Canning Jell-O

[NCLee]

I'd like to can some Jello to have a quick snack in the pantry. I see those snack packs in the grocery, but so far, haven't found info on how to make those myself. Searches keep turning up using Jello in a couple of canned recipes for other foods. I just want some plain Jello stored on the shelf in single serving size jelly jars.

Not only for snacking, but also as a part of prepping for whatever may happen, if water, fuel, and/or refrigeration aren't available.

Have also searched for Knox Gelatin, but so far haven't turned up what I'm seeking.

Any thoughts, insights, links, how-to, will be greatly appreciated. Even, telling me I'm just plain nuts, is Ok, too. :)

Lee

[oeb]

You've inspired me. I'm gonna can some when time allows just to see what the heck happens. It might just get watery. I'll try it with fresh peaches as well as plain and use time/pressure as required by guides for the fruit or 15 lbs for 20 minutes for plain-- just because. I'll report back. Keep those good ideas coming!

[CanNerd]

Canning Jello is a nice way to potentially poison yourself. The gelatin is an animal/meat product and if you have learned anything about canning you will know that meat products MUST be pressure canned, but you also do not pressure can sugar high-acid products.

The recipes you find are very old. I remember my grandmother in the 50's and 60's doing it, because back then we didn't know any better.

[oeb]

Hmmmm. OK, then, 15-lbs. for 40 minutes.
Nerd, is your granny passed away; what from?

[CanNerd]

Nerd, is your granny passed away; what from?Many years ago from old age.

[NCLee]

CanNerd, based on your post, I used a new set of keywords to do some hunting on the net, looking for sites with specific information regarding safety. Finally gave up after looking through 11 pages of google results.

The results were mixed. Can you supply a link with the specific information on why using gelatin isn't safe, other than the often repeated statement to refrigerate for up to 4 weeks?

Below are some of the mixed results that I found.

Thanks!
Lee


http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_07/strawberry_fig_preserves.html
National Center for Home Food Preservation
Strawberry-Fig Preserves with gelatin

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/successfulfamily/Nutrition%20&%20Wellness/canning%20jams.htm
Jams and jellies can be made satisfactorily with less or no added sugar. They often include non-nutritive sweeteners and are frequently gelled with the use of modified pectin or with gelatin. They also can be made from concentrated fruit pulp. To prevent spoilage, these products may require a longer processing time in a water-bath canner. Or they may require refrigeration or freezing instead of canning. Carefully follow a recipe specifically designed for the reduced amount of sugar. Do not alter ingredient proportions and preparation techniques.



http://docs.google.com/gview?a=v&q=cache:Ab7FkgD4jqsJ:ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/pdf/5352.pdf+canning+gelatin&hl=en&gl=us

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09302.html

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg0708204110232.html
In the recipe above the use of 'Jello' or ANY animal based byproduct that is made into gelatin is NOT safe to use for jellies. All of these gelatines are protein based, and can contribute to the feeding and care of very unfriendly bacteria. Once the jar is opened it will degrade very fast and could become toxic once its exposed to just plain air for just a few minutes. They do bacterial lab cultures using gelatin as the growing medium!!

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/harvest/msg0708204110232.html
If you do use no sugar, and attempt to make the jelly/jam without an added pectin, it probably not set. The use of Pomona pectin, as mentioned in MANY RECENT message threads is about the best, and fail safe way to make any jelly/jam without sugar. I have even gelled water with the Pomona pectin!

http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache%3AQsUCCUtXdRQJ%3Afoodsafety.psu.edu %2Fusda%2F7Preparing%26CanningJams%26Jellies%2FG7P reparing%26CanningJams%26Jellies.pdf+canning+gelat in&hl=en&gl=us
Gelatin may be used as a thickening agent, asindicated in two of the following recipes. Sweet fruits,apple juice, spices, and/or a liquid, low-calorie sweetenerare used to provide the sweet flavor of the fruit spreads.When gelatin is used in the recipe, the jars of spreadshould not be processed. They should be refrigeratedand used within 4 weeks

[NCLee]

OEB, while researching the above, ran across this site and info.

http://www.pickyourown.org/canning_without_sugar.htm
*Sugar is not essential for preventing spoilage in canned fruits, except for jams and jellies, and that can be overcome with the use of no-sugar pectin recipes and added lemon juice.

*Jams and jellies can be made without added sugar but will resemble more of a fruited gelatin desert than a true jam or jelly.

In a day or so, i hope to dig into this further. A canned "fruited gelatin" dessert is what I'm trying to get into a jar. Will be digging into no-sugar pectin recipes to see if there's a way to make a safe canned equivalent to a standard refrigerated Jello. (Beginning to suspect that's what I see in the grocery store in those non refrigerated Jello dessert cups.) A trip to the grocery may be in order to see just what's in the ingredients list.

Lee

[CanNerd]

CanNerd, Can you supply a link with the specific information on why using gelatin isn't safe, other than the often repeated statement to refrigerate for up to 4 weeks?
My knowledge is that gelatin jams/jellies are refrigerated only and not safe for canning, i.e., storage at room temperature, by modern standards. However, since there is conflicted information/references I have made an inquiry to the NCHFP for clarification in writing.

[oeb]

I went by Walmart on the way home from an appointment in town and out of curiosity got something related to this. This is on a "fun pak" of Winky brand, sugar free (I'm a diabetic) "Jilly's Gelatin":

"INGREDIENTS: water, gelatin, adipic acid, natural and artificial flavors, potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate to preserve freshness, aspartame, acesulfame potassium, salt, sodium citrate, yellow 6, red 40, yellow 5, blue 1."

