nml5507, I've looked everywhere, at the Michigan State University Extension Website, at the University of Georgia, at the National Center for Home Food Preservation, in the Ball Blue Book. None of those say you should can peanut butter.

I would think that if pumpkin puree is too dense to safely can, then peanut puree would also be too dense to safely can.

I hope someone with some experience on this issue weighs in, but I can't find any instructions for you either way.

Annie

There was a previous thread discussing this issue. The instructions for canning peanut butter are no longer in the USDA Guide, but I can't find out if that was due to safety concerns or merely lack of demand. You might email the NCFHFP (National Center for Home Food Preservation) and ask. Here. I'd be interested in the answer as I'm sure would many other Forum members.

In the meantime, the NCFHFP still does provide guidelines for dry-canning roasted nuts, which might meet your needs as well. Here. They're assuming you're roasting nuts in the oven then canning, but you might also ask if that method is doable for roasted peanuts (a legume) as well. The NCHFP is very good about responding to any emails.

Another possibility is to contact your local LDS church. I know they offer classes on long-term storage of food, including peanut butter canning.

I've linked below to the previous Harvest thread. One thing I did learn in my research. Peanut butter will keep well on the shelf (cool) for at least 6 months, but the more nut particles (crunchies) in the peanut butter, the shorter the shelf life.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Canning Peanut Butter

I emailed NCHFP and will post their reply.
We're in New Mexico -so no real cool storage-no basements.

The dry-canning sounds like a lot of work -I know it'll be a lot of work to do the peanut butter too but then I'd be done for a long time!

My co-op offers
Peanuts, Valencia, Peanut Butter Stock, Dry Roasted & Blanched, Shelled, No Salt
Code:184
Brand: Bulk Nuts
Size: 30# Bulk
Price: $37.79

I had wanted to buy the cast iron burrs for my food mill and make a huge batch of peanut butter.
That would be a huge cost saving over buying the organic peanut butter.

Here's instructions for canning peanut butter in a BWB as provided by Backwoods Home Magazine.

You can home-can your peanut butter to keep it from going rancid by packing it tightly into clean canning jars to within one inch of the top, wipe the jar rim very clean, then place a previously boiled warm lid on the jar and screw the ring down firmly tight. Process the jars in a hot water bath for one hour.

I understand your reasons. Do let us know their response.

The only print reference I could find was my 1979 Ball Blue Book and that just said BWB 60 minutes. It's unfortunate there isn't an online archive (at least there's none I know of) for old USDA instructions that still fall within the safety range but have been dropped because it's more specialized information (if indeed that is the case).

Carol

Anything that can be canned commercially can be canned at home. Pumpkin puree is not too dense to home-can; I do it all the time, and have done for years. No reason why you can't do it with peanut butter. The principle is this: with a pressure-canner, it's the pounds of pressure per square inch (psi) that kills the microorganisms which heat alone won't kill. A scientific fact: heat under pressure kills any and all microorganisms. When they are killed, you have a sterile product: hence, safely-canned.

Sorry. The above message is incorrect. The pressure canner increases the temperature at which water boils, so you can reach a temperature of 240 instead of just 212. Heat kills micro-organisms, not pressure. The statement that anything that can be canned commercially can be canned safely at home is not correct either. Please check the National Center for Home Food Preservation for safety information.

I know Carol knows her stuff so there was an approved process way back then. But since this thread has resurfaced I wanted to add the latest info. NCHFP says it is no longer safe to dry can nut meats (except for boliled green peanuts). I did find an extension office pub with BWB recipe for peanut butter that was just reviewed in 2013, but I'm surprised that a legume (vegetable) with no added acid, esp. a rather dense puree, can be BWBed or really even processed at all. I'm going to try to email them tomorrow.

I just heard back and here is what the food scientist had to say (their pub said to BWB for 10 minutes!):

"You are correct in the fact that you should not water bath can peanut butter. The food safety team did not write this publication and did not review it. We will pull this publication and make the appropriate changes that are safe for food consumption. Thank you for calling this to our attention.

You are totally correct about the botulism problem. The recommendations here are not safe.

Again thank you."

Names withheld to protect the innocent (though I don't know who reviewed it if not the food safety team - most were cooking recipes so maybe they didn't think it necessary).

If they revise the pub and come up with a PC time I'll post a link, but I don't think they will, they'll just delete the reference to BWBing the peanut butter and say to put it in the fridge.

My hubby and I had a pecan tree and canned Pecan Butter for several years,and as recently as 4 years ago, following the old Ball Blue Book peanut butter instructions from the early 70s. We never had a problem. But because of all the warnings nowadays about the danger of doing so, I became paranoid and started freezing instead. I actually think the warnings are bunch of "hogwash", as long as the instructions are followed to a "t", but I decided to err on the safe side.

If you've been doing it for several years with success why not keep it up?

Sadly, we no longer have the tree :(