# Storing coffee / Canning questions & vaccuum sealing



## TexasMama (Dec 3, 2012)

This thread is sort of about a few different questions about canning and food storage.

First of all - *COFFEE*!! I cried when I was reading Patriots and came to the point where they ran out of coffee and said, "That won't happen to me". So I set a goal of getting 60 cans of coffee - figuring that would last me 5 years at one month per can. Yes - I'm that much of a coffee drinker.

Well, I was on Ebay and came across some coupons and bought enough for 30+ cans of Maxwell House coffee (the larger containers) - for free (after paying the coupon clipper for their auction, etc). Now truth be told - I paid almost $100 for those 33 coupons - but they are the $10 containers - so that is like $330 in coffee.

*Can I open the containers of coffee and put it into Mylar bags and seal for storage? *

I know - I should have checked into this BEFORE going on Ebay...etc.

BTW - my husband's nickname for me is "Lucy"...and he'll walk in the door and go "Oooh Lucy...I'm home....what have you done today?" with a big smile....

*Next to vacuum sealing* - I want to do some (I guess it is called "dry canning"?) with things like chocolate chips, etc. I'd like to get a recommendation on some of the better (not necessairily most expensive) vacuum sealers that are on the market that have attachments to do this well.

Finally - on to *canning*.

I am a total newb to this - I bought a used pressure canner off Ebay that should be delivered this coming week. It has the book and the canning racks, etc.

I want to start by canning meats. I was going to work on canning meats in pint size jars - there are 3 of us here - I'm the big "meat lover" and my husband and daughter will eat meat - but they don't love it like I do. Would pint size jars be ok?

Our HEB grocery stores sell fajita flavored beef and chicken that we love (yes - I know I can do my own seasonings for cheaper probably) but I was going to buy a bunch and put the raw meat and juices into the jar and them let it cook as I can it.

I also want to get some other chicken stuff and do up chicken as well as get some ground beef and do up some hamburger type things.

So here are the questions...

1. What size cans do you recommend for meats?
2. How is their shelf life? (I thought Wendy DeWitt talked like it was 3 years or so - just curious really as my husband WILL ask).
3. How do you do meatloaf in the jar and then get it back out? In other words - how does the meatloaf come back out of the jar? Do you have to break it apart to get it to come out? If you use wide-mouth jars will it come out better?
4. Do you recommend wide mouth jars for meats?
5. Can you can bacon and ham and Italian sausage? What about things like Jimmy Dean breakfast links? (I'm thinking here of if there was no power and the freezer couldn't keep stuff cold)
6. Is there anything I should avoid in canning meats?

I guess that is it - I read the last 10 pages or so of the what is everyone canning thread and I see there is someone that everyone wants to make a trip....I think I should get first dibs- I'm not an old-timer on here or anything like y'all are - but I've never even canned ONE item - so I think I'm more desperate.

:laugh:


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

Wide mouth jars are easier to remove meat from and they are easier to clean. I use pints for my meat and fish. I use half pints for my smoked fish and corned moose. I found a 20 year old jar of salmon that had been lost on the back of a lower shelf, it was excellent. As long as the seal is good the contents are fine. If you run a knife around the jar you should have little trouble getting meatloaf and such out in one piece.


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## AuroraHawk (Sep 12, 2012)

Since I am canning for 2 confirmed carnivores, I'll be canning boneless meats and meatloaf in pint jars. If I find good buys on turkey/chicken necks/backs, I'll can those in quart jars with garlic, sage, peppercorns, thyme, rosemary, chopped celery, onions and carrots. I'll have soup stock when needed. This combination will work well if I can find pork necks at a good price too. Ox tails and beef shanks would be canned with everything except the sage and thyme.

Canning meat, bone-in, isn't always the best use of jars and shelf space, but it is the best use of my time and energy. I don't have the stamina that I had when I was 30 and raising 4 children, mostly without the help of their two fathers.

Fruit butters, jams and jellies will be canned in pints and half pints. Quick breads and cakes go in pints and 1-1/2 pint (if I can find them) jars. Green beans, squash, pumpkin, potatoes, sweet potatoes, applesauce, pears, etc., will go in quart jars. We may not always eat the contents of a quart jar but the remainder won't go to waste and using the quart jars is the most economical, or it was the last time I looked.

I checked the internet and what I learned about keeping coffee made me thankful that I can live without it if necessary.

How to Store Coffee

If you want to get some experience and don't mind the drive, I'll be happy to help you (helping me) learn to can. It isn't difficult but can be intimidating if you weren't raised with it as part of your life as I was.


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## partdeux (Aug 3, 2011)

You asked a lot of questions, and my first advice is to slow down a bit.

Pint jars for canning meat works out perfect. But, read up on the times and follow the process. you can not rush the process

Heat the pressure canner at lower than full blast
let the steam vent for 10 minutes (or the time recommended by the canner)
time begins when the pressure has built to the proper level, turn the heat way down to just keep the pressure at the proper level
when the time is done, turn off heat, and let it cool naturally
When the pressure reaches ambient, take the lid off and let the jars sit for 5-10 minutes before pulling them out.
DO NOT tighten the rings, just leave them alone.
After they fully cool, take the rings off, wipe down the jars and figure out how you're going to store them, and the 973 jars that come after them 

Properly canned, it will be edible for your lifetime.

