Canning up dairy is way different from other canning

Dairy is very acidic so it just needs to be water bathed for a short time.  If you do it to long or try to pressure can it, you'll end up with a very disgusting blob that will be very uneatable.    Here are some of my dairy canning things so you can try it and get the general idea on what to do on your own.

Alfredo Sauce

My daughter wanted Chicken Alfredo on her wedding menu.  She had so many items on her menu I had told everyone we only needed one stock pot full but they insisted on two stockpot fulls.  Unfortunately we had already added the veggies to it so it all went home with us and I had no way to save it.  It doesn't freeze well and with veggies in it I couldn't can it.   But I had enough cheese left over I went ahead and made several batches and canned up 12 pints of plain Alfredo Sauce.  It was very nice to open a bottle and add veggies and serve.  So here is my recipe:
This recipe did up 15 pint jars:

6 cups Butter Melted in a big pot
Stir in 3 Quarts of heavy cream and
26 ounces of Cream Cheese plus
a heaping Tablespoon of garlic powder

Stir constantly and bring to a boil and then turn down to a low simmer stirring often.

Add 2 cups Parmesan and or Mozzarella cheese.  Stir in until melted.  I keep adding more cheese until it gets thick.  Season with salt and pepper.

Fill hot jars and wipe rim clean and add prepared lids and put into boiling water bath canner.  When it comes back to a full rolling boil let it go for 10 minutes and then pull and put in clean towel to cool down. 

This is an easy project and makes for a very nice very quick meal.  A great addition to your food storage for sure!

Excess Milk

If you have excess milk and want to preserve it before it goes bad you can freeze it into smaller containers or you can, can it to use in baked goods or making hot chocolate. 

To can:  Pour milk into prepared canning jars and seal lids.  Place in water bath canner and when rolling boil is reached let it go for 10 minutes then pull to cool down on counter top on a clean towel.

Copycat Velveeta

This recipe comes from Budget101 website.  You can find tons of great recipes and tips on frugel living on their site!   http://www.budget101.com/copycat-clone-recipes/homemade-velveeta-3630.html

You'll Need:

12 oz Sharp cheddar cheese, grated (I used 8 oz Sharp & 4 ounces Mild)**
3/4 c very hot water
1/4 cup plus 1 1/2 tsp instant dry milk or you can use 1 cup milk (not low fat!) in place to the water and dry milk

3/4 tsp unflavored gelatin

Line a small Loaf pan with plastic wrap, set aside.
In a blender or food processor combine water, milk and gelatin, whipping well until gelatin is fully dissolved. Add the cheddar cheese, whipping until very smooth. If using a blender, you must work FAST. I recommend filling the blender with Hot water and then dumping it out before beginning (It blends so much easier if the dish is Hot!)


Pour into prepared loaf pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Slice as desired for grilled cheese sandwiches, munching, etc.

Yields about 1 pound
**Tips: DO NOT USE Pre-shredded cheese. It contains an additive to prevent the cheese from "Clumping" which will also make your cheese have a "gritty" texture.


In a blender or food processor combine water, milk and gelatin, whipping well until gelatin is fully dissolved. Add the cheddar cheese, whipping until very smooth. If using a blender, you must work FAST. I recommend filling the blender with Hot water and then dumping it out before beginning (It blends so much easier if the dish is Hot!)

Pour into prepared loaf pan, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. Slice as desired for grilled cheese sandwiches, munching, etc.

Yields about 1 pound

**Tips: DO NOT USE Pre-shredded cheese. It contains an additive to prevent the cheese from "Clumping" which will also make your cheese have a "gritty" texture.

One pound will fill a pint jar so if you are canning this times the recipe by how many jars you want to fill.   If you want it to slide right out of the jar then you will need to use the 1 pint wide mouthed straight sided jars .  You would water bath this for 10 minutes.

Cheese Whiz Clone

12 ounces evaporated milk
4 teaspoons vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
4 pounds Velveeta type cheese
2 teaspoons dry mustard

Melt milk and cheese in a double boiler.  when creamy and smooth add remaining ingredients and mix well.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Fill canning jars and process in water bath for 10 minutes.

I've used this recipe for several years and have no clue where I got it from.  I had a different recipe for making Velveeta type cheese using cottage cheese and that might be listed in my early blog but I went to the simpler type recipe from Budget 101 so I won't share the Amish style Velveeta made from cottage cheese.

Canning cheese:

You can can hard cheeses by putting your canning jars on a cookie sheet in a 250 degree oven.  Grate the cheese and add and let melt and keep adding until the jar gets full.  Make sure the rim is clean ** IT WILL BE VERY HOT!  USE CARE IN WIPING THE RIMS!  Use canning lids that were presoaked in hot water and dry them and cap and seal the jars and carefully move to counter top and set on towel to cool down.  

It was great to have cheese canned up this winter when we got snowed in.  This cheese is more crumbly then the regular store bought cheese but was just as yummy to eat!

This should be enough recipes to get you started on canning up your own dairy products! 

Blessing!
Cherlynn
brchbell@yahoo.com