…… Canning Butter?

Zahra

Zahra

Veteran Member
A YouTube channel called Homestead Heart has a video showing how she pressure cans butter and claims it's good on the shelf for up to 5 years. Has anyone here pressure canned butter and if so, would you recommend doing it or not? IOW, is it a valid & safe method for storing outside the fridge or freezer for several years?
 
Zahra

Zahra

Veteran Member
I've made ghee, but it tastes different than butter - so that's why I want to know if pressure canning butter is safe. It's not an "approved" method, but I see plenty of youtubers saying they do it including Deep South Homestead too I just noticed.

I haven't made ghee the way you do though. I do mine on the stove top in a saucepan and I melt the butter then bring it to a low rolling boil to get rid of the milk solids. Once the white foam mostly disappears, then I ladle it into jars and seal. Takes about 20 mins.
 
Cardinal

Cardinal

Chickministrator
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Zahra said:
I've made ghee, but it tastes different than butter - so that's why I want to know if pressure canning butter is safe. It's not an "approved" method, but I see plenty of youtubers saying they do it including Deep South Homestead too I just noticed.

I haven't made ghee the way you do though. I do mine on the stove top in a saucepan and I melt the butter then bring it to a low rolling boil to get rid of the milk solids. Once the white foam mostly disappears, then I ladle it into jars and seal. Takes about 20 mins.
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Same thing, crockpot is the multitaskers way to do it. :lol:
I don't want to put words in Summerthyme's mouth (or computer) but I'm pretty sure she weighed in on this a while back and OK'd it.
 
Zahra

Zahra

Veteran Member
Cardinal said:
Yeah, here it is:

Misc - Summer 2020 Cooking and Canning Chat Thread!

Welcome to June everyone!!! Here's your summer grilling, cooking, and canning chat thread! We have a seven pound boston butt roast that needs to be cooked, somehow... the question is do I slow cook it on the grill over a low temp or just call it a weekend and cut it up and pressure can the...
www.timebomb2000.com www.timebomb2000.com
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Thanks Cardinal! Well gang I'm going to give it a go then wait a few months before I test a jar. If you don't hear from me next year you'll know the butter got me! LOL!! :)
 
H

hd5574

Veteran Member
You can purchase Red Feather canned butter..it has now gotten extremely expensive...I have a small amount of it purchased before the prices exploded..we opened and tasted one can of salted butter and it tastes wonderful...that is proof that it can be canned. It has a ten year shelf life...
I don't know how they do it...just that it...can be done...
 
S

SwampMom

Swamp stomping maniac
Don't you just love Homestead Heart?

I canned butter in the past. Not dead yet. I may try it again. Freezers are full (such a blessing). Maybe it's time I do it again. I do have some ghee on storage. Aldi had the best price, and it tastes great.
 
h_oder

h_oder

Veteran Member
Several years ago, I put up some using Summerthyme's method. I tried one jar a few months later and it was fine. I never used it all before moving, but I probably should put some up next time butter goes "on sale".
 
Tundra Gypsy

Tundra Gypsy

Veteran Member
She is a hoot! I watched her video on how to can butter and the first batch worked out great. However, I used smaller 1/2 pint jars the second time. I noticed brown areas on the bottoms of a couple of jars. I wonder if I burned the butter while canning them. Otherwise, they look really good. I have 8 lbs. of butter in the refrigerator waiting for me to can this week. I thought I read on this forum that there may be butter shortages. Can't think of what life would be like without butter. I just wish there was a sure-fire way to can bacon and have it be safe!! If you regular can butter, it is good for 1 1/2 years; if you pressure can it.......it should last 5 years!
 
H

hd5574

Veteran Member
I cleaned out the freezer a while back...and found a pound of land of lakes butter ... forgotten way in the back...I had sealed my butter with a food saver in a food saver bag...this butter had been lost in the freezer for EIGHT years...DH and laughed and said we will defrost it...left it on the counter and defrosted it...The butter was perfect.. tasted just like the butter in the refrigerator...so now we bag and vacuum seal all the butter we freeze..
 
H

hd5574

Veteran Member
h_oder said:
Several years ago, I put up some using Summerthyme's method. I tried one jar a few months later and it was fine. I never used it all before moving, but I probably should put some up next time butter goes "on sale".
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What is Summerthyme's method?
Link
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
For those who have pressure canned butter, how long do you can it and at what pressure? My canning book doesn't have anything in it about pressure or water bath canning butter. I'd like to try a batch, but don't know how. I certainly don't want to waste it if it's not a good idea. Does it taste the same, once it's canned?
 
h_oder

h_oder

Veteran Member
h_oder said:
Several years ago, I put up some using Summerthyme's method. I tried one jar a few months later and it was fine. I never used it all before moving, but I probably should put some up next time butter goes "on sale".
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summerthyme said:
Don't ask me! I haven't ever canned butter... I do believe it would be perfectly safe if using a pressure canner.

