I make my own Tahini and just top it off with olive oil and leave it out at room temp. Hummus is so simple to make, I never thought about canning it. The salt and lemon may need to be adjusted for canning, but I don't know. Let us know how it turns out!

Well, since I start mine from scratch, I'd like to make a lot of it. Would also like to jar some for Christmas presents. :)

If I find a recipe for canning it, I'll bop back over here and let you know how it turns out.

Pony!

Perhaps put it all in a basket with some other "cold" treats like some feta cheese and olives. Some tabouli would be a nice touch (red and green for the holidays), but it doesn't hold up well for too long (three days max).

Ahhhh hell . . . just cook 'em dinner! After all of my ramblings, the Kibbi (Koubbeh) will be the only thing left that I haven't suggested for the baskets. Top it all off with some "Arak" as an after dinner cocktail. Watch that stuff, it hits some women harder than Cuervo shots!

If ya need any recipes, I have them all written down at the house. Have fun with it ! TIM

Someones asked this not long ago....you might do a search to see if the thread has fallen off yet. I can a lot of garbanzo beans for hummus (etc.), but don't can hummus. From what I remember of the other thread, that was pretty common.

Probably ok to pressure can, but cannot have oil in it of any kind. To add acid, lemon juice is the most common acidifier.

It is not safe to can any pureed low acid foods. Sorry. I would can the chickpeas and then make it from there when you open the jars.

What about the red pepper spread?

Surely some purees are ok if you add enough acid?

Zabby

Yes, Zabby, the red pepper spread has enough acid to safely can. So many low acid foods wouldn't taste good with adding the acid, though. Lots of them are due to a density problem, just like with pumpkin butter, things like that, even with lots of added acid, still not safe to can. It gets to be so confusing !

Lemon juice is very good in hummus, so the acid shouldn't be a problem. But you would also want onions or garlic and that doesn't can well either. Do you grow your own garbanzo beans, or is it just that you want to have the stuff all made at one time? You could always freeze it instead of canning, then you could add as much olive oil and onions and whatever you like. The timing of the gifts would just have to be very careful. :-)

I have bought canned hummus (when I lived on a boat) so theoretically it should be possible. Hummus can also be purchased in powder form (another great living on a boat food) so you could also dry and powder everything, although that seems like an awful lot of work. Do tell us whatever you come up with. I make my own pita bread and we love hummus and falafel.

Marcia

I buy dried chickpeas in bulk, and just can't seem to get out of the habit of cooking for a small army even though we're down to just DH and me. ;)

A little off-topic, but many people have stated that you can't pressure can anything with fat in it -- yet I can meats all the time. Is it EXTRA fat you can't can, or am I doing something wrong?

Thanks for all the help!
Pony!

Pony, it is adding extra fat, oil, butter, etc. There are only a few recipes that contain added fat, and they are highly acidified, like marinated mushrooms, marinated 3 bean salad. There are a few that also have a bit of oil to saute veggies in, but all of that is taken into consideration with the times and method of canning. Lean meats are fine to pressure can.

When I make my red pepper spread, it gets balsamic vinegar added. Balsamic vinegar is usually 6% acidity and gives a nice flavor to the spread too.

I came across this in a google search as I am also looking to can some hummus for xmas presents. Pony, I hope you were able to do it.

I found out that it can be done in a pressure canner at 10 lbs pressure for 35 minutes. Here is the message in which I found the info, from a website calles "Ask Jackie":

"I was looking around to find out if it is possible to can hummus. I really did not find anything of use. There are not too many ingredients: Chickpeas, lemon juice, salt and tahini. Sometimes you can put olive oil in it. I was reading somewhere that you cannot can anything with added fat in it; i.e., butter, oil, etc. Is this true? If so, why?

