# How to Can Butter!



## IrritatedWithUS (Jan 9, 2011)

*How to Can Your Own Butter!!​*







(liquified just-canned butter)
Canned butter can last 3-4 years​
*1. * Make your own butter or you can use any butter that is on sale. *Lesser quality butter requires more shaking *(see #5 below), but the results are the same as with the expensive brands.

*2. * Heat pint jars in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes, without rings or seals. One pound of butter slightly more than fills one pint jar, so if you melt 11 pounds of butter, heat 12 pint jars. A roasting pan works well for holding the pint jars while in the oven.

*3.* While the jars are heating, melt butter slowly until it comes to a slow boil. Using a large spatula, stir the bottom of the pot often to keep the butter from scorching. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes at least: a good simmer time will lessen the amount of shaking required (see #5 below). Place the lids in a small pot and bring to a boil, leaving the lids in simmering water until needed.

*4. * Stirring the melted butter from the bottom to the top with a soup ladle or small pot with a handle, pour the melted butter carefully into heated jars through a canning jar funnel. Leave 3/4" of head space in the jar, which allows room for the shaking process.

*5.* Carefully wipe off the top of the jars, then get a hot lid from the simmering water, add the lid and ring and tighten securely. Lids will seal as they cool. Once a few lids "ping," shake while the jars are still warm, but cool enough to handle easily, because the butter will separate and become foamy on top and white on the bottom. In a few minutes, shake again, and repeat until the butter retains the same consistency throughout the jar.

*6.* At this point, while still slightly warm, put the jars into a refrigerator. While cooling and hardening, shake again, and the melted butter will then look like butter and become firm. *This final shaking is very important!* Check every 5 minutes and give the jars a little shake until they are hardened in the jar! Leave in the refrigerator for an hour.

*7. * Canned butter should store for 3 years or longer on a cool, dark shelf. [It does last a long time. We have just used up the last of the butter we canned in 1999, and it was fine after 5 years.] Canned butter does not "melt" again when opened, so it does not need to be refrigerated upon opening, provided it is used within a reasonable length of time.

*Tip:* _Either make your own butter or buy butter on sale a few at a time and keep in the freezer until you can make a dozen or so jars. That way you aren't paying one high price at a store for 11 or so pounds of butter_


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

I just canned butter last week. I've been canning butter for a few years, using instructions I got off another website.

The way I do it is I cube the butter into the jars, then place them in a pan of boiling water. As the butter melts I cube off more butter into the jars until they're full. Meanwhile I've had canning lids simmering in a pan nearby. I wipe the rims, put on a lid and ring, and place them in my waterbath canner, which has also been simmering nearby. When all the jars are in the canner I add enough boiling water to cover them at least half an inch over the tops. I leave them in there for 30 minutes to an hour (two different websites, two different times given). I take them out and set them on a towel, and after they cool enough to touch, I pick them up now and then and turn them upside down and back up. One of the directions had said not to shake them, just to turn them up and down to mix the oil back into the butter. I do that every so often until it's thick enough and cool enough it won't separate again. 

It's important to keep the jars in a dark place. Light makes oils taste funny, and they become rancid faster.

I also canned cheddar cheese and creamed cheese last week. Pretty much the same way, only you don't have to turn the jars because the cheese doesn't separate. Cheddar cheese hardens again as it cools. I use a wide-mouth jar, and when we go to use the cheese, I warm the outside in hot water, then slide the cheese out. Slice off what I need and slide it back into the jar. After it's opened it should be stored in the refrigerator.

Cream cheese cans very nicely, and you can just scoop it out as you use it.


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

This is the butter while still hot, between "shaking". See how it's separated. (In background is some of the cheddar cheese I canned)










This is the butter after it was cooled. It won't separate again now. Time to wash the jars off and put them in a dark, cool cabinet, or in our case, in the root cellar.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

This is fantastic! Thank you both! :2thumb:

I bought a boatload of butter before Christmas when it was on a huge discount (along with all the other cookie-baking ingredients) and put it in the freezer. I'd much rather have it canned and not dependent on electricity to store! Never occurred to me that it could be canned, and cheese too. 

