howdy Jim...
well one thing yur friend diddnt seem to realize.. smoked canned fish is already cooked.. lol. why in the heck would he put it in the microwave???? when I can fish, it is for use samiches!!! (sandwiches with salmon) that is pretty much the only way to eat canned salmon.. a bit of mayo, some onion, pickles, and whatever you have in the fridge to mix it all up and put it on "sourdough" bread..
it is also great in Dips.. a bit of cremecheese, and OMG!!! also great in Salads when fresh veggies are available, and if your like me, i take a jar and throw it into my backpack with a bunch of crackers and have instant lunch... especially duck hunting..
freezer space around here is available but limited. electricity is generated from Pure gold around here (diesel) for the most part and is hugely expensive. have one smallish chest freezer and it is packed. deer season, moose, duck, goose, and junk that I buy fills it to the brim. there is a small freezer above my fridge that I use for bread stuff. if I try to get fish in there, its over for mammal meat and frozen veggies. i have the the most efficient freezer I could get my hands on, and am super careful with power apliances and chargers, and my power bill still runs around 140 in the summer, and nearly 200 in the winter. we do have one hydro plant on the island, but it doesnt keep up at all, so we get a diesel surcharge tacked on to our bill that doubles our power consumption rate. there are only so many folks to recoup costs, and many generate thier own power, so those that are on the grid pay dearly.
i typically cann about 50-100 pints of fish, 50 or so mushrooms, 60 or 70quarts of potatos, 30 quarts of different meats for stewing, and all sorts of berries and such, tomato products like salsa and tewed tomatos... if I can can it, i do.. i have canned entire meals like stew, chili, and so forth. i figure I could go a year or so on the storage of canned foods, at least that is what I plan for...
