waxing cheese - not recommended

Last night I was made aware of this statement from USU Extension services:


"From time to time, dubious methods arise for preparing and storing various food items. Current information being circulated about the merits of dipping cheese in wax and placing it in storage for many years can be placed in this category. Consider the science.

• Waxing cheese is a method to minimize mold growth on the surface of cheese. It cannot prevent growth or survival of many illness-causing bacteria. In fact, it may promote anaerobic (absence of oxygen) bacteria growth, such as botulism. The practice of waxing cheese for storage is considered extremely unsafe.

• Before the days of refrigeration, cheese was dryer and fermented to a lower pH (higher acid). These types of cheeses were traditionally stored at room temperature with wax covers. The very low pH and fermentation byproducts could inhibit foodborne illness bacteria. An example is parmesan-style cheese. Acid, dryness and fermentation byproducts make this cheese storable at room temperature.

• Today, many cheeses are made strictly for storage under refrigeration. These cheeses may not have a low pH and other factors created in the manufacturing process to prevent illness-causing bacteria growth because the manufacturer knows the cheeses will be kept refrigerated. If someone waxes this cheese and places it in food storage, there is no science indicating any level of safety. In fact, there is evidence to the opposite ? placing cheese meant for refrigeration at room temperature is a significant risk and hazard for foodborne illness.

Contact your local USU Extension office for further information on safe home food preservation and for storage advice." (Brian Nummer, Utah State University Extension food safety specialist, September 9, 2009)


As a result of this information, I no longer recommend waxing cheese for storage.

bottled butter

Have you heard about bottling your own butter? I did only recently and was intrigued. Who wouldn't want butter in their food storage?

As I did research on the internet, I discovered that for some bottled butter is a very controversial topic. I know that many of us (me included) bottle foods a certain way because that's the way we were taught by our mothers and grandmothers (and "no one has ever died"). I felt like it was important, though, for you to be aware of some possible dangers and then armed with the facts, you can decide how you'll proceed.

My research led me to the following articles:
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/288514/17/
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/questions/FAQ_canning.html#33

Jana Darrington, family consumer science agent for Utah State University extension stated, "When canned at home, items like butter and breads can provide fertile grounds for the paralytic illness botulism. We're just in the beginning stages of researching and trying to develop a safe method. Commercial enterprises have certain equipment and an ability to process that we can't do in our own kitchen. . . We don't know if there is any safe method for canning butter at home at this point."

I rely on extension services for a lot of my information on storage and canning. I'm excited about the possibilities of extension services developing and recommending a method for canning our own butter. But it sounds like we'll need to be patient and proceed with caution.

These articles suggest that you are currently better off buying commercially canned butter. I've seen this product at my local grocery store recently. You can also purchase powdered butter in #10 cans at food storage stores. I have actually stored a little bit of both, but haven't tried either product. Let me know if you've tasted commercially canned butter or powdered butter and can comment on the taste!

when in doubt, throw it out!

This morning, a can of sauerkraut sitting in my pantry caught my eye. I confess that I don't know how long I've had that can. It was definitely bulging and not just on one side, but on both sides. So, I threw out the can.

You might find that you have some canned-food as part of your three-month supply. Normally, those canned goods shouldn't cause you any hesitation to use them. Canned foods store well in cool areas for at least several years. The US Department of Agriculture states,

Store canned foods and other shelf-stable products in a cool, dry place. Never put them above the stove, under the sink, in a damp garage or basement, or any place exposed to high or low temperature extremes. Store high-acid foods, such as tomatoes and other fruit, up to 18 months. Low-acid foods, such as meat and vegetables, can be kept 2 to 5 years. While extremely rare, a toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum is the worst danger in canned foods. NEVER USE food from containers that show signs of “botulism”: leaking, bulging, rusting, or badly dented cans; cracked jars; jars with loose or bulging lids; canned food with a foul odor; or any container that spurts liquid when opening. DO NOT TASTE THIS FOOD! Even the tiniest amount of botulinum toxin can be deadly.

Here is an alternative link on storing canned foods (University of Minnesota Extension).

My can of sauerkraut did have an expiration date, but it was in some sort of code. The University of Nebraska extension service actually has a site that can help you interpret the coding dates on your cans. You can save yourself from having to look up this information on every can by dating your cans with a permanent marker when you buy them. Recently canned-food makers have done a better job of dating cans in a language that I can understand. I find that I have to mark my cans far less often than I used to (which is probably an indicator that that sauerkraut was older than I had imagined).

You'll likely be storing some canned goods in your three-month supply. So, it's a good idea to know and recognize signs of a can-gone-bad. A phrase comes to mind: "When in doubt, throw it out!"