The Amish lifestyle is one that many of us preppers admire. Amish lead a very simplistic lifestyle that is free of the modern conveniences that the majority of the country takes for granted.
The Amish believe in one God. They believe that their faith calls for them to lead a lifestyle that consists of hard work and discipline. Amish shun certain modern conveniences that would not allow them to adhere to their beliefs.
Amish store their food mostly through canning, since some modern preservation techniques go against their beliefs.
The process of canning hasn’t changed much over the decades, though Amish women today may use a propane-powered or generator-powered stove, depending on what their particular Community and Bishop allows.
Related: Canning Mormon Beans For Long Term Preservation
While us “English ” (What Amish call non-Amish) use a dishwasher to sanitize our jars, the Amish use a propane-powered stove to heat water to sterilize her jars and for the canning process.
Two thirds of the Amish community live in Pennsylvania, Indiana and Ohio. The highest concentration of Amish live in Holmes county Ohio.
I personally grew up right outside of the Amish community so our recipe is directly sighted from one of my local connections to the community. To show our support, all of the food items I’m using come from their local variety store.
Amish grow what is sustainable for their families including lots of root vegetables. Root vegetables last much longer in a pantry than other vegetables since they are used to being hidden from site in the moist dark ground.
I was able to get all of the vegetables for this recipe (potatoes, carrots and yellow onion) for just a little over a dollar. I also was able to pick up some frozen ground beef and beef bouillon for under four dollars and the rest went into a can of diced tomatoes.
Let’s get started on this awesome recipe for Amish stew.
Ingredients
- 4 small-medium potatoes
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 14oz can of diced tomatoes
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp chives
- 1 tbsp parsley
- 1lb frozen ground beef
- Dutch oven
- Pressure cooker/ Canner
Directions:
1. Turn the stove (the Amish use gas but I have an electric stove) to medium heat. We’re now going to brown our beef in the Dutch oven to create some fond on the bottom of the pot.
Related: Dutch Oven – The Lost Art Of Scratch Cooking
Fond is the caramelization that happens at the bottom of the pot when browning meat or vegetables. After it’s browned we’re going to drain out as much grease as we can.
2. Here we’re going to add our vegetables: carrots, potatoes, onion and diced tomatoes. These veggies contain key nutrients to our diet like vitamin C, vitamin A, potassium and folate.
3. We’re gonna mix our 2 beef bouillon cubes with 3 cups of hot water until they are dissolved and add it in the Dutch oven with our garlic powder, chives, and parsley.
4. Pull out a deck of cards to play solitaire because we’re going to turn the heat down to low and cook for 3 hours with the Dutch oven lid on to retain moisture.
5. Our Amish stew is ready to eat so serve it up with some cornbread to make sure it’s to your liking. Add salt or pepper then let’s move on to canning.
Related: Amish Long-Lasting Recipes Every Prepper Should Learn
How To Can Amish Stew
We’re going to use the pressure canning method to preserve our Amish stew.
Pressure canning is the only safe method of preserving low-acid foods. Low-acid foods include vegetables, meats, fish, and poultry.
Related: Canning Pasta Sauce for Long Term Preservation
Pressurized steam creates the needed temperature of 240 degrees Fahrenheit or higher that will destroy the bacteria present in the food.
1. Fill your pressure canner with 3 inches of hot water. Unlike the water bath method the jars don’t have to be fully covered. It is imperative to have adequate water level or risk damaging your pressure canner.
2. Put a rack at the bottom of the pressure canner and add your jars. The stew will be hot so I recommend using jar tongs to avoid burning yourself or dropping the jars.
3. Turn on the heat to high on your stove. Pop the lid of the pressure canner and tighten the seal. Once the vent starts steaming, set the timer to 10 minutes.
4. When the venting period is complete, use an oven mitt to place the weighted gauge on the canner.
5. Turn the stove to low heat. Process filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure 1 hour and 15 minutes for pints and 1 hour and 30 minutes for quarts.
