Rec.food.preserving FAQRec.food.preserving Official FAQ Version 4.2.11, Last Updated: 8-5-07 Table of Contents (C) Copyright 2003 by Jack Eddington on behalf of all the authors. All rights reserved. You may use and copy this file as long as the contributors' names and this copyright and *all* disclaimers remain intact. You may not sell, trade or in any other way profit from all or any part(s) of this document or make any portion of this document part of anything sold, traded, etc. unless you are the author of the part(s) used. Plagiarism is naughty, even on the Internet. Disclaimer: No author represented in this FAQ is qualified to establish scheduled processes nor is any author a competent processing authority in the sense of 21 CFR 113.83 et alia. What this means is that you use this FAQ at your own risk. (The lawyers made me say that) Note that 'NOSPAM' has been added before "@" in all e-mail addresses. This is to stop robot/programatic harvesting of e-mail addresses. Always remove 'NOSPAM' when using any e-mail address. Latest Changes - All Parts See the differences file for a complete, chronologically ordered sequence of changes. You can now download a single text file of the entire FAQ. Please note that this file is about 550 Kb so it will take awhile. To download, click here. Simply click 'file' and 'save as' in your browser. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) for the rec.food.preserving newsgroup TABLE OF CONTENTS The Parts: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 The ToC: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 0. About Rec.Food.Preserving and this FAQ, Charter and Introduction (Part 1) A. What is this FAQ? General Info Contributors Where can I get this faq? Info about the rec.food.preserving newsgroup What to do if you don't have access to rec.food.preserving newsgroup? B. Charter C. Introduction I. The techniques of food preserving (Parts 2-6) A. Canning (Part 2) General Questions A.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about home canning? A.1.2 I made/got some home-preserved foods as a gift. How do I check them for safety? A.1.3 Is home canning safe? A.1.4 What foods can be canned, and what foods shouldn't be home canned? A.1.5 pH determinations of common foods and condiments. A.1.6 What does canning entail? - Canning Fruits (Peaches) - Canning Tomato-Vegetable Juice Blends A.1.7 Where do I get the Ball Blue Book? And the USDA Canning Guide? A.1.8 What if my recipe doesn't have processing instructions? A.1.9 Where can I find my elevation, so I can change my processing time? A.1.10 How do I obtain a good stable jel (or 'set')? A.1.11 How do I know my juice/jam has enough natural pectin? A.1.12 How do I can oil with herbs? Can I can pesto? Recipe Templates and Tricks A.2.1 Sweet spreads 101, from Barb Schaller A.2.2 "Scientific" low sugar jams A.2.3 Fruit Butters in general, apple butter in particular A.2.4 Conserves in general, Kitchen Sink Conserve in particular A.2.5 Fruit Preserves in general, Pear Preserves in particular A.2.6 Marmalade A.2.7 Tea Jelly A.2.8 Flower Jelly in general, Rose Petal Jelly in particular A.2.9 Canning Cake and Quick Breads - Don't Do It! General Ingredient Questions A.3.1 Why do some recipes call for a little butter/margarine? A.3.2 Sugar A.3.3 I need some good sources for pectins... A.3.4 Where I can I find citric acid? A.3.5 Where can I find Clear Gel/Jel A? General Equipment Questions A.4.1 What kind of equipment do I need to can foods at home? Don't you need a lot of stuff? A.4.2 What's a preserving pan? A.4.3 My grandmother always reused commercial jars and sealed her jars using paraffin. Should I do this too? A.4.4 Can I invert jars instead of doing that nasty waterbath thing? (No). A.4.5 The dishwasher sterilizes jars, right? (Nope). A.4.6 What about zinc rings, rubber sealed jars, and other great but antique canning equipment? A.4.7 Ball or Kerr? A.4.8 Rings on the jar, or off? A.4.9 What if I don't hear a pop from my jars? A.4.10 I'm really cheap. How can I reuse my old canning lids? A.4.11 How do I use a pressure canner safely and effectively? A.4.12 Can I use an atmospheric steam canner (as compared to a steam pressure canner)? A.4.13 I'd like some sources for non-standard size canning jars, decorative bottles, large sized rings, and other items that I just can't find in the usual places. Troubleshooting A.5.1 My jars refuse to seal! Some of my preserved food is turning colors! What is happening? A.5.2 My jams and jellies didn't set. How can I reprocess? A.5.3 Anybody have a way to loosen up stiff jelly? B. Freezing (Part 3) General Questions B.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about freezing? B.1.2 So what foods can be frozen well? B.1.3 What's this blanching stuff, anyway? B.1.4 More about freezing meat, especially wild game. B.1.5 How do I freeze (your item here), and how long can I reasonably expect it to keep? B.1.6 Should I vacuum package food at home? B.1.7 I'm looking for an appliance to vacuum seal food. Any recommendations? B.1.8 Now that we found out that a Seal-A-Meal is worth having...where in the world do you find supplies? B.1.9 How would I go about preserving/mailing baked goods (cookies, pastries...) from both going bad and breaking up into crumbs? B.1.10 Mushroom duxelles C. Dehydration (Part 3) General Questions (compliments of Steven Kostur) C.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about dehydrating food? C.1.2 What foods dehydrate well? C.1.3 Dehydrating Specific Items Pistachio Nut (and other seeds) Sundried tomato Dried Cranberries Jerky/Beef Sticks Dehydrator Tomato Paste Parched Corn and Beans Dried Tofu General Equipment Questions (compliments of Steven Kostur) C.2.1 I need some advice on a dehydrator. What should I look for? General Advice & Specific Brands C.2.2 I've heard you can make a dehydrator yourself. Got any info? D. Pickling (Part 4) General Questions D.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about pickling? D.1.2 Why can't we substitute ascorbic acid (vitamin C) for citric acid (sour salt) or lemon juice for acidifying canned goods? D.1.3 What is the process for making dill pickles? D.1.4 What makes pickles kosher? General Equipment Questions D.2.1 What does it take to make pickles? Do you need special equipment? D.2.2 What's a non-reactive container? D.2.3 Where can I find pickle crocks? Troubleshooting D.3.1 I followed this pickle recipe, but they don't look like they do in the store. What happened? Can I still eat them? Recipes Transylvanian salt-cured vegetables Middle Eastern mixed pickles Polish pickles (ogorki kiszone/kwaszone) 3-Day Lime Pickle Real New York deli pickles Kimchee (3 recipes) Pickled ginger Zucchini relish/pickles (2 recipes) Dill Tomolives Green Tomatoes Rovia Pickled Garlic E. Curing with Salt, Sugar, or Lye (Part 5) General Questions E.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about curing foods, and what makes this different from pickling? Lye and Mud curing items E.2.1 What is posole? E.2.2 What are 1000 year old preserved eggs? F. Smoking (Part 5) General Questions F.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about smoking food? Meat Curing and Smoking (compliments of Richard Thead) Curing (Meats) Why is meat cured? What is osmosis? What is meant by "the danger zone"? What is botulism? What are the commonly used curing compounds? Where can these compounds be obtained? What is spray pumping? What's trichinosis? If my cured pork doesn't reach a safe temperature, what about trichinosis? What about dry-curing sausages and meats? Smoking (Meats) What is the difference between smoke cooking and curing? What are the proper temperatures for smoke cooking meat? How important is temperature control during smoke curing? Is closing down the air inlet dampers a good way to keep the temperature down? What are the various woods used for smoking? Specific Foods Can I make a Smithfield Ham at home? How do I make my own bacon at home? How do I make my own corned beef? What is pastrami and how do I make my own? How do I make beef jerky? Other Miscellaneous Sausage Dry curing sausage chemistry Salami Where do I find kosher sausage casings? Sources for wood chips for smoking Vegetable/Fruit Curing and Smoking How do I cure olives? Middle Eastern/Indian salt cured lemons and limes (4recipes) How do I smoke chiles? How do I smoke blueberries/garlic? Fish Curing and Smoking What do I need to know about smoking a fish? Smoked Salmon (2 recipes) Lox, Nova Lox, and Gravlax (2 recipes) Sugar Curing/Candying Sugar curing and candying items Candying citrus peels Candying fruits Candying flowers G. Distilling (Part 6) General Questions G.1.1 What is distilling anyway? How to make vinegars G.2.1 Vinegar from wine G.2.2 Flavored vinegars? So, does anyone know how sour grapes are converted to verjuice? Garlic (chiles, herbs, sundried tomatoes, etc) in oil Liqueurs G.5.1 Fruit Cordials, Intro G.5.2 Fruit cordials, Raspberry, blackberry, cherry Brandied Fruit Vanilla Extract Dandelion wine H. Root Cellaring and Storage of Staples (Part 6) General Questions H.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about root cellaring? H.1.2 How long do stored items last? How can I preserve staples (flour, etc) for long term storage? H.2.1 The dry ice method H.2.2 Packing in nitrogen gas Preserving Garlic. Probably the most asked question in r.f.p. I. Preserving Dairy Products (Part 6) Where can I find rennet? And other cheesemaking items? How to make ... I.2.1 Butter I.2.2 Devonshire Clotted Cream I.2.3 Stirred Curd-Cheddar Recipe II. Specific Equipment Questions (Part 7) A. Canners and Canning Equipment General Questions A.1.1 I see canners of different sizes. Why get the biggest one? A.1.2 What do I need to know about a waterbath canner? A.1.3 What do I need to know about weighted and dial gauges? A.1.4 I got this pressure canner (not cooker!) as a gift. How do I take care of it? A.1.5 Weight "jiggle" problems. A.1.6 Cleaning my pressure canner. A.1.7 Where can I find canning equipment parts? A.1.8 What about zinc rings, rubber sealed jars, and other great, but antique canning equipment? A.1.9 1/2 gallon jars. How to find, and what to do with them? B. Dehydrators Where can I find a premade dehydrator? Where can I find plans for homemade dehydrators? B.2.1 Tabletop Dehydrator B.2.2 Solar Dehydrator Plans B.2.3 Electric Dehydrator B.2.4 Dryer Plans from University Extension Services C. Smokers Where can I find plans for a homemade smoker? D. Cutting Board Safety What are the guidelines to increase food safety when using cutting boards? D.1.1 From the University of Minnesota Extension Service D.1.2 Similar statements can aslo be found at the FDA site D.1.3 A slightly stronger bleach solution D.1.4 Another opion from Bob Pastorio III. Tips 'N Tricks (Part 7) Fruit fly trap Faster way to chop citrus peels for marmalade Using ascorbic acid A jelly bag for emergencies How to reach the jelly stage/the fork test Keeping powdered pectin from lumping up Canning rack Tips and tricks for drying foods in the oven Mini-dehydrator Getting fruit leather off the sheet Mashing cabbage for sauerkraut The easy way to wash cukes Cheesecloth for skimming brine Keeping pickled peppers crisp Food-grade plastics Keeping outside fermenting items a secret from the neighbors Sources of wood chips (making them yourself) Beef Stick Tips IV. Spoilage & Toxins, Especially Botulism (Part 8) A. Home Canned Food Spoilage--What Went Wrong??? General Questions A.1.1 I've got some bad jars. What did I do wrong? A.1.2 Unsealed Jars and Spoiled Food--What To Do? B. Detoxification Methods C. Botulism. What is it? (file from the FDA) D. I'm confused about when the toxin is produced. Tell me more about the bacterium. E. How can I be positively, absolutely sure that those spores are killed? F. I don't feel so good. What do I have/had/will have? (chart of food poisoning symptoms) G. Aflatoxin. What is it? (file from the FDA) V. Recipe Caveats and Troubleshooting (Part 9) A. Safety of Recipes General Questions A.1.1 I just got a recipe from rec.food.preserving that I'd like to try. Is it safe to make? A.1.2 Most of the recipe measurements posted here are not metric. Can you help me? A.1.3 Find out the elevation of your town (US). A.1.4 Help! What's a peck? Uncommon English measurements. I got some recipes from my grandparents/or from somebody in r.f.p. Are they safe? How can I make them safe? VI. Full recipe listing (Part 9) Dairy Products Dried Foods Jams/Jellies/Conserves/Marmelades Liqueurs VII. Other Sources (besides this FAQ) (Part 9) This FAQ doesn't tell me what I need to know! USENET Internet Sites General Reference Books Specific Techniques and Interests Books and Guides to Equipment Food Preserving Books of Historic Interest Pamphlets Magazines Phone The cook was a good cook, as all cooks go; and as all cooks go, she went. --SakiRec.food.preserving FAQRec.food.preserving Official FAQ Version 4.2.11, Last Updated: 8-5-07 Part 1 of 9 (C) Copyright 2003 by Jack Eddington on behalf of all the authors. All rights reserved. You may use and copy this file as long as the contributors' names and this copyright and *all* disclaimers remain intact. You may not sell, trade or in any other way profit from all or any part(s) of this document or make any portion of this document part of anything sold, traded, etc. unless you are the author of the part(s) used. Plagiarism is naughty, even on the Internet. Disclaimer: No author represented in this FAQ is qualified to establish scheduled processes nor is any author a competent processing authority in the sense of 21 CFR 113.83 et alia. What this means is that you use this FAQ at your own risk. (The lawyers made me say that) Note that 'NOSPAM' has been added before "@" in all e-mail addresses. This is to stop robot/programatic harvesting of e-mail addresses. Always remove 'NOSPAM' when using any e-mail address. Latest Changes - All Parts See the differences file for a complete, chronologically ordered sequence of changes. 