Follow the blue book, it is the bible of canning. If there's ever a question on length of time, default to the higher time.


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## PackerBacker (Dec 13, 2012)

TexasMama said:


> This thread is sort of about a few different questions about canning and food storage.
> 
> First of all - *COFFEE*!! I cried when I was reading Patriots and came to the point where they ran out of coffee and said, "That won't happen to me". So I set a goal of getting 60 cans of coffee - figuring that would last me 5 years at one month per can. Yes - I'm that much of a coffee drinker.
> 
> ...


I can't help you with coffee storage but can you share a link to the coffee coupons?



> Finally - on to *canning*.
> 
> I am a total newb to this - I bought a used pressure canner off Ebay that should be delivered this coming week. It has the book and the canning racks, etc.
> 
> ...


If you are new to canning please can some of the things you want and try them canned. Canned meat has a distinct flavor and canning can enhance spices used to season meats.

You can can sausage. I have not cared for the sausage that I tried.

I would reccomend WM jars for meats but don't let that stop you if all you have is SM.

Everything you need as far as times and procedure for canning can be found right here.

http://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can_home.html


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## IlliniWarrior (Nov 30, 2010)

your coffee is in metal cans? .... foil lid with plastic cover? .... coffee is factory vacuum packed as is ... to extend storage longevity ..... pack entire can, as is, into a mylar bag and 02 absorber .... as an alternative pack the cans into a 5 gallon drum and toss in around 20,000 CC of 02 absorbers ...


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Coffee, vac seat the whole can. Ya can freeze coffee to. Me, I vac seal mine.

Food saver makes some models with the tube attachment. This be what ya wan't with the sealin attachment fer the regular lids an wide mouth lids.

Pints hold close ta a pound a meat. I do most thins in widemouth pints. Hot Dogs I do in quart jars.
Life span, they've found canned meats what was over 100 years old an still edible. Keep em in a cool dark place.
Use a wide mouth jar. They'll more en likely shrink up a bit, but should come outa the jar without much trouble.
#5 Yes
#6 Becarefull a spices. When ya can they tend ta get stronger. Ya can always spice after ya open the jars.

Get ya a good book on cannin, read it, don't skip steps. Never cut corners on cleanliness er times. Cannin foods can be very safe. Ifin ya find jars that the lids have popped on some time after they was canned, toss it. Ain't worth gettin sick. 

Ask questions, folk here got lots a knowledge an be willin ta share.


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## BNMdub (Dec 24, 2012)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Coffee, vac seat the whole can. Ya can freeze coffee to. Me, I vac seal mine.
> 
> Food saver makes some models with the tube attachment. This be what ya wan't with the sealin attachment fer the regular lids an wide mouth lids.
> 
> ...


So properly prepared and canned foods could if stored correctly last a number of years is that true? Canning hasn't even crossed my mind but after reading this thread i find myself thinking why I'm not doing it. I was under the impression that chicken and minced beef would store for maybe 8-12 months so does it last longer?

BNM


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

I've got smoked canned pork that be 5 years old, still fine. I try an rotate out, but ever once in awhile a jar gets missed. 

Let yer nose be yer guide. Ifin ya open up a old canned food, does it smell like it should? Look like it should? Taste like it should? Ifin the answer be yes, the chances are great that it still be good. There be no gurantee's in anythin. 

So I guess the answer ta the question be yup, canned foods will keep several years. I enjoy cannin, so I can quite a bit. Plus, I control what goes inta my canned goods an it be stuff we enjoy eatin. Cannin allows ya ta take advantage a meat an other food stuff sales. Like sausage? Can it, ready when ya need it, all ya do be warm it back up.

Got extra folks what stopped over at dinner time? Open a can a somethin an warm it up, now ya can feed em to.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

BNMdub said:


> So properly prepared and canned foods could if stored correctly last a number of years is that true? Canning hasn't even crossed my mind but after reading this thread i find myself thinking why I'm not doing it. I was under the impression that chicken and minced beef would store for maybe 8-12 months so does it last longer?
> 
> BNM


A year is nothing for canned meat. I have personally eaten canned salmon that I had canned twenty years before. It had been ignored on the back of a lower shelf. There are documented cases of canned goods over 100 years old that were still edible and as healthy for you as the day they were processed. As long as the seal is intact you should be fine. Whenever you open a can, whether home canned or store bought, check for bulging, listen for an inrush of air when opening, and check the can interior for corrosion.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

Thanks for the coffee info Illini & OldCoot! I am a coffee user and although I have gone-off coffee, it was painful and I don't want to have to do it again. Regarding the canning. OldCoot pretty much said it. Canned meats lasts longer than 3 years, I have eaten it 10 years old, just fine. The hard part for me was keeping the lids from rusting off in my damp root cellar (the only place I used to have for cans). BTW, oiling the lids with mineral oil solved that problem. I have made meatloaf and meatballs too, both can be canned, but the wide mouth jar is the key to getting the meatloaf out more or less intact. Widemouth jars cost a bit more, but come in both pints and quart sizes and are worth the extra.


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