CAN YOUR OWN BUTTER!

How well would you live without butter??? Die, you say? Well Honey, die no more, your butter is here and will keep for 3 years!

One of our dear ladies in our group has sent me the recipe on "How To Can Butter."

Canning Butter (from google - http://www.endtimesreport.com/canningbutter.html)

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 clean 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 scorchingl. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes at lest: 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 throught 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. We have canned over 75 pints of butter in the past year. I buy butter on sale, then keep it frozen until I have enough for canning 2 or 3 batches of a dozen jars each.

From one of our members:
"I have canned butter for the last four years. I fill my jars to within 1/4 inch of the top of the pint jar. Wide mouth pint jars make it easier to retrieve all of the butter as it gets used up. Also, the jars of butter do not need to be refrigerated once opened, but be aware that if your kitchen remains hot/humid in the summertime that the butter will mold. As the butter simmers on the stove before pouring into the jars, also be aware that some of the liquid will evaporate and make your butter seem saltier than it was originally. Remember that butter can always be reworked after you open a jar and think it is too salty by putting it into a bowl and adding cool to cold water to harden it up some. Then work the water into the butter to wash away some or all of the salt, and then add back the amount of salt you prefer. Keep working the butter with the spoon and pouring off the water until you are sure that all of the water is out. It is easy to do."