Summerthyme
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Okay - so apparently, it's been so long since I did it that I misspoke :) I know I got the "recipe" here (old site) - I guess I assumed that if I dared to try it, it probably came from you....lol
 
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summerthyme

Administrator
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h_oder said:
Okay - so apparently, it's been so long since I did it that I misspoke :) I know I got the "recipe" here (old site) - I guess I assumed that if I dared to try it, it probably came from you....lol
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No... I suspect you've misrembered a thread... I have commented on a couple that I believe it would be safe, especially if pressure canned, but since I've had a milk cow and make my own, (and it freezes beautifully, ascl9ng as it's well wrapped to keep it from absorbing odors), I've never had a need to can it.

I do wonder how the Red Feather butter folks process theirs... it's like fresh.

Summerthyme
 
Zahra

Zahra

Veteran Member
SouthernBreeze said:
For those who have pressure canned butter, how long do you can it and at what pressure? My canning book doesn't have anything in it about pressure or water bath canning butter. I'd like to try a batch, but don't know how. I certainly don't want to waste it if it's not a good idea. Does it taste the same, once it's canned?
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I'm going to pressure can some pints today. Since butter would be low acid, I'm going to process the pints at 75 minutes like I would if I was doing meat. Can't answer about taste yet though since I haven't done this before but perhaps someone here can help answer that.

Homestead Heart -- I really enjoy her videos. I'd love to be her neighbor! :)
 
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summerthyme

Administrator
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Zahra said:
I'm going to pressure can some pints today. Since butter would be low acid, I'm going to process the pints at 75 minutes like I would if I was doing meat. Can't answer about taste yet though since I haven't done this before but perhaps someone here can help answer that.

Homestead Heart -- I really enjoy her videos. I'd love to be her neighbor! :)
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I'd suggest reducing that time... Meat requires it because of its density... a jar of butter is homogenous, and will heat completely through quite quickly. 30 minutes for pints should be sufficient (but again, I haven't done it! This is all theoretical for me. I just understand the basic science behind canning)

I also would do a very small batch at first, and make sure you like the result...

Summerthyme
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
Zahra said:
I'm going to pressure can some pints today. Since butter would be low acid, I'm going to process the pints at 75 minutes like I would if I was doing meat. Can't answer about taste yet though since I haven't done this before but perhaps someone here can help answer that.

Homestead Heart -- I really enjoy her videos. I'd love to be her neighbor! :)
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I was thinking I would can mine in 1/2 pint jars but am afraid it will scorch. Maybe, I should leave well enough alone, and continue to keep it in the freezer for now.

I'd love to know how yours turns out!
 
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summerthyme

Administrator
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SouthernBreeze said:
I was thinking I would can mine in 1/2 pint jars but am afraid it will scorch. Maybe, I should leave well enough alone, and continue to keep it in the freezer for now.

I'd love to know how yours turns out!
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It's unlikely to scorch, but pressure canning may very well brown it... butter browns at 250, and pressure canning at 10# pressure gets the food to 255.

I've got some really old homemade butter in the freezer that wasn't rinsed as thoroughly as it should have been... it works in baking, but definitely not for table use. Maybe I'll try canning a pound of it, using a couple different techniques... it can always be used for a dog food addition!

Summerthyme
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
summerthyme said:
It's unlikely to scorch, but pressure canning may very well brown it... butter browns at 250, and pressure canning at 10# pressure gets the food to 255.

I've got some really old homemade butter in the freezer that wasn't rinsed as thoroughly as it should have been... it works in baking, but definitely not for table use. Maybe I'll try canning a pound of it, using a couple different techniques... it can always be used for a dog food addition!

Summerthyme
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It would be great to know how it turns out if you decide to do that!
 
Babs

Babs

Veteran Member
I'm going to try and can some soon and I'll let you all know how it turns out. I would suggest that you skim the top very well, and run through cheese cloth lined strainer on the way into the jars.
 
KMR58

KMR58

Veteran Member
I canned butter about 9 months ago. I used a jar to make a batch of cookies last week because I forgot to let some thaw from the freezer. First it was the perfect consistency for making cookies and it was as fresh as the day I canned it. I’m very happy with the results. I canned in half pints.

I did not skim or strain.
 
Zahra

Zahra

Veteran Member
I pressure canned 6 pints and I have to say it was a kind of a pain to keep getting up and turning them every 15 minutes or so to try to mix things up till they solidified. I don't think I did very well with that either because there's some brownish residue that sank to the bottom of the jars. This was salted butter if that makes any difference?


My project-min.jpg
 
SouthernBreeze

SouthernBreeze

Has No Life - Lives on TB
KMR58 said:
I canned butter about 9 months ago. I used a jar to make a batch of cookies last week because I forgot to let some thaw from the freezer. First it was the perfect consistency for making cookies and it was as fresh as the day I canned it. I’m very happy with the results. I canned in half pints.

