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Original Message
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post your canning recipes here, shelf life, equipment used, etc.
its that time of year for gardeners who yield enough to can their fruits & veggies, to include meats.
do you make meals ready to eat and can them?
remember to be precise in your instructions, water temps, time, and for pressure canners the weight to coincide with altitude.
links to sources encouraged.
The Canning Process
Have you wondered how canning works? Well, it's really very simple. When you can food, you must heat the food to a certain temperature. At this temperature, food-spoiling germs are killed. The heat also forces air to leave the jar, and as the jar cools, it will "seal" for you. Once the jar is sealed, no bacteria can enter the jar, and your jar of food will keep for many years until you are ready to eat it.
Equipment You Will Need
Boiling -Water Canner
Pressure Canner
Canning Jars
Lids and Bands
Canning Salt (not table salt)
A boiling-water canner is basically just a big , big pot. This kettle has to be large enough to allow you to completely cover each jar with water. A boiling-water canner is mainly used for cnning fruits and pickles, although in the old days, when pressure canners were not available, our ancestors canned vegetables this way. Canning vegetables in a boiling-water canner is not as save as canning them in a pressure canner, because temperatures do not get hot enough to kill all bacteria inside the jar, no matter how long you cook it. The reason it is okay to can fruits in a boiling-water canner is because fruits contain natural acids which keep bacteria from growing inside the jar.
A pressure canner is mainly used for canning vegetables. The lid locks down tight to prevent the escape of steam. Very high temperatures can be achieved this way. Obtaining the right temperature that will kill bacteria in your food is done through weights, dials or both. I'm sure everyone who cans with a pressure canner have heard horror stories of pressure canners exploding, because the pressure inside got too high. In fact, this senario has even prevented many people from canning in a pressure canner because the thought scares them to death. Rest assured, modern day canners have a saftey valve that will pop off, releasing pressure, before this happens. You still must be cautious, however, especially around small children. If a pressure canner is opened before all the pressure has been released, or if it should somehow become knocked off of the stove, serious or fatal injuries could result. Of course you will know when it is safe to open your pressure canner when you have "run a batch through" because you will have read all of the instructions on your pressure canner before you started. Right?
Canning jars are jars that can be fitted with a jar lid and band. The mouth of the jar has to fit the lid and band perfectly to allow the jar to seal. The threads on the jar rim have to fit the band perfectly. The easiest way to obtain a canning jar is to just go buy some. They are sold by the dozen, and come in all sizes but can be pricey. I just buy either quarts or pints at garage sales or auctions.
Many older people don't can anymore and will gladly give away their old canning equipment. I have found that older people like giving away their canning equipment to a younger person. They feel they are passing on the tradition. If you obtain jars from a sale or someone gives them to you, you may notice that some of them are not actual "canning" jars. By "canning" jars, I mean that they do not have a manufacturer's name or a fancy pattern blown into the glass (this is what you want.) You may find out that you have been given some other type of "recycled" jar such as a mayonnaise jar. Well, all I can say about canning in mayonnaise jars is that I have done it before, and it works.However,the jars do break sometimes inside the pressure canner, because the glass is not as thick as the regular canning jars and cannot withstand the heat. Save the mayonnaise jars for canning at lower temperatures, like fruits and jellies. Even so, you will still have a certain amount of breakage. You can try "tempering" the mayonnaise jars before canning in them. Boil them for about 15 minutes before using them. This supposively hardens the glass.
Some people ask me about canning with real old jars--the kind with zinc lids,wire clamps, and jar rubbers. If you have obtained these types of jars, you can still use them, but you will have to purchase new jar rubbers, and these are not easy to find. You will more-than-likely have to order them through mail-order.Using this type of jar is not as safe, because there is no way of knowing if your jar of food has actually sealed. Use caution when canning in this type of jar.
Lids and bands are a must for modern day canning. Lids, sometimes known as "flats," should be new. I would not reuse lids, because they may not seal the second time, and why go to all of the trouble in canning your food, when it isn't even going to seal. Right? I know some people who have reused lids, but I would never do it. You can reuse the bands. The band is sometimes called the "ring." Just wash the ring off in hot, soapy water and reuse it.
Canning salt is optional. I always use canning salt in my vegetables because I think it makes them taste better. Never use regular table salt though. It will make your vegetables soagy. If you don't have any canning salt, it is better to not use any salt at all.
Before You Start
Some Things You Should Know:
Leave a headspace at the top of each jar before you seal it. This small amount of empty space will allow room for the food to expand while it is cooking.
Wipe the jar rim before you seal it because food debris or salt left behind will prevent it from sealing.
Heat the jar lids before you place them on the jars. Just bring them to a simmer and turn off the heat. If you boil the lids (flats,) it may damage the rubber seal and prevent it from sealing. Keep the lids in hot water until you are ready to use them. The heat from the actual processing will kill any bacteria left behind.
Remove air bubbles from the jar of food before you seal it. This can be done by slipping a nonmetallic spatula between the food and the jar. You will see air bubbles being released when you do this. If you do not release air bubbles now, they will be released during the processing, and you will lose liquid from the jars. Thus, some of your food will be left without liquid coverage. This will not hurt your food;it will just be not as appealing. You don't want to use metal because it may scratch your jar, resulting in breakage later.