This is the refrigerated stuff. Later, I'll find some of the kind that doesn't require refrigeration.

Lordy, there's got to be a way to preserve gelatin deserts at home that are healthier.

Otis

[Mom5farmboys]

Lee,

Last summer I made a green tomato jam that called for a packet of jello, sugar, and pureed green tomatoes. I just had to water bath it for 10 min, in jelly jars, and 15 min for pints.

It wasn't very good so I pitched the recipe. I still have one jar left that we have to use up yet, but so far its stayed good and its over a year old now.

[NCLee]

Mom, I ran across that recipe, several times, while doing the research above. Thought about giving it a try. Thanks for your heads up on the taste, as I was wondering if it is good. Based on your post, think I'll pass on trying it.

Lee

[Cody7]

The shelf stable gels you find in the store aren't gelatin based, they use what are called "chemical gels," i.e. things like sodium alginate, agar, carageenan, and locust bean gum. Gelatin won't be shelf stable because it won't hold the water if it's not refrigerated -- kind of like a gelatin mold going all watery and gooey after it's left out too long.

You could technically make such an item at home using agar (vegans use it a lot instead of gelatin), *if* you could ensure the pH is below 4.6, you sterilized your jars and lids, and you got a good seal. You might get mold eventually, but it probably wouldn't kill you. It would *not* work at home with fruit pieces. The fruit cups in the store use fruit that has been sterilized, using specialized equipment to inject it into the cooked gel and keep it sterilie all the way to the packaging.

I would take a careful look at cost too. Usually you can find these in the store for ~$0.25-$0.50 apiece, and the cost of ingredients and lids might drive you close to that. Granted, making these with a fruit juice might taste better than the artificial sugar water you can buy, but it could be risky if you can't guarantee the pH is low enough. I personally wouldn't do it, but I work for a company that makes them, so I get 'em for free :)

[NCLee]

Cody, WELCOME!

Thank you for your insight as to what's in the shelf stable "gelatin" products in the grocery store.

I think it's time that I put this project to bed and go back to keeping boxes of Jello on the pantry shelf. My problem is that I usually think about it when I get the hungries an hour before bedtime.

Again, thank you and welcome to our forum.

Lee

[oeb]

What Lee said, yup. Darn it.
Otis

[ldsparamedic]

It sounds like we should summon the great canning grand poobah herself. Jackie Clay, where are you and how can we safely can J-E-L-L-O?

Being a novice at canning, it would make sense to can it as a meat. I think I'll try a batch of regular and can a pint to see what happens.

[annabella1]

Yes a gelatin or an agar solution is used in labs to grow bacteria, but it is used because it does not easily get infected with bacteria in the air, so it will exclusively grow bacteria that is physically introduced to it. Usually a swab is taken of the area to test for bacteria and it is lightly rubbed on the surface of the gelatin or agar. then it is left to set at room temperature for a set length of time and then placed under a magnifying lens to count the number of bacteria that have grown. If air born bacteria easily infected the solution it would be useless. You can can Jello but it will only be solid at room temp if you make it like "jello jigglers" otherwise you would have to chill it to make it solid. And yes you can pressure can acidic fruits. The only reason that they are water bath canned is that it is not necessary to pressure can them. I would recommend pressure canning any gelatin based recipes.

[NCLee]

Thanks, Annabella.

Your post ties into some of what I've been thinking. Back in college I took bacteriology classes. That included making up agar-agar solutions, culturing known pathogens, and using an autoclave for sterilization. Spent many hours in that lab because, as with canning, it wasn't a matter of closing a textbook when the class was over.

I knew the person, in one of the quotes in an earlier post, didn't know what he or she was talking about - re gelation becoming toxic in a few minutes. It took HOURS in an incubator to get a colony large enough to sample, stain, and review under a microscope.

Your comment on "jigglers" has me thinking more about it. May do some experiments, after it cools off a bit. (AC system is dying.) Pressure can a batch @ 90 min / 10 lbs and see what happens. Even if it still acts like homemade stock gelatin, will be interesting to see how soon it will setup in the refrigerator, freezer, or a bowl of ice water.

At this point, this is more a matter of curosity than it is of actually putting shelf stable Jello on my pantry shelves. I'm not recommending that anyone else try this, since apparently there's never been any research from a safety standpoint.

Below are some interesting links.

Lee

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jell-O#History
http://brands.kraftfoods.com/jello/explore/history/
http://www.jellorecipes.net/history-of-jello-pudding.php
http://www.jellorecipes.net/Jello-Recipes/index.php - interesting read that includes agar and Knox gelatin

Mizu-Yokan Japanese Jello - Vegetarian - Uses Agar-agar
http://www.jellorecipes.net/Jello-Recipes/jello-recipes/japanese-jello.php

[annabella1]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately and you know what, you probably are already canning gelatin. If you can homemade chicken broth made with bones, then there is a lot of natural gelatin in it. I know I cook my stock long enough that it gels in the refrigerator. I am wondering if the problem with canning Jell-O is that to safely pressure can it the sugars may carmalize and change the flavor.

[NCLee]

That's been my thought, as well. Thought about it other day when I was defatting a pot of turkey stock that had been refrigerated over night. I was scraping fat off jello.

You may be right about the flavor change. And, I don't know what effect 240 degrees will have on the extra ingredients - don't have a box of Jell-O handy to see what follows the main ingredients. Wish I hadn't tossed those well past expiration date boxes that I had in the pantry, a couple of weeks ago.

Lee