# Peanut Butter?



## Ciffer (Sep 13, 2010)

I have been buying natural (peanuts only) peanut butter in shelf-stable jars for years and like to keep a large surplus on hand. There is a natural food store in my area that sells peanut/almond butter in bulk. These nut butters are cheaper than I am find in jars and do not incur the waste associated with commercially canned jars. The only problem is that left on the shelf they will eventually go rancid.

I am wondering if there is a way for me to can peanut/almond butter in wide-mouth jars so I am able to safely store them at room temperature for extended periods of time.


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## Just Cliff (Nov 27, 2008)

I think the problem you will run into is the thickness of the butters. You have to be able to get the temperature up high enough and long enough to make sure any bacteria or such does not ruin it. Im also not sure how the butters would react to the heat. Will it change the flavor? Will it separate the oils during processing? This may be a case of Buy the commercial stuff or Vacuum seal the nuts and make it fresh. 
I went with commercial peanut butter. They have it down to a science and you can feel comfortable it is safe. 
With any stored food, keep it as cool as possible. Even if it means putting it under the house.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

The old instructions used to be to pack tightly to within 1 inch of the top and BWB for 60 minutes. However, that advice was pulled about 30 years ago. 

Martin


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## praieri winds (Apr 16, 2010)

any nut butter is going to get rancid over time because of the oils if you can be better to buy dry roasted nuts and make your own as needed peanut butter dosen't last in an open jar around here to go bad so don't know ow long it will keep


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## Guest (Dec 14, 2010)

Paquebot said:


> The old instructions used to be to pack tightly to within 1 inch of the top and BWB for 60 minutes. However, that advice was pulled about 30 years ago.
> 
> Martin


 Just what the instructions say. Pack it tight then get the entire thing uniformly hot. Better still would be to vacuum seal the jar after you've taken it out of the BWB, but you can get by without it as the natural vacuum produced by the cooling food within will get the job done.

If the nuts were properly roasted to begin with there is no appreciable water content so what you need to be concerned with it killing mold spores and getting as much of the air out of the jar as possible.

I buy Smuckers natural peanut butter precisely because it still comes in glass jars.


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## Ciffer (Sep 13, 2010)

How do you vacuum seal a canning jar?

What could I expect for shelf life on home canned nut butters?


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## Guest (Dec 16, 2010)

Canning jar adapter for most any consumer vacuum sealer model.


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## praieri winds (Apr 16, 2010)

they sell an attachment for the foodsaver vacuum sealer I have uses a tube and a cap on the jar flip the switch and the air is sucked out


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## Ciffer (Sep 13, 2010)

what about shelf life


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