Canning Butter?

[lostinthewoods]

Howdy all!

I searched the archives but I can't seem to find this one. Can it be done? I'm trying to round out our 6 (minimum) month supply of non perishables and want to be sure we have plenty of condiments.

I've read online http://www.endtimesreport.com/canning_butter.html
about it but I'm hesitant to try anything that isn't published in a "book". :-/ I'm not saying that the author doesn't know their stuff but I would really like it if someone had it printed, if you know what i mean. ;)

OK there it is, so can you help me out here? I don't really want to spend the money on powdered butter if I can get away with just canning butter from the store. Any thoughts?

As always, thanks!


best,
lost

[theresehirko]

I suupose you could clarify it and make ghee and then can the ghee, but when oil is so much easier to store, why bother. This is a perfect Jackie Clay question.

[Shamrock1121]

I've posted this information a number of times and always get my head bit off from the "we've ALWAYS done it" crowd. I'm just the messenger....

(source: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/questions/FAQ_canning.html#33)

Should I use directions for canning butter at home that I see on the Internet?

Indeed, there are some directions for 'canning' butter in circulation on the Internet. Most of what we have seen are not really canning, as they do not have Boiling Water or Pressure Canning processes applied to the filled jar. Jars are preheated, the butter is melted down and poured into the jars, and the lids are put on the jars. Some directions say to put the jars in the refrigerator as they re-harden, but to keep shaking them at regular intervals to keep the separating butter better mixed as it hardens. This is merely storing butter in canning jars, not ‘canning’. True home canning is when the food is heated enough to destroy or sufficiently acid enough to prevent growth of all spores of Clostridium botulinum (that causes botulism) and other pathogens during room temperature storage on the shelf.

Additionally, when you consider the economics of the process (energy costs involved with heating, cost of jars and lids, etc.), even if the butter is bought on sale, it may not be economically viable to prepare butter to store for years in this manner. Good quality butter is readily available at all times, if butter is needed for fresh use. If the concern is about emergency food supplies, there are dry forms of butter that can be purchased and stored, oils that can be used in an emergency, or commercially canned butter in tins (although we have only seen this for sale from other countries). Melted and re-hardened butter may not function the same as original butter in many types of baking anyway.

There are a few issues with the common directions circulating on the Internet at this time (Spring 2006):

Karen note: I store butter powder - safe, effective...

[lostinthewoods]

thanks all.

Yeah Karen I read that article too. I just don't know. I spoze I'll probably not. :(

lost

[reyecat]

what if you actually canned it? would it work to put it in a water bath canner for 10 minutes or something to drive all the air out? Or even pressure can it for a few minutes. Like with canning milk.

[reyecat]

i found this in the Ask Jacki blog.

Canning store-bought butter

This may be a wacky question, but can you can butter from storebought butter? I normally freeze mine, but was curious if it could be done. If so, would love to have the processing time and directions.

Andrea Del Gardo
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Yes! All you have to do is to gently heat the butter to melt it; a double boiler works well for this. Then ladle into hot, sterilized jars to within half an inch of the top of the jar, wipe the rim of the jar clean and put a hot, previously simmered lid on and screw down the ring firmly tight. Process in a boiling water bath for 40 minutes. The butter tastes fresh when you open a jar, although it does separate a little. Better than NO butter, for sure!!! — Jackie

[Shamrock1121]

what if you actually canned it? * would it work to put it in a water bath canner for 10 minutes or something to drive all the air out? *Or even pressure can it for a few minutes. *Like with canning milk.

Ah yes, home canning, the place where ignorance can be deadly and the willful stupidity of the "I've always done it this way and it hasn't killed me yet" crowd is prevelant. Both are reasons I don't teach home canning classes anymore, even after taking extensive training on the subject.

I'd suggest a copy of "So Easy to Preserve" http://www.uga.edu/setp/ for more information.

Some things to ponder...

- There has been a great deal of study about microorganisms and pathogens in the last 15 years or so. There are new and stronger microorganisms and pathogens, and old ones have mutated, so some common practices of years ago in home canning are unreliable or just plain dangerous just for those facts alone. Some old methods and canning times just don't get the job done anymore.

- There is NOT a conspiracy against canning milk or butter at home... The testing on these products just doesn't lend itself to it being SAFE, so do so at your own risk. Just don't share these foods with people who have serious health conditions, immune deficient diseases, take medication/s, or the very young. When a toxin develops in a tainted food product, it might only give a healthy person the "Green Apple Two-Step", but it can be deadly in others.

- One of the most deadly microorganisms is the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. These bacterium exist everywhere in vegetabive cells. The spores of these are everywhere, but it's when they multiply to form a toxin that they become dangerous. The ideal conditions for growth:

-high moisture
-low acid food
-temperature between 40°-120°F
-less than 2% oxygen

- C. botulinum will grow in the absense of air - like those sealed jars of home-canned foods. It can grow on an unwashed potato that was baked in foil if it's left at a temperature between 40° and 120°F long enough.

-The pH (acidity) of foods is very important when canning. With the development of low-acid varieties of tomatoes, the recipes for tomatoes now include the addition of an acid ingredient - bottled lemon juice (or increase acid levels with citric acid or vinegar). Yet there are people who still use old recipes and don't know, or care, to add the lemon juice. Tomatoes are a borderline food when it comes to pH as it is, so using low-acid tomatoes (knowingly or unknowingly) without adding an acid ingredient, can be a deadly problem.

-When people get "creative" with canning, that's where the danger starts. DO use tested recipes. They have been tested for pH, heat penetration, and have been subjected to tests before and after storage. Your "creativity" doesn't have a clue about pH, the time it takes for heat penetration, and the only test you make, the tasting test, may be your last.....

-DON'T alter ingredients, you can alter the pH. DON'T double recipes, you can alter the pH.

-DON'T use out-of-date or unreliable canning methods - by doing so, you increase your potential for unsafe food.

So back to butter.... I store powdered butter because it's safe and easy to use, and it WORKS like butter when reconstituted or added dry to recipes. I also store coconut oil which is a great substitute for butter, in cooking, baking, and also as a bread spread, and it's less expensive than butter.

-Karen

[Lake_Lady]

Hi all,

I found this last night and I have ordered some. I'm just now starting my adventure with canning so this isn't something I'm willing to try, hense my order.

http://internet-grocer.net/butter.htm