Tag: Canning

Canning Summer Produce? Let Us Help?

Canning your own garden produce or farmer’s market purchase can be rewarding and a great way to save your food for later use.

Food preservation recommendations have been updated. If you are new to canning, are using recipes that are more than 5 years old, or haven’t canned in a few years, it is important to start out by getting educating yourself on preserving food safely to prevent foodborne illness.

For canning fruits, pickles, jams, jellies, and most tomato products, a water bath canner or large stock pot with a lid and rack is needed. Water bath canners have fitted lids and removable perforated or shaped wire racks. The canner must be deep enough that at least one or two inches of briskly boiling water covers the tops of jars during the entire water bath processing.

For canning plain vegetables, some tomato products, and all meats, a pressure canner is needed. Today’s pressure canners may have a weighted gauge or a dial gauge for indicating and regulating pressure. Dial gauges should be checked for accuracy once per year.

With either method of canning, always read the manufacturer’s instructions before canning any food. Be aware that some canners cannot be used on glass stovetops.

Learn more about water bath and pressure canning at www.rrc.k-state.edu/preservation.

If you have questions about canning safely, need trusted canning recipes, or would like to have your pressure canning dial gauge checked for accuracy contact Jamie Rathbun, 785-524-4432 or jrathbun@ksu.edu.

By: Jamie Rathbun

Time To Get Ready For Food Preservation

Gardeners are planning what they want to plant this season, and they’re eager to plant early season crops. It’s also time to plan for how to preserve their bounty.

Canning supplies are refilling stores. But be a smart shopper and do your homework. There are many counterfeit products that can lead to problems in canning. All of the Ball® products are made in the U.S.A. so be sure to look for that designation on the packaging. The lids will have the Ball® logo and they are silver. If anything is “Made in China” and it looks like Ball® products, they are not legitimate.

Manufacturing of canning products is running 24/7 to get products restocked. Glass is the biggest concern in the supply chain to make jars. Lids are back to pre-pandemic stock numbers.

A new item coming out is a “throw back” to vintage jars. Ball® is making a rose-colored jar to celebrate that vintage color from the early 1900s. They are also coming out with some new storage containers.

If you have a dial gauge pressure canner, it is time to get it tested. Our Post Rock District offices can test the brands Presto, National, Maid of Honor and Magic Seal. We cannot test All American gauges. Call (785) 524-4432 to set up a time to get your gauge tested.

Learn more about food preservation at www.rrc.k-state.edu/preservation/index.html

By: Ashley Svaty

Food Preservation workshop Coming to Beloit!

Join us on September 23rd at the First Christian Church in Beloit from 9-4 for a hands on Food Preservation workshop!

Participants will learn food preservation basics and will get hands on experience using a pressure canner and water bath canner. Karen Blakeslee, KSRE Rapid Response Center and Ashley Svaty, Post Rock District will facilitate the workshop. Cost is $30*, which will include lunch.

Each participant will leave with their canned items, materials, and door prizes! Please bring a box to the workshop to carry your canned items. Dial Gauge testing will be available on site.

Register at this link: https://kstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/preview/SV_2nwXe6QwHKxtItU?Q_CHL=preview&Q_SurveyVersionID=current

Or by calling (785) 524-4432 or visiting any Post Rock District office. Registration and payment is due September 20th.

*Financial scholarships available. 10 participants required to hold workshop.

By: Ashley Svaty

Learn Safe Food Preservation Online!

While we do not have any in-person food preservation workshops scheduled at this time, there are numerous online learning options available! Now is a perfect time to brush up on your knowledge and skills before the harvest. Here are Universities who offer online courses:

Learn at your own pace by watching these videos at Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe.

For more education to preserve food safely at home, see the KSRE website Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe.

By: Ashley Svaty

Fall Canning Tips

Done canning? Store your equipment with care for next season.

By: Ashley Svaty

The Search for Canning Supplies

Now that gardens are producing, food preservation supplies are disappearing off store shelves. Canning lids are few and far between. But remember, do not reuse canning lids! Do not use old, dented, or deformed lids, or lids with gaps or other defects in the sealing gasket. When jars are processed, the lid gasket softens and flows slightly to cover the jar-sealing surface, yet allows air to escape from the jar. The gasket then forms an airtight seal as the jar cools. Gaskets in unused lids work well for at least 5 years from date of manufacture. The gasket compound in older unused lids may fail to seal on jars.

By: Ashley Svaty

 

Free Online Food Preservation Series

University of Nebraska Extension is hosting a FREE Food Preservation Virtual Learning Series. Each session will include a short presentation and time for discussion and question/answer on any food preservation related topic. All sessions will be taught online through zoom and pre-registration is required. The session details are below:

  • August 5, 6:30 p.m: Food Preservation 101
  • August 19, 6:30 p.m: Boiling Water Canning/Steam Canning/Pressure Canning
  • September 2, 6:30 p.m: Freezing/Dehydrating

Each Zoom session will be recorded and a link to the recording will be sent to all participants who register. Sessions will be led by Nebraska Extension’s Food Preservation Team.

For more information and to register, please follow this link: https://food.unl.edu/article/home-food-preservation-series

By: Ashley Svaty