OK folks! - here's the problem. I make the world's best chowder! (No brag-just fact, but I'll share the basic recipe!) We are pretty near the coast, about 10 miles inland from Portland, Maine. My chowder is never the same twice, but generally includes most of the following: Fish, lobster, crab, clams, shrimp, corn, potatoes, onions, scallions, garlic, whole milk, cream and spices. Here's the problem : I have a lot of flatlander friends who really, really like this stuff. OK - if we visit, we bring it frozen. But I'd like to send some, and canning seems like an answer. Ever canned it? Do I NOT cook the seafood and figure the 10 lbs pressure for 75 minutes or so is enough, and won't produce mush? Is that a reasonable pressure and time? I can't find anything in my books to guide me! Help! ANY input solicited and appreciated. Also, good guidance will get you not only the recipe, but a jar of the finished canned product! Am I a sweetheart or what!? GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), December 29, 2000

Answers

According to the ball blue book on clam chowder, Can ONLY in 1/2 pints or pints. Pour hot (from boiling) into hot jars processing At 10lbs. for 1hr.40min. It reccomends to add any milk upon serving,(recipe uses water for preperation)probably because of politically correct (sneer) USDA guidelines against canning milk. I know people still can milk, but you might want to consider your friends' reactions if they figured out they recieved something big brother dosen't approve of. ( I occasionally have this problem with people's reactions to real sasafrass root beer.) Perhaps you could send instuctions with the soup on how to add the milk & cream. Hope this helps. I REALLY hope this helps, if you knowaddamean :~)

-- Steven in NC (ThicketyRowFarm@Aol.com), December 29, 2000.

I think adding the milk later and not boiling it would make for better flavor, not safety.

-- Sam in W.Va. (turnip55a@yahoo.com), January 01, 2001.

My concern is after you have cooked it up and THEN process it for another hour and so many minutes..are you going to have a viable product or goop? or sludge?

-- Lynn (mscratch1@semo.net), January 02, 2001.

Assemble and combine raw ingrediants, pack in pints or half pints, leave out the milk because pressure canned milk tastes HORRIBLE, and generally follow the Ball Blue Book of Home Canning for everthing else pertaining to pressure canning, and you are all set. The Ball Blue Book of Home Canning is available from your local library if you can't find it eslewhere, good luck!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), January 03, 2001.

Thanks for all the input! With your impeccable (or only slightly peccable) advice, I believe I have a battle plan. Cook lightly, can, and add milk and cream when you are ready to serve. We shall see. And I shall apprise you of the results, whether an incredible success or a dreadful failure. But as the man said, "Experience comes from knowledge, and knowledge comes from failure". I only live in fear that this may become my very first mistake, having been infallible until now. (Oh wait - that wasn't me!) GL! and thanx!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), January 03, 2001.

Now Annie,that sounds more like it!!

-- Lynn (mscratch1@semo.net), January 03, 2001.

Boy, did I screw that up! The quote is "Knowledge comes from experience, and experience comes from failure"! Guess I can consider that post to be failure/experience! GL!

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), January 03, 2001.

Thanx to all, and here's how it worked out. I sauteed onions, scallions and garlic in a very small amount of butter. I cooked the fish (cubed) in the salted water until it JUST began to simmer. I then used the same water to do the same with the potatoes. Lobster, clams, shrimp, and crab were already cooked, so just went into the pot. Pureed 1 lb corn and added 2nd as whole kernel. Added spices and herbs. Brought mixture to just barely boiling and ladled into 1 pint jars. Processed at 10 lbs for 75 minutes. At serving, added 1 cup (8 oz) 1/2 & 1/2 and 1 TBSP butter. Outstandingly wonderful, and after trying it today, I am quite sure there is nothing bad about this from a health standpoinfaaoihj ra........ gahhhhh!hSDPFOIYN ADRTVCN

-- Brad (homefixer@SacoRiver.net), January 10, 2001.

Oh Brad, that kind of post so close to supper is just not fair!!!! All my favorite foods in one dish!!! yikes, sure can't afford the sea food in good o'michigan.

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), January 10, 2001.

Hey Brad, you okay? Sounding a little strange there! ;-)

Diane, my mom makes a fish chowder that sounds essentially the same, except it's always firm-fleshed white fish, not the other types of seafood. If you think fish is not too expensive, or you catch your own, you might want to try that!

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), January 11, 2001.