Off The Grid News Better Ideas For Off The Grid Living
Dear Editor,
Now that I’m about through with canning the vegetables from the garden, I’ve decided to try my luck with meat this year. I still have a good bit of venison in the freezer, left over from last year’s hunting season, and I’m threatening to turn it all into ground meat and sausage patties so that I can clear the freezer out for this year’s hunt. I want to put it all into jars. Can you point me in the direction I need to go?
SM—
Dear SM—,
I’m going to assume that you already have a recipe for your sausage and that what you’re asking for specifically is canning instructions for your ground meat and sausage patties. The only advice I have for you in canning sausage, is go easy on the sage if your recipe calls for it.
As always, get your jars ready for packing by washing them thoroughly. I run mine through the dishwasher and when I pull them out, they’re piping hot. Heat your lids and keep them on standby.
1) Brown your beef or sausage in a skillet. You can drain the fat off or not. No matter which way you go, there will always be a layer of fat at the top of the jar.
2) Spoon the cooked meat into the jar, leaving one inch of headspace.
3) Pour hot water or beef broth into the jars, maintaining your one inch of headspace.
4) Wipe down the rim of the jar, put your lid and band on, and hand tighten.
5) Place in the canner and process pints for 75 minutes and quarts for 90.
Source: https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/ground_chopped.html
For canning bacon or patty sausage, we ran an article on that back in October. You can find the link at //www.offthegridnews.com/2011/10/13/canning-bacon-and-sausage/
If you want to, you can also can cubes for stews or to put with rice and gravy. This is especially convenient because you can raw pack these. For complete canning instructions, go to https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_05/strips_cubes_chunks.html
The Editor
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Dear Editor,
I want to try to get away from as many chemical-laden products as possible. I really want to replace my toothpaste with something more natural, but can’t stand putting just plain baking soda in my mouth. Is there a recipe for a toothpaste that won’t make me gag?
Wondering
Dear Wondering,
Here is a recipe that you can use. Many folks leave out the stevia (and some replace it with xylitol for cavity-fighting properties), and there is some controversy over the addition of glycerin because it can coat your teeth. Some information suggests this coating can prevent the remineralization of tooth enamel from occurring.
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons baking soda
- 25 drops peppermint oil
- 1 packet stevia
- 2 teaspoons vegetable glycerin
Mash the baking soda and coconut oil together. Mix in all the other ingredients to form a paste. Store in a jar or put into a squeeze bottle. (Just remember, don’t dip your germy toothbrush into the jar… especially if you’re sharing with family!)
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