tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872983555212036732.post8071463291528247144..comments2023-05-14T02:39:04.137-05:00Comments on Hoof 'n Barrel: Update on Vacuum SealingHossBosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13444735851486747330noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872983555212036732.post-33001346634783031112011-09-10T17:05:09.546-05:002011-09-10T17:05:09.546-05:00I was able to get tons of Snapple tea for free by ...I was able to get tons of Snapple tea for free by using coupons and I'm saving the bottles to store rice and beans. Hopefully, Snapple will continue to package their tea in glass.Dianenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872983555212036732.post-9026642197067689812011-07-13T19:15:46.362-05:002011-07-13T19:15:46.362-05:00@Rose...When I make the skillet stew on the stove,...@Rose...<br>When I make the skillet stew on the stove, the rice is less firm than if I just cooked and served rice ...because it simmers in the stew for an hour. It's not as mushy as say the 'rice' in Campbell's Chicken n Rice soup. <br><br>I do add meat to the RBnR but I always add it last when I'm making it from scratch. When I'm ready to cook and process the RBnR this fall, I could add meat to it before I pressure can it but I probably won't. The goal was to store just as much as the jar would hold after it was cooked so that I'm cooking/processing exactly one batch. When discussing it with my husband, he liked the idea of me adding the meat after we open up a quart for supper one night because he likes the idea of having as much meat as he wants in it. LOLHossBosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13444735851486747330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872983555212036732.post-71384339316582867002011-07-13T09:33:31.594-05:002011-07-13T09:33:31.594-05:00Thank you for your more detailed explanation. I ha...Thank you for your more detailed explanation. I have never canned rice. Does it turn mushy and fall apart after being pressure canned? Your method sounds great. Do you ever add sausage to your beans and rice. I just canned up black beans, corn and sausage in a tomato base and it is delicious! I like having jars of meals on hand too. Quick and tasty.Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16924988248364848607noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872983555212036732.post-25572560786009810072011-07-13T05:55:30.126-05:002011-07-13T05:55:30.126-05:00Hi, Julie...That's reassuring. I'm fairly...Hi, Julie...<br>That's reassuring. I'm fairly new at this and I'm sure you're lightyears ahead of me on long term food storage. <br><br>Have a wonderful day!HossBosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13444735851486747330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872983555212036732.post-45870379032429999962011-07-12T22:09:59.456-05:002011-07-12T22:09:59.456-05:00The jars don't take up any more room with food...The jars don't take up any more room with food in them than they when they're empty, Arsenius. The way I look at it, I have the jars ...I use the jars ...they might as well sit on the shelf with food in them. <br><br>: )HossBosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13444735851486747330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872983555212036732.post-34352610194120851042011-07-12T20:27:02.091-05:002011-07-12T20:27:02.091-05:00That must take up a lot of room, storing all those...That must take up a lot of room, storing all those jars.Arsenius the Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08849281122788247240noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872983555212036732.post-59785381584954178822011-07-12T10:46:19.149-05:002011-07-12T10:46:19.149-05:00I have done this too and it is a great way of pers...I have done this too and it is a great way of perserving food for a long time! :DJulie Harwardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05246850029056713294noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872983555212036732.post-7621722788096339452011-07-12T05:44:40.581-05:002011-07-12T05:44:40.581-05:00Thanks, OJD. With the commute and the work schedu...Thanks, OJD. With the commute and the work schedules we keep now, It's all about easy! <br><br>: )HossBosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13444735851486747330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872983555212036732.post-68629473681004468552011-07-12T01:40:42.208-05:002011-07-12T01:40:42.208-05:00We're almost done collecting our raw foods (wh...We're almost done collecting our raw foods (wheat, rice, sugar, etc). Then we are considering putting together meals in jars, like you are talking about. I like the concept of just opening a container and having a complete meal ready, as opposed to opening several mylar bags, scooping out what you need, resealing etc etc.<br><br>Great post!The Orange Jeep Dadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06848643822308909132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872983555212036732.post-83132452019111275702011-07-11T20:55:05.364-05:002011-07-11T20:55:05.364-05:00Yes, Rose, I only filled the jar with the amount o...Yes, Rose, I only filled the jar with the amount of dry rice/beans that it would hold after they were cooked ...approximately half full. I am storing all the vacuum sealed jars an insulated, climate-controlled shed that we have here. It's a concrete floor, very well insulated, and stays cool. When the weather is cooler this fall, I will bring up however many jars I want to process ...probably seven because that's what my pressure canner will hold. If all of the jars contain red beans & rice, I will dump the contents all together in one big pot. They will soak for 12 hours, then be rinsed and fresh water added. Then I will add the seasonings I want to use and bring it all to a boil. I will keep it a boil for one hour while I prepare the canning jars ...the same ones that the red beans & rice were stored in. I will probably use new lids with six of the jars and try one of the lids I vacuum sealed with on the seventh jar. I think if they look good and the gaskets look good, they should be fine, but I will try it with one in each batch for a while and see. I will mark that particular lid so I know which one it is and it will either seal or not seal. <br><br>By the time the jars are all washed and rinsed and the water is heated up in the pressure canner, the beans & rice will have boiled for an hour and I will be ready to fill the jars. I should have enough cooked beans & rice to fill the seven jars with one inch of head space. Quarts are processed for 90 minutes and pints are processed for 75 minutes. They will be left to cool on the counter undisturbed overnight. The next day, I will check for good seals on each jar, then label them with the contents and the date they were processed and move them back down to storage. <br><br>I hope that helps. I like the meal-in-a-jar concept too. We put up several quarts of chili and several more quarts in 2009. It's very convenient to have heat and eat food in the cupboard, especially if it's homemade and you know exactly what's in it!HossBosshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13444735851486747330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2872983555212036732.post-49223622691381831842011-07-11T20:08:14.193-05:002011-07-11T20:08:14.193-05:00Can you please go into a little more detail with y...Can you please go into a little more detail with your process of putting rice and beans in jars? Am I right that you put in the amount of rice and beans you would need for one meal in the jar "dry", and then vacuum seal it? What do you do to use it? Do you then soak the beans and rice overnight, and cook for 2-3 hours with added seasoning? I have been looking for some meals in a jars recipes, and found a cookbook called Dinners in a Jar, but if you have a nifty and easy method that works, I'd be interested in giving it a try. Could you be more specific, please? Thank you!<br><br>http://simpleeverydayliving.blogspot.com/Rosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16924988248364848607noreply@blogger.com