Canning Chicken

This is me, a few years ago with some of my canned chicken.

A few years ago my friend and I decided to can chicken when there was an awesome sale on frozen chicken. We got some instructions from her mom and spent the next several days thawing chicken and then canning.

It can be a long process, but it is wonderful to be able to grab a jar of cooked chicken to quickly add to almost any meal.

I wanted to can some myself this month so I could take some good pictures, but that's not happening, but I found a website that has great instructions: How to Start Canning Chicken on CanningBasics.com.

You have to have a pressure cooker to can meat. I bought one a few years ago for about $80. It isn't a small purchase so you need to know you are going to use it. If you're not ready for that you may want to ask around and try to borrow one from a friend or relative.

You also need a pressure cooker when canning potatoes, green beans, and other low acid vegetables which require higher temperatures in order to kill bacterias such as botulism.

For more information on canning meats, click HERE.

Review

Wow! We're more than halfway through the year, summer's almost over, and we're moving right along with our food storage and emergency preparedness goals.

I just updated the POST from February where I outlined what we were going to talk about every month. In my excitement, I originally plans to combine some categories so that we could talk about everything by the end of the year.

As the year has progress, I have been trying to build my food storage and 72-hour kits along with my posts. Some months aren't too hard. Some are very hard. (Like MEAT! I don't have enough MEAT in my house! haha)

So I have updated the outline and we will be going into 2013 before we get through all our 3-month supply items. I think this is a good thing. It gives us (me) more time to really focus on specific items. For example, I originally was going to combine fruits and veggies into one month. Now we will talk about them in September and October, giving more time to inventory, organize and purchase needed items.

That leads me to the next item of business. I am hoping that others are doing the same thing as I am, but sometimes I assume that others understand me and I haven't actually explained myself. SO...here's a little bit about what I do every month to build my food storage.

#1- Inventory. I know. The word alone is scary. But you HAVE to know what you have in order to know what you NEED. So get a notebook, a piece of paper, etc. and count what you have.

If you have 5 pounds of meat in your house, don't be discouraged. At least you know what you have so you can stock up on that item.

#2 Organize! I am weird. I am really organized with some things and a total wreck with others. As far as food storage is concerned, I have a notebook with my inventory, which I write in every time I use one of my food storage items. Then I write on my shopping list what I need to replace.

For example, today I grabbed my last can of cranberry sauce. We have one recipe that we use cranberry sauce so I try to keep 3 on hand. For some reason, I haven't been keeping up but now I have written on my grocery list to pick up 3 cans of cranberry sauce. I can do that.

You may need to be creative in where you store your items, but do what works for you (even if it means putting canned food under your bed!).

As far as 72-hour kit stuff, I have MOST of my emergency items in one closet, except for a large suitcase that is in my garage. I also have notes in my food storage notebook about what I have and what I need.

#3 Purchase. Every 3-month supply post has information on good prices for food items. This is a good way to start getting to know what prices are good for specific items. It helps you know when something is low enough to really stock up!

Most of us can't go out and buy everything we need every month, but if you can spend $5-10 on that item in a month, you're that much closer to your goal.

Don't forget to purchase your 72-hour kit items as well!

#4 Restock! To keep your food storage supply up, replace items as you use them. I didn't do this with my cranberry sauce, that items isn't as crucial either. Items that are more necessary need to be replaced right away, if possible.

For me, I always want one extra container of olive oil on hand. I don't use it a TON so I don't store more than that. Today when I was making my cranberry recipe, I opened up my olive oil. Time to restock!

Depending on the item though, I want and restock when it's on sale.

For example, I have seem canned pineapple for 88 cents a can in the past, but lately anything less than $1 is good. But I don't really want to spend a dollar on each can. We go through pineapple so FAST at our house, so I don't restock it as fast as I should. I usually just wait until the next big sale.

Restocking implies ROTATION. Remember that it is important to rotate food so you won't have old, outdated items. This includes your 72-hour kit food and clothing items. Especially with kids, your emergency clothing needs to be rotated regularly.


Most of all, don't get stressed! Do what works for you and your budget. Do what makes you feel better and more prepared, but don't go crazy.

Tracking What You Use

There are lots of different lists and calculators that are helpful when you're trying to figure out what you need for your food storage. In fact, I use the 3-month Food Storage Template, created by Prepared LDS Family and this Food Storage Calculator.

