We had a good field trip.
The Florida Corrections system used to do things the right way. Prisioners had to provide for themselves. They grew their own food and a cannery was established so that they could earn their keep. That system has gone by the wayside but thankfully the Dept. of Agriculture has kept the cannery open to the public.
In an earlier blog I mentioned that Greg on Southern Cross had given us some canned roast beef and how scrumptious is was. So since we're sitting here in limbo waiting for a prop we decided to go along with a marina group that was going anyway.
$7.50 per hour divided among the group (7 boats went)
.41 (cents) per can
You supply the goods to be canned and whatever spices you want.
Winn-Dixie and Sav-A-Lot had some great meat sales after the New Year.
London Broil, buy 1, get 1 free
Pork Roast, buy 1, get 1
Tyson frozen chicken breasts, $1.10/lb
etc.
Needless to say, we did well.
20lb chicken
17 3/4lb London Broil
12 1/4lb Pork Loin Top Roast
5 1/2lb Ground beast
4 1/4lb Beef Round Bottom Roast
2 Bacon-wrapped Filet-Mignon
We spent an entire day processing meats, cubing, making chops, roasts, tossing gobs of fat to the fishes... and everyone met up at 7:30am the next day and carpooled into Jacksonville...and not the good end either. I think this is where the 136 murders in 2006 happened.
This place was immaculate. An industrial kitchen and canning facility. All run by volunteers with one supervisor. They sat out cans and turned us loose. We browned ground beef and made meatballs there (pre-spiced the day before), we had also soaked some pork chunks in BBQ sauce the day before as well as some chicken. Everything was already cut and labeled so we set about putting everything into cans and labeling them. Then we saw that with the sweat from the cold meats, the ink was coming off the cans. So, label the cans and then fill them.
The teamwork was amazing. Some had their meats pre-processed and it went quickly. Those that didn't hopped to and when one person finished with their things they went on to help someone else finish their job. We were all splitting the time bill so many hands make light work. Cans were filled with amazing things like chili, curry chicken, even hamburgers! People were very imaginative. I'm glad we inspired a few with some of our creations.
The cans were then fed into a steam-machine and when they emerged, tops were spun onto them, then into the cookers. These are high-quality cans and they were HOT all night along. Like any canned good, they pop when they seal. We left the cans in the cockpit so they could cool and all night we heard the 'tink' of the cans popping. Every one sealed as it should.
Roughly 60lbs of meat made 81 cans. Final cost: $2.14 per can!!!
Try buying low-fat, high-quality canned meat for anywhere near that price. And that is final price - cost of meat, approx. for spices, cannery time, and cost of cans!
We now have (in cans) :
12 chicken
5 spicy chicken
11 london broil
7 meatballs
4 ground beef
6 roast beef
8 pork
4 pulled pork bbq
21 pork roast
1 filet mignon (for our anniversary)
2 mystery (ink came off)
We opened a pork. OH WOW! It fell apart, shredded itself. We added a little mole spice (chocolate and peppers) and added it to the pork. Gracias, amigo! It was just delicious. Our ship's stores are overflowing. Let the grid go down, we'll get by. And the first 2 people to find us can stay.
The 2006 Green Cove Springs Canning Club:
Brian & Heather, Holding Pattern
Mike & Kim, Child's Play
Barbara, Barbara Ann
Marilyn, Scaramouche
Luanne, Mesmeriah
Diane, Silver Girl
Greg, Southern Cross
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