food preservation
 

I live on a farm. I farm for a living, also raising cattle. So when things go bad i know I have meat. But what's the best way to store it safely if there is no electricity for a freezer.

Canning. Drying. Smoking. Jerky. Sausage. Pickling.

For canning- 1. Get a copy of the Ball Blue Book of canning.
2. Get a PRESSURE CANNER. Attempting to can meats without it is a roll of the dice with the jackpot being botulism (Latin word for DEAD)

Meat can be readily canned in glass jars- but you can also make soups, stews, chili, spaghetti auce, etc, and can THAT.

Drying meat to make jerky is simpler and safer than canning. Especially if you don't have prior experience. Dried meat also takes up less space and is considerably lighter if you have to carry it.

alive is the best way to store it i raise livestock my self best way i found to store meat and been told from older generations is butcher when it gets cold i remember growing up we always butcherd in november-dec then meat can set outside while you smoke it Salt it or whatever you think you need to do to it then it wont go bad and bugs wont get to it

Well down here in south Alabama we don't really get cold. Haha

I used to work with a man who grew up very poor in Florida. He's in his mid 60's now. They had no electricity, running water, etc. for long after most others had those luxuries. He said they used to salt their meat and leave it in a meat house. I couldn't believe you could preserve meat with salt. I told him I was sure it would rot, especially in the heat of Florida. His only answer to me, "I'm still here, am I not?" I couldn't argue with that.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2121012_preserve-meat-salt.html

Just remember you need plenty of water when you eat it.

like i said dry it salt it smoke it bout only way to preserve it then but like most did in that area of no electricty people main meal was not meat its more of growing crops and preserving those also remeber if your goin to go full sustainabilty then you need to grow crops for the livestock such as hay/grain pasture then also need male and female so you can reproduce yearly and open pollitaned seeds id suggest getting everything from cattle/hogs/chicks/goats/turkeys/ducks/geese they all serve a propouse on a homestead i no i raise them all

I farm peanuts cotton wheat oats and usually enough corn to feed out steers, plus the vegatable gardens and chickens. I live on 350 acres surrounded by water and have plenty of wildlife. My family could do fine on bad circumstances, but it never hurts to learn more. I'm lucky to still have my grandparents living on the farm with me to teach me a lot.

Here in North Mississippi salt was the only way my dad preserved hams and shoulders. He butchered in November..had a wooden bin in the corn crib about ¾ filled with salt. He would hang the meat for a few days to let it age a little, then bury it in the salt. He only butchered enough to last us until March/April or so. I remember it beginning to taste a little ‘rancid’ by that time…so I’m not sure it would do well in the warm climates. Of course it depends a little on exactly how hungry you are. :)