure that the butter you consume has been heated sufficiently to kill all the little nasties. The oven method of packaging butter is not safe.

Amazing that so many otherwise intelligent people would be willing to put themselves and their families' health at risk to save a couple dollars.

But do as you will.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

I was going to can my own butter with a pressure canner but people at another forum advised against it. Instead I made ghee, and turned out to have a gritty texture like there is sand in it. It might strain out, but this stuff has a different taste then regular butter. I'm going to stick with Red Feather and frozen butter from now on. Butter actually keeps a long time without refrigeration. I left an open can of Red Feather on my counter top for several weeks and it never went rancid.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Thanks for the info. I do have a 20 qt pressure canner, so its not a problem for me. If electric goes off, I'd hate to lose all my butter in the freezer. I think I'll try it with a few pounds and see if it turns out ok before doing any large batches. I found a place where butter is on sale this week for $1.50/lb again, so its probably a good week to try it. If it doesn't work, we just won't have butter, and corn oil or olive oil will have to do. My user id isn't "thrifty_bob" for nothin, LOL.

Sounds like GHEE also has that gritty texture
http://www.indusladies.com/forums/ar...idya-iyer.html

AHHHH, found a definiative thread on it....
http://www.curevents.com/vb/showthread.php?t=27897

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Two years from what I've read.
That was from something that was written in the 1800's, before modern indoor climate control.
I suppose if you keep it in an air conditioned house in a dark pantry
it would extend the shelf life by a factor of 2 or 3.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Boiling the butter, as mightyspuds suggested, puts the temperature well above the pasteurization temp. People have safely eaten home-canned foods for hundreds of years. I'm not aware of other foods that can be commercially canned, but which cannot be home canned safely, so I don't know why butter would be any different.

I have a 30qt pressure canner, so I'll perhaps give this a try after I've done some more research.

Here is one FAQ entry that describes some of the dangers. They also don't recommend the procedure. However, I still maintain that if it can be commercially canned, then it can be home canned if you use the proper technique (whatever that may turn out to be):
Should I use directions I find on the internet for canning butter?

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

No, boiling it dose not get the temperature high enough, only pressure canning will do this.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

I guess there must be downsides to pressure canning butter, or more people would suggest doing it that way instead of the boiling or oven methods.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Hey,it works. You have boiled the butter for 20 minutes above 212 degrees.You pour it under sterile conditions into 250 degree jars and place on a 212 degree sterile lid,using sterile tools.

If you open a jar and hear a 'whoosh' when opened,it is sealed safely.It was vacuum sealed under sterile conditions.

Now when canning you will find those who wont can anything without pressure canning.Thats good and safe.You will find others that will water bath some things,not others.

As for the butter,it is made with pastuerized cream.If you think it is too much risk to boil commercially produced butter,and follow sterile technique in canning it,dont do this.

I have,I feel I can judge when something is canned sterile,and when it has a vacuum,and when the product is off.

The Gov. thinks you are a fool,and their recommendations are based on the lowest common demonitator idiot,so their guidelines have to be idiot proof.

As for taste,very slightly grainy,it is soft at room temperature.

I dont feel Im at any risk. I dont expect my freshly washed jars,then heated jars, to magically become infected with botulism spores.I dont expect boiled pastuerized commercial butter to become inundated with botulism between the time the jars come out of the oven to having scalding butter placed and a seal applied,about 20-30 seconds.

But if that sounds risky to you,dont do it. If it sounds safe to you,follow the directions and enjoy your butter,like we do.And many others have done.

Botulism is reported 110 times/year.75 % in infants. Of the 25 % of adults,8 % die. So 2-3 people a year in this country die from food botulism.In 2003 there were 8 cases of food botulism,2 died. 1 case of 'pumpkin butter',that person didnt die.And this wasnt just pastuerized butter that was used,it was butter with pumpkin.

12.1 Specific preventive measures
C. botulinum produces heat-resistant spores. Some strains will not survive above 80C, but others
can only be destroyed by heating above boiling point. The thermal resistance of spores increases in
foods with a higher pH and a lower salt content (CDC, 1998).


Thats the risk I see,and I'm willing to take that risk. If you arent,then this isnt for you.

Informed choice is yours.I think driving a car is far riskier (like 20,000 times riskier),but thats me.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Boiling butter gives temps HIGHER than water bath or pressure canning as far as I know.So to say the butter isnt heated enough to kill to nasties just isnt correct.And there shouldnt be ANY nasties in your commercial butter made with pasteurized cream to start with,right?

And you arent processing the butter in the oven at 250 degrees,just heating the clean washed jars to a temperature higher than the spores can survive.You are dealing with temps IN THE BUTTER that botulism wont survive.If anything the weak link would be in the sterility of the jars,then in the vacuum sealing,not the butter.

Pressure canning at 15 PSI gets water to 240-250 degrees,Butter STARTS to boil around 230 degrees.That should kill any botulism which dies at 176 degrees.

I dont feel based on that that this is a choice that is foolish for an otherwise intelligent person to undertake,YMMV.

Sooo.... the post is for your information.Do as you will.I'm putting up more this week.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Appreciate the info Spuds....as you say, we can all do with it what we will. Personally, I won't be canning any right now, as the freezer works fine for me ( and I'm working on a solar power system so the freezer will ALWAYS work fine for me :D )......but you never know when info will come in handy.

Just like re-using canning jar lids after cleaning and re-sterilzing them....I've read some folks do this and get several uses out of them....personally, RIGHT NOW, I wouldn't consider doing this because they are cheap and AVAILIABLE.....but down the road, who knows.....might just have to resort to trying this should the supply system break down, and I appreciate hearing from folks that have done it.....

Just like canning butter.....I like to know the option might be there IF I have to use it.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Hey,I was thinking the same thing about the lids....We KNOW you cant do that,but people do,and it works.

Look at the Sundanzer freezer,150 watts of panels EASILY produces enough power to freeze at 0 degrees and away you go.Only uses 2 amps at 24 volts when running.Is that unbelievable or what? And I can swear to it,seen it running,lived with it for weeks at Friends house and have measured the power.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Look here

http://www.curevents.com/vb/showthread.php?t=27897

Its a long thread, but covers all the questions and reservations raised here

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Put up 14 lbs last night,15 pints.Boiled for 30 minutes to steam off some water and rest ASSURED this is far beyond anything botulism could survive.

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...puds/b14-1.jpg

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

Put up 20# yesterday, boiled hard for 30 mins, all went very well.
By the time I got to the last few jars, nearly all the solids were stuck to the bottom of the pot, so I strained it and have 4 jars of ghee to go along with the regular butter.
A nice bonus was the toasty, buttery solids stuck to the bottom of the kettle, I mixed it up with some buckwheat groats, it was amazing!

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

I stirred mine continuously.Used a stainless steel pot with a copper clad bottom.

Did have more separating going on this time using Tillamook unsalted butter,dont know why it didnt separate much last time.

Re: Our canning Butter experiment,anyone can do this.
 

One word - Botulism.