Help re: Dry Canning, Meals in a Jar, Finding Ingredients Called for in Recipes

Greetings,

I am interested in stocking up some meals in a jar. Sometimes called dry canning, the meals are not required to be kept in jars but could be sealed in Mylar bags as well. Point being assembling the dry ingredients to create a meal at a later time by just adding water. To help out, I've purchased a cookbook called The Meals in a Jar Handbook by Stephanie Peterson. There are many other meals in a jar cookbooks available as well, but this is the one I chose. Now to the problem...

Having received the book and being interested in many recipes, I find myself at a loss as to acquiring some of the ingredients. The author works with Honeywell, so all recipes call for a particular Honeywell product however should also be available through other brands as well. As a specific example, the Broccoli Cheese and Rice Casserole jar calls for: dehydrated celery dehydrated onion, and freeze-dried broccoli.

Is it possible to purchase these in a normal grocery store? There is no Honeywell located near me, or even in my state. While it is true I could order these items online, to do so I would have to order many types of things in very large quantities. While I wouldn't mind purchasing in large quantities, I simply don't want to without trying the meal first. No use stocking up or purchasing ingredients for meals I don't like.

If anyone can advise me, this is what I am looking to discover:

Where are ingredients such as dehydrated celery and onion and freeze-dried broccoli located in a regular USA grocery store, if at all?

I tried to search for a store or business like Honeywell near me but might be using the wrong keywords, what would you search for if looking for a store like this? I literally typed in 'stores like Honeywell in TX' and 'LDS cannery' and things. I got nothing.

Am I totally screwed here and in order to try any of these meals once, I'm going to have to buy huge cans online and pay shipping?

Thanks.

reply to post by Ameilia


Walmart now carries dehydrated canned foods.

I ave a dehydrator, so I dry my own onions and spices.

I really enjoy canning, and storing tings from my garden; it gives me a great sense of satisfaction, and keeps me from having to go to the store too often.

Good luck on your endeavor!

P.S. They come in #10 cans, so the initial investment isn't cheap, but you can make a fair amount of meals from them.

reply to post by nugget1


I have a Walmart close to me. Were these items on the baking ingredients aisle, spices, or their own special aisle, please? I've seen (and know it's only been recently added) giant cans of powdered eggs and milk. Thank you.

reply to post by Ameilia


At the store near me they are all grouped together. They have large buckets of rice, flour, etc. on the bottom shelf, and all of the # 10 cans on the upper shelves.

reply to post by nugget1


Thanks. I will check this week!

reply to post by Ameilia


I was going to say the same a nugget1.
It is really easy to dehydrate anything you want as far as fruits and veggies go. It might be worth the investment to find a decent dehydrator and just process your own ingredients when they are in season or on sale at the store. I love having jars full of carrots and other veggies for a quick add in or the fruits for morning oatmeals. They also make a tasty healthy snack all on their own. Happy Canning!

I would agree, you'll actually save money, in the long run, just buying the dehydrator, and doing it yourself.

Also, If you like to can, and have a pressure cooker, there are plenty of "wet" meals you can do in a jar. My favorite is homemade beef stew. You can do taco meat, and even bacon then too! Makes making a meal so much easier.