Canning for RVing

Look who came out to play!!!

We are getting so excited to finally start

using our little Escape Trailer.

Our "maiden voyage" is planned

3 weeks hence

and we're getting ready.

Spring is coming - slow but sure.
I can almost hear the rhubarb growing...

The Lady's Mantle
doesn't seem to mind
all this rain we've 
been having.

Always the first to bloom
is this old fashioned
lung wort from my
friend Ruth!
















So back to camping...

In preparation for this summer's
fun I've been starting to gather
things for the trailer and thinking
about food preparations.
It's been SO long since we've done
any camping and that was usually in a 
tent, with a canoe and primitive
cooking utensils.

Because of the convenience of having
canned foods I got busy this weekend
and canned some pork sausage to take
with us on the road.

Have you ever home canned meat?

My mom always canned pork sausage,

beef chunks and whole chickens.

Freezer space was at a premium back in the day
for a family of 10

and home canned meat was a delicious

and convenient alternative to frozen meat.

I have read many recipes on Google

which all say you must use a pressure cooker 

in order for safely canning meat.

I'm positive that my mom did not have

a pressure cooker and no one ever

got sick from eating her delicious canned meats.

However, this may be a concern and I just
may have to invest in a pressure cooker 
for future meat canning.

I simply cold packed some

sterilized jars with the

smoked sausage (if using

fresh unsmoked - it's best to

fry it or bake it in the oven for a bit)

Once the jars were packed

I put some sterilized and warm

snap lids on and

placed them in the canner

that was filled with cold water.

Steam jars for 2 hours (start timing after water comes to a full boil).  Note – 10 lbs. unlinked bulk sausage makes 7 quart jars which fits nicely into a canner.

I actually did up approx. 14 lbs. into 7 pint size jars - perfect size

 for two hungry campers,

plus 4 quart jars for larger

quantities.

After letting the jars cool

slightly and checking that

they have sealed,

I turned them upside down

to ensure the meat is

perfectly sealed in it's own

juices and fat.

To serve, simply remove the sausages and their juices from the jar and heat in a frying pan or brown on the bbq – it’s fast, easy and delicious.  I always discard the lard that forms in the jar but mother would save this fat for making her homemade soap.  

I have used this method for Chicken and Beef as well - increasing the processing time to 3 hours.

Label your jars with date of canning and try to use up within 12 to 18 months.

My SIL Pat has canned salmon, moose and venison

meats this way with great success as well. 

My brother is an avid hunter and fisherman

and she is a great and adventurous cook.

Till next time ............. do you like to camp and what are your favourite camping meals?