Some experts from my church taught a canning class last Saturday.  It inspired & excited me.  So this was the first thing I tried from Saturday's demo's.  The instructions are simple (which is why I started here rather than with pressure canning!) and self-explanatory, and I'm by no means an expert, but I'll answer any questions happily. 

The instructions:

1. Any butter can be used but the higher quality butters will be easier to work with. There won’t be as much separation.

2. One pound of butter is a little more then a pint so it is easy to figure how many one pint jars you will need.

3. First clean your jars thoroughly and put them in an oven at 200 degrees F for about 15 minutes. Put your rings and lids in a small pot and simmer for ten minutes.

4. Next melt the butter slowly until it comes to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes. (Amy’s notes: Be sure to keep it at a full simmer...it helps it to set up more evenly with far less shaking...you’ll thank me later.)

5. Pour the melted butter into the hot jars. Make sure you keep the butter stirred if doing a large batch so that it doesn't separate and go in unevenly.

6. Clean the tops of the jars with a cloth and put on the lids and rings. Tighten securely. Leave about one half of an inch space at the top of the jars.

7. When you hear the ping of the jars sealing, start shaking them every 5 minutes (don't shake before this...wait for a good seal). Continue until the mixture stays uniform between shaking. Then refrigerate and continue shaking every 5 minutes (take turns with your husband and kids!...the batches that I sufficiently simmered were easily done within 3 hours....others took up to 5 and were not so fun).

8. Smile, label, and put them in your storage. They should keep for 3 years.

I'll post these instructions with a warning: I came home and looked up information from various canning sites, and canning butter has NOT been tested and verified as completely safe. Many people have done it (and used the product) for years without incident. I could find no incidences of botulism or other problems, and many people I trust vouch for its safety.

an after note:  I opened one of the honey butters, and was disappointed that there is a slight graininess to the texture.  It's not even huge and will be fine overall for flavor & cooking, but a good friend of mine says she tried something a little different, so I'm planning to try both of our samples sometime and find my keeper recipe from there.  And I just might have to be "mostly" satisfied because it's a modified version for modified circumstances.  But it's something I'm very happy to have for food storage! 

more side notes:  They also canned cheese at our meeting.  It did not taste good and I think I'd rather go without.  There ARE limits.  Though I've read that you can purchase some very tasty (and pricey) canned cheeses.