0. About Rec.Food.Preserving and this FAQ, Charter and Introduction A. What is this FAQ? 1. General Info This file is a compilation of shared knowledge and answers to frequently asked questions of the group rec.food.preserving. As such, this file is updated as new information is discovered and in answer to new questions that become frequently asked. FAQ versions can be at the 'part' level or for the overall FAQ and are simply numbered sequentially. A new version occurs when the FAQ is updated, not just because time has passed. This FAQ also contains recipes. See each section/part for the recipes or look at Section VI (Part 9) for a list of all recipes. If you're reading this via your browser in HTML, you can use the Table of Contents links to jump to the any recipe directly. Ain't HTML grand? Be a contributor--point out mistakes or send me new, updated information, write sections and reviews, provide us with new sources. All will be cited in this file. Please note, however, that all major changes or additions will need to be reviewed and agreed upon. This is not a single person's FAQ but a community FAQ for all of rec.food.preserving. While every effort has been made to be clear, concise and accurate, no warranties are implied. How you use the information presented here is your business. Last little comment--I'd be very unhappy if you used this file as a replacement for such classic publications as the Ball Blue Book, The USDA Canning Guide or Putting Food By. This FAQ is a *complement to* these sources, giving the reader the sense of who has what expertise in the newsgroup, providing you with some great online sources and sites, even giving you an international feel for what's out there in cyberspace. I've tried to give you the icing on the cake--its up to you to get the cake! [Stepping off the soapbox now.--LEB] Return to TOC 2. Contributors Contributors listed in alphabetical order: Matt Albright, David G. Allbee Leslie Basel, Rachel Beckford, Jean Bergeron, Brian Bigler, Alan Blacklock, Michael Boddy, Mike Bowers, Susan Brewer, Norman Brown, Teresa Bruckner, Rick Buchanan, Daniel Burke, Ralph Burr Jennifer Cagle, Dave Calhoun, Tracy L. Carter, Robert Chislan, Naomi Counides, Mark Croenwett, Emily Dashiell, Richard De Castro Eric Decker, Al Durtschi Jack Eddington Diane Ferrell, Sandy Fifer, Derace Fridel H.B. Ghoddusi, Anne Louise Gockel, Lois Grassl, Patrick Grealish, Kate Gregory, Steve Gunnell Bess Halle, Diane Hamilton, James Harvey, Patricia Hill, Paul Hinrichs, M. Zoe Holbrooks, Dirk W. Howard, Garry Howard Imogen, Kevin Johnson, Stuart Johnson, Lynn E. Johnson-Conrad, The Joneses (Edrena) Kai, Deana D. Karas, Mary Keith, Colonel I.F. Khuntilanont-Philpott, Naera Kim, Henriette Kress, Betty Kohler, Steven Kostur, Al Kudsi, Mick Kunstelj John Laidler, Joan Lane, Larry London, Ron Lowe Linda Magee, Marie Martinek, Kathy Meade, Ron Meisenheimer, Linda Merinoff, Wendy Milner, Joshua H. Moffi, the Morgans, Scott Murman Daniel Nachbar, Louis "Butch" Nagel, Jean P. Nance, Carol Nelson, Richard Nielsen, Hank Nolle, Stephen Northcutt Nicole Okun, Paul Optiz, Lynn Otto Bob Pastorio, David Paxton, Gary Lee Phillips, Kim Pratt Cassandra Richardson, Jim Richardson, Phil Rozanski Barb Schaller, David Schwoegler, Clint Scott, Charles Scripter, Brenda Sharpe, George Shirley, David Sidwell, Doug Smart, Tom Sponheim, Michael Stallcup, Susan Hattie Steinsapir, Jean Sumption John Taylor, Michael Teifel, Connie TenClay, Richard Thead, Steven Tobin, Tanith Tyrr Logan Van Leigh Anna Welborne, Elaine C. White, Ellen Wickberg, Wolfgang, Kate Wrightson Gary Yandle Z Pegasus, Bobbi Zee, Zlotka, zxcvbob Special mention is also hereby given to Leslie E. Basel for her core role in the founding of this newsgroup. Thank you Leslie. Return to TOC 3. Where can I get this faq? Several places. The best source is at http://www.jaclu.com/rfpFAQ/rfpFAQ.htm. The latest version will always be online. Check the difference file posted to see whether any new parts added will be useful to you. Alternatively, wait until it gets posted on the *last Sunday of the month* to the newsgroups rec.food.preserving, misc.consumers.frugal-living, and misc.survivalism. During the summer and fall months, reference to this FAQ is additionally posted mid-month. Another way of getting this FAQ is to use Google and search for 'FAQ' while in 'Groups' and under the rec.food heirarchy or specifically in rec.food.preserving. Make sure you look at the most recent posting in order to assure getting the most recent FAQ reference. As a last resort, you could, if you're desperate, email a request for it to jacke6835NOSPAM@yahoo.com. If you're interested in only one part, please specifiy which one. Note: this is NOT a recommended approach. Since the total FAQ is large, you might want to check the companion post describing changes in parts, new additions, etc. before you download from any source. It is available at www.jaclu.com/rfpFAQ/differences.htm 4. Info about the rec.food.preserving newsgroup The newsgroup rec.food.preserving was created in August 1994. Discussions tend to be seasonal, following the Northern Hemisphere growing season. We are a relatively small and focused group; expect about 50-60 posts/day during the height of canning season, 10-15 posts/day during the winter months. Please keep in mind when reading posts in this newsgroup (or any newgroup for that matter) that there is a wide range of experience among those posting. Just because you've read it in the newsgroup doesn't make it right. Most mistakes are pointed out but you will still see some people say "it was good enough for my grandmother and nobody died so its good enough for me" or some such statement. Things change and we learn things. Take advantage of that new knowledge. Also, take a while to read the posts. After a few weeks, you should get an indication of who the 'experts' are and where their expertise lies. Then make use of that expertise. Return to TOC 5. What to do if you don't have access to rec.food.preserving newsgroup? If you don't have access to rec.food.preserving on your news server, the first thing to do is to politely request it from your ISP (Internet Service Provider). Send an e-mail to support@myISP.com (replace with your ISP name, which may not end with '.com') politely requesting the addition of rec.food.preserving. If that doesn't work, you have a number of options: Go to www.google.com, select groups and pick out rec.food.preserving. You can browse postings or search for a particular topic. The direct URL is http://groups.google.com (or http://groups.google.com/groups?q=rec.food.preserving ). All you need to be able to read newsgroups on googlegroups is a web browser. You can also post over google, but for that you'll have to register with them. Try the German server http://news.individual.net . They carry all non-binary newsgroups. In order to access this server you'll need two things: a real newsreader (I can recommend Xnews, available at http://xnews.newsguy.com/), and a user ID and password (email the server admins to register with them). Once you have both you'll be able to read and post to usenet using this server. Change to an ISP that carries usenet, and, if your favorite newsgroups are missing from their lineup, ask them to add them. If your ISP carries newsgroups, but they keep messages in your favorite newsgroups for half an hour, tops, then talk to your ISP's helpdesk. Ask them to keep articles for longer, for your favorite newsgroups. If your ISP drops usenet posts left and right, leaving you with broken discussions and missing replies, then talk to your ISP's helpdesk. Ask them to check their usenet upstream, or to add a few more usenet peers, in order to get a more reliable usenet feed. If they don't seem to understand your problem ("News? That's on Yahoo, and then there's the BBC site, and there's also the New York Times..."), ask to talk with a system administrator, somebody who works in the server room. They know what usenet is, and they'll be able to help their own helpdesk help you. Those are your choices, really, because as far as I know there's no email-to-usenet or usenet-to-email service anywhere on the web. NOTE: Some of the above (#5) comes from Henriette Kress (thanks, Henriette!). B. CHARTER Rec.food.preserving is a newsgroup devoted to the discussion of recipes, equipment, and techniques of food preservation. Current food preservation techniques that rightly should be discussed in this forum include canning, freezing, dehydration, pickling, smoking, salting, and distilling. Foodstuffs are defined as produce (both fruits and vegetables), meat,fish, dairy products, culinary and medicinal herbs. Discussions should be limited to home-grown or home-preserved foods. Return to TOC C. INTRODUCTION I have a refrigerator and live near 5 supermarkets. Why bother to preserve food? If you have a successful garden or orchard, have a hunting or fishing license, like to gather wild foods, or know friends and neighbors that do, you will eventually be presented with an abundance of free foodstuffs. Check out the zucchini and the green tomato recipes in pickling for two common surpluses. U-Pick sites, roadside stands, and farmers markets sell unusual varieties of produce at close to perfect ripeness, ready to be preserved. Even supermarket produce in season is abundant, cheap, and can be worth preserving. If you have ever walked into an upscale food store, you might have noticed that dried foods, exotic jams, chutneys, marmalades, flavored vinegars, pickles, cheeses, cured and smoked meats, etc, all are expensive preserved foods. However, these items can be all be duplicated at home, given the ingredients, expertise, and time. And all of these foods make terrific gifts. Commercially processed food can contain many ingredients that you might want to avoid, anything from MSG, BHA, BHT, to salt, sugar, or starchy thickeners. By preserving food yourself, you can control your diet. Into recycling and reducing your garbage? If you can, you reuse your glass jars and rings, throwing away just the lids. However, most techniques require a fair amount of fresh clean water and take some electricity and time, so they aren't quite as cost saving as you might think. Waiting for the apocalypse? What if you get hungry? On a different note, wouldn't you have wanted some home-preserved stuff while you were waiting out that last blizzard/hurricane/natural disaster? Food preserving is fun. Many preserving recipes are family traditions, passed on through many generations. Often, the foods we preserve can tell us much about our past, so trading recipes can tell us about each other. Return to TOC The cook was a good cook, as all cooks go; and as all cooks go, she went. --SakiRec.food.preserving FAQ-Part 2Rec.food.preserving Official FAQ Version 4.2.11, Last Updated: 8-5-07 Part 2 of 9 (C) Copyright 2003 by Jack Eddington on behalf of all the authors. All rights reserved. You may use and copy this file as long as the contributors' names and this copyright and *all* disclaimers remain intact. You may not sell, trade or in any other way profit from all or any part(s) of this document or make any portion of this document part of anything sold, traded, etc. unless you are the author of the part(s) used. Plagiarism is naughty, even on the Internet. Disclaimer: No author represented in this FAQ is qualified to establish scheduled processes nor is any author a competent processing authority in the sense of 21 CFR 113.83 et alia. What this means is that you use this FAQ at your own risk. (The lawyers made me say that) Note that 'NOSPAM' has been added before "@" in all e-mail addresses. This is to stop robot/programatic harvesting of e-mail addresses. Always remove 'NOSPAM' when using any e-mail address. Latest Changes - All Parts See the differences file for a complete, chronologically ordered sequence of changes. I. The techniques of food preserving (Parts 2-5) A. Canning (Part 2) General Questions A.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about canning? Basically, canning food is preserving food by: 1) placing it in an hermetically sealable container, then 2) applying a heat treatment that will destroy microorganisms and inactivate enzymes that would spoil the product or render it unsafe. (from Jean Bergeron, foodchemist, ). A partial vacuum is created by a change in pressure caused by heating, then cooling said sealable cans and jars--Boyle's Law (PV=nRT) in action. The heat is generally created by either a boiling waterbath or a pressure canner (Boyle's Law again). For a short overview on canning basics, see Ohio State's Fact Sheet. What you absolutely need to know is whether your product is highly acidic (low pH) or not. High acid foods, like fruits and pickles, can be canned in a boiling waterbath; relatively low acid foods, like vegetables and meats, need to be pressure canned. You also need to know what your altitude is, because the higher you are, the lower the boiling temperature of water. Since you are creating an anerobic state, you need to be concerned about _C. botulinum_ toxin. For a more detailed discussion on botulism, see Part 8, Section D In addition, you also need to know that working with pH is not like working with most things. pH is measured on a logorithmic (base 10) scale. What that means is that if one liquid has a pH of 7.0 (like water) and another liquid has a pH of 3 (like a 5% vinegar solution), if you mix them equally (equal amounts of each by volume), you can't average the pHs to get a pH of 5. A pH of 3 is 10,000 times more acidic than a pH of 7 (which is considerred neutral-neither acidic nor basic). Thus that mixture would have a pH of approximately 3.3. A.1.2 I made/got some home-preserved foods as a gift. How do I check them for safety? ---- [File from Susan Brewer, no longer available online to the best of my knowledge. --JTE] ---- Return to ToC EXAMINE ALL HOME-CANNED FOODS BEFORE USING THEM. Inspect the can before opening: Glass jars: metal lids should be firm and flat or curved slightly inward. There should be no sign of leakage around the rubber sealing compound. If there is mold growth around the exterior neck of the jar--there may be mold growth inside. Check for signs of "gassiness"--floating food, bubbles rising in the food, swollen lid. As the jar is opened, notice whether there is an inrush or an outrush of air. Air rushing out or liquid spurting out indicates spoilage. Smell the contents at once. The odor should be characteristic of the food. An "off" odor probably means spoilage (acid, acrid, sour, putrid, etc.). Check the food carefully to see that it appears to have a characteristic texture and color. Liquids in all foods should be clear. Any change from the natural texture and/or color indicates spoilage. DO NOT TASTE ANY QUESTIONABLE FOOD. Discard canned food with signs of spoilage. High acid foods (fruit) may be discarded in the garbage or disposal. Low acid food (vegetables, meat, fish, poultry) must be discarded more carefully because it could contain botulinal toxin. Discard the spoiled food carefully using one of the following methods. Be careful not to contaminate your work area by spilling the food. Wear rubber gloves before handling food or containers. Boil at full rolling boil for 20 minutes. Discard. Burn. Mix with 1-2 Tbsp household lye *or* 1 cup chlorine bleach in non-metal container and let stand overnight. Flush