canning butter

WONDERFUL SUGGESTION FROM A READER! Thanks for this... let us know how it works!
CANNING BUTTER
1. 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. Stiring 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.
I buy butter on sale, then keep it frozen until I have enough for canning 2 or 3 batches of a dozen jars each.

EGGS

I've wondered a lot what to do in the case of needing eggs if we need them and can't get them. Well, there are the good old powdered eggs you can purchase. Here is a link to a site you can purchase them on - http://frontiersurvival.net/cat--Eggs-Powered--eggs.html

BUT, I just found out about this brilliant idea:

Using Flax Seed:This recipe is every bit as good as real eggs for use in your favorite baked goods. For each egg needed, place in blender:1 Heaping Tablespoon of whole organic Flax seed, blend until it becomes a fine meal. Add 1/4 cup cold water blend 2-3 minutes until thickened and has the consistency of eggs. Each 1/4 cup of Flax seed mixture will replace one egg in baking

Using gelatin:Before starting recipe for cookies, cake etc...Combine 1 tsp unflavored gelatin with 3 Tbsp cold water and 2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp boiling water. This mixture will substitute for 1 egg in a recipe.Recipe from waltonfeed.com.

A LOT OF FEEDBACK

WOW... I've already received a lot of feedback on foodstorage ideas and quotes. Thanks for all your participation. I'm going to be posting suggestions and quotes as they come in.

Joseph B. Wirthlin, “One Step after Another,” Liahona, Jan 2002, 27–30

We don’t have to be perfect today. We don’t have to be better than someone else..
The only thing you need to worry about is striving to be the best you can be. And how do you do that? You keep your eye on the goals that matter most in life, and you move towards them step by step. We have scriptures that reveal the word of God to mankind through the ages. When we feast upon the word of God, we open our minds to eternal truths and our hearts to the gentle whisperings of the Holy Ghost.
We also have a living prophet, he provides counsel and prophetic direction for us in our day.
Through his counsel and our prayers, we can reach into the heavens and personally commune with the Infinite. Through faith, heaven itself can be moved in our behalf. Doors will be opened and answers received.

RECIPES AND SHOPPING LIST

for the compiled recipes and shopping list for three months email me at katiebug970@gmail.com and I will happily share what I have. ALSO, if anyone else has recipes or ideas please comment.

FINALLY GETTING STARTED

I'm not sure how many of you this will even be helpful for but I thought I'd pass this info on...
Last month, Rendell's dad (who works for our church - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Welfare System) called and said he wanted us to make sure we had at least 3 months supply of food storage. I was pretty sure we had at least that but he said not just flour and sugar and beans but 3 months supply of the things we REALLY eat on a regular basis. So, over the last month or so I have been tracking what we eat and also compiling recipes that take little or no fresh produce or eggs, creams, etc. I do have several recipes with cheese only because I buy it already shredded and freeze it. Anyway, I have compiled a shopping/ingredient list and recipes for 30 meals as well as snacks and other items we may all need if for whatever reason we are unable to get to the grocery store, we have an emergency etc. Some of the items can be cooked on the stove/BBQ burner or dutch oven if necessary. I'd LOVE any ideas you may each have to make this better.

START SMALL

Three-Month Supply
Build a small supply of food that is part of your normal, daily diet. One way to do this is to purchase a few extra items each week to build a one-week supply of food. Then you can gradually increase your supply until it is sufficient for three months. These items should be rotated regularly to avoid spoilage.


Drinking Water
Store drinking water for circumstances in which the water supply may be polluted or disrupted.
If water comes directly from a good, pretreated source, then no additional purification is needed; otherwise, pretreat water before use. Store water in sturdy, leak-proof, breakage-resistant containers. Consider using plastic bottles commonly used for juices and soft drinks.
Keep water containers away from heat sources and direct sunlight.

Water Storage Guidelines
Commercially bottled water in PETE (or PET) plastic containers may be purchased. Follow the container’s “best if used by” dates as a rotation guideline. Avoid plastic containers that are not PETE plastic.
http://www.kalyx.com/store/proddetail.cfm/ItemID/734961/CategoryID/5000/SubCatID/395/file.htm is a web site you may order them from.
If you choose to package water yourself, consider the following guidelines:

Containers

• Use only food-grade containers. Smaller containers made of PETE plastic or heavier plastic buckets or drums work well.
  
• Clean, sanitize, and thoroughly rinse all containers prior to use. A sanitizing solution can be prepared by adding 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) to one quart (1 liter) of water. Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used.
  
• Do not use plastic milk jugs, because they do not seal well and tend to become brittle over time.
  
• Do not use containers previously used to store non-food products.

Water Pretreatment

• Water from a chlorinated municipal water supply does not need further treatment when stored in clean, food-grade containers.
• Non-chlorinated water should be treated with bleach. Add 1/8 of a teaspoon (8 drops) of liquid household chlorine bleach (5 to 6% sodium hypochlorite) for every gallon (4 liters) of water. Only household bleach without thickeners, scents, or additives should be used.

Storage

• Containers should be emptied and refilled regularly.
• Store water only where potential leakage would not damage your home or apartment.
• Protect stored water from light and heat. Some containers may also require protection from freezing.
• The taste of stored water can be improved by pouring it back and forth between two containers before use.
• Additional Information
  Note: The following links are not to official Church publications but are provided as additional resource material:
• www.fema.gov/plan/prepare/water
• http://www.redcross.org/services/prepare/0,1082,0_91_,00.html#water

THE REASON FOR MY OBSESSION

Family Home Storage

"Our Heavenly Father created this beautiful earth, with all its abundance, for our benefit and use. His purpose is to provide for our needs as we walk in faith and obedience. He has lovingly commanded us to “prepare every needful thing” (see D&C 109:8) so that, should adversity come, we can care for ourselves and our neighbors and support bishops as they care for others.
"We encourage members world-wide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings.
"We ask that you be wise as you store food and water and build your savings. Do not go to extremes; it is not prudent, for example, to go into debt to establish your food storage all at once. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."—The First Presidency, All Is Safely Gathered In: Family Home Storage, Feb. 2007, 1