But everyone uses different things at different rates. The last year or so I have been marking food items and cleaning supplies to see how long they last and then I can have a better idea of how much our family really needs for 3 months.

This has helped me a lot. For example, I started tracking how long my dishwasher soap lasted. I found that I used one bottle in two months. Now, I keep one extra in my storage room so that I have my 3 months worth all the time.

Another thing I have learned is that I don't have enough peanut butter. We can go through a jar a week sometimes. Holy cow! So now I know that I need to really watch for a good sale on peanut butter.

Items like oils might be a good idea to "track" due to their relatively short shelf-life.

Although it sometimes looks silly to have permanent marker on half of the items in my fridge, I have found some comfort (in my own nerdy way) in knowing how long certain things last at our house so that I can plan accordingly.

In addition to writing on the items themselves, I have a notebook that I use for keeping track of my food storage inventory. In this notebook, I also make notes about how long things last or what I need to stock up on. It isn't fancy...in fact, it's kind of a mess. But it helps me to easily figure what I have and what I need in my food storage.

Not matter what method works for you, having some way to track what you use and knowing what you have and need will help you reach your food storage goals much faster and easier.

Note: I didn't say fast and easy. Accumulating a 3-month supply of food and other items is neither of those things.

Happy tracking!

72-hour kit: Radio

In case of a natural disaster or other emergency in your area, the only way to get information may be through a radio.

There are many different types of radios, from battery-powered to hand-crack radios. Whichever you prefer, make sure you know how to use it and have extra batteries if necessary.

This is step 7 on the PLAN 9 pamphlet put together by the Southwest Utah Public Health Department.

3-month supply: Meats

No Picture? Sorry. I love meat, but pictures of meat...yuck!

How much? About 24 lbs.

What? Canned meat (chicken, beef, tuna etc.), frozen meat, TVP, jerky, etc.

At first, when you think of having 24 lbs. of meat in your storage, it sounds hard. It really isn't hard...except for the expense. There are so many ways to store meat. Canned meat can last up to 5 years. Jerky is good for a while too, although it may get hard.

Plus, meat is a great source of protein and that will be crucial in an emergency.

I don't have experience with TVP but I have heard that the stuff that is coming out now is MUCH better than in years past.

As far as freezing meat, there are many ways you can package meat so it will taste fresh, even after a few months in the freezer. For example, I buy 10-20 lbs. of ground beef when there is a good sale (which hasn't happened much lately). I separate the meat into a little less than 1 lb. portions, wrap them tightly in freezer paper and put 4-5 of these packages in one gallon-sized freezer bag. My husband has a very sensitive palette and doesn't mine the taste of beef frozen this way.

There are also several products, like a FoodSaver that are awesome, but can be expensive. I have a little Handi-Vac from Reynolds that I picked up at Wal-Mart a few years ago for $15. It really like it but you have to buy the bags through the Home Shopping Network now. I haven't had to yet so I'll have to see.

Chicken, especially that has been frozen separately, stays good simply being placed in small freezer bags.

Good prices for meats:

Fresh or frozen chicken (boneless): Less than $1.50/lb is great lately. That's about $.09/oz.

Vienna Sausages: $.10/oz

Beef: Obviously, there are many varieties but $1.00/lb is great for beef, but I haven't seen it at this price since before the whole economy downturn. Anything less than $2.00/lb is good right now. That's about $.12/oz.

Pork: This seems to go on sale more than beef, but basically for boneless pork, less than $2.00/lb is good. ($.12/oz)

Canned Tuna: $.12/oz

Canned Chicken: $.15/oz

SPAM: $.17/oz

Canned Albacore Tuna: $.20/oz

TVP: $3.31/lb or $.21/oz.

Canned beef: Online I found some that are about $.36/oz. I think Costco carries them and it is probably cheaper.


At these prices it will cost from $40-55 for one person's 3-month supply. That sounds like a lot, but if you just take it slow, you'll be ok. Grab some extra cans of tuna or an extra bag of frozen chicken next time you're at the store. If you can get a little extra every time, within a few months you can had a good stockpile of meat.

If you are interested in canning meat, it is definitely a cheaper way to go, especially if you save your jars for the next batch. I have a post very soon on canning meat, so stay tuned!