I did not skim or strain.
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Did you pressure can it, or just water bath it?
 
J

John Deere Girl

Veteran Member
summerthyme said:
No... I suspect you've misrembered a thread... I have commented on a couple that I believe it would be safe, especially if pressure canned, but since I've had a milk cow and make my own, (and it freezes beautifully, ascl9ng as it's well wrapped to keep it from absorbing odors), I've never had a need to can it.

I do wonder how the Red Feather butter folks process theirs... it's like fresh.

Summerthyme
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Any idea how long would butter keep in the fridge?
 
EMICT

EMICT

Veteran Member
I have all the equipment to can... alternate heating sources (propane, gas, and large volcano stove), pressure canner, glass jars, lids and seals. I experimented with canning years ago and was successful, but until the lights go out and there is no more electricity... I'll take the easy way out and freeze items until needed.

Doesn't mean I can't resort to canning, but with life's conveniences as they are now, I choose to expend my time and energy on things that are really needed at this time without creating more work than needed.

Can I revert to canning if the lights go out... sure, as I have all the necessary tools and knowledge but until then... I'll spend my time doing other preps and save canning to when it's actually needed.
 
Hickory7

Hickory7

Senior Member
I use the method in the video. Have been doing it for awhile. I found a jar when we moved that was 6 years old and it smelled fine and tasted okay. Now, it doesn't taste like creamy butter, but like butter that has melted and then used. Somewhere in between ghee and butter.
 
Zahra

Zahra

Veteran Member
EMICT said:
I have all the equipment to can... alternate heating sources (propane, gas, and large volcano stove), pressure canner, glass jars, lids and seals. I experimented with canning years ago and was successful, but until the lights go out and there is no more electricity... I'll take the easy way out and freeze items until needed.

Doesn't mean I can't resort to canning, but with life's conveniences as they are now, I choose to expend my time and energy on things that are really needed at this time without creating more work than needed.

Can I revert to canning if the lights go out... sure, as I have all the necessary tools and knowledge but until then... I'll spend my time doing other preps and save canning to when it's actually needed.
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I understand that, but in my case I'm totally out of freezer space and don't want to pass up deals on butter when I find them still. Besides the freezer being full I had lots in my fridge's deli drawer too and now there's a deal on Challenge butter at Albertsons, so rather than not get any I decided to pressure can some to sock away. I have a daughter who lives nearby & thinks things are going to go back to "normal" anytime now, so I'm stocking things for her family too (though she doesn't know that yet).
 
EMICT

EMICT

Veteran Member
Zahra said:
I understand that, but in my case I'm totally out of freezer space and don't want to pass up deals on butter when I find them still. Besides the freezer being full I had lots in my fridge's deli drawer too and now there's a deal on Challenge butter at Albertsons, so rather than not get any I decided to pressure can some to sock away. I have a daughter who lives nearby & thinks things are going to go back to "normal" anytime now, so I'm stocking things for her family too (though she doesn't know that yet).
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Let us know how it works out. I too might find myself needing to follow suit.
 
Zahra

Zahra

Veteran Member
EMICT said:
Let us know how it works out. I too might find myself needing to follow suit.
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I posted a pic of the butter I pressure canned a couple of days ago, but I'm going to wait a few weeks before opening one to taste test it and I'll post the results here then. :)
 
phloydius

phloydius

Veteran Member
KMR58 said:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW-uvaegwUI&t=1020s
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SouthernBreeze said:
Thank you! I don't have time to watch right now. It might be a couple of days, before I get to it. Very busy, here. I'll definitely watch! I have a ton of butter in my freezers that I would love to can as long as it's safe.
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I have many wonderful things to say about the prepping videos that Guildbrook Farm makes on youtube. They always are very clear & give the proper warning when it comes to safety. In this video she is very clear that this method is not an approved method (because there are not any) & there are risks to any canning butter method -- which is important to understand.

The method she is using here is one I am probably going to try.

The method in the video is NOT canning butter. What she is essentially doing is pouring melted butter into mason jars, letting them cool and then storing them in a cool dark place. She stores them on the shelf for about 6 months.
 
S

summerthyme

Administrator
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phloydius said:
I have many wonderful things to say about the prepping videos that Guildbrook Farm makes on youtube. They always are very clear & give the proper warning when it comes to safety. In this video she is very clear that this method is not an approved method (because there are not any) & there are risks to any canning butter method -- which is important to understand.

The method she is using here is one I am probably going to try.

The method in the video is NOT canning butter. What she is essentially doing is pouring melted butter into mason jars, letting them cool and then storing them in a cool dark place. She stores them on the shelf for about 6 months.
Click to expand...
Please be careful to use sterilized jars and lids for this...

Summerthyme
 
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