I am afraid that I might anger some hardcore bottlers and canners with this article.  I hope I don’t.  Actually, anyone who knows me knows that I am a pretty heavy duty canner and bottler myself.  Not only is it aesthetically pleasing to look at, but it also gives me a sense of security that I can take care of my family and keep them well fed.  That being said, let’s go on to some things that maybe we shouldn’t bottle.

My friend gave me a recipe to bottle butter for long term storage.  She asked me if I had bottled butter.  I told her I hadn’t.  I have always tried to keep a case or two of butter and/or margarine in my freezer, so I really didn’t see the value in it.  I thought that it might be kind of fun or interesting to say, “Yeah, I’ve bottled butter before” but not that much fun.

I have also heard about people who bottle their bread and cakes to store for long term storage, but to make the bottled bread safe, you must add lemon juice to increase the acidity level.  That just makes the bread taste bad and bottled bread has a peculiar texture.  I like freshly made, light, fluffy, yummy tasting bread.

I decided not to bottle my breads, cakes or butter because I just didn’t see the value in it.  Fresh baked bread just tastes better, but when I read an article about the dangers of bottling bread and butter I became downright concerned for those who do.

Bottling vegetables, fruits, and meat can be very safe, and economical, if you take the right precautions and follow tried and true recipes that have been tested by the USDA or other reputable companies like Ball and Mason.  But there are some things that you really shouldn’t bottle.

There are only three things that need to be present to cultivate botulism: low moisture, low acidity and little or no oxygen.  You can’t add lemon to increase the acid content of butter, which does have water in it, and there is no way of knowing if you have killed all of the germs when sterilizing the bottles.  If you haven’t, you can actually be helping the bacterium Clostridium botulinum to breed in your butter, and as you know, botulism is a potentially fatal illness.  So again I ask, “Why take the chance?”

When preserving food for my family to eat at a later date, I want to take every precaution to keep them safe.  I like to store things at the most basic level so that I can use them for a variety of dishes.  I store flour, sugar, salt, yeast, baking powder/soda and dried eggs and I freeze my butter so that it doesn’t get old.  That way I can make my bread and cakes fresh and enjoy my butter without worrying about the little microbes or bacteria that might be enjoying me later.  Here is a link to an article published in the Provo Daily Herald about food storage scares.

If you really want to make a cake and use something bottled, then follow my mother-in-laws wonderful “Any Old Bottle of Fruit” Cake recipe and I think that you will be very satisfied, and the bottle will be easier to clean.

“Any Old Bottle of Fruit” Cake
1 quart of any bottled fruit, juice and all
2 cups of granulated sugar
1 cup oil
4 cups flour (not sifted)
4 teaspoons soda – mix in with fruit
1 teaspoon salt
1teaspoon cloves
1teaspoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup nuts (optional)
1 cup raisins or chocolate chips (optional)

Blend or chop fruit and place in a large mixing bowl with sugar and oil. Add sifted dry ingredients, and if desired, nuts and /or raisins/chocolate chips. Mix together well and pour into a 9×13 inch pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in the middle. Cool. Frost with Cream Cheese Icing. Hurry and take a big slice before anyone knows that the cake is done, or you won’t get any because it is that good.

Cream Cheese Icing
¼ cup butter or margarine
3 oz. package of cream cheese
A pinch of salt
2 ½ cups powdered sugar

Place all ingredients in a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy, adding a few drops of milk or cream, if necessary, to make the icing a spreading consistency. Spread over cooled cake.