Check jar rimsto make sure they are free from nicks and cracks. A jar lid will not seal if your jar rim has a nick in it.
Check the gauge on your pressure cannerto make sure it is working properly. You can have the gauge on your canner checked at your local extension office. This ensures that your gauge is reading properly.
Check the rubber gasket on your pressure cannerto make sure it is not cracked or too loose. If it is damaged, steam will escapre from under the lid, and the canner will not pressurize properly. You can buy replacement rubber gaskets anywhere where pressure canners are sold, and they are easily replaced. Just follow the directions on the box.
Know your pressure canner.Read all of the operating instructions included with your pressure canner.
[link to farmgal.tripod.com]
An Introduction to Home Canning
Part 1 of "How to Can Fruits and Vegetables From Your Garden."
[link to farmgal.tripod.com]
How to Can Vegetables Using A Pressure Canner
Part 2 of "How to Can Fruits and Veggies From Your Garden."
[link to farmgal.tripod.com]
How to Can Vegetables Using A Boiling-Water Canner
Part 3 of "How to Can Fruits and Vegetables From Your Garden."
[link to farmgal.tripod.com]
How to Can Fruit
[link to farmgal.tripod.com]
How to Make Jams and Jellies
[link to farmgal.tripod.com]
How to Make Pickles and Relish
[link to farmgal.tripod.com]
How to Dehydrate Fruits and Vegetables from Your Garden
[link to farmgal.tripod.com]
Home Processing Troubleshooting Guide
[link to farmgal.tripod.com]
Introduction to Canning: About canning safely
[link to www.poplaracre.com]
Home Canning Online: includes recipes and tips
[link to www.home-canning.com]
Harvesting and storing garden produce: storing garden produce
[link to muextension.missouri.edu]
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning: includes canning tips
Home Preservers Newsletter: about dehydrating, canning, freezing
[link to www.foodsafety.org]
Jams, Jellies, Preserving: includes recipes and tips
[link to www.kitchenlink.com]
Canning Times for Higher Altitudes
The normal boiling point of water at sea level is 212°. At higher altitudes, water boils at lower temperatures. When processing jars of jams, pickles, and other preserves in a boiling water bath at higher altitudes, use the following chart to adjust times.
1,001 feet to 3,000 feet, add 5 minutes to processing times.
3,001 feet to 6,000 feet, add 10 minutes to processing times.
6,001 feet to 8,000 feet, add 15 minutes to processing times.
8,001 feet to 10,000 feet, add 20 minutes to processing times
Home cooks who live at high altitudes may be used to adjusting recipes; high-altitude adjustments apply to home canning, as well. Canning food safely requires your filled jars to be processed at a specified temperature or pressure level for a specified amount of time. If you live at altitudes higher than 1,000 or 2,000 feet above sea level, adjust your canning recipes for food safety.
Water-bath canning: Generally, recipes are written for water bath canning at altitudes less than 1000 feet. If you live higher than 1,000 feet above sea level, follow these guidelines:
For processing times of less than 20 minutes: Add 1 additional minute for each additional 1000 feet of altitude.
For processing times of more than 20 minutes: Add 2 additional minutes for each 1000 feet of altitude.
Pressure Canning: Pressure canning recipes are generally written for altitudes of less than 2000 feet. If you live higher than 2000 feet above sea level, make this adjustment: Increase pounds of pressure by 1/2 pound for each additional 1,000 feet.
For Safety's Sake Pressure canning is the only recommended method for canning meat, poultry, seafood, and vegetables. The bacterium Clostridium botulinum is destroyed in low-acid foods when they are processed at the correct time and pressure in pressure canners. Using boiling water canners for these foods poses a real risk of botulism poisoning.If Clostridium botulinum bacteria survive and grow inside a sealed jar of food, they can produce a poisonous toxin. Even a taste of food containing this toxin can be fatal. Boiling food 10 minutes at altitudes below 1,000 ft destroys this poison when it is present. For altitudes at and above1,000 ft, add 1 additional minute per 1,000 ft additional elevation. Caution: To prevent the risk of botulism, low-acid and tomato foods not canned according to the recommendations in this publication or according to other USDA-endorsed recommendations should be boiled as above,even if you detect no signs of spoilage. All low-acid foods canned according to the approved recommendations may be eaten without boiling them when you are sure of all the following:Food was processed in a pressure canner.Gauge of the pressure canner was accurate.Up-to-date researched process times and pressures were used for the size of jar, style of pack, and kind of food being canned.The process time and pressure recommended for sterilizing the food at your altitude was followed.
Jar lid is firmly sealed and concave.
Nothing has leaked from jar.
No liquid spurts out when jar is opened.
No unnatural or "off" odors can be detected.
Do Your Canned Foods Pass This Test?
Overall appearance
Good proportion of solid to liquid Full pack with proper head space
Liquid just covering solid
Free of air bubbles
Free of imperfections—stems, cores, seeds
Good seals
Practical pack that is done quickly and easily
Fruit and vegetables
Pieces uniform in size and shape
Characteristic, uniform color
Shape retained-not broken or mushy
Proper maturity
Liquid or syrup
Clear and free from sediment
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