# Canning Butter?



## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

a thread where you all were talking about canning butter- do you make your own and can it? 
I do not live on an actual farm and do not make butter- but I am thinking when I get a good deal on store butter- how would I can it? could you? has anyone done this? I normally freeze it- but I am thinking this would save space by canning it!


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

There are pages all over the web explaining how different people can butter. I pressure can mine. Many people actually just do it in the oven.
There are also pages all over the web telling people it is wrong to can butter and that it will kill them. So it is personal choice. Just suffice it to say the USDA doesn't want us to can butter, drink raw milk, waterbath can veggies, or do many other things that our ancestors did and lived through.

[ame]http://www.google.com/search?q=how+to+can+butter&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&client=firefox-a[/ame]


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

I've got canned butter on my shelves- I melt the butter, put it in sterilized jars and pressure can like I'm canning meat (same time/pressure). Once the jars are still pretty warm but cool enough to touch, start shaking the jar every 1/2 hour or so till the butter is solid again. The shaking is pretty important as the butter separates while canning.


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## Aseries (Feb 24, 2011)

I make Ghee out of my butter then put it in canning Jars. At first it was like this stuff is weird but it cooks at higher temp and stores long even without canning it. I pour it in the jar hot and it seals on its own. Its shelf stable for a very long time... Though when you put it in the fridge it comes out like cement until it warms up lol.

I want to try canning regular butter sometime... I know the canning police dont recommend it. But I will try it anyway..


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Aseries said:


> I make Ghee .....
> Though when you put it in the fridge it comes out like cement until it warms up lol.
> 
> I want to try canning regular butter sometime... I know the canning police don't recommend it. But I will try it anyway..


Regular canned Butter comes out of the fridge like a piece of cement too. I have never made ghee, just used the regular butter. It works great for me.


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## Becka03 (Mar 29, 2009)

Here is the recipe I got, can anyone who cans butter take a look at it?
Canned Butter
For those who like to can everything! 

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 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 scorching. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes at least: 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 through 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.


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## Karen (Apr 17, 2002)

Becka, that's exactly how I do mine, but I also shake the jars from time-to-time as they cool. Never had a single jar go bad.


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## Sarah J (Jun 28, 2003)

I just tried it for the first time. Took several hours for the jars to cool, but I had other projects in the kitchen to work on and every few minutes I'd go re-shake the jars. They look great! So excited! Not sure I can "leave them" alone for storing...probably open one in less than a week just to try it! LOL


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

My butter stores well. I still have about 8pints left that are 3+yrs old this year. I will have to can more this summer. So even if you use some, you can rest assured that the rest will store well.
I did strawberry jam this morning, so we are set for a few weeks at least.


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## Cyngbaeld (May 20, 2004)

There is real good potential for botulism doing it this way! There is too much moisture left in the jars and it is not hot enough to kill the spores.

If you want to can butter, you should clarify it and then heat it until it sizzles. THEN pout it into your hot, sterile jars. No shaking needed.


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## judylou (Jun 19, 2009)

Cyngbaeld, thank you for posting that.

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/questions/FAQ_canning.html#33


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## Lucy (May 15, 2006)

I was taught that the moisture issue that was the main part that was dangerous. As far as I know, if you clarify it and make ghee, that is OK. Otherwise, I think it would just get rancid like butter or oil does instead of being such a safety issue without the water acitivity issue. 

They know the risks, and they are willing to take them. Just depends upon each person as to what they want to do in their own kitchens. 

Now days, even most lard in the store is hydrogenated so it won't get rancid so fast . Margarine is nearly always hydrogenated. Wonder when they will do that to butter ? 
I got powdered butter for storage. I think I will get powdered margarine, too. I hear the butter powder works fine in baking, but not so great to just eat. Wonder how the powdered sour cream tastes ?


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Lucy said:


> I was taught that the moisture issue that was the main part that was dangerous. As far as I know, if you clarify it and make ghee, that is OK. Otherwise, I think it would just get rancid like butter or oil does instead of being such a safety issue without the water acitivity issue.


I never skim it to make ghee, just can the butter. I have butter that is several years old in jars, and it isn't rancid. I do pressure can just because it is easier with less steps and less mess though. But I can't imagine people doing it in the oven if it doesn't work. And most people do simply use the oven, so it must work for them.


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## suitcase_sally (Mar 20, 2006)

Becka, I also use that recipe. I've been doing it for about 10 years with no problems. One step I do differently is, instead of putting the hot butter in the fridge, I wait and do mine in November and take advantage of the cold temps outside. I have a shelf on my backporch and I just line up the jars (I do half-pints) and start shaking them. I usually do 20 half-pints at a time, so by the time I work myself down the row, it is time to start at the beginning (first jar) again. Once the jars begin to cool, they set up pretty fast.

Boiling the butter takes care of a lot of the moisture issue, especially if you work with a good grade of butter to start with. Cheaper butters have higher moisture content.


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## Karen (Apr 17, 2002)

Yes, the boiling is to evaporate the water, so I also don't see what the issue would be.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Lucy...when you've used the powdered butter did you just add water? or did you also add a wee bit of vegetable oil and water?
We just purchased a large can of the margarine, next month we'll get the butter, (already have powdered shortening)


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## Lucy (May 15, 2006)

I just add water.


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## newtofarming (Jun 11, 2008)

If I used that recipe on GOAT butter would it still work? I wonder because our goat butter is so much softer than the store butter.


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## rainy5 (Oct 28, 2011)

I have a question I canned butter for the first time. I think I may have burned the butter cooking the water out. I have little brown floaties after I pressure canned it. So I just put it in the fridge. I want to try it again. Any suggestions what I did wrong. I pressure can chicken etc. all the time and use it with no issues. Pressure caned chicken is great in the summer coming back from the pool it makes a quick dinner.


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## jamala (May 4, 2007)

I have used the powdered sour cream and like it. I used it in making beef strogonoff and it worked great. Also used it in a sour cream pound cake and it was great.


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## mistable (Mar 10, 2012)

I would really like to try canning butter for my food storage at our cabin. Can anyone tell me if there is any issues with freezing the glass jars of canned butter? Our cabin gets 40 below before we can get there in the winter, so there are problems with what can be stored.

Lucy...I have tried powdered sour cream and did not care for it in my cooking, it wasn't replacment real sour cream. However I used it for baking and it was great. I guess it's just a matter of taste.


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## Osiris (Jun 9, 2010)

Thanks a lot. This is a very informative thread. I get butter sometimes pretty cheap and should consider canning too. I usually freeze but canning is my preference. 

I caught the 'shaking' thing to keep it from separating, and thought....I BET this would work on jam too! I always get the chunks of strawberry floating to the top. Shaking them would help keep it mixed well. Good tip! Thanks again


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## campfiregirl (Mar 1, 2011)

Osiris said:


> I caught the 'shaking' thing to keep it from separating, and thought....I BET this would work on jam too! I always get the chunks of strawberry floating to the top. Shaking them would help keep it mixed well. Good tip! Thanks again


Good thought; after all, you are instructed to shake the jalapeno jelly so that all of your jalapeno bits are not at the top!


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## rainy5 (Oct 28, 2011)

I gave up and just froze it.


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