down the toilet, discard in garbage or garbage disposal. Note: any containers or utensils that come in contact with spoiled canned foods should be carefully washed. Use soap and water to wash containers used for high acid foods. Containers that come into contact with low acid foods should be sterilized with chlorine bleach or boiled for 20 minutes. Discard all lids, screw bands, wash cloths, sponges and rubber gloves used during detoxifying low acid foods. As a safety precaution, boil all low acid foods (meats, fish, poultry, vegetables) BEFORE TASTING. Boiling destroys the botulinal toxin, should it be present. Boil most vegetables for 10 minutes (full rolling boil). Boil thick vegetables (spinach) for 20 minutes. [Louis Nagel, professional canner from Embarcadaro Canning, suggests that thick vegetables like spinach and chard should *not* be home canned in the first place.] Boil meat, fish and poultry for 15 minutes. Prepared by Susan Brewer/Foods and Nutrition Specialist/July, 1990 EHE-682 Return to ToC A.1.3 Is home canning safe? Yes. As long as you know the limitations. Only two home-canning (processing) techniques are considered safe. The boiling waterbath process is used for high-acid (low pH) foods like fruit, while pressure canning is used to process low-acid foods such as vegetables. Open kettle canning, oven canning, crockpot canning, compost canning, canning with pills, microwave canning, dishwasher canning, steam canning (don't confuse with pressure canning) are all outdated or disreputable canning techniques. A.1.4 What foods can be home canned, and what foods shouldn't be? Foods considered high acid (pH lower than 4.6/4.7) can be boiling waterbath canned. This next chart is reworked from _Putting Food By_. Boiling Water Bath Foods at pH 2.0-3.0lemons, gooseberries, underripe plums Foods at pH 3.0-3.5ripe plums, underripe apples, ripe oranges and grapefruit, strawberries, rhubarb, blackberries, cherries, raspberries, blueberries, very underripe peaches and apricots Foods at pH 3.5-4.0ripe apples, oranges, grapefruit, overripe blackberries, cherries, raspberries, and peaches, ripe apricots, underripe pears, pineapple, sauerkraut, (other pickles?) Foods at pH 4.0-4.6 (BORDERLINE)tomatoes, figs Above 4.6 or somust be pressure canned Pressure Canning Foods at 4.6-5.0some tomatoes, depends on the variety. (Green tomatoes are below 4.6). Pimentoes, pumpkin. USDA suggests that pumpkin butter cannot be canned safely. Foods at 5.0-6.0carrots, beets, squash, beans, spinach, cabbage, turnips, peppers, sweet potatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, white potatoes Foods at 6.0-7.0peas, tuna, lima beans, corn, meats, cow's milk, salmon, oysters, shrimp. Above 7.0hominy, black olives (each are lye cured). Leave these to the pros. Check the list of pH readings for common foods and condiments below. Need to also consider the size of your jars (half gallon size jars are made, but you probably shouldn't can with them), the physical properties of your food and the gooeyness of what you are canning. Pumpkin/squash purees and butters, and refried beans probably shouldn't be home canned--it will take a long time to get the center of the jar hot enough. However, squash and pumpkin chunks (raw pack) can be pressure canned. [Interestingly, spinach and chard shouldn't be home canned because the leaves will condense into a mass, insulate the center of jar, and form a dangerous cold spot--Louis Nagel.] Also, cream soups and cream-style vegetables shouldn't be home canned for the same reason that pumpkin butter shouldn't be canned. Return to ToC A.1.5 pH determinations of common foods and condiments. Remember pH 4.6 is the cutoff. Above pH 4.6, a recipe must have enough added acid to be waterbath processed, or must be pressure canned. If you still don't find your food here, citations are listed for still more of them. From http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/app3a.html VEGETABLES pH VEGETABLES pH Artichokes 5.6 Peas 5.8 - 7.0 Canned 5.7 - 6 Frozen 6.4 - 6.7 Asparagus 4 - 6 Canned 5.7 - 6.0 Canned 5.2 - 5.3 Dried 6.5 - 6.8 Buds 6.7 Pepper 5.15 Stalks 6.1 Pimiento 4.6 - 4.9 Beans 5.7 - 6.2 Potatoes 6.1 String 4.6 Tubers 5.7 Lima 6.5 Sweet 5.3 - 5.6 Kidney 5.4 - 6 Pumpkin 4.8 - 5.2 Beets 4.9 - 5.6 Radishes (red) 5.8 - 6.5 S [huh?] 4.2 - 4.4 (white) 5.5 - 5.7 Canned 4.9 Rhubarb 3.1 - 3.4 Brussel sprouts 6.0 - 6.3 Canned 3.4 Cabbage 5.2 - 6.0 Rice (all cooked) Green 5.4 - 6.9 Brown 6.2 - 6.7 White 6.2 White 6.0 - 6.7 Red 5.4 - 6.0 Wild 6.0 - 6.4 Savoy 6.3 Sauerkraut 3.4 - 3.6 Carrots 4.9 - 5.2 Sorrel 3.7 Canned 5.18-5.22 Spinach 5.5 - 6.8 Juice 6.4 Cooked 6.6 - 7.2 Cauliflower 5.6 Frozen 6.3 - 6.5 Celery 5.7 - 6.0 Squash (all cooked) Chives 5.2 - 6.1 Yellow 5.8 - 6.0 Corn 6.0 - 7.5 White 5.5 - 5.7 Canned 6.0 Hubbard 6.0 - 6.2 Sweet 7.3 Tomatoes (whole) 4.2 - 4.9 Cucumbers 5.1 - 5.7 Paste 3.5 - 4.7 Dill pickles 3.2 - 3.5 Canned 3.5 - 4.7 Eggplant 4.5 - 5.3 Juice 4.1 - 4.2 Hominy (cooked) 6.0 Turnips 5.2 - 5.5 Horseradish 5.35 Zucchini (cooked) 5.8 - 6.1 Kale (cooked) 6.4 - 6.8 Kohlrabi (cooked) 5.7 - 5.8 FRUITS Leeks 5.5 - 6.0 Apples Lettuce 5.8 - 6.0 Delicious 3.9 Lentils (cooked) 6.3 - 6.8 Golden Delicious 3.6 Mushrooms (cooked) 6.2 Jonathan 3.33 Okra (cooked) 5.5 - 6.4 McIntosh 3.34 Olives (green) 3.6 - 3.8 Winesap 3.47 (ripe) 6.0 - 6.5 Juice 3.4 - 4.0 Onions (red) 5.3 - 5.8 Sauce 3.3 - 3.6 (white) 5.4 - 5.8 Apricots 3.3 - 4.0 (yellow) 5.4 - 5.6 Dried 3.6 - 4.0 Parsley 5.7 - 6.0 Canned 3.74 Parsnip 5.3 Bananas 4.5 - 5.2 FRUITS (contin.) pH MEAT, POULTRY pH Cantaloupe 6.17-7.13 Beef Dates 6.3 - 6.6 Ground 5.1 - 6.2 Figs 4.6 Ripened 5.8 Grapefruit 3.0 - 3.3 Unripened 7.0 Canned 3.1 - 3.3 Canned 6.6 Juice 3.0 Tongue 5.9 Lemons 2.2 - 2.4 Ham 5.9 - 6.1 Canned juice 2.3 Lamb 5.4 - 6.7 Limes 1.8 - 2.0 Pork 5.3 - 6.9 Mangos 3.9 - 4.6 Veal 6.0 Melons Chicken 6.5 - 6.7 Cassaba 5.5 - 6.0 Turkey (roasted) 5.7 - 6.8 Honey dew 6.3 - 6.7 Persian 6.0 - 6.3 FISH Nectarines 3.9 Fish (most fresh) 6.6 - 6.8 Oranges 3.1 - 4.1 Clams 6.5 Juice 3.6 - 4.3 Crabs 7.0 Marmalade 3.0 Oysters 4.8 - 6.3 Papaya 5.2 - 5.7 Tuna fish 5.2 - 6.1 Peaches 3.4 - 3.6 Shrimp 6.8 - 7.0 In jars 4.2 Salmon 6.1 - 6.3 In cans 4.9 Whitefish 5.5 Persimmons 5.4 - 5.8 Freshwater (most) 6.9 - 7.3 Pineapple 3.3 - 5.2 Sturgeon 5.5 - 6.0 Canned 3.5 Herring 6.1 - 6.4 Juice 3.5 Plums 2.8 - 4.6 DAIRY PRODUCTS/EGGS Pomegranates 3.0 Butter 6.1 - 6.4 Prunes 3.1 - 5.4 Buttermilk 4.5 Juice 3.7 Milk 6.3 - 8.5 Quince (stewed) 3.1 - 3.3 Acidophilus 4.0 Tangerines 4.0 Cream 6.5 Watermelon 5.2 - 5.8 Cheeses BERRIES Camembert 7.44 Blackberries 3.2 - 4.5 Cheddar 5.9 Blueberries 3.7 Cottage 5.0 Frozen 3.1 - 3.35 Cream cheese 4.88 Cherries 3.2 - 4.1 Edam 5.4 Cranberries Roquefort 5.5 - 5.9 Sauce 2.4 Swiss Gruyer 5.1 - 6.6 Juice 2.3 - 2.5 Eggs Currants (red) 2.9 White 7.0 - 9.0 Gooseberries 2.8 - 3.1 Yolk 6.4 Grapes 3.4 - 4.5 Egg solids, whites 6.5 - 7.5 Raspberries 3.2 - 3.7 Whole 7.1 - 7.9 Strawberries 3.0 - 3.5 Frozen 8.5 - 9.5 Frozen 2.3 - 3.0 BAKERY PRODUCTS pH Bread 5.3 - 5.8 Eclairs 4.4 - 4.5 Napoleons 4.4 - 4.5 Biscuits 7.1 - 7.3 Crackers 7.0 - 8.5 Cakes Angel food 5.2 - 5.6 Chocolate 7.2 - 7.6 Devil's food 7.5 - 8.0 Pound 6.6 - 7.1 Sponge 7.3 - 7.6 White layer 7.1 - 7.4 Yellow layer 6.7 - 7.1 Flour 6.0 - 6.3 MISCELLANEOUS Caviar (domestic) 5.4 Cider 2.9 - 3.3 Cocoa 6.3 Corn syrup 5.0 Corn starch 4.0 - 7.0 Ginger ale 2.0 - 4.0 Honey 3.9 Jams/Jellies 3.1 - 3.5 Mayonnaise 4.2 - 4.5 Molasses 5.0 - 5.5 Raisins 3.8 - 4.0 Sugar 5.0 - 6.0 Vinegar 2.0 - 3.4 Yeast 3.0 - 3.5 pH values were derived from the following references: Anon. 1962. pH values of food products. Food Eng. 34(3):98-99. Bridges, M.A., and Mattice, M.R. 1939. Over two thousand estimations of the pH of representative foods. Am. J. Digest. Dis. Nutr. 9:440-449. FDA Bacteriological Analytical Manual, 6th Ed. 1984. Chapter 23, Table 11. Text last edited: 29 Jan 92 Hypertext last edited: 26 Jul 94 mowNOSPAM@vm.cfsan.fda.gov [Embarcadero Home Cannery at 2026 Livingston Street/ Oakland CA 94606 (510) 535-2311 sells pH papers. If you are nervous about some of your items and recipes, they could help.--LEB] A.1.6 What does home canning entail? These are two sample recipes, just to give a general idea of what is involved, one is for a waterbath treatment, the other involves pressure canning. Some comments of special interest have been added in [with initials]), to benefit the canning newbie. Both of these recipe files are taken from Susan Brewer's fact sheets. Initials: LEB = Leslie Basel, ED = Eric Decker, LN = Louis Nagel Return to ToC CANNING FRUITS (PEACHES) Fresh fruit for home canning should be at the peak of ripeness--they should have lost their greenish color and should yield slightly when squeezed. [The peak-ripe fruit has the most dependable amounts of acid and pectin--LEB]. Fruit should be prepared (peeled, trimmed), treated to prevent browning, and hot-packed to exhaust air and make fruit more pliable. Hot-packing will help prevent fruit from floating in the syrup. Prepare syrup, hot pack fruit and water bath can. Use USDA Complete Canning Guidelines or "Canning Card" (EHE-660) for processing time. [The USDA Canning Guide is on-line, check Part 9, Section VII under Internet Sites for the url. --JTE] Recommended Quantities: Peaches, apples, pears: 17 1/2 lb fresh = 7 qt. ll b = 9 qt. 1 bushel = 48 lb = 16-24 qt (2 1/2 lb per quart) Berries: 1 1/2-3 lb (1-2 qt) fresh = 1 quart canned Plums: 1 1/2-2 1/2 lb fresh = 1 quart canned Preparing Jars Wash jars by hand or in dishwasher. Rinse well. [Please remember that the dishwasher cleans the jars a little, and keeps them warm--it does not sterilize them.--ED, LEB] Prepare lids according to manufacturer's directions. [Take a careful look at the rims, the counterpoint to the lids.--LN] Preparing Peaches Wash your hands.--everybody, your mom :) Wash peaches under running water. [Important to remove dust and dirt. Soil bacteria are important source of spoilers.--LEB] Skin removal (peaches, apricots): [Blanching step.] Dip peaches in boiling water for 30-60 seconds. Dip in cold (ice) water to stop heat treatment. Do not soak--remove immediately. Cut peaches in half, remove pits, slice if desired. To prevent darkening put slices in any of these antidarkening solutions: a solution of 1 tsp or 3000 mg. of vit. C/ gallon of water. [From Tips 'n Tricks--can use a Vitamin C tablet] a citric acid or lemon juice solution (1 tsp citric acid USP grade or 3/4 cup lemon juice / gallon of water. [Check below for a list of citric acid sources.] a commercial antioxidant solution. [Fruit Fresh, et al.] Remove from antidarkening solution and drain just before heating or raw packing. Syrup Sugar [Granulated] (a) Thin: 2 cups sugar to 4 cups water Medium: 3 cups sugar to 4 cups water Heavy: 4 1/2 cups sugar to 4 cups water (fruit may float) Honey: 1 1/2 cups honey to 4 cups water Thin honey: 3/4 cup honey, 3/4 cup sugar, 4 cups water. [Test the flavor of your honey before using it your jars.--LN] Corn syrup: Thin: 1 c corn syrup, 1 c sugar, 4 c water Medium: 1 1/2 c corn syrup, 1 c sugar, 4 c water Heavy: 2 c corn syrup, 2 1/2 c sugar, 4 c water Fruit juice: pineapple, apple, etc. Water: fruit may fall apart during processing. (b) (a) For ease of use, sugar may be added directly to the jars, then processed --LN, Embarcadero Home Canning (b) Need the sugar to maintain plant cell osmotic pressure-LEB. Pack Hot pack: heat fruit and syrup or water to boiling, then pack. Raw pack: do not heat fruit prior to filling jars. Pie pack: heat fruit in sugar only, no water, until juice drawn from fruit nearly covers fruit. Heat slowly to prevent scorching. Fill jars with hot mixture and process as for hot pack fruit. Overlap fruit pieces in jars to minimize air spaces. Add liquid (syrup, fruit juice, water) leaving 1/2 inch of headspace. Headspace is where the seal will develop. Too much/too little will produce weak seals. Work out air bubbles with plastic or wooden utensil. If large amounts of air remain after processing, you get less of a vacuum and weak seals.--LEB Plastic/stainless steel utensils best, wood can put splinters in food, thus is verboten.--LN Wipe off jar rims thoroughly to make sure the sealing surface is clean and free from fruit or sugar which would prevent sealing. Very important for a beginner to remember to do. Add lids to the top, using tongs or a lid lifter. Don't touch the inside rim with your fingers. Screw ring bands onto the jars finger tight, plus a quarter turn more. Processing Procedure: Place filled jars on rack in canner so they don't touch sides. Add hot water until the level is 1-2" over jar tops. (a) Place the lid on the canner and bring to a boil. Start timing the canner when the water returns to a full boil. Add more boiling water as needed to keep level 1-2" over jar tops. Process according to USDA Guidelines, see "Canning Card" (EHE-660) (b) (a) 2" far better than 1", because the water will boil off. Too little water will leave an underprocessed jar.--LN Should add boiling water instead of just hot water, to keep the water boiling.--ED, LN If you are a newcomer to all this, might want to measure the water depth.--LEB (b) Remember that you need to know your elevation, and convert accordingly. Recipe times assumed for sea level. Check Section V for way to determine your elevation. Cooling Jars: At the end of the processing time, remove the jars from the waterbath canner without disturbing lids or bands. Place jars right side up on towel or rack away from drafts. DO NOT tighten screw bands. Lids will seal in 12-24 hours as they cool. NOTE: Hot glass can break or crack if cooled too quickly. BTW, If you hear a loud pop or click, the vacuum seal formed very quickly. This is the nicest sound in all canning.--LEB Checking Seals: Jar is sealed if lid is depressed in center and does not move. (a) Remove screw bands from sealed jars, wash off any syrup which may have boiled out during processing, and store jars. (b) Unsealed jars should be reprocessed with new lids, or refrigerated and used within a few days. (c) (a) Another seal test: hold the jar up by the lid w/o the ring. If the jar falls, the seal was bad. (Catch the jar. :) (b) If the jars are very sticky, might want to reprocess, because some of this is trapped in the seal.--LN (c) Must do the reprocessing within 24 hrs of original processing time. Storing Home-Canned Fruits: Remove screw bands from sealed jars. Wipe jars with warm, sudsy water and dry (do not disturb lid). Label and date. Store in clean, cool (less than 90F), dark, dry place. [Under 65F if possible.