6. Release pressure from the pressure canner. Remove the jars carefully with jar tongs and allow the jars to cool. Check for the seal.
I canned only two jars from this recipe. My children smelled it and decided they needed to taste test the Amish Stew for control purposes. They ate most of the stew only leaving me with enough to can only two jars when this recipe makes about 6-8 quarts.
This recipe is definitely being added to our dinner menu! I plan on making a large batch since with pressure canning the stew will last up to two years if kept in a cool dark place.
Whether it’s from their preservation techniques or a delicious recipe, we can learn so much from the Amish community. Their lifestyle is one many preppers can relate to.
The Amish don’t rely on the world so when S.H.T.F. it won’t make too much difference in their everyday lives. Which is the goal of any prepper, that no matter what happens we will be okay and ready.
Comment below what other skills you would like to learn from the Amish community and lifestyle.
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Interesting lid on your canned stew picture. Looks like a commercial one piece lid?
As compared to the flat lid and rings I’ve used for canning.
Could you describe how these are used please?
i’m with you I’ve seen these lids for sale but i have not been able to find the directions for use. I would appreciate the method used gor them as regular flats are getting harder to find
This may be a bit confusing at first, however, it does give values or a range of values you can shoot for. The secret is to be tight enough so as not to leak but loose enough to vent the increased internal pressure experienced in pressure canning.
Torque Guide
Do a lot of canning the white lid on the jar are just lids to put on a jar after you open it? They are plastic not canning lids!! Say you open 2 jars of you canned meat or vegetables, and you only want 1 1/2 jar, put the white plastic lid on the 1/2 empty jar and refrigerate it? I have dozens, I picked up a Walmart. Misleading article for someone not familiar with home canning.
These are actually metal lids one full piece. This is my first time testing them out. They canned fine but I’m keeping two set aside one with a classic lid and one piece lid to see how they last. That’s not going to be an article but my own personal prepper excitement
#6 in the directions is sorta confusing. That is, DO NOT release pressure on a pressure canner before the gauge has reached ZERO or all safeties have released. This sudden change in pressure is VERY dangerous. I suggest everyone read and re-read the manufacturers direction on the proper use of the pressure canner.
I agree. Follow the directions for YOUR pressure cooker.
Joyce:
Canner. Pressure COOKERS are much different and are NOT meant to CAN foods. Only pressure COOK them
CDW is absolutely correct. Never release the pressure on your pressure canner before the pressure canner is at zero. I am a Master Food Preserver. The pressure release time is calculated into the safe canning time. Not to mention releasing the pressure is likely to cause food the vent from your jars and or crack them.
I appreciate the information however can you suggest a link to some pressurized canning kits i.e. all in a kit’s I can buy somewhere.
From the actual pressurized unit, jars, lids, pickling ingredients, tongs, how to can, recipes and or any other equipment I may need etc…
It would be much appreciated since you know what you’re doing and I don’t.
Please let me know where to go as there are so many different opinions on the net, just want to make sure I get the right equipment/ information etc… I don’t want to waste my money. Also I never did this at all, I don’t even know how to dehydrate food/meats etc…
I’ll be using a electric stove. Could I use a wood-fire / bbq grill too?
Thank you
I apologize for the confusion! I will do better in the future thank you so much for the information!
Well, I don’t can and know it’s a skill I need to learn. In the meantime, that won’t stop me from making this recipe as it sounds like it is simple to make and provides a big hot and hearty supper on a cold winters day.
I have not learned how to can yet, and the recipe sounds good, but what if I used fresh diced tomatoes from my garden, and added in green beans, peas, or other vegetables? Would that make any difference to the canning process?
DZ
The only difference would be in your tomatoes and the amount of acidity. But, since you are pressure canning this, should not be an issue.
You always can to the longest ingredient. IE, if you were making something like spaghetti sauce with meat. It would be canned to the directions of the meat, not the tomatoes. Does that make sense?