I now have a new project.


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## Frugal_Farmers (Dec 13, 2010)

Awesome stuff--we are going to have to try this.


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

I canned twice...it's really pretty when cooled.
I just let it cool a bit and turned upside down...every few minutes I do it again...and I did discover with the last batch...shaking when hot is useless..

Wait till it cools and start shaking.

I'll try the refrigerator step next time.

no electricity?? I still have butter.


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## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

gypsysue said:


> I just canned butter last week. I've been canning butter for a few years, using instructions I got off another website.
> 
> The way I do it is I cube the butter into the jars, then place them in a pan of boiling water. As the butter melts I cube off more butter into the jars until they're full. Meanwhile I've had canning lids simmering in a pan nearby. I wipe the rims, put on a lid and ring, and place them in my waterbath canner, which has also been simmering nearby. When all the jars are in the canner I add enough boiling water to cover them at least half an inch over the tops. I leave them in there for 30 minutes to an hour (two different websites, two different times given). I take them out and set them on a towel, and after they cool enough to touch, I pick them up now and then and turn them upside down and back up. One of the directions had said not to shake them, just to turn them up and down to mix the oil back into the butter. I do that every so often until it's thick enough and cool enough it won't separate again.
> 
> ...


 Seriously??!?!!?!? :congrat:

I am soooo happy now!! :2thumb:


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

BadgeBunny said:


> Seriously??!?!!?!? :congrat:
> 
> I am soooo happy now!! :2thumb:


Yes, seriously! Canning cheese is so easy! Cream cheese is the easiest! Soften it, then stuff it in the jars. Then water-bath can it! You don't even need an actual water-bath canner. Any kettle with some kind of rack in the bottom to lift the jars off the very bottom of the kettle, will work. Like I said, just spoon it out when you use it. Either to spread on bagels or whatever, or to make cheesecake. I use some in my mashed potatoes, too, in place of about 1/3 of the butter I normally put in. Makes it very tasty.

I bought 20 blocks of cream cheese on sale for .77 before Christmas, and I've canned most of them.


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## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

gypsysue said:


> Yes, seriously! Canning cheese is so easy! Cream cheese is the easiest! Soften it, then stuff it in the jars. Then water-bath can it! You don't even need an actual water-bath canner. Any kettle with some kind of rack in the bottom to lift the jars off the very bottom of the kettle, will work. Like I said, just spoon it out when you use it. Either to spread on bagels or whatever, or to make cheesecake. I use some in my mashed potatoes, too, in place of about 1/3 of the butter I normally put in. Makes it very tasty.
> 
> I bought 20 blocks of cream cheese on sale for .77 before Christmas, and I've canned most of them.


I would rather have cream cheese than butter but the hubby eats butter, not cream cheese ... so ... you know how it goes LOL. This way I could can it in those little jars and not have to worry about spoilage. This is great!!

Do you know how long it keeps canned?? If not, it's cool ... I can break out my "google-foo" ...


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## glendasplace (Dec 9, 2010)

I've always wanted to try to can cheese but everything I find says you can't any info would be fabulous!!:gaah:


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

I just googled "How do I can cheese" and didn't come up with any decent hits, but when I googled "Can cheese be canned" it came up with some good sites.

I use wide-mouth jars, even if they're half-pints and the "wide mouths" are actually regular lids for the half-pints. For pint and larger jars you'll need actual wide-mouth lids. If the jar is the same width as the mouth, you can dip the jar in hot water when you want to use the cheese, and it'll slide right out.

Step one is to wash your jars really good. Sterilizing them is probably the proper way to do things. Then I cut up or cube the cheese (doesnt matter what kind: cheddar, mozz., pepperjack, colby, provolone, etc.) and put it in the jars. I set the jars in a pan of boiling water, with the water about half to 2/3 of the way up the jars. I keep adding chunks of cheese until the jars are filled up to just below the neck. It might look oily-ish around the edges, and kind of uneven on the top. It'll smooth out. 