--LN] [Want to be able to use your canned goods within a year or so.] --- Prepared by Susan Brewer/Foods and Nutrition Specialist/Revised, 1992 EHE-663 ---- Return to ToC CANNING TOMATO-VEGETABLE JUICE BLENDS Tomatoes are a somewhat acid food. To make them safe for home canning ACID MUST BE ADDED. To each quart jar of tomatoes or tomato juice, 2Tbsp of lemon juice, or 4 Tbsp of 5% vinegar, or 1/2 tsp of citric acid must be added. When adding vegetables which are low in acid, the instructions must be followed exactly. You may add less vegetable, but you must not add more vegetable than the recipe calls for. You may adjust the spices and seasonings to your taste, for example more or less pepper, add a little tabasco, or more sugar. And, you may vary the kinds of vegetables as long as you do not add more than three cups total vegetables to 7 quarts of juice. For example, you may use 2 cups of onions and 1 cup of celery, or 1 cup each of green pepper, onion, and carrots. But no more than 3 cups total of vegetables will be safe. [Check out Part 9, Section V. Recipe Caveats and Troubleshooting Guide, specifically see Table A.2 2 and the following paragraph for the vegetable/acid rules.] An average of 22 pounds of tomatoes is needed per canner load of 7 quarts. Preparation for Canning: Wash jars by hand or in dishwasher. Rinse well. [Check the dishwasher question A.3.5 for more info.--LEB] Prepare lids according to manufacturer's directions. Put 2 to 3 inches of water in pressure canner, or 5 to 7 inches of water in boiling water bath canner. Be sure canner has rack. Start water heating. It should be hot but not boiling when the jars go in. Prepare juice: Wash your hands. :) Wash tomatoes and vegetables under running water. Trim and discard any bruised or discolored sections. Chop carrots, onions, celery and green peppers, or your preferred combinations. For 7 quarts of juice you may add up to 3 cups of chopped vegetables. To prevent juice from separating, quickly cut about 1 pound of fruit into quarters and put directly into saucepan. Heat immediately to boiling while crushing. Continue to slowly add and crush fresh tomato quarters into the boiling mixture. Make sure the mixture boils constantly while you add the remaining tomatoes. Add the chopped vegetables to the boiling tomatoes. Add sugar, salt, and spices. For 7 quarts of juice, a mixture of 1/3 C sugar, 1/4 C salt, 1 Tbsp celery seed and 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper is a good combination. Simmer mixture for 20 minutes. Press hot mixture through a sieve or food mill to remove skins and seeds. Reheat juice to boiling. Fill jars: Add 2 Tbsp lemon juice (or alternatives-see above) to each quart jar. Fill boiling juice into jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Wipe top sealing edge of jar with a clean damp towel. Adjust 2-piece canning lids. Tighten ring bands using thumb and two fingers until just snug, then using whole hand, tighten 1/4 turn further. [Don't tighten further especially if pressure canning, need the interior of the jars to equilibrate with the pressure during processing.] Processing: Place jars on rack in canner so that they do not touch sides. Add hot water to boiling water bath if necessary to bring water 1-2 inch over tops of jars. Cover canner, or lock pressure canner lid into place. Turn up heat. Process: Boiling water bath canner: when water reaches full boil, begin to count processing time. Set timer for specified time. Add water to boiling water canner if necessary to maintain proper depth. [Your *accurate* timer is important here. Should be clock wound or use an electronic battery.--LN] Pressure canner: When steady stream of steam issues from vent, set timer and allow to exhaust steam for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, close petcock or put weighted pressure regulator on vent. When dial gauge reads 11 psig, or when weight begins to rock or hiss at manufacturer's stated rate, set timer for specified processing time, and gradually reduce heat to maintain proper pressure. [Gradual is important here--don't cut the heat so radically to lose pressure, otherwise have to retime.] PROCESSING TIMES for canning in Illinois: Boiling Water Pressure Canner (10/11 psig) Pints 35 minutes 15 minutes Quarts 40 minutes 15 minutes [Check your p.canner gauge at least once/year.--LN] [Remember to alter times/pressure for your elevation. If you live in the US, check the geographical nameserver listed in Section V.--LEB] After processing time is complete: Remove canner from heat. Allow pressure to drop to zero. Wait 3 more minutes. Open canner with lid away from you to avoid steam in your face. [Don't try to speed this up; just simply turn off the burner and allow to cool. Even moving a canner to a cool burner can be a bit dangerous.--LN] Remove jars from canner. Place upright on rack to cool away from drafts. Do Not Tighten ring bands. They will tighten as they cool. After 12-24 hrs check seals. Center of lid should be depressed and not give when touched. A tap with a spoon should give a clear ring. Remove ring bands, wipe with warm sudsy water, rinse, label and store. Unsealed jars may be reprocessed, or refrigerated. --- Prepared by Mary A. Keith, Foods and Nutrition, July, 1991 Revised by M. Susan Brewer, Foods and Nutrition, June, 1992 EHE-692 ---- A.1.7 Where do I get the Ball Blue Book? And the USDA Canning Guide? Most of the food preservation sources are in the back of this FAQ, but the Ball Blue Book (BBB) is the great canning classic of all time (unless you have the Kerr Canning Guide). First time canners are *well* advised to pick up a copy. Places where you can order or find the BBB are: order form on the lid box in a fresh case of Ball canning jars sometimes the hardware store or the Walmart where you picked up the case of jars will also have a copy for sale nearby. I got mine in a used bookstore (check the copyright date, you want one less than ten years old). New info from hjbeNOSPAM@conch.aa.msen.com can order the BBB by phone, the number is 1-800-859-2255. From the Great Pumpkin a reliable address for ordering the BBB is: Direct Marketing, CB/Alltrista Corporation, P.O. Box 2005, Muncie IN 47307-0005. Or you can order it online at http://www.homecanning.com/usa/ALOrder.asp The USDA Canning Guide is online. Check under Internet Sources ( Part 9, Section VII) for the exact addresses. A.1.8 What if my recipe doesn't have processing instructions? Check out the section in this FAQ entitled Recipe Caveats and Troubleshooting ( Part 9, Section V). Or follow the recipe, *don't* process, and simply refrigerate the results. A.1.9 Where can I find out my elevation so I can alter my processing times? You have a few options: Contact your nearest airport and ask (thanks to Barb Schaller for this tip) Penn State (http://foodsafety.cas.psu.edu/presqueryform.cfm) has good info but is limited to the U.S. If you live in Canada, try http://etopo.ca/downloads.html (Thanks to The Jonses). You have to dowload a program but it looks good. If you find any urls to handle places not in North America, please let the FAQ amintainer know. A.1.10 How do I obtain a good stable jel (or 'set')? The following is taken from from a document on the ITDG (the Intermediate Technology Development Group) website. It will have been noted that the pH of a preserve has to lie between 3.0 and 3.3 in order to obtain a good stable gel (or 'set'). Most fruits lie in this pH range. Those above 3.3 require the addition of citric acid to bring the pH down to the required range. Lime juice however has a pH of 2.7 to 2.9 and so the PH has to be increased. This, it has been found, can be easily done with sodium bicarbonate (baking powder [actually this is baking soda - JTE]). In this particular case it was found that the addition of 20g of sodium bicarbonate/litre of juice gave the required pH adjustment. A.1.11How do I know my juice/jam has enough natural pectin? If jelly/jam is to be made without added pectin, it is a good idea to test the pectin content of the fruit juice with this easy method. Measure 1 tablespoon of rubbing alcohol into a small glass. Add 1 tablespoon of extracted fruit juice and let stand 2 minutes. If a good solid mass forms, enough pectin is naturally present in the fruit juice to form a pectin gel. If only a small weak mass forms, there is not enough pectin to form a gel and a commercial pectin should be used in the jelly making. Do not taste this mixture. This comes from http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/nutrition/DJ0686.html. Another reference is http://www.mamtaskitchen.com/recipe_display.php?id=10445. It should be noted that instead of adding a commercial pectin, one could add some high-pectin fruit to the jelly/jam and re-test. The above references give a list of high-pectin fruits. It should also be pointed out that the jelly/jam needs to be acidic enough for the pectin to work. You will need to acidify low acid fruits such as bananas and sweet cherries. Thanks to Edrena (The Joneses) for rasing this discussion and supplying the reerences. A.1.12How do I can oil with herbs? Can I can pesto? As stated in the National Center for Home Food Presefving at the University of georgia web site (www.uga.edu/nchfp/questions/FAQ_canning.html#31): Herbs and oils are both low-acid and together could support the growth of the disease-causing Clostridium botulinum bacteria. Oils may be flavored with herbs if they are made up for fresh use, stored in the refrigerator and used within 2 to 3 days. There are no canning recommendations. Fresh herbs must be washed well and dried completely before storing in the oil. The very best sanitation and personal hygiene practices must be used. Pesto is an uncooked seasoning mixture of herbs, usually including fresh basil, and some oil. It may be frozen for long term storage; there are no home canning recommendations. Return to ToC Recipe Templates and Tricks These are templates which can give you ideas for unusual gifts, or really unusual jams and jellies. YMMV. A.2.1 Sweet, gelled, fruity, cannable things 101 as taught by: May I have your attention, please? Ms. Schaller, Famed Fruit Spread Preserver, will now conduct a seminar on The Proper Terminology of Preserves. This seminar will be worth .5 CEU credit. There WILL be a test. It WILL count. Preserves: The broad category AND a specific product: Whole fruits (or similar-sized cut pieces of fruit too large to be done whole) preserved in a thick sugar syrup varying in viscosity from that of honey to soft jelly, so that the fruit retains its shape. Jelly: The jelled *juice (only)* of the fruit or vegetable. A prize-winning one will be clear, lacking crystallization, and will be firm enough to hold its shape outside the jar, yet will be soft enough for easy spreading. Jam: Will contain fruit bits. Fruit prepared for jamming is typically crushed or chopped and cooked with sugar. Pectin may be added to assist the jel. A leetle softer than jelly. Butter: The smooth pureed pulp of the fruit, cooked and sweetened until very thick. Often enhanced with sweet spices. Must be cooked slowly. Refer to FAQ for sad stories and a couple good recipes [look down :)--LEB]. Conserves: Jam-like combinations of two or more fruits, traditionally without added pectin and traditionally containing nuts and raisins. YMMV. A good one is on the soft side. Marmalades: Soft fruit jellies, typically citrus products, containing small pieces of fruit or peel evenly suspended in the transparent jelly. Good definitions from the Ball Blue Book. A.2.2 What is the scientific formula for making low sugar jam/jellies? --Mary Going From our expert in low sugar jams, Sandy Fifer : I have a very general formula that works well for me. First, I check _Putting_Food_By_ to see what the acid content is for the particular fruit and use lemon juice to increase the acidity accordingly. (If it's not acid enough [pH 4.6] I add up to 3 Tbsp. lemon juice per 5 cups of fruit.) Second, I use Pomona's Universal Pectin so that the jelling does not depend on the amount of sugar used. So, for jam, here's my recipe: (check the Proportions list for quantities) Prepare fruit: pit cherries, de-stone and remove cores from nectarines, pears, etc., de-skin by dipping in boiling water if necessary. Puree fruit--shorter time if you like some lumps (fruit identity), longer if you like it smoother. Since this is jam and not jelly it will have body and not be the translucent jell commercially available. Combine 5 cups of fruit, 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar, 2T lemon juice, and use 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 tsp. each of pectin and calcium, prepared according to the package. This yields 4 to 5 1/2 cups jam, depending on loss during cooking: some fruits foam up (raspberries), some are thick and spit all over the kitchen while heating (nectarines and pears). Remember, this is a very general recipe. Also, I like a minimum of sugar, just enough to bring out the taste of the fruit. With some fruits I add ginger (e.g. pears) or lemon zest (e.g. blueberries). I cook the puree until it reaches a full boil--this can take 10 to 20 minutes depending on how high the heat is and how thick the fruit. I'm cooking to heat it thoroughly, not to reduce it or develop pectin. You bring the jam to a full boil. This means that you stir the puree around and as soon as you remove the spoon all the puree immediately starts to boil again. At this point there's no need to cook it further--you can proceed to the pectin step. When it reaches the full boil, add the pectin, sugar and calcium according to the directions. You have to experiment to determine how much sugar you want, and how thick you want the resulting jam. Then I water-bath can the jam for six minutes. Having brought the jam to a full boil allows you to process it for such a short time. I believe that if you follow this recipe you will end up with, at the minimum, a really good batch of jam, even taking into account the variation in tastes. You might want to tinker with it some to suit your own particular taste. I've never had an inedible failure. In the beginning I had some jams that were too thick or thin, but they tasted fine, and I kept notes and corrected the recipe the following year. I buy high quality fruit and use it when it's just ripe. I don't care about the cost of the fruit because it's more important to me to have a delicious end-product. Using fruit that's moldy or past its prime is a bad idea. Some mold can survive the canning process. Once opened, low-sugar jams have a shorter shelf-life than high-sugar commercial jams, even when refrigerated. My raspberry jam lasts about three weeks (not sure why) and the other fruits last about four to six weeks. Basically my jam tastes like pureed fruit (in fact to make fruit sauce for toppings I use the same recipe and just leave out the pectin and calcium) and is as close as I can come to preserving summer. ---Proportions, from Sandy Fifer --- I decided to type in my recipes for all the jams I've made. Remember, these depend on using Pomona's Universal Pectin, which doesn't require sugar to set the jam. And one box of Pomona's will last for 3 to 5 batches of jam (where one batch equals 5 cups of fruit). Pureed fruit Sugar Lemon juice # tsp. *each* of Optional pectin & calcium Strawberries: 5 c. 7/8 c. 2 Tbsp. 2 tsp. Raspberries: 5 1/2 c. 2/3 c. 2 Tbsp. 2 tsp. Cherries: 5 c. 1/2 c. 2 Tbsp. 1 3/4 tsp. Marionberries: 6 c. 3/4 c. 2 Tbsp. 1 3/4 tsp. Blueberries: 5 c. 1/2 c. 2 Tbsp. 1 1/2 tsp. lemon zest Peaches: 5 c. 1/2 c. 2 Tbsp. 2 tsp. Plums: 5 c. 3/4 c. 2 Tbsp. 2 tsp. Apricots: 5 c. 1/2 c. 2 1/2 Tbsp. 2 1/4 tsp. Pears: 6 c. 1/2 c. 2 1/2 Tbsp. 2 1/2 tsp. 1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated Yield: 4 to 6 cups of jam, depending on conditions. Return to ToC A.2.3 Fruit butters in general, and apple butter in particular... From: Barb Schaller Re cooking and doneness of fruit butters, this from Farm Journal Freezing and Canning Cookbook, Doubleday, 1964: Measure the pulp and sugar into a large kettle; add the salt. Boil rapidly, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. As the butter becomes thick, lower heat to reduce spattering. Add spices and lemon juice, if used. ***Continue cooking until butter is thick enough almost to flake off the spoon, or as Grandmother used to say: "Until it is thick enough to spread." Another test for consistency is to pour a tablespoon of the hot butter onto a chilled plate -- if no rim of liquid forms around the edge of the butter, it is ready for canning.