Always do the canning to the longest item in recipe and always use the pressure canner with meat and any low acid food!
Good luck
MadFab
MadFab have you ever canned using those commercial looking single lids like in the photo in this article? cdw’s link goes to the webpage that sells them.
That’s not a plastic re-use lid it’s metal with a pop top on it.
I’ve seen them on comeandmakeit site.
I wonder if it’s the same tightness we use on the flat pack lids with rings?
Hi Michael,
No I have never even seen them around here. We have the plastic after ya open the jar lids but not seen the others. Asked my Mama about them and she has never heard of them either.
There are some lids out of Germany that are reusable with clips that look intriguing to me, but I have had such epic fails with Tattler when pressure canning, I haven’t pull the trigger. Saw them on RoseRed YT channel.
I am not the end all be all canner in the world, but I Hate wasting my time money and product for things that won’t work for me. Operator error? Could be. But several others in my family also failed when using to pressure can. Now I did get some to work on fruit and tomatoes, UT still enough failure for me to pass.
How have ya been? Is it warming up back there for ya? We have not had more than 5 days without rain since beginning of April.
All my Potatoes and onions rotted in the garden. Have a few more spuds and ordered some more onion sets. One of my Honeycrusp trees never got 1 single flower thus year. All others are good, but now we have a caterpillar infestation.
Try gardening now, so you can fail now!! You know I am not a good gardener but I try.
Hope all is well with you and yours.
Hey did I see ya post on the Bleg the other day? Maybe a different one. Thoughtnit was you. If so, welcome Home.
Peace,
MadFab
For safety, the already canned is best for this recipe. Adding the acidity to low acid veggies is a necessary precaution to prevent bacterial growth. Canning your tomatoes is a great option for you too! Then you can use them for other recipes too; Remember when cooking, all the veggies will soften, root veggies nicely, the plant/vine veggies may fall apart and turn everything green. An better option to consider is to dry the green beans or peas instead. Just add them to the stew when reheating. In regard to adding fresh tomatoes vs. canned – when cooking and eating, there will definitely be a flavor difference and you’ll be contending with peels. Canning Soup Safely is a great resource for precautions too.
Wondering how do you dry your green beans Kelly. Do you use a dehydrator or do you string them up and let them air dry? The family loves green beans and I do not see them for sale in a dehydrated form. This for me would be a simple project worth the work as I know they would be a welcomed sight on the dinner table in a SHTF situation.
Good morning all —
Chloe, good recipe. It looks remarkably like my beef stew, that I’ve been making for over 40 years. Except I use stew meat.
I think you forgot to account for the large population of Amish in central Illinois around the Arthur area, which is where I grew up. Some of us didn’t just grow up around, some of us are actually related to them.
Some of the Amish in the area have gone to using electricity. I was in my grandmothers old house it had a very modern kitchen. If you are ever in Arthur, eat at Yoder’s, it’s run by Amish women.
That’s awesome! My local Amish are traditionalists and haven’t added much in the terms of technology. Thank you for sharing!
The author is right in saying that many preppers have a deep respect for the Amish and their lifestyle, myself included. Knowing only a little bit, really, about the Amish, I do know that they don’t want their picture taken. So I’m wondering why the photo shows the young women’s faces. Was this staged or disrespectful of their beliefs? Questions about the canning lids have already been brought up. The recipe sounds delicious and I’m looking forward to trying it, but will probably use cubed beef rather than ground beef.
The photos aren’t mine so I don’t know those were added after I handed over the article to the site. I know some Amish are okay with photos but not all. You are spot on and people should always ask first before taking a photo of Amish.
I am going to do this tonight. thanks for sharing. I have instant pot max, just set my altitude and time and its awesome.
Terri,
You can pressure can in the insta pot max???
Can ya do quarts or just pints and smaller? I am intrigued!! I kmow many folks who don’t can anymore because it is just them and can’t use that many jars of whatever.