Jen Clack

I see no reason you cannot can your hummus. I would heat it well, stirring to prevent scorching. Then quickly pack it into half-pint or pint jars to within an inch of the top. Remove any air bubbles. Process in a pressure canner for 35 minutes at 10 pounds pressure unless you live at an altitude over 1,000 feet. Then check your canning manual for instructions on increasing your pressure, if necessary, to match your altitude.
Yes, you can home can foods with added oil/fat. The reason you should do so cautiously is that during the processing, sometimes some of the fat or oil gets between the lid and jar rim, interfering with the sealing as the jar cools. Keep the jar rim very clean on capping the jar and check each jarÂs seal very well after the jar cools. Any that donÂt seal, refrigerate and use soon. Â Jackie"

I hope this helps, albeit a year later :)

I have seen the website you mention. The problem is I can't determine what Jackie's qualifications are or how she arrived at the determination hummus could be canned at 35 minutes 10 pounds pressure. I'm not saying the information is incorrect, just that I'd like to know more about the criteria she applied and the specific recipe (if any) she based it on. And if someone says "just tahini," tahini is both very dense and high-fat.

Carol

Here is a link that might be useful: Ask Jackie About Hummus

I would suggest you email Elizabeth Andress, the person who coauthored the USDA guidelines and ask her about the hummus.
This goes against food preservation guidelines, no pureed vegetables and no adding of oil to recipes not tested for safety, as in the marinated mushrooms, marinated peppers, etc. There are only a few recipes that contain oil such as those that are safe to can.

Here is a link that might be useful: Email National Center for Home Food Preservation.

When in doubt, don't do it. I've pushed the envelope for a long time here, wanting to can olive tepenade (sp?) and pumpkin butter, but the Jedi Masters of canning advised against it. :-)

I'm still here, and I'm still alive. Another thought, food corporations who preserve pumpkin butter and hummmus have equipment that can process food at a higher temperature than we can. There's really no safe way we can reproduce what they have in equipment resources.

On a slight tangent, this past "first frost", and a bushel of so of egg plant, we made up about a gallon of baba ganoush with lots of fresh garlic, lemon juice, tahini, and froze it in quart containers. It thaws out wonderfully, and tastes as good as the fresh.

I also found that it is ok to leave the skin on some of the roasted egg-plants, particularly the green ones, and they get food processed into indistinguishable little bits, and add a bit of roasted flavor.

I should think frozen hummus would thaw out very well.

The attached link is another option for those who are scared.

Now for my opinion (DISCLAIMER: This is my personal opinion only. My opinion should not be construed to be advice you should follow, and I am not advocating any activity or lack thereof. I am telling a story about my life, not giving the reader instruction on how he should live his.):

I have heard it over and over and over and over again about not canning pureed foods and the "rationale" behind that (eg., the low water content within the pureed food not conducting heat well, etc.).

I have canned (and am currently enjoying, as I write this, a six-month-old jar of) my own hummus. It is pureed, has olive oil, lemon juice, onion, garlic, red pepper, tahini, and, of course, garbanzo beans.

It has never tasted "off" and has never made anyone sick. I like to make it a little on the "thin" side so that the cooking effect of the pressure canner is offset. I can the pint jars at 12# for 25 minutes (I live above 2000').

The US FDA and Department of Agriculture have a vested interest in making people think there is a boogeyman living in every pressure canner. In my experience this is simply not the case.

Another fun thing to can is meatballs:

http://www.ldspreppers.com/showthread.php/1360-Canning-Meatballs

The only liquid in these jars are what results from the pressure canner cooking the meatballs (when she talks about "headspace", she's talking about the distance between the top meatball and the lid).

Here is a link that might be useful: My Canning Recipe for Garbanzo Beans & Homemade Hummus

Did you add all the ingredients before you canned it ? The recipe on your link adds everything after its canned

trtf4006 - not sure what your point is. According to the recipe link in your post you are NOT canning hummus nor are you canning pureed beans. It calls for normal canning of garbanzo beans and then pureeing and adding all the other ingredients AFTER opening the jars.

So what's the point you are trying to make?

Dave

The post you guys are referring to is from 2011. Don't hold your breath waiting for a response, unless they're still active on this forum :)

You are right of course Mike but for the benefit of future readers who may not notice the date on the post it is worth pointing out the errors.

Dave

I totally agree :)

If anyone is kinda bummed that this is an old thread, I will tell you that I freeze hummus all the time and that's wonderful. When I make a big pot of garbanzo beans, I make hummus, because home made hummus with fresh garbanzo beans tastes lots better than stuff made with canned beans.