Provident Living...Canning Butter for a Rainy Day!

Guest Post...How to Bottle Butter!

My good friend Sheryl posted some wonderful information yesterday on her blog Larry and Sheryl Fowler's Fabulous Family.  I have been wanting to can my own butter for shelf storage ever since I heard about it.  Now Sheryl has posted the instructions and has graciously allowed me to repost them here!  On her blog, Sheryl is writing to her children.

Sheryl Writes...

Dad [Larry] and I canned our own butter last year.  Generally I freeze my butter or margarine, but that does take up quite a bit of room if you are trying to store for long term.  Now I will have some margarine in the freezer, but butter on my fruitroom shelf.

Dad and I needed some butter last Sunday and rather than go to the store, I grabbed a jar off the shelf.  I have found this is easy to do and would make a great family home evening and working on your food storage at the same time.  NOTE:  you need to use real butter, not margarine.  I am going to try to grab some everytime I go to Costco for a while so I can stock it up. 

How it Works... 

Heat pint jars (without bands) in a 250 degree oven for 20 minutes.  (A dripper pan works well for this.)  One pound of butter slightly more than fills one pint jar, so if you melt 11 pounds of butter, heat 12 pint jars.  While the jars are heating, melt the butter slowly (in a large kettle) until it comes to a slow boil.  Using a large spatula, stir the bottom of the pot often to prevent scorching.  Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.  Place the jar lids in a small pot and bring to a boil, leaving to simmer until needed.

Stirring the melted butter from the bottom to the top with [the spatula and using] a measuring cup with spout and handle, pour the melted butter carefully into heated jars through a canning funnel.  Leave 3/4" of head space in the jar.

Wipe the tops of the jars, then place on hot lids and screw on the bands tightly.  Lids will seal as the jars cool.  The butter will separate into three layers: foam, oil and milk solids.  Once the lids "pop" and seal, shake the jars to mix your butter.  Do this every 15 minutes or so, until the butter retains more consistency throughout the jar.  (This may take up to an hour our longer.)  When just slightly warm, move jars to the refrigerator for an hour.

Canned butter should store for 3 years or longer on a cool dark shelf.  Note: It does not need to be refrigerated onceopened, if used within a reasonable amount of time.

Hope this is something you will do in your family to help with your food storage.

Love,

Mom

Thank you so much, Sheryl, for sharing this information.  I know I will be stopping at Costco this weekend.  Right now they have a much better price on butter than Walmart.  If anyone knows where some killer butter deals are...please share!

It's a chilly Trix colored morning here in Highland.

The leaves are falling from the maples now.

I am so blessed to live in the shadow of these beautiful mountains.

Each season paints its colors on their foothills.

Aspens glinting golden below the granite crags are of more value to me than any jeweled crown.

My heritage lies at their feet and in their canyons.

I am grateful for the Wasatch.