Meanwhile, I have jar lids in a small pan, covered with water and simmering nearby. I also have water simmering in the water bath kettle or whatever kettle I'm using that day. You have to have some kind of rack or something to keep the jars off the bottom of the canning kettle. I've been known to drop a round cooling rack into a kettle when I couldn't find the "official" rack that came with the canner. 

When the jars of cheese are ready, I take them one at a time and wipe the rims with a clean, damp cloth. I use a fork to fish a lid out of the small pan of water, put it on the jar and screw a ring on, then place it in the canning kettle. I use my jar lifter tong thingies to set the jar in the simmering water. When all the jars are in the canner, I make sure the water covers the jar at least an inch. Then I put the lid on and time it an hour.

At the end of the hour I lift the jars out and set them on a towel. They start to seal ("PING"!) pretty quickly after they're out of the water. Unlike butter, the oil doesn't separate and you don't have to shake them as they cool. 


When you go to use the cheese, dip it in hot water for about 15 seconds to loosen it from the sides. It'll slide right out. The cheese goes back to it's original consistency when it cools, so when you use it, you can slice it or shred it like fresh cheese. It doesn't stay soft, like nacho cheese or other 'soft' cheeses. Another plus is that if you have cheese that has been frozen and is crumbly, canning it returns it to it's original texture and it won't crumble when you slice or shred it. 

Cream cheese is done pretty much the same way. I set it out to soften, then cut or spoon it from the block into the jars. I kind of mash it down, then put the lids on and all the rest of the procedure. Cream cheese is awesome to can. It looks nice, it scoops out nice, it's just a nice cheese to can.

Light-colored, softer cheeses look a little darker after they're canned, with the exception of cream cheese, which stays white. When you grate the mozzarella and bake it on a pizza, it returns to the color of fresh cheese, and you can't taste the difference. In fact, the flavor stays fresh longer than the "freezer burned" taste I've gotten from some cheese that's been in the fridge or freezer too long.

Store your canned cheese in a cool, dark place. A place with a steady temperature is best, like a root cellar, basement, or in a box under your bed. 

Tomorrow I'll take a picture of some of my canned cheeses and post them. It's almost midnight, and everyone else is asleep, so I don't think I better start getting out jars and taking pictures right now!


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## wildone_uk (Aug 9, 2010)

thanks to both of you i am getting so much from this site,one day god willing i will get to the US and meet some of you guys and thank you personly,laurence


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

wildone_uk said:


> ...one day god willing i will get to the US and meet some of you guys and thank you personly,laurence


We hope you do, and we'd love to have you visit us here in NW Montana while you're here!


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## JayJay (Nov 23, 2010)

So, gypsysue..do I water-bath the burgers??
Cook first, then place in wide-mouth, then water-bath??

Because, I have 80 small 1 pounders in the freezer and would love to have canned --just in case..plus, just heat and eat!!! I just made that up--heat and eat>>>:congrat:


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

JayJay said:


> So, gypsysue..do I water-bath the burgers??
> Cook first, then place in wide-mouth, then water-bath??
> 
> Because, I have 80 small 1 pounders in the freezer and would love to have canned --just in case..plus, just heat and eat!!! I just made that up--heat and eat>>>:congrat:


NO!!!! DON'T water-bath burgers! All meat MUST be pressure canned to get the high enough temperatures to kill all the pathogens that can cause spoilage.

I just posted instructions for dry-canning meat: http://www.preparedsociety.com/forum/f36/food-storage-cheeseburgers-5273/index2.html

I used to can meat with the jar filled with water and it was mostly disappointing because the meat was soggy. Things like stew meat came out all right. But when I discovered dry-canning meat a few years ago, it became a whole new wonderful world!


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## PamsPride (Dec 21, 2010)

I will be doing this when I get my milk cow! I am sure I will be up to my elbows in milk and butter then!


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## gypsysue (Mar 27, 2010)

PamsPride said:


> I will be doing this when I get my milk cow! I am sure I will be up to my elbows in milk and butter then!


A milk cow??? Pam...won't you be my neighbor? Please!

*drool* :ignore:


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