I keep telling them that they are going to NEED more things on the shelf in the not so distant future.
Plus the bigger pressure canners are heavy and arthritic hands have trouble getting lids on and off.
I’m going to do a bit of research on these. Thank you for the info.
Peace
MadFab
I heard that Instant Pot failed the tests a d is not an approved pressure canning method. I bought mine to use it for canning and now am very hesitant to do so.
MadFab, NO! You can’t CAN foods in a PRESSURE COOKER, which is what the Instant Pot is, a pressure COOKER.
You are able to only can foods in a PRESSURE CANNER, which is different from a pressure cooker.
Please make sure which you have or are about to buy.
Pressure CANNER for canning food for long term storage
Pressure COOKER for cooking foods quickly via pressure.
Hi, It doesn’t look like the ingredient list will fill 6-8 quarts. By my estimate: 2# meat = 2cups, 4 med potatoes = 6-8 cups, 2 med carrots = 1!/2 cups, tomatoes = 2 cups bullion + water = 3 cups, spices are a few tablespoons. This might make 4 quarts not 6 – 8 quarts. You must have to double or triple the recipe for the amount she claims. Blessings
It filled 6 quarts for me, but knowing myself I may have added too much of something! Thanks for checking that and correcting it!
They’ll worry when they run out of propane for the stoves and refrigerators…..
that said. they still know more than I do.
Common in the UK as plain old Beef Stew. Not related to Amish at all. Most people over here make beef stew in the winter. Don’t need a complicated canning process to preserve either. A simple Kilner jar with rubber seal and metal poppers can be bought in supermarkets or on line.
Same jars but in a variety of sizes used to keep pickles or jam.
The stew looks tasty but I am concerned about the canning instructions. Please check with the website for the National Center for Home Food Preservation or your state’s Extension Service for safe canning directions and acidification instructions.
See: National Center for Home Food Preservation.
When using tomato products or tomatoes in a canning recipe, current safety recommendations to prevent Botulism are to add a specified amount of extra acid to the recipe in the form of either 5% acidity vinegar, or bottled (not fresh-squeezed) lemon juice, or citric acid,
see: Acidifying Tomatoes When Canning and Selecting, Preparing and Canning Tomatoes. Also, the number of pounds of pressure required for canning the stew will vary depending on the elevation above sea level of the place where you are doing the canning.
Further, the white lid shown on the jar in one of the photos in the article is O.K. to use for storing the jar of stew in the refrigerator after it has been opened but is not O.K. to use for canning the stew.
For that, when using a Ball (or similar) type canning jar you should use a standard two-piece flat metal canning lid and ring/band combo or a Tattler-type plastic lid, rubber gasket, and metal ring/band three-piece combo.
Thank you for all this wonderful information! I did the one piece metal lid for a personal experiment. Since it was shared as viable option since it’s metal.
Good recipe and good simple ingredients, good stuff. If you really want to use the flavor of fond go to the trouble of browning the meat in a stainless steel skillet, or cast iron, or a restaurant sautee pan like a Matfer. I love cooking in a ceramic lined dutch oven but the surface doesn’t lend itself to browning. I just butter poached salmon fillets in a Matfer sautee pan and deglazed the fond with Pinot Grigiot and made an orange sauce, yeah that’s some real Prepper cooking…
Looks like a tasty meal, going to give it a whirl. I always ask permission of any Amish who may appear in a photo that I’m about to take. My experience has been that they will not look at the camera, however, have occasionally allowed the photo. I have alot of respect for the Amish way of life. Our Amish neighbors used to babysit my daughter. They even dressed her up like an Amish baby and took her to town with them in the horse and buggy. Thank you for this article. Going to check out the links.
Anything you would like to share about Amish skills will be greatly appreciated. I have been interested in their methods for years.
Better arm up and stock deep
Massive gun control is coming and the nra and Republicans will fold