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Last Login: 11/16/2009 8:57:51 PM
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hey Hobby Farms!
I smell an article.
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| Ok, Karen, I had heard that tomatoes couldn't be water bathed!! It's time to invest in the Ball Blue Book of Canning! Especially since I can't even remember who and where my unreliable information came from. BPA is the chemical in plastic that made the news last year when the baby bottle makers took it out of the plastic making process because of consumer outcry. I remember hearing about it because the whole thing got me wondering about using so much plastic in my kitchen - one desire to can my chicken stock rather than use plastic. I appreciate the information - especially about using a canner on my stovetop! Like I said I'm going to invest in a reliable canning book, so I have the information at my fingertips.
Fletcher
Wife to 1, Mom to 3 kids, 1 barn cat & 6 Barred Rock chickens
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Starting Member
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Last Login: 11/6/2009 12:58:49 PM
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| I know your probably trying to can the stock because you have more pantry then freezer space but I would go with the idea I saw on Good Eats one time. Take about a gallon or two of your stock and pour it into ice cube trays and then once those are frozen then you can put those in ziplock bags in the freezer. That way if you are making a sauce then you can just take a couple of cubes out and throw them into the pan. Then I would take the remainder (after the gallon of cubes) and freeze that in quart batches for soups. (freeze them in ziplock bags laying down flat in the freezer that way they freeze faster AND are very stackable.) Sorry I didn't know about actually canning it. Best of luck Alabamabackyarder.
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AlabamaBackyarder (11/6/2009)
IThen I would take the remainder (after the gallon of cubes) and freeze that in quart batches for soups. (freeze them in ziplock bags laying down flat in the freezer that way they freeze faster AND are very stackable.) Sorry I didn't know about actually canning it. Best of luck Alabamabackyarder. I did this the first time & the bags split (before the stock froze) and I had a major mess. I used glass jars the next time & they broke in the freezer. I'm back to empty yogurt tubs that at least stack 4 deep in the freezer. I was just looking for a more convenient way to store my chicken stock. Everytime I want some it's frozen & I don't like to heat it up before I use it (just being picky I guess) I should put some in ice cube trays though - for those times I need a tablespoon or two for some quirky recipe!
Fletcher
Wife to 1, Mom to 3 kids, 1 barn cat & 6 Barred Rock chickens
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Junior Member
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| It sounds like you overfilled both your freezer bags and the quart jars - most liquids will expand when they freeze, so you need to leave plenty of space. When I have frozen chicken stock in the past, I used plastic containers of a size that the length and width were smaller than a quart freezer bag. Then I only filled them about an inch and a half deep with stock. Once the stock was frozen, I put it into freezer bags. More steps than I like and I really prefer to have it in jars so it is "instant use" also.
Karen
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Thanks so much for all of the advice. I figured I'd over filled, but they actually started leaking BEFORE I froze the bags - brand new freezer bags, too. At least now I have some good input & I can start looking for a canner. A friend blessed me with some canning jars earlier in the year, but I haven't had a chance to use them!
Fletcher
Wife to 1, Mom to 3 kids, 1 barn cat & 6 Barred Rock chickens
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