[Artemisia] A New Discussion - SCA Skills in a Modern Plague

[Padruig]

I researched quite a bit before doing this, and it was only as an experiment (I was the taster, didn't give it to anyone else, until after I would have felt any effects). You CAN get the temp high enough to kill botulism, but it requires a pressure cooker, and at a full 15 pounds of pressure. And, I only re-used the lids on high acid foods, in which botulism won't grow, anyway. 

I store the lids in plastic sealable bags, to keep the air away. Rubber lasts a lot longer that way.

I learned to can from Ma Zentz, who used to bottle over 2500 quarts of food every season. She was a nurse, and was always careful.

Padruig



Dr. Raymond Zentz
 
It is better to die a free man, than to live, a slave.



-----Original Message-----
From: L.J. Richards <richardslj at bresnan.net>
To: Kingdom of Artemisia mailing list <artemisia at lists.gallowglass.org>
Sent: Mon, Sep 27, 2010 12:24 pm
Subject: Re: [Artemisia] A New Discussion - SCA Skills in a Modern Plague


Padruig, this is flirting with the 'uninvited' deadly dinner guest named 
otulism.  I don't know if you can test to be absolutely sure there is no 
otulism present - besides eating it.  The fact that it appears to be sealed 
o the naked eye does not mean it is.  I don't agree that they could be 
eused in a pinch.  (And even today we have people canning in the oven and 
icrowave and died eating the 'canned' food.  One cannot get a high enough 
emperature to destroy the bacteria that produces botulism.)  You can still 
alt, pickle or dry the food....
The women in my family might keep unused lids until the next year, but 
nything older than that was pitched because the rubber was hardening, 
aking it useless.
Besides, we'ld like to keep you around for a while....
Bronwen of I.
(PS:  Just ask my Mom about botulism.  In her extended family, her 
rother-in-law's sister and family - 3 died at the table, 1 who it appears 
ad got up to help and sank to the floor dead, and one, a child, managed to 
urvive.)

---- Original Message ----- 
rom: "Padruig" <rayzentz at aim.com>
o: <artemisia at lists.gallowglass.org>
ent: Sunday, September 26, 2010 9:54 PM
ubject: Re: [Artemisia] A New Discussion - SCA Skills in a Modern Plague

 As an experiment, I have reused contemporary canning lids. I pressure 
 cooked them, to kill any bacteria in the rubber, and then soften and 
 smooth out the rubber itself. Was very cautious about what I re-canned (hi 
 acid foods, only), but it seemed to work. I also would stockpile lids... 
 lots of lids, but in a pinch, they could be reused...

 Padruig

 Dr. Raymond Zentz
 
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