*** Pour into hot jars and seal. Process pints and quarts in hot-water bath 10 minutes. That said, let me say this about that: This is not a fast project. Time and patience are everything. I do not bring my pulp to boil over high heat; medium high at best, watching and stirring diligently to it won't stick and scorch. Then reduce the heat! A mesh spatter shield is invaluable to me when I do this because the pulp thickens as the liquid evaporates; as the pulp thickens the spattering increases; covering the pan to protect from spattering hinders evaporation. The closer you think you are to "done," the more attention you'll want to give it. Too-fast cooking at too high a heat will caramelize the sugar in the recipe and leave you with something akin to jam. Trust me on this; I've ruined more than one batch of apricot butter in my time. Additionally, I'd process them longer than the 10 minutes, especially if the butter is less than boiling when it's put into the jars -- I had a couple of jars not seal. The butter is dense and takes longer to heat through to ensure the seal. The butter can also be baked (a fine alternative, especially if you're in a cool climate and welcome the warmth of the oven). Pour the seasoned and sweetened pulp into a shallow (9x13 inch pan minimum) pan -- or a shallow roasting pan. Bake at about 325 degrees F until thick, stirring every 20-30 minutes so an evaporation-induced crust doesn't form on the top. Not as complicated as it might look. Wonderful treat. Worth the effort. Apple Butter Recipe It's what I did. And I actually *measured* things. :-) 12 cups apple pulp (I used locally grown Haralsons) 3 to 4 cups sugar (begin with 3, I added the 4th to my taste) 3 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1/8 tsp. freshly ground allspice 1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1/4 tsp. ground cloves (do not overdo cloves; taste can be overwhelming) 1/4 cup white vinegar Make pulp: Core but do not peel apples. Cook slowly with about an inch or two of water added, stirring to prevent sticking. Put through a food mill to make pulp. If you use more water and boil the heck out of them, do drain in a colander to eliminate the extra liquid. Measure pulp into at least a 6-quart dutch oven, stir in remaining ingredients and cook slowly, uncovered, for several hours to desired thickness. Feel free to correct the spices to your taste; adding in cautious amounts. Can in hot, sterilized jars, process in boiling water bath maybe 20 minutes. If my schedule requires it, I make it a two-day project. It sits fine overnight, covered. Use imaginatively: I use as a condiment as often as a bread spread; we like it with roast pork or chops. I swirl it into my cream cheese coffee cake filling. If it's thick enough, fill a cookie with it. Return to ToC A.2.4 Conserves From: Leslie Basel Conserves are multi-fruit preserves, sometimes with nuts and/or raisins. My grandmother once told me that anything more than three different fruits in anything is a waste--you can't taste them all, or they taste like tutti fruitti... But I really like making conserves--you can do almost any combination of fruits, as long as they are acid enough (check the FAQ above for general pHs of different fruits)-- and they're perfect for using up weird amounts of fruit, or cleaning up the leftovers from different jam projects. I suspect that name "conserve" is derived from that little operation. So without further ado, here's mine: Kitchen Sink Conserve 3-4 cup whole strawberries 1 large stalk rhubarb 4 nectarines 3/4 cup raisins 1/2 cup fresh orange juice slivered almonds (optional) sugar Hull, wash, and mash strawberries. Peel and chop rhubarb. I like a very fine chop, as it keeps the rhubarb from becoming dental floss. Pit and chop nectarines. Combine strawberries, rhubarb, nectarines, orange juice, and raisins. Simmer fruit until tender (strawberry bits will not be seen in this), then take off the heat, and measure the amount of fruit/juice. The trick for nearly any conserve recipe: Add sugar to fruit mixture on a 3/4-1vol:1vol basis. (I got 5 cups of fruit, so I add 4-5 cups of sugar). And if you add a citrus juice (or even a fruit juice) instead of water, you add a little extra acid and pectin. Put fruit/sugar mix on high heat, boil, stir constantly. When it passes the jelly test, add the chopped nuts, stir and jar it up. I put this hot into sterilized pint jars, so I boiling waterbath-processed this for 15 minutes. Hot half pints, do this for 10. (Note, this is for sea level.) If you try this with almonds or any other kind of nut, be stingy with them. Nuts are not acid, so too many will invite spoilage. If you like raisins, add as many as you want. Spices are great, if you have a light touch. Fruits that do not work well in a conserve of this type: Bananas, they get brown. Soft fruits work alright if don't expect them to be intact afterwards, otherwise they should be added last, perhaps to float to the top of the jar :). Figs are tasty in a conserve, but they are borderline acid, so you need extra citric acid or be stingy with them. Citrus works okay *with* a little advance planning; you need to prepare peels like you would in a marmalade (see recipe below). Raw citrus peels are very bitter and icky. Stone fruits work great, I always add at least one into a conserve. And its always great to have a few slightly underripe fruits in the conserve for pectin and acid. So here's a place where you can be creative, and one-up your grandmother. Who knows what family recipe you'll brew up? Return to ToC A.2.5 Fruit preserves From: edeckerNOSPAM@inforamp.net (Eric Decker) Subject: Pear Preserves Wash. Cut the pears lengthwise in halves or quarters. Remove stems, core. Peel the sections. Treat pieces against oxidation with a solution of 1 tsp of ascorbic acid per cup of water. Make enough so the effectiveness of the solution is not exhausted. Make a thin or medium syrup according to taste. Syrups: Thin: 4 cups water to 2 cups sugar Medium: 4 cups water to three cups sugar Heavy: 4 cups water to 4 and 3/4 cups sugar Combine the sugar and water, bring to a boil, skim off the froth as required. If using a sweet pear use thin, medium syrup for a less sweet pear. Simmer the fruit in syrup for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Remove the pears from the syrup; put the syrup back on to boil. Fill sterile jars with pears leaving 1/2" of headroom. Add boiling syrup, leaving 1/2" of headroom. Wipe down the jar lips with a clean damp cloth. Apply lids - bands finger tight. Process in Boiling-Water Bath: Pints for 20 minutes, quarts for 25 minutes. These preserves can be enhanced by the addition of whole cloves, caraway seed or cardamon seed prior to filling with boiling syrup. A.2.6 Anyone out there have a recipe, or any tips for marmalade? From: Patricia Hill . My recipe for blood oranges or for any of the citrus fruit marmalades is easy. Citrus marmalade Use lemon, limes, grapefruit, kumquat, oranges, tangerines, ugly fruit, tangelos Mix the fruit if you please or keep separate. Cut the fruit in halves or quarters and add water to barely cover. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours, adding water as needed. Remove the fruit from the water. Cut into thin shreds, chop or however you like it. I like thin shreds and find it is easier for me to do it AFTER cooking. My sister-in-law likes to cut it BEFORE cooking. Add the fruit shreds back into the water. Measure the fruit and water mixture. For every cup you have add 3/4 cup sugar. Cook over a hot flame until it reaches the jelly stage. Put in clean jars and seal. After it has jelled, you can add a little flavor. Lime marmalade with a little Club Raki (a licorice flavored liquor) is great. Lemons with a bit of scotch is good. Orange with a little Kirsch. This makes a firm marmalade so you can actually dilute it a little. If you want more flavorings, add them to the pot before it jells. Once we went to the store and bought some of every different type of citrus fruit they had. We cooked each fruit in a separate pot. After cutting we mixed the shreds in all sorts of combinations. We made some chunky and some thin shred. We put all sorts of flavorings in. They were all good. Return to ToC A.2.7 Tea jelly from Michael Teifel : I made a half litre Earl Grey tea 4 times stronger than normal. And I simply added 500 grams of a commercially available sugar/pectin mixture and followed the instructions for making jelly out of juices. It tastes real good, nearly the same taste of the jelly from the mail order tea shop I tasted before. The next time I will reduce the amount of sugar so that the tea flavour will be stronger. For a second batch: I made 250 ml of green gunpowder tea with mint flavour (4 times stronger, it means 4 times more tea, not 4 times longer brewing). Then I added 150 grams of a 1:2 mixture of the sugar/pectin box (1:2 means that you have more pectin and less sugar in the mixture, so the jelly results in more fruity flavour) and added a few pine nuts. (This tea is my favourite, in Tunesia it is very common drink: chinese green tea with mint and pine nuts.) Then I followed the instructions, and it gave a very good tea jelly with a fresh flavour of mint! N.B. You might want to add a bit of lemon juice/apple juice for safety. --LEB Return to ToC A.2.8 Flower jellies and jams from Bess Halle : Basic flower jelly Make an infusion from edible flowers. 1 pint of flowers to 1 pint of boiling water. Most flowers have a bitter bit where the petal joins the flower so you must cut that part off. I use scissors and just trim the petals of flowers, leaving the points attached. (though once I actually snipped the points off 2 quarts of rose petals....tedious beyond belief!) 2 C flower infusion 1/4 C lemon juice 4 C sugar 6 oz liquid pectin *optional; few drops food coloring Mix infusion, lemon juice and sugar in stainless steel or enamelware pan. Bring to hard boil you can't stir down. Add liquid pectin and return to hard boil. Boil at this temp. 2 minutes. Pour immediately into hot sterilized jars and seal. Process for 5 min in waterbath. Makes 4-4.5 cups of jelly. I've found liquid pectin works better with flowers (and herbs) than the powdered kind. You CAN make jellies with flowers and juice and I often make an apple mint jelly with apple juice and apple mint. My favorite herb combination, though, is lemon mint, made with 1 cup lemon verbena infusion and 1 cup spearmint. I never use the food coloring because I like the pale yellow and gold and pink and ruby colors. You can also pour the jellies into pretty wine glasses or other pretty glasses and seal with paraffin. [No, don't use paraffin. See, for example, Part 2 of the FAQ --JTE] P.S. The word from the wine making group (where I first got the idea to make honeysuckle jelly) is to wash the blossoms first. This is probably a good idea because I made a batch of honeysuckle jelly over the weekend and there was an awful lot of pollen in the flowers. The jelly tasted like honey, btw, and quite good...not at all lemony, but not enough of the actual honeysuckle flavor I was aiming for. I'll probably increase the proportions next time. Here's another rose petal jelly recipe which makes more jelly. 2 quarts rose petals **see note below 2 quarts water 1/4 cup lemon juice 7 cups sugar 6 oz liquid pectin Boil petals in 2 quarts of water with the lid on, till 1/2 liquid is gone. Measure out 3 cups liquid. (save the remaining cup!!) mix with lemon juice and sugar. Bring to rolling boil. Add liquid pectin (this will be 2 packages of the liquid certo brand) and bring back to hard boil. Boil 2 minutes and pour into hot sterilized jars. Seal in preferred manner. I use the little 4 oz jelly jars so that I can give away a lot. This makes about 15 little jars. The remaining cup can be mixed with a 1 cup infusion of a favorite herb like mint or lemon balm and used in the previous recipe. I also boiled a cinnamon stick in with the jelly-making part (not the first boiling of petals) I think because I heard of a restaurant called Cinnamon Rose and the name stuck. Anyway, at first the cinnamon seemed a little strong. A friend said the jelly tasted like the apple pie from heaven. BUT after opening a sealed jar a few days later I DID detect both the rose and the cinnamon flavor. Be sure to discard the cinnamon stick before bottling. **I've used less and I've used more, so the exact proportions probably don't matter. In fact, even when I pick them at night when I get home from work, and they have little scent, cooking them brings it out a lot. Just remember, for a good red color you will need some red roses and also remember.. ..the rose brew will stain your hands, your sink, your clothes!!! A.2.9 Canning Cake and Quick Breads - Don't Do It! Canned breads and cakes are not recommended for home cooks or canning; choose cake or bread recipes that you can freeze. Many cake and quick bread recipes contain very little or no acid and thus have the potential for supporting the growth of hazardous bacteria, such as Clostridium botulinum, if they are present inside the closed jar. C. botulinum causes an often fatal food borne illness, called botulism. Given that many of these bread and cake recipes have been shown to be low in acid, the major barriers to prevent microbial growth are limited to: (1) the dryness of the product and (2) the lack of oxygen inside the closed jar (because of vacuum seals). Recipe variations such as the addition of fruit, zucchini, liquids, etc. all contribute to available water for microorganisms to use. In addition, lack of oxygen alone does not prevent the growth of all harmful bacteria. The vacuum seals do not remove all oxygen, so some would still be available to the bacteria which do need it. Source: Cooperative Extension Service, The University Of Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences and the College of Aquiculture and Environmental Sciences Cooperating http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/uga/uga_can_breads.pdf Return to ToC General Ingredient Questions A.3.1 I am curious; why do some jam/jelly recipes call for a little bit of butter/margarine? --Andrea Midtmoen Fease From: Anna Welborne My dad always told me it kept the foam quantity down. That seems to be pretty much true, as I tried leaving it out of the strawberries this last summer, and had more foam. [BTW, for a beginner, cutting down on the foam is helpful. Less foamy jam gives a more accurate reading for your candy thermometer; too much foam is hard for a beginner to control.] A.3.2 Sugar Unless specified otherwise, sugar is granulated sugar. Dissolves easily, easy to pour and measure, and all the recipes are calibrated to its volume to weight. A.3.3 I'm looking for sources of pectin, like bulk pectins or low sugar pectins. Bulk pectins, low sugar pectins, citric acid, from Dirk W. Howard : Pacific Pectin Products, P.O. Box 2422, 40179 Enterprise Dr., 7B-D, Oakhurst, CA 93644 (209) 683-0303. Low sugar pectin, from Sandy Fifer : Pomona's Universal Pectin, Workstead Industries, P.O. Box 1083, Greenfield, MA 01302 (413) 772-6816. Another source for bulk pectin, from both Zlotka and Kai : Home Canning Supply & Specialties, PO Box 1158, Ramona, California 92065 (619) 788-0520 or FAX (619) 789-4745. 1 (800) 354-4070 for orders. They sell 10# of regular pectin for $75.15 plus shipping (1995 prices--LEB). Call and talk to them; nice folks. A.3.4 Where can I find me some citric acid? From Jeff Benjamin , rec.food.baking: If there's a home brewing shop in your neck of the woods, try there. From Joel Ehrlich , rec.food.baking: King Arthur's Flour. Most places which sell it for baking identify it as "Sour Salt". From several in rec.food.preserving: Safeway. Food Lion. Look in the kosher or ethnic Jewish aisle where it is often sold as "Sour Salt". Ask around. A.3.5 Where can I find a modified starch called Clear Gel/Jel A? From Carol Nelson : Here are some sources for Clear Jel in western Oregon. I have no idea if they will mail order, but it won't hurt to give them a call. Our local Extension offices sell Clear Jel for $2.00/pound for an idea on price. Captain Albert's Good Things, 254 Commercial, Salem, Or (503) 364-6511 Friedman's Microwave Store, 1120 Lancaster Dr NE, Salem, Or 364-0538 or 1-888-380-4372 Burrow's Country Store, 635 Wallace Rd NE, Salem, Or (503) 585-2898 Return to ToC General Equipment Questions A.4.1 What kind of equipment do I need to can foods at home? Don't you need a lot of stuff? If you cook, you probably already have most of the stuff that you need to can (jar) high-acid foods. Basically, you need canning jars and 2-piece lids (lids and rings), a large kettle or stock pot that you can boil water in, several saucepans, measuring cups and spoons, light tongs (to pick up the lids and rings), ladles, stirring spoons (stainless steel the best), an accurate timer, clean towels, a cake rack, and canning tongs. As you get more involved, other helpful tools are: canning funnel, clip-on candy thermometer, lid lifter (a plastic rod with a magnet at the end of it), boiling waterbath canner, preserving pan, and a pressure canner (not a cooker). 2-piece jars can be found in the grocery, supermarket, and hardware stores, while canners, canning tongs, jar lifters, and canning funnels can be gotten at the local hardware store (or Walmart). Lots of equipment can also be obtained at yard sales, check out the Specific Equipment Question section for more information. What you really need is a desire to can food, and a bit of a perfectionist streak. Carelessness, disorganization, and inattention cause most problems. A.4.2 What's a preserving pan? A wide heavy-bottomed pan but with relatively shallow sides. A large saucepan will do when you are first starting out; many recipes call for a 6-8 qt heavy sided pot. The idea here is that you want to heat your jams and preserves quickly and evenly throughout. If you treated your preserves like soup, say, filling a small saucepan, the top of the jam would be undercooked and runny while the bottom layers of jam would be overcooked and chunky. A.4.3 My grandmother always reused commercial jars and sealed her jars using paraffin. Should I do this too? Nothing against your grandmother, but usually you don't want to use "onetrip" commercial jars for canning. Sealing jars with paraffin is also counterindicated, because mold and other spoilers can slip in between the paraffin and the side of the jar. Even a common trick of turning the jar upside down to "sterilize" the top is not advised. [More on this below.] (Use a boiling waterbath for about 5-10 minutes instead.) Food preserving technique "rules" tend to change every few years, due to new knowledge about microbiology and mycology, and due to rigorous testing of food preservation recipes and techniques by many state extension services. Keep up to date! A.4.4. Can I invert my jars instead of using that nasty waterbath thing? (Nope!) From: edeckerNOSPAM@inforamp.net (Eric Decker) PFB (Putting Food By) says: "and NEVER invert processed jars in the mistaken idea that you're helping the seal - quite the contrary!" Page 264 of PFB, 4th edition debunks (in my opinion) the 1/8" Inversion theory. My comments will be indicated as [E.D.] "Unsaid in the news release but voiced by staff responding to telephoned queries to the GF Consumer Center in White Plains, New York, the benefits are that the jam/jelly - being still at a temperature to destroy spoiler micro-organisms - will sterilize the underside of the sealing disk, and the little amount of air trapped under the lid. [How filthy are the lids and jars before use? E.D.] A vacuum can form if the jars are hot and the contents are about 165F/74C. But it won't be a STRONG vacuum, because any amount of air left in the jar will invite growth of mould eventually - even though the jar is technically sealed. While a vacuum formed for us at PFB using the "inversion" method, the "inversion" vacuum was not so strong as the vacuum seal on the B-W treated jars. This fact is a reminder that the "finishing" Boiling-Water bath was welcomed by scientists in the South, to counteract heat and humidity of storage in the region; and soon it was adopted for dryer and more temperate climates. [I'd vouch for this: I've canned in Seattle, where seals formed easily, and in Tucson and North Carolina, where the seals took their own sweet time in forming. Give me that finishing waterbath every time--LEB.] At the same time, food scientists determined that 5 minutes in a B-W bath was adequate (instead of a longer time advocated earlier) to strengthen the seal and drive air from the headroom, and sanitize the surfaces where micro-organisms could have lit. Presumably the reason for standing the jars on their heads is to hold the hot contents against the head and the sealing disk to equal the action of the 5 minute B-W Bath. A further help would be to deal with floating fruit as the medium gels; turned back upright, the contents would shake down by themselves. The same results can be got by giving the jars a twirl several times after they're set aside to cool upright after their bath." (Note: in filing and capping the jars, we at PFB must have left the bands a bit loose. After we inverted it, one jar spurted hot, hot jelly over a hand in a mean scald. This indirect hazard can also make "inversion" less than foolproof.) "PFB is not gainsaying General Foods just to be tiresome; we, too, used to advocate the quick "inversion" with almost non-existent headroom--(though never setting the jars upside-down, regarding this practice as harking back too far to old-time ways with preserving)--so we reverse our own recommendations, too. Postscript: extension food scientists whose work we admire have expressed their worries over the "inversion" technique used at high altitudes and they are against it. Post-Postscript: General Foods shows fairness in their news release in saying they will continue to mention B-W Bath method as an alternative on all their printed materials." [Conclusion: I feel it gives a false security to the user of the "inversion" method. Neophytes especially are at risk with this method for they do not have the experience to make valid food judgements. Far better then, to master the basic proven techniques that work under all circumstances. E.D.] A.4.5 My dishwasher sterilizes jars, right? (No.) An argument against thinking the dishwasher sterilizes, paraphrased from Sandy Fifer : The water in the dishwasher is only as hot as the hot water setting in your water heater. Most are set at power saver settings, 130F or so, hottest settings are at 145F. Unless you set your water heater to 212F, you're deluding yourself. And from Eric Decker : The typical dishwasher has an accumulation of crud in the bottom that you don't even know is there. Unless the bottom spray device is removed you have not seen the scraps of food which have not yet dissipated to nothingness and passed through the filter. The dishwasher is not a suitable device for preparing canning jars for use unless one adds an active anti-germ agent such as chlorox [bleach]. Develop good habits. The processes for sterilization of jar and lid must be inviolable and independent of the canning process itself. My grandmother didn't have a dishwasher so she scrubbed her bottles in a hot lye solution, rinsed them in soft running water, then plucked each one of them from a pot of simmering water to use immediately. It may seem silly to iterate it but she always put the mouth of the jar to the bottom - the inside was sealed from the outside and kept full of steam. Talk about a simple way to maintain sterility! [Since you have to use your boiling waterbath, I wash, then boil jars, hold them when I need them, then I have a ready 2/3 canner of hot boiling water.--LEB] As an update, according to the Ball Blue Book, page 10 (probably bought in 2001): It is only necessary to sterilize jars if they are used for products processed for less than 10 minutes. In this book, jellies are the only recipes processed for less than 10 minutes; hence, they require sterilized jars. To sterilize jars before filling, place them in a large saucepot and cover with water. Jars must be totally submerged. Bring the water to a boil; boil jars 10 minutes for altitudes at or below 1,000 feet above sea level. At higher elevations, boil 1 additional minute for each additional 1,000-foot elevation. Allow jars to remain in hot water until ready to use, removing one at a time as needed. Note: The dishwasher cannot be used to sterilize jars. A.4.6 What about zinc rings, rubber sealed jars, and other great, but antique, canning equipment? A great question. Check out the answer under II. Specific Equipment Questions. A.4.7 Ball or Kerr? People have used both, and people have had problems with either. In other words, whichever works for you. [They are owned by the same company --JTE] Return to ToC A.4.8 Rings on the jar, or off? In the opinion of Leslie Bener, its a matter of taste, so here are her pros and cons of each side. Pro ring: "looks" more natural, secures the lid if you are mailing canning jars or storing leftovers in the refrigerator. She likes the ring on when she mails/gives something. Con ring: can reuse ring quickly, rings don't rust on jar, doesn't hide dirty threads or a weak seal. Rings have to be off if the canned good is to be judged at a county/state fair. [Subsequently, it was found that this is NOT universally true -- JTE] Rings shouldn't be removed until the seal is allowed to fully develop, about 12-24 hrs. Gamut of opinions: From edeckerNOSPAM@inforamp.net (Eric Decker) ... "the best canners will NEVER store food with bands on". It is a point of pride with those canners that their process does not need "nails and glue" to maintain its integrity. Get thee to an Amish or Mennonite food/bake sale... Yes, removing bands is the default condition in serious canning. Heck my grandmother canned a lot of meat and fish. Never did I see a banded jar in her cellar. Take a peek in my cellar: I have bottles of fruit in alcohol that have been there since 1986 without bands. sandyNOSPAM@chinook.halcyon.com (Sandy Fifer) wrote: What's all the hubbub about leaving the bands on after canning? When I'm done canning my jam I remove the bands, wash the jars (sometimes they're sticky from some jam leaking into the canning water), dry them, test the seal by lifting by the lid, and then loosely replace the bands. Once the jar is opened you need the band to seal it anyway, don't you? And don't you give a band with each jar when you're giving the jars away? And when I'm done with the jam I wash the jar and store it with the band. All of you who remove the bands--where do they spend the winter? From: adhdmdNOSPAM@scc-uky.campus.mci.net (Jackee) After our canned goods have sealed we always remove the bands, wash and use again. My father says that was what his grandmother always did, so we just do the same. They did it because they were dirt poor, why we do I am not sure. From: jpnanNOSPAM@prairienet.org (Jean P Nance) I find that removing the screw caps, washing them, and storing them dry prevents rust. It seems if I leave them on, they are much more apt to rust and rust interferes with a seal. Rust and corrosion are expecially bad in rings on pickles, where some of the acid seems to seep out and collect on the ring. A.4.9 What if I don't hear a pop from my jars? And is there a way to be sure they are sealed since I didn't hear that magic noise? --Nancy Delly From George Shirley: Nancy: Be sure the center of the lid is depressed, generally that means they are sealed unless some mean person pushed them all down while you weren't looking. I've found that if the lid didn't seal it will usually fall off when you remove the band, but is sealed if the center is depressed. I don't have time to listen to each individual jar. From Mary Delamater: My jars often don't pop, so I just check to see if the lids are concave. It usually happens pretty quickly after water bathing. Also, if I'm not sure, sometimes I will remove the ring and hold the jar by the lid--if it stays on, it's sealed! (Be sure to put your other hand under the jar in case it is not sealed, or you will have a big mess to clean up :-) Return to ToC A.4.10 I'm really cheap. How can I reuse my canning lids? Penny-wise and pound-foolish. The botulism antiserum shot costs a *lot* more than the $10-$20 cost of a few dozen lids. As a public service, from the home office in Grand Rapids MI, the top ten Things You Can Do With Old Canning Lids.... 10. Windchimes 9. Coasters for the vacation house 8. Really boring mobiles 7. Palm protectors for smashing garlic cloves 6. Train your pet Chihuahua to catch teeny metal frisbees 5. 2 canning lids + 1 HD disk = yummy sandwich for your favorite USENET FAQ maintainer 4. With tinsnips, create several dollhouse-sized cookie sheets 3. Sharpen the edges, make the business end of a pizza cutter 2. Glue several canning lids into 1 slinky to contact those pesky Venusians 1. Several hundred canning lids, stitched together make the perfect dress for your Oscar acceptance speech... (those brass ones look great, much better than AMEX cards!) Seriously, there are some things you can do with old canning lids. You might not realize this, but lids and the mouths of jars/cans are of a fairly standard size. The Kerr lids for the narrow neck pints/half pints fit many commercial jars, like spaghetti sauce and mayonnaise jars, even those medium size salsa jars. I've found that the wide mouth ones fit large tomato sauce cans. It means that if you store dried peas, lentils, beans, pasta, sugars, flours, nuts, seeds, your dried vegetables, dried fruit, jerky, dried herbs, fruit leather, etc. in reused commercial glass jars, you always have a lid. Poke many large holes in an old canning lid, use the lid/ring/jar as a jar strainer for bean and alfalfa sprouts. If you're like me, and you cut the can lid off completely but you don't use all the contents, you still always have a lid. If your jars have great seals, and you have to completely destroy the lid of a particular home-processed can, you've still got a spare lid when you put it in the refrigerator. If your SO has a workshop, and organizes screws, nails, loose change, spare RAM chips, matches, etc in glass jars, your SO has a lid. Just don't can with them, and if you save old lids, mark 'em well so you don't get confused. Scratches on the top with a corkscrew do it for me--you even get planned obsolescence that way. And for god sakes, don't pawn 'em off at a yard sale... Return to ToC A.4.11 How do I use a pressure canner safely and effectively? from Wendy Milner : As with the boiling water bath, you prepare your food according to a tested recipe, place the food in the jar, put on the two piece lid, and place the jars in the canner which has 2 to 3 inches of water in it. The water should be hot but not boiling. Place the lid on the canner. The petcock or vent of the lid is open. As the water boils, steam will rise out of the petcock. When steam is steady, wait 10 minutes before closing the petcock. There are two types of gauge: weighted and dial. The weighted gauge has three positions: 5 pounds, 10 pounds and 15 pounds. Always use the higher weight if the recipe calls for a weight in between one of these values. For example, the recipe calls for 12 pounds of pressure, use 15 pounds. The disadvantage to a weighted gauge is that food may be over processed. The advantage is that it is easy to hear the weight move during processing. With a weighted gauge, place the gauge on the vent using the correct weight. Leave the temperature on high until the weighted gauge begins to rock. Lower the temperature. You will have to experiment a little with the temperature. You want the weighted gauge to rock lightly throughout the processing time. Start the processing time when the gauge is rocking at about 2 to 3 times a minute. [N.B. If your gauge refuses to rock, check to see if your stove is perfectly leveled.--the gang at r.f.p] The dial gauge canner has a dial which registers from zero to 20 pounds. You should have your gauge tested every year by the local extension office. The advantage to a dial gauge is that you can see exactly what the pressure of the canner is during processing. With a dial gauge, close the petcock and watch the dial. When the dial has reached the proper pressure, reduce the temperature. Maintain the pressure throughout the processing time. Start the processing time when the correct pressure has been met. If you live above 1000' feet you must increase the pressure for processing. For every 1000' feet add 1/2 pound of pressure. You do NOT add time to the processing, only pressure. he end of the processing time, turn off the heat. Do not open the lid or vents. It will take about an hour for the pressure to drop inside the canner. Wait till pressure reaches zero, or the safety valve drops before opening the lid. Open the lid away from you. There will still be steam rising from the water and it is easy to scald yourself. Remove the jars from the canner. Place them on a towel on the counter and leave them alone for 12 to 24 hours before checking the seal. Do not check before the 12 hours as this could cause the jars to not seal. Sealing is the result of heating and then cooling the jars. [For more about pressure canners especially information about the vagaries of the gauges, please checkout the Equipment Section in Part 4 of this FAQ.] Return to ToC A.4.12 Can I use an atmospheric steam canner (as compared to a steam pressure canner)? The short answer is No. Although the word 'steam' is used, it not only cannot be used in place of a pressure canner, it cannot even be used in place of a boiling water bath. The USDA does not recommend the use of steam canners for canning acid foods, including fruits, acidified vegetables, and pickles because of a lack of data demonstrating that the use of flowing steam in home canning is safe. One reference for this discussion (from April 2005) is http://www.wisc.edu/foodsafety/assets/foodfacts_2005/wffApril2005.htm. It should be pointed out that according to the above reference, one study done at the University of California-Davis did show that temeratures were equivalent to a Boiling Water Bath (BWB). But the University of Wisconsin points out that they did not follow USDA home canning proceedures. Another reference discussing this topic is http://fycs.ifas.ufl.edu/foodsafety/adobe/FoodPresUpdate2005.pdf (pages 9-11). Their conclusion is the same as that of the University of Wisconsin: bad test design and insufficient evidence as to safety. One last reference is http://www.agls.uidaho.edu/fcs/extension/news/May05.pdf, pages 5-6. Again, they come to the same essential conclusion with regard to the University of California-Davis study as the other referenced studies and do NOT recommend this approach. My opinion is that over time when there is more study, they will develop processes and proceedures that will allow the use of this equipment in home canning. However, we aren't there yet and using BWB processes, times and proceedures with this equipment is not safe and there are no documented processes, times and proceedures yet available for this equipment. Thus it should not be used. Thanks to Kathy for raising the question, Amy Middon for finding the University of Wisconsin reference to start the discussion and Edrena (The Joneses) for a University of Pennsylvania reference and asking for this topic to be added to the FAQ. A.4.13 I'd like some sources for non-standard size jars, decorative bottles, unusual size rings, and other items that I just can't find in the usual places. Zlotka : Berlin Packaging has a great catalog of containers for all manner of things. 1-800-4-BERLIN will get you a free catalog. Good customer service, too. lost the attribution here, sorry.. You might try Glashaus. They have some big jar sizes, the largest rings I have from them are 4.25" at the outside. They are at Glashaus Inc., 415 W. Golf Road, Suite 13, Arlington Heights, IL 60005 (312)-640-6918 Fax (312)-640-6955. Plus they have really beautiful jars. The lids are held on by suction from canning, so it is extremely easy to tell if something didn't seal or has gone bad. Return to ToC Troubleshooting A.5.1 My jars refuse to seal! Some of my preserved food is turning colors! What is happening? PROBLEMS WITH HOME-CANNED FOODS Even when you follow directions, occasionally you may have problems with home-canned foods. Many of these problems can be traced to use of non-standard canning jars, lids and rings or use of other-than-recommended canning equipment or procedures. Checking your equipment and reviewing current canning recommendations can go a long way towards preventing potential problems. If you do have a problem, you may be able to determine the cause and prevent its reoccurrence by consulting this "trouble-shooter's guide". Jars do not seal Off-standard jars and/or lids. Chipped or uneven sealing edge. Using one-piece caps instead of two-piece lids. Screwbands are rusty or bent providing poor contact. Bands not screwed down tightly enough before processing. Sealing edge not clean. Wipe edge well before placing lid on rim. Liquid siphons out of jar during processing taking food particles on to the sealing edge. Insufficient heat during processing--air not evacuated from jar, so a vacuum seal never forms. Lids were improperly prepared before placing them on rims--most lid manufacturers require some pretreatment (heating, boiling, etc.). Rapid, forced cooling of a pressure canner can cause a rapid pressure and temperature change inside the canner causing the liquid to "boil" out of the jars, leaving particles on the sealing rim and unsealing the jars. Canners should not be "forced" into cooling rapidly by submerging them in water or by adding ice. Insufficient processing of raw-packed food; the air may not have been completely driven out of the food leaving residual air in the jar so the seal does not form. Use of canning procedures which are not recommended such as open kettle canning, microwave canning, and oven canning. Use USDA recommended procedures. Food spoils Processing at an incorrect temperature--can occur with: Inaccurate pressure canner gauge. Failure to exhaust canner. Failure to make altitude adjustment. Heat source fluctuates--inaccurate pressure or fluctuating pressure. Water not at a rolling boil when jars are put into canner. Water not covering jar caps by 2" throughout processing. Water not at full boil throughout processing. Insufficient processing time. Use of canning procedures which are not recommended--recommended procedures (USDA) are based on the time it takes to achieve a temperature which will sterilize the food in the jar. Improper cooling of jars after processing. Failure to remove jars from canner when processing time is up (or when pressure gauge reads 0). Failure to set jars at least 1" apart during cooling. Covering jars which retains heat--vacuum does not develop. Attempting to cool either the canner or the jars very rapidly. Using damaged (freeze damaged), spoiled, under ripe or over ripe food--the pH may not be correct for the type of processing you used (water bath versus pressure). Very large number of microorganisms due to spoilage, bruising, etc. A very large number of microorganisms present on the food which are not destroyed in the usually recommended amount of processing time. Food loses liquid during processing Jars filled too full. Fluctuating pressure in a pressure canner. Forced cooling of a pressure canner. Food turns dark (not spoiled) Insufficient processing time. Processing temperature too low (water not at a full boil at beginning of processing or drops below full boil during processing). Water not 2" over jar lids. Packing foods raw that should be precooked (pears). Liquid loss during processing causing fruit at the top to be out of the liquid. Lack of appropriate pretreatment for light-colored foods. Fruit or tomatoes float or separate from the liquid Using overripe fruit. Packing fruit too loosely. Syrup too heavy. Processing too long--pectin damaged. Processing at too high a temperature (pressure canner). Raw packing--food contains a lot of air. Smashing or pureeing food prior to heating it activates enzymes which break down pectin in the juice so the food pieces are lighter and rise to the top. Heat or crush while heating any foods to be pureed or food to be packed in its own juice to help prevent separation. ---- Prepared by Susan Brewer/Foods and Nutrition Specialist/Revised, 1992 EHE-665 ---- Return to ToC PROBLEMS IN HOME-CANNED FRUITS Fruit darkens at the top of the jar: Liquid didn't cover the fruit--pigments become oxidized. Fruit not processed long enough to destroy enzymes. Air left in jars permits oxidation (bubbles or too much headspace). Fresh fruit exposed to air oxidizes. Exposure to high temperatures and light during storage. Color changes in canned apples, pears, peaches, quinces: Pink, red, blue or purple color--natural enzymatic reaction (not harmful) which may occur during cooking, or a result of a chemical reaction between fruit pigments and metal ions (iron and copper). Use soft water, stainless steel cookware, plastic or wooden utensils. Fruit floats in the jar: Fruit is lighter than syrup--use lighter syrup, cook fruit before packing. Improper packing--pack fruit tightly without crushing. Use hot pack method. Fruit is overprocessed--too much heat destroys pectin and acid, so the fruit loses its shape and floats. Fruit is packed too loosely. Fruit Spoilage: Overpacking--heat penetration is poor and food does not become sterilized. Poor selection of fruit (over ripe, wrong pH, large bruises). Underprocessing--food is not sterilized. Unsanitary conditions--microorganisms are not removed from the food or larger numbers are added during preparation. Clean up as you go. Wash equipment, utensils and hands in hot soapy water. ---- Prepared by Susan Brewer/Foods and Nutrition Specialist/Revised, 1992 ---- Return to ToC COLOR CHANGES IN HOME-CANNED FOODS The pigments in food which are responsible for their colors are sensitive to a variety of things which they may come into contact with during home food preservation. Acids (lemon or other fruit juices), anti-caking ingredients in table salt, minerals in water, metals in water and from cooking utensils, heat, and light are a few things which can affect these pigments causing them to change color. Most color changes which occur during home food preservation do not make the food unsafe to consume--however, if the food looks or smells bad or odd, do not take a chance, dispose of it without tasting it. Blue garlic: Occurs in pickled products. Caused by using immature garlic or because table salt was used in place of canning salt. Not a safety hazard. Yellow cauliflower: Cauliflower (or other white vegetable pigments) are white in acid but yellow in alkaline medium. Minerals in the water may have created a more-than-normal alkalinity. Not a safety hazard. Yellow crystals in canned asparagus: the crystals are glucosides (rutin) which were in the asparagus cells before canning. The high temperature of pressure canning causes them to come out of the vegetables into solution, but when the food cools, the pigment precipitates out of solution onto the the asparagus. Occurs mainly in asparagus in glass jars. If asparagus is canned in tin cans, a pigment-tin complex form so the yellow pigment stays in the liquid. Not a safety hazard. Pink pears: the light colored pigments in the pears convert to pink pigments due to overprocessing or due to enzymatic reactions. Not a safety hazard. White crystals on tomato products: home-canned pureed tomato products may have crystals of calcium nitrate on the surface. They are hard and scaly unlike mold spots. Not a safety hazard. White crystals on spinach leaves: calcium oxalate--not a safety hazard. [Might want to rethink about canning spinach in the first place, see question A.1.4] White or pink crystals in grape jelly: Grapes are high in tartaric acid which goes into solution during cooking but precipitates as crystals during cooling. Prevent crystals by extracting grape juice, cooling overnight in the refrigerator and filtering juice before canning or using for jelly-making. Not a safety hazard. White, yellow, or pale red beets: the red pigments in beets (anthocyanins) are sensitive to high temperatures. Some beet varieties are especially sensitive. The pigments are converted to white or colorless derivatives. Not a safety hazard. Blue pickled beets: the pigments in beets are pH-sensitive. They are red in acids and blue in alkalis. If the pigments are blue, the pH is too high for water-bath canning to be safe. Throw the beets away (handle according to spoiled food procedures). Brown green beans: enzymatic color changes occurring before the enzymes are inactivated by heat cause the green-to-brown color change of chlorophyll. Blanching or hot-packing will inactivate the enzymes and help preserve the green color. Not a safety hazard. Brown potatoes: storage of potatoes at temperatures below 45F causes the potato starch to be converted to sugars. During high heat treatment of pressure canning, these sugars form dark brown pigments. Not a safety hazard. Colorless crystals which look like broken glass in canned sea foods. Not harmful. ---- Prepared by Susan Brewer/Foods and Nutrition Specialist/Revised, 1992 EHE-666 ---- Return to ToC A.5.2 My jams and jellies didn't set. How can I reprocess them? From: Barb Schaller Here are three ways to rescue syrupy jams or jellies. From General Foods, makers of Sure Jell pectin products and Certo liquid pectin. USING SURE JELL FOR LOWER SUGAR RECIPES: Prepare containers as you normally would have (hot jars and lids). Prepare Pectin Mixture: Slowly stir contents of 1 package Sure Jell for Lower Sugar Recipes (SJ-LSR) into 1-1/2 cups cold water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; continue to boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Prepare Trial Batch: 1 cup your jam or jelly, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. Pectin Mixture. Measure jam or jelly, sugar, and the Pectin Mix into small (1-qt) saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil on high heat; continue to boil 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off any foam with metal spoon. Quickly pour into prepared jar. Cover jar and let stand up to 24 hours to check set of Trial Batch. Store remaining Pectin Mix in fridge. Prepare Remainder of Batch: DO NOT TRY TO REMAKE MORE THAN 8 CUPS OF JAM OR JELLY AT ONE TIME. If Trial Batch sets satisfactorily, follow the recipe above, using the listed amounts of Pectin Mixture and sugar for EACH 1 cup of jam or jelly. (Not going to repeat previous instructions.--BS) For convenience in measuring larger amounts of Pectin Mixture and sugar: 8 Tbsp. = 1/2 cup. 16 Tbsp = 1 cup. (Even I could do that math! :-) "Remember, if your jam or jelly still doesn't set, you can always use it as a glaze or syrup." USING SURE JELL POWDERED FRUIT PECTIN: Prepare Containers as usual (hot jars and lids). Prepare Pectin Mixture: Slowly stir contents of 1 package SJ and 3/4 cup cold water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat; continue to boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Prepare Trial Batch: Same as for SJ-LSR instructions, above. Prepare Remainder of Batch: Same as for SJ-LSR above. (Same comment about glaze, too. :-) USING CERTO Liquid Fruit Pectin: Prepare Containers: Same as usual (hot jars and lids). Prepare Trial Batch: (Pay attention, this is different.....) 1 cup your sorry jam or jelly, 3 Tbsp. sugar, 1-1/2 tsp. fresh lemon juice (I do use fresh), 1-1/2 tsp. Certo. Measure jam or jelly into small saucepan. Bring to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Immediately stir in sugar, lemon juice and Certo. Bring to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam, blah, blah, blah. Quickly pour into prepared jar, blah, blah, blah. Store opened pouch of Certo in refrigerator. (Blah, blah, blah= follow standard procedure for sealing the jars, and for g'sakes, don't sneeze in the jar.--LEB) Prepare Remainder of Batch: Do not try to make more than 8 cups of jam or jelly at one time. If Trial Batch sets satisfactorily, follow the recipe above, using the listed amounts of sugar, lemon juice, and Certo for EACH 1 cup of jam or jelly. Measure jam or jelly, sugar, lemon juice and Fruit Pectin into large (6 to 8-quart) saucepot. Bring to a full rolling boil on high heat; continue to boil 1 minute, stirring constantly (this is DIFFERENT than trial batch.) Remove from heat, skim foam, ladle into jars, blah, blah, blah. After preparing remainder of batch, discard Certo in opened pouch. (Same commentary about glazes and syrup.) For convenience in measuring larger amounts of sugar, lemon juice and Fruit Pectin: 3 tsp. = 1 Tbsp., 8 Tbsp. = 1/2 cup, 16 Tbsp. = 1 cup. There! From "Gifts from the Harvest, Homemade Jams and Jellies, from the makers of SureJell and Certo." A 62-page booklet with beyond-the-basics recipes for sweet spreads. Got it as a freebie at our State Fair one year. A.5.3. Anybody have a way to loosen up stiff jelly? From: kateNOSPAM@rigel.econ.uga.edu (Kate Wrightson) If it's jelly, try to maneuver a biggish glob (ooh, technical term) out of the jar and into a small Pyrex custard cup. Add a tablespoon or so of warm water and microwave it until the jelly begins to melt; stir and add extra water if needed to make a smooth semi-thick liquid. This becomes a glaze for whatever sorts of meats you might cook: chicken, game birds, roasts, turkey breasts.... The obvious combos are peach glaze on pork, cherry on pork, apple on pork (oops, and we don't even eat all that much pork; suffice it to say that pork goes well with any fruit glaze), strawberry or any berry on cornish hens, kiwi on chicken breasts, etc. Return to ToC ------------------------------------------------------------------- (end of Part 2) The cook was a good cook, as all cooks go; and as all cooks go, she went. --SakiRec.food.preserving FAQ-Part 3Rec.food.preserving Official FAQ Version 4.2.11, Last Updated: 8-5-07 Part 3 of 9 (C) Copyright 2003 by Jack Eddington on behalf of all the authors. All rights reserved. You may use and copy this file as long as the contributors' names and this copyright and *all* disclaimers remain intact. You may not sell, trade or in any other way profit from all or any part(s) of this document or make any portion of this document part of anything sold, traded, etc. unless you are the author of the part(s) used. Plagiarism is naughty, even on the Internet. Disclaimer: No author represented in this FAQ is qualified to establish scheduled processes nor is any author a competent processing authority in the sense of 21 CFR 113.83 et alia. What this means is that you use this FAQ at your own risk. (The lawyers made me say that) Note that 'NOSPAM' has been added before "@" in all e-mail addresses. This is to stop robot/programatic harvesting of e-mail addresses. Always remove 'NOSPAM' when using any e-mail address. Latest Changes - All Parts See the differences file for a complete, chronologically ordered sequence of changes. B. FREEZING (Part 3) General Questions B.1.1 What do I *really* need to know about freezing? Freezing is preserving food using low temperatures--generally at temperatures around 0 F/-18 C. Freezing generally inhibits both microbial growth (doesn't generally kill, though) and many protease/enzyme actions in the food itself. You need to decide whether or not to blanch or process food, how to wrap food to prevent freezer burn, what foods freeze well, and what to do when the power goes out. Food is safe from spoilage AS LONG AS IT STAYS FROZEN. Microorganisms can start to grow as soon as food begins to thaw. To keep microbial growth at a minimum, frozen foods should be thawed in the refrigerator. Thawed food may be refrozen IF ICE CRYSTALS ARE STILL PRESENT IN THE FOOD. Refreezing often changes the quality of food (texture, color, flavor). Foodborne illness causing microorganisms may not be killed by freezing, so the safety of the food will be no better than the condition of the food which was frozen. (section taken from Susan Brewer, from cesgopher.ag.uiuc.edu). [Symptoms of food poisoning are discussed in Section IV. Spoilage--LEB] B.1.2 So what foods can be frozen well? from Wendy Milner (wendyNOSPAM@cnd.hp.com) Freezing is not for all produce. Freezing will make mush of many soft fruits and vegetables. Depending on what you want to do with these soft fruits and vegetables, freezing may work. For example, you can freeze tomatoes and later use them to make a sauce, but you would not want to try and use the tomatoes whole or sliced in, for example, salads after thawing. You can freeze apple slices and later make apple sauce or apple pie. Harder vegetables such as green beans and corn do well in the freezer. These vegetables should be blanched first to kill mold spores and yeasts, dried well, and then placed in freezer bags or freezer containers. The vegetables should be cooled before placing in the freezer to prevent the freezer temperature from rising. All meat can be frozen. If you are butchering your own meat, make sure it is clean of hair, feathers, blood shot meat, and any foreign matter. Meat should be cut into small slices such as you find in the grocery store. Do not attempt to freeze large sections of meat - such as a quarter of a beef - unless you have a commercial sized and very cold freezer. Meat should be wrapped in butcher paper to prevent freezer burn. You must thaw meat in the refrigerator. Meat left on the counter to thaw allows for the growth of bacteria which could be harmful. [More about freezing meat below in question B.1.5--LEB]. Return to TOC B.1.3 What's this blanching stuff, anyway? Blanching is plunging your item(s) in boiling water for a short amount of time (30 sec to 5 min, check your recipe), cooling the items quickly, then drying off the items. You don't cook the item, but you kill off the surface bugs and you destroy several important enzymes that brown and degrade foods. B.1.4 Specifics about freezing meats, especially wild game. Subject: Preserving Frozen Poultry & Other Meats From: pleasureNOSPAM@netcom.com (Tanith Tyrr) Somebody asked a question about "freezer burn"....here's what I do about it. Works admirably for me, and since I hunt and slaughter livestock, I always have a goodly stack of meat of all sorts needing a deft hand with the long term preserving. Poultry, especially delicate items like wild duck or quail, keeps best when frozen either in a solid block of water (best for the small game birds; use milk cartons) or when frozen completely covered with fat or oil. The key here is "no oxygen interaction". If you can afford one (and if you know how to use it properly), a vacuum sealer is also helpful for processing meats you want to freeze. I'm currently shopping models; input is solicited. I freeze larger game birds, specifically wild duck, crocked in rendered duck fat and wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and a ziplock so that no surface is exposed. It works admirably and "freezer burn" just doesn't happen. The outside fat might lose some moisture and texture if exposed to air, but you can simply melt off the fatty layer and discard. You can also use rendered chicken or goose fat for this purpose, depending on what is in your pantry at the moment. I always save jars of rendered poultry fat of all kinds in the freezer, for this and other culinary purposes. Confit, anybody? ;> [Yep, check out the Meat Potting Section in this FAQ.--LEB] I freeze good cuts of beef and lamb in a solid layer of olive oil, as it does not impart that savory and unmistakable "poultry flavor" that rendered duck, goose or chicken fat does. Any good quality, fresh and not rancid vegetable oil will do, but I prefer olive oil for its weight, durability and flavor. Extra virgin is best, but the medium weight stuff you can buy by the bucketload will do. It depends on how much you value that piece of meat you're putting in the freezer. And taste your oil first to make sure it won't impart unpleasant qualities to the meat; oil or fat can go rancid or "off" if you (or the shopkeeper leave it on the shelf too long. You can even "freezer marinade" by adding seasonings to the oil or fat and heating briefly, then allowing to cool before adding to the meat to be frozen. You can use a fairly thin (1/4") of fat or oil, so long as you are certain that the meat is covered on all sides and no actual meat surface is exposed to air. Personally, I tend to go for a deep crock when it comes to precious items of wild game; I buy rendered duck fat in 5-pound tubs from specialty stores such as D'Artagnan (NY) or The Game Exchange (SF). Gently melt off all the grease before cooking, and you should end up with a nice piece of well preserved meat even after many, many months in your freezer. Don't forget to invest a sm