There was a time when I didn't can year round. With only the Super Hubs and me, we always have leftovers. He loves good food and I love cooking from scratch. While many people would see this as a problem and quickly declare, "It's not worth it to cook for two." I would counter that it is actually easier to can regularly with only us eating. We make a big batch and before it's even started to cool, fill pint canning jars with our anticipated overage of leftovers. The jars are in the pressure cooker before I even sit down to dinner.
Chicken is on the menu today. The whole chicken was cut up and cooked. After pulling out the meat for today's meal, The rest of the meat was removed from the bones and cut up, then placed in canning jars with hot water and a pinch of salt. Voila! Canned chicken with a shelf life that far exceeds refrigeration or freezing. Next the bones and skin are put back in the stock pot with some water and mirepoix. After this is brought to a boil and then simmered for several hours, we will have a supply of gelled chicken bone broth stock to cook with. Bone broth is fabulous for achy bones and weak knees but that is another post. Go google it if you are curious. After rendering the stock, we will employ the art of remouillage to do another boil and make chicken broth. By the time this chicken is done, we will have over a case of other healthy, shelf stable products that would have cost us far more than our single meal.
Okay, I'm guilty of asking friends to freeze chicken carcasses instead of throwing them out after the family dinner. So many people perceive the practice as time consuming or messy. It's not! Taking care of the rest of the chicken immediately, makes use of pots that are already out, a stovetop that is already hot and utensils that are already in play. My smaller pressure canner lives on my stove now since it is used a few times a week.
On the days when I don't want to or have time to cook, there is always something yummy on the shelf that just requires reheating. The chicken products are a great base to other dishes with rice or beans.
By the way, you guys probably know how much I adore the S.H.A.R.E. program.
The Virginia Peninsula Foodbank oversees our local co-op. For $20 and 2 hours of volunteer work, I can get approximately $45 worth of food. The S.H.A.R.E. packages are always full of meats and produce that are great for meals with pressure canner meals later. Can't wait to see what is on the menu next week.
Well, the timer is about to go off and it's time to strain the bone broth.
