Completely Off-The-Grid Pressure Canning on a Wood Fire
Canning foods for long-term storage is not a process that is limited to the kitchen. In fact, there are many recipes that can be safely processed outdoors as long as you make some minor modifications. Let’s take a look at how you can take advantage of this option by following a few simple steps.
Appropriate Recipes
The important thing to remember is that using a wood fire requires a lot of fuel and temperature management. Consequently, it may be better to choose recipes that have short processing times as well as some flexibility in terms of weathering these fluctuations. This is especially true when pressure canning. Start with simple recipes and get a feel for the process before moving on to more sensitive or complex choices. However, you can process anything from fruits to vegetables or entire meals as long as you have a good recipe to work with.
Building the Fire Pit
The best fire pit is made with cinder blocks, and you should adjust the height so the grate is between 8 and 12 inches above the fire. You have plenty of flexibility in terms of the design that you want to use, but you should have some short chunks of bricks laying around in order to raise or lower the grate as needed. Just make sure that the pit is big enough to accommodate the necessary amount of logs while also giving you the necessary space above the flames.
Maintaining the Fire
You will need lots of firewood for canning projects, and logs that are between 2-3 inches in diameter seem to work best. They are easy to replace during the process, and they also allow you some room to actively regulate the fire. Keep in mind that the fire will require continual attention in order to ensure that you are maintaining stable temperatures and levels of pressure. If you allow pressure to drop, you will need to re-start the processing time. If pressure rises too much, you can destroy the seals on the jars or the jars themselves.
Bringing pressure up is easy, just add more firewood. Bringing pressure down is a bit more challenging. One of the easiest ways to reduce the size of the fire is by fashioning a piece of aluminum sheeting to temporarily cover the logs. You can insert, adjust and remove the sheet metal once the pressure or temperature stabilizes.
Once the processing time is finished, you can either pour water over the fire or place the aluminum sheet over the wood. However, water will almost immediately reduce temperatures and allow the venting and depressurization process to finish more quickly. Keep the canner on the grate as you would on your stove top until pressure reaches zero or the water cools.
Remove the jars and place in a shady spot until they cool to the temperature of the ambient air. Move them inside and allow them to cool to room temperature. Inspect the jars for defects and to ensure each one is properly sealed. Label, date and store the jars appropriately.
Take a stab at outdoor canning, and give yourself some time to get the hang of things. Knowing how to avail yourself of this option will give you more possibilities for food preparation if you can’t use your kitchen. Just remember to follow standardized canning guidelines and other requirements as specified in the recipes you are preparing. As long as you can maintain pressure or temperature, you can easily process and store a range of foods for a rainy day.
