Preserving food without canning or freezing

[prairiemom]

I've mentioned before having taken a class on this topic and getting the book. Well, now I'm experimenting with the technique. So far no two jars have been exactly the same. To some of the beans I added dill or onions or lactic acid. Some I left long, some I cut up. The jar on the left is about 2-3 wks old and the color of the beans and clarity of the liquid has changed, but still a brighter green than the pressure canned food.
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs170.snc1/6400_148115551279_546991279_3885319_975443_n.jpg

Yesterday I made 3 jars of mixed root veggies: beets, carrots and turnips, layered with greens: beet greens, parsley, carrot greens, etc. I'm very anxious to see how they turn out, but right now I love the bright vivid colors:

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs190.snc1/6400_147743646279_546991279_3878109_6765862_n.jpg

[cHeroKee]

What is the shelf life with this method??

[mirkwood]

Are you just putting them in with water?

[prairiemom]

I'm thinking indefinite, unless oxygen is introduced into the jar. At the class I took I ate tomatoes that were 4 yrs old and had never been canned. They tasted just fine.

All canned food begins to lose color, flavor and nutrition after a year, so I try to can just enough for a little over a year's supply.

[prairiemom]

Today I saw that all the beans I'd added lactic acid to are now moldy. :( Fortunately it's only 3-4 jars, not a whole crop. So I learned one lesson--no lactic acid. At least not until I learn more about this process. And I have a couple that are "leaking"--not enough headspace now that the bacteria action is in full swing. So I need to be more generous with the headspace.

[celebrate life]

Keep us posted. I have not heard about preserving this way and am very interested!

[waif69]

And I have a couple that are "leaking"--not enough headspace now that the bacteria action is in full swing. So I need to be more generous with the headspace.

Isn't bacterial activity is bad thing?

[cHeroKee]

Seems this method is like canned foods? Need to be sealed and cooked properly at a higher than normal temperature to kill things off. Correct?

[prairiemom]

No, the brine and veggies lacto-ferment, just like when you make sauerkraut. So there's bacteria in the fermenting process. But at a certain point the environment becomes too acidic and kills all bacteria, so there's no need to seal at high heat, as long as the jar remains closed and not exposed to air. It's the method that has been used for thousand's of years to preserve food.

[cHeroKee]

Can you give a step-by-step instructions?

[signseeker]

Ay, ye not bin eatin' yer sauerkraut have ye? Scurvy pirate!

Ahem.


I want to see pics of the moldy, leaky ones! :w00t:

[prairiemom]

Can you give a step-by-step instructions?

Chop up the veggies. Root veggies are finely chopped, cabbage is shredded, beans can be whole or cut to sizes you like, small tomatoes can be left whole, med tomatoes cut in half.

Pack into a jar, add brine, leave 1" headspace and put a lid on it. Let sit undisturbed in a cool place for 6 wks. That's when the bacteria are all killed leaving behind only the acid. You can eat it anytime after that.

Brine: it varies, which is why, if you can, you should try to get the book:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51d2PPTXxCL._SL160_AA115_.jpg
http://www.amazon.com/Preserving-Food-without-Freezing-Canning/dp/1933392592/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1251815729&sr=8-1


But basically it's 2 tsp salt for 1 qt of water. And there are other things you can add to improve flavor and quality. i.e. things like peppers and juniper berries help with preserving, so there are recipes that include those.

[signseeker]

That sounds fantastic. What kind of salt? Canning salt? Or at least the non-iodized kind? What if the jar explodes or something? (I'm afraid of exploding things... hence my fear of pressure-canners... which I will overcome this year. It takes much mind control to open those refrigerator biscuit canisters... )

[prairiemom]

The book says sea salt but I've been using canning salt. No, it doesn't explode, the water just leaks a bit. You know how normally when a jar is sealed, the little bump on the top is indented in and you can't make the clicking sound? Well, here the lid is just taut. You still can't "click it" but the button isn't indented.

[signseeker]

Ohhhh, weird. I've seen "sea salt" in the same kind of box as canning salt at Wally World. Maybe I'll pick up some of that.