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Tomato Season is Here!

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Many gardens are starting to produce homegrown tomatoes.

Tomatoes may have that tasty zing that makes them tart and tasty. But in reality, they are not as acidic as they seem, especially to can tomatoes safely.

Tomatoes have a pH value around 4.6 which makes them unsafe to can by themselves, with many varieties above 4.6. All tomatoes must be acidified with either citric acid, bottled lemon juice, or vinegar with 5% acidity in both water bath and pressure canning processing.

Without this added acid, tomatoes will likely ferment and spoil. Learn more in Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe: Tomatoes.

 

Consumer Confidence in Safety of the U.S. Food Supply

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

For 20 years, the International Food Information Council has surveyed American consumers about many aspects of food and food-purchasing decisions. The 2025 survey results are now available which focuses on food and ingredient safety. The survey included 3,000 Americans from ages 18 to 30 years and was conducted in March 2025.

Some key findings from this survey include:

  • Confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply is at an all-time low. In  2012, 78% reported being very confident (20%) or somewhat confident (58%). In 2025, only 55% of Americans report feeling very confident (11%) or somewhat confident (44%) in the safety of the U.S. food supply. The most notable decline is among Gen Z, those with higher household incomes, men, and Asian Americans.
  • Top ways to increase confidence in the safety of the U.S. food supply include a better understanding how food companies (42%) and
    the government (41%) currently ensure that food is safe. A similar
    share (41%) say seeing stricter regulations would also increase their
    confidence. One in three Americans (34%) say that their confidence
    would increase if they understood how the government responds
    when food has been deemed unsafe, up from 29% in 2023.
  • Foodborne illness is the top food safety issue overall. This is above carcinogens or cancer-causing chemicals in food, pesticides and pesticide residues, heavy metals, and food additives.

Other results from this survey showed the importance of stress and mental and emotional well-being, purchasing drivers of food and beverages, trust in food information sources, and many others.

According to Lisa Garcia, International Association of Food Protection director, “We see the IFIC Food & Health Survey insights as a call to collaborate more closely than ever. Improving confidence in the food system will take all of us—industry, government, academia—working together with transparency, consistency, and purpose.”

Source: International Food Information Council. 2025 IFIC Food & Health Survey: A Focus On Food & Ingredient Safety. July 2025.

Blanching Vegetables for Freezing and Dehydrating

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
corn
Blanching corn helps improve the texture and color during freezing.

Blanching is a process in which vegetables are lowered into boiling water for a specific time. The vegetables are subsequently dropped into ice water to quickly cool, then dried and placed in freezer containers. Freezing slows down enzyme processes, but it doesn’t stop them. Blanching is recommended to assure vegetables will taste as fresh as possible after they have been frozen.

That’s because blanching stops enzyme activity. Enzymes in produce help it ripen, and continue to do their work even after the produce has been picked. By stopping the enzyme action, blanching prevents the produce from becoming overripe. Blanching also helps retain color, flavor, texture and nutrients. Blanching also helps remove dirt and small organisms from the produce.

It is important to look up the specific amount of time each vegetable needs to be blanched and follow those guidelines. If the vegetable is under-blanched, it can actually speed up the enzyme processes. If the vegetable is over-blanched, the nutritional value, flavor, color and texture can be negatively affected.

Blanching is also an important step in dehydrating vegetables. Learn more in this publication from the University of Georgia.

Information on blanching various vegetables can be found in these recipe resources at Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe.

Shelf Life of Mrs. Wages Mixes

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Mrs. Wages® makes several packaged mixes to help make home canning easy and quick. All of their mixes for canning use the water bath canning method. But do the mixes have a shelf life?

According to the Mrs. Wages® Frequently Asked Questions website:

“On the side of every Mrs. Wages® pouch is an 8 digit code that you can use to determine when the product was produced, and you will find it stamped into packet, for example B2181A23. The B identifies the facility that produced the mix. The number, which follows, represents the last digit of the year the mix was produced, e.g., a 2 would indicate 2012. The next three numbers indicate which day out of 365 days in the year, the mix was produced. So if the number is 181, it means the product was mixed on June 29th as this is the 181st day of the year. The final 3 digits are used by Kent Precision Foods to indicate the batch code. For optimal performance, we recommend using Mrs. Wages® Pickle, Tomato, Fruit mixes and Fruit Pectins within 24 months of the day and year, it was produced.”

Is it Safe to Re-use Pickling Brine?

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
pickles
Pickles Image: K-State Extension

Once you heat, or even soak, vegetables in a pickling solution, pH changes start to happen. (Heating makes the interaction happen faster.) The vegetables become more acidic, which is desirable in pickling. However, the pickling solution then becomes less acidic. So if the pickle recipe uses the hot pack method, and the vegetables have been heated in the pickling solution (“brine”), then the leftover brine should not be used for another recipe. The expected ratio of acid to low-acid ingredients and ultimate pH adjustment in the next recipe will not be the same.

In some recipes, sliced raw cucumbers are soaked for hours in the pickling liquid (vinegar, sugar and/or salt, for example). Then the liquid is drained off the cucumber slices. The soaked raw slices are filled into jars while the liquid is then heated and poured over them. Even though this is a raw pack in terms of filling jars, this vinegar solution had its original pH (acidity) altered from that initial soaking before it was heated and poured into jars. It should not be used again for a canned pickle recipe since it is now of unknown acidity.

Source: The National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia

Can Sandwiches Be Frozen?

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Peanut Butter SandwichPacking lunches for school or work can be hectic in the morning, so planning ahead can save time and stress. One way to add convenience is by freezing sandwiches. But keep in mind, some sandwich items freeze better than others.

According to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension, there are some benefits to freezing sandwiches:

  • Save money by making your own “fast food” sandwiches for a sack lunch or meal at home.
  • Save time by making several sandwiches at once.
  • Utilize “leftovers” or cook extra at a meal for use in tasty and different ways at future meals.
  • Control the type of bread (such as choosing a whole grain bread), type of filling and spread (amount, salt, fat and so forth) by being in charge of the ingredients.
  • Enjoy a wholesome, homemade sandwich as part of an inexpensive, quick meal!

Common sandwich fillings that DO freeze well include:

  • Peanut butter and other nut butters
  • Canned tuna and salmon
  • Cooked roast beef, chicken and turkey (especially tasty when the meat is finely chopped and mixed with a “salad dressing,” to add flavor and moistness.)
  • Natural or processed hard and semi-hard cheeses, such as Swiss, Cheddar. NOTE: As frozen cheese may crumble more after thawing, you may be more satisfied with the result if you grate it before freezing it in sandwiches.

Common sandwich fillings that DO NOT freeze well include:

  • Hard-cooked egg whites (freezing toughens them).
  • Jelly or jam (soaks into bread and makes it soggy).
  • Tomatoes, lettuce, pickles, onions, etc. become limp when thawed; they can be added to thawed sandwiches just before eating them.

IMPORTANT: “Salad dressings,” such as Miracle Whip, work better as a binder in sandwiches than mayonnaise. Mayonnaise tends to separate on thawing. So, experiment to see how you like the result before making a freezer full of sandwiches.

Learn more about freezing sandwiches, including recipe ideas, from Freezing Sandwiches – University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Preserving Mulberries

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Mulberries
Mulberries
Photo: Canva.com

Mulberries are a tree fruit found in many Kansas locations. Besides freezing them, there are a few other ways to preserve them. It is important to know when they are ripe. Red mulberries are ripe when almost black. White mulberries may be white, red or deep purple. Mulberries are full of seeds, so making jelly is great option to use just the mulberry juice.

Here are some ideas to preserve mulberries:

Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation and Purdue University

Preserving Green Beans!

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Many gardeners plant green beans every year. Harvest snap beans when the pod is crisp, smooth, and before the seeds enlarge significantly. Do not harvest in early morning when dew is on the plants as this may spread bacterial blight.

Once harvested, they are a nutritious addition to many meals. But if you have a bountiful harvest, preserving them is a great choice. Green beans can be pressure canned, pickled, frozen or dehydrated. