Canning Butter and our Raised Bed Garden

Good morning guys, and thanks for coming in again. We’d like to welcome you to Coverin’ the Bases! I hope this finds everyone well, and ready to start of what looks to be a beautiful day!

Canning Butter

Right off the bat this morning I’d like to address an issue that has come up, over the last couple of days. This is the topic of canning your own butter.

This is a topic that many say can’t be done safely, then again you have just as many saying it can be done safely, and I have to say that I fall on the yes, I believe it can be done safely side of the fence.

I feel, and this is my opinion, there are risks in almost anything you do, whether it be riding a bicycle, shooting a gun, even crossing a street. All can be threatening in some form, if you’re not careful, and paying attention to what you’re doing.
This also is the case in home canning your food, freezing your food, even cooking your food.

Canning peas for instance, Deb and I do this ALL the time. It works for us, and I’ve said in earlier issues that what works for us, in fact, may NOT work for you.

Back to peas as an example. IF your jars are not sterile, IF your lids are not sterile, IF you didn’t wipe down the rims prior to sealing your jars, and IF you didn’t cook them the proper time required, could you have problems down the road, yes you surely may!

You have to do what is required from a safety standpoint, or you’re asking for trouble, that’s a given in regards to anything you do, not just food preservation.

Commercial canning safer than home canning, why? Is this because there are USDA inspectors in these plants? Really? How long ago was it peanut butter was being recalled nationwide, from a plant in Georgia I believe? I’m sure the USDA was involved in inspecting this facility, maybe even on site when the “tainted” batch got out.

I’m not saying by any means that this plant was not trying to do things the right way, or were trying to cut corners to save cost, etc. I’m only saying humans were involved, and humans make mistakes and once again, probably not intentionally. BUT if humans are involved, there is always the case for simply…human error.

I mean if I really wanted to go back and dig, I’m sure I can find example, after example, after example, of tainted food, salmonella outbreaks, etc., etc. that originated in commercially canned food products. It happens to the best of us. But, I’m not going to, I just want to state that, yes, at times things happen.

Plus, there are so, so many of you guys that are so much more experienced than Deb and I in regards to canning, or food preservation in general, that who am I to say anyway?

So in regards to our topic of canning butter, you guys simply have to make your own decisions in this matter. Once again, what works for us, may not work for you.

Do me a favor. Google this up. It is 12 pints of butter canned today, our story for Thursday. When you have Googled this, look at the canned butter posts, not just on the Google cover page, but go to the bottom and go to page 2, page 3, page 4, etc. and see the results of butter being canned…successfully.

I don’t know what else to say. This was not a topic I just decided to throw out there to you guys. This was something Deb and I asked you guys about in an earlier column. We’ve known about doing it for over a couple years now, but we just hadn’t done it yet, that’s all.

We started our column, which by the way you guys have all just been wonderful in your participation, thanks, and this was a topic we became re-interested in and decided we’d do it, and share it with you all, and we did.

Never would we toss ideas out there to you people we did not feel were safe, NEVER! I don’t believe you think that either. This column is about teaching, learning, sharing, and hopefully laughing as well.

A place where we all can pick up knowledge, learn some new recipes, gardening tips, food storage tips, whatever, that’s all. In this regard, I have learned so much from you, our friends and readers, and in reality have really given little back to you, but we’re learning, and it’s because of your help!

Canning butter to Deb and I makes sense…TO US, FOR US, that’s all. I see butter is $3.29 a pound now…what will it be down the road? Canning it, frees up freezer space for us, and if we can another 12 pints, that will last us for awhile.

Remember, we’re in the construction business, and I’ve said this before…we had NO work for a good year and a half, to two years…nada, nothing, zip! This will change your attitudes in many things, and having food available to Deb and I, our family, and many of our friends, to us, is simply a priority in our household anymore!

Food is going to get really, really high, and I look at it once more as an investment in these times, but that’s just me.
So I’m going to close this particular topic off for now. Once more, I’m not advocating you just gotta try this, because I’m not, but believe me, there is absolutely NO way I’d post something such as this without putting in some research time on it. Plus, if I thought for one minute there were safety issues involved with it, this column would never have seen the light of day.

Check out the Google search page we provided and look it over for yourselves! Thanks guys, we love ya’ll!

Check Out Our Raised Beds Garden

You know, in the time we’ve been involved in Ridin’ Out the Reccession, I’ve stated numerous times how much you guys participation has been an asset to Deb and I, and the raised bed garden is another example.

I would never have given this a second thought if not for this column and your suggestions on this topic.

Well, I’m here to tell you, if you live in suburbia, and want homegrown vegetables, Raised Bed Gardening, is one of the tickets in doing so! Very easy to do, they can be landscaped to fit into any type of suburbia environment, and from what I’m seeing, not reading about, the yield is going to be very, very good!

I feel, only through reading, because I have absolutely NO experience in it, but I see the potential of the lasagna garden as truly having a tremendous upside as well. Please look into this, I think you will be very pleasantly surprised, in the ease in caring for them, and I think the yield potential is excellent! Check it out!

With this being said, I’d like to share a few pictures we took today of our raised bed garden. I hope it was still light enough to see the plants clearly. They’re growing like weeds now! I’m glad we put them in!

Thank you all for coming back to visit with us once again, and we so appreciate you guys doing so! You’re the best!

God Bless you guys!

Dub

Bell Pepper, Onions, and Eggplants

Gypsy Pepper, Banana Pepper, Onion, and Cabbage

Tomatoes

Compost Pile After Turning