Make it: Home canned

By Mermaid Shelley

In late summer and early fall the trees are laden with pears, apples, peaches and apricots. The garden bursts forth with cucumbers, squash, potatoes, corn, tomatoes, beans, you name it! I have wonderful memories of gathering in the harvest and canning for the winter. My mom gave my siblings and me our assigned picking locations. We made it a competition. Funny, we always complained about the work. But, when it was all done we were very proud of our accomplishment. All of the colorful canned goods lined up on the cellar shelves looked beautiful!

Probably most all of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers and their mothers before them canned produce. Home canning has regained its popularity with a new generation of home canners. It is a very satisfying food process. It is well worth the time and energy required to produce nutritious and healthy foods for your family. Who wants all that sugar and other additives that are in commercially canned foods?

What is home canning? Canning is a preservation method where foods are packed in jars and immersed in either a water bath or pressure canner and heated for a specific amount of time at a certain temperature. The type of food dictates what type of canner is used, temperature maintained and the required process period.

Maintaining heat and pressure during the canning process prevents harmful organisms and bacteria from causing food spoilage and health concerns. When the canning time period has expired and it is safe to remove jars, during the cooling-off period, a vacuum is formed causing air to escape from the jars to form a safe airtight sealing of jar contents. This further protects the canned foods from bacterial growth, deterioration and spoilage.

Sound fun? It is! But before you begin If you have never canned before or it's been a while, review all safety precautions and canning methods before you start. It is imperative that you understand which type of canner and process is required for each type of food. Also, there are canning and safety guidelines which need to be strictly followed in order to produce a food that is safe to consume.

There are several web sites for canning methods and safety guidelines. Find one that provides illustrations. I recommend this site:

USDA National Center for Home Food Preservation - Complete Guide to Home Canning Fresh Preserving

Recipes Are a Must Start with trusted and tested recipes. Canner purchases usually come with a recipe booklet and several good canning and preserving cookbooks are available on the market. Here's a great web site: Canning Recipes from About.com Guides

Let's get started! It's important to stay focused during the canning process to properly monitor the progress and not to forget an important step. Time is of the essence when it comes to canning. The object is to get the food processed as quickly as possible, from preparation to sealing, to reduce the risk of food deterioration which could affect the finished product. Keep your guidelines handy for quick reviewing and be prepared to stay the course and finish the process.

Canning Do's

• Decide what foods you want to process. Tomatoes? You bet! Applesauce, sure if you have plenty of time.
• Select a recipe. If you are not a seasoned canner, small batches are usually more successful.
• Check your stock of ingredients and seasonings required. Do you need pectin for jelly? What about alum for pickles? Some ingredients are specific to food preservation, so don't assume you have everything in your cupboard.
• Do you have all the tools you will need? Certain small canning tools such as funnels, apple corers and cherry pitters are great convenience items, but others like jar lifters, jars, canner racks, timers and tongs are must-have tools for the canning process.
• Check your supply of the correct sized jars, lids and rings. Remember, there are small mouthed jars and there are wide mouthed jars. All of your lids and rings need to match!
• Ensure you have plenty of time. Canning can be a long process. Many hands make light work, find a partner to help!
• Clear off and clean enough counter workspace for the various processes: preparing or peeling foods, washing and drying jars and lids, filling jars, removing from canner, and cooling.
• Be certain that all of your jars are sterilized and all other equipment is clean and dry.
• Set out everything you'll need; all of the equipment and tools, the produce, as well as hot pads and towels.
• Examine your food. Use only high-quality foods which are at the proper maturity and are free of diseases and bruises. Toss out moldy food. If there are small diseased lesions or spots, they need to be trimmed.
• Clean and prepare foods according to your recipe. This is the most important part of the process, as well as the most fun! Peeling, cutting, coring.
• Place fruit or vegetables neatly in the jar. Don't just plop the food in. Take a bit of time to place cucumbers, pears, peaches, apricots, and such in an organized and artful way. Not only will it look nice, more can fit into a jar if packed properly.
• Process as per preserving method; be especially mindful of proper processing times.
• Did the lid make a popping sound? That's usually an indication that the lid has sealed. Inspect the jars for proper seals to ensure preservation.
• Let cool before moving. Always label with content and date.
• Remove screw bands from the jars. Wash, dry, and store in a dry area.

Canning Don'ts

• Don't unnecessarily expose prepared foods to air. Can them as soon as possible.
• Do not can more food than you will use within a year.
• Do not use chipped or cracked jars. Do not use jars that haven't been cleaned or sterilized.
• Do not use old, dented, or deformed lids, or lids with gaps or other defects in the sealing gasket.
• If rings are too loose, liquid may escape from jars during processing, and seals may fail.
• Do not retighten lids after processing jars. As jars cool, the contents in the jar contract, pulling the self-sealing lid firmly against the jar to form a high vacuum.
• If rings are too tight, air cannot vent during processing, and food will discolor during storage. Over tightening also may cause lids to buckle and jars to break, especially with raw-packed, pressure-processed food.

Equipment & Supplies Resources High acid foods such as fruits, fruit juices, jams, pickles and tomatoes can be processed in a water bath canner. However, low acid vegetables, meats, fish and poultry must be processed in a regulated pressure canner. Special canning jars that are made of tempered glass should be used with appropriate sealing lids for the canning process.

• Top Canning & Preserving Equipment
• Covered 21 Qt Waterbath Canner
• Bernardin Ball Freezer Jars
• From Field to Freezer
• Ball Collection Elite Glass Preserving Jars
• Listing of Online Canning Supplies Retailers
• Choosing the Right Jar - Visit Ball's www.FreshPreserving.com site for an informative guide on Recommended Jar Usage.

 Have fun! Make memories! Make it Home Canned!  Check here for more creative Make It! ideas.

Comments
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Comment by Lynn Madison
10/23/2009 3:46:52 PM
Great story. I remember canning peaches and plums with my mom, grandma and great aunt. Very informative. Thank you!

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