Stockouts, panic buying, and how you cook...

[Rustyshackelford]

I am blessed beyond measure in the wife department, and she enjoys (puts up with) my company in the kitchen. Both of us had parents that really enjoyed preserving food, but we are each the only ones of our siblings that caught the canning bug.

Our present canner was a gift from a friend and it's an old Presto from 1969 or so. Works really well.

Funny enough, the last one was a gift as well but it just kept going through seals. It did last us 20+ years!

I picked up one of these “all American” pressure canners from eBay a few years ago. No gaskets to concern yourself with. Just dab a little olive oil on your finger and apply to the rim of the lid for a perfect seal. The only thing I eventually did with mine to upgrade it from the 1940s tech was to replace the petcock with a weight that helps regulate the pressure.

I was fortunate enough to have had grandparents that were all alive during the Great Depression. A lot of their habits and views have been instilled in my sibling and myself.

Thankfully, my eldest grandmother is still with us at the age of 103. She is as sharp as she was 90 years ago. An absolute wonder and a blessing to be able to talk to and get a living history lesson as well as a pretty well grounded take on the current state of the world.

 

[FarmerTan]

View attachment 1170196 I picked up one of these “all American” pressure canners from eBay a few years ago. No gaskets to concern yourself with. Just dab a little olive oil on your finger and apply to the rim of the lid for a perfect seal. The only thing I eventually did with mine to upgrade it from the 1940s tech was to replace the petcock with a weight that helps regulate the pressure.

I was fortunate enough to have had grandparents that were all alive during the Great Depression. A lot of their habits and views have been instilled in my sibling and myself.

Thankfully, my eldest grandmother is still with us at the age of 103. She is as sharp as she was 90 years ago. An absolute wonder and a blessing to be able to talk to and get a living history lesson as well as a pretty well grounded take on the current state of the world.

You ARE blessed. That is the Pressure Cooker we were going to buy, but we got our freebie.

Lol, I hope you know I meant that you are blessed with your grandmother! Think about that: you can get an incredibly reliable oral report from 90 years ago.

 

[novitiate]

View attachment 1170196 I picked up one of these “all American” pressure canners from eBay a few years ago. No gaskets to concern yourself with. Just dab a little olive oil on your finger and apply to the rim of the lid for a perfect seal. The only thing I eventually did with mine to upgrade it from the 1940s tech was to replace the petcock with a weight that helps regulate the pressure.

I was fortunate enough to have had grandparents that were all alive during the Great Depression. A lot of their habits and views have been instilled in my sibling and myself.

Thankfully, my eldest grandmother is still with us at the age of 103. She is as sharp as she was 90 years ago. An absolute wonder and a blessing to be able to talk to and get a living history lesson as well as a pretty well grounded take on the current state of the world.

I've had at least 3 of those over the years but yet to use one. I keep reselling them.

 

[FarmerTan]

I've had at least 3 of those over the years but yet to use one. I keep reselling them.

Why is that? Just curious, there has to be a story there!

 

[novitiate]

One thing this whole adventure has made me more aware of is shelf life. We like pasta and have always stocked it deep. Last weekend I found a bag within the recent ones that went out of date in 2015. Although I am diligent about dates it slipped by. It was an Italian brand, durum wheat base, etc. and it cooked up just fine. Checked the rest of the pasta and realized most had a 3+ year shelf life so that one was at least from 2012, perhaps even further back. The other one with long dates are canned beans, most at 4+. That one surprised me also. We don't buy canned soups as I usually make them up

I've had at least 3 of those over the years but yet to use one. I keep reselling them.

Every time I got one to try it ended up sitting and I never did so I sold it. Then I'd find another, repeat.

 

[ruckin]

Moved last year and while unpacking the boxes into the new pantry I was casually looking at dates. I had a jar of pickles that expired 2007. I am not sure what dark corners it was hiding in but it was certainly good at it.

 

[TexLaw]

Y'all keep in mind that those dates on shelf stable products are "best buy" dates, not expiration dates, and that many of those dates are mandated by law rather than actual product testing. They should be just fine (as long as the seal is intact for canned or dry goods), although perhaps not at their peak of quality.

 

[Rustyshackelford]

Y'all keep in mind that those dates on shelf stable products are "best buy" dates, not expiration dates, and that many of those dates are mandated by law rather than actual product testing. They should be just fine (as long as the seal is intact for canned or dry goods), although perhaps not at their peak of quality.

Thanks for being the voice of reason on this topic. My father in-law works for a nut and candy company and has a ton of product on hand at his home, and anything within 3 of the best by date he purges, and I end up with well stocked supply, and I have to take a pickup truck load to church each time. He harps on the detail that the food is going out of code and the food has to be eaten by that date or it’s no good.

Well packaged, and shelf stable items I have in my house for years and have no concerns with eating it as the need arises. Worst outcome I’ve experienced is the rare item that just doesn’t tastefresh, but is still perfectly fine and safe.

 

[TexLaw]

@Rustyshackelford, the amount of food that is wasted because it is thrown out because of those best buy dates is staggering and saddening.

I'm all for expiration dates on perishables. I even understand the purpose of best buy dates, but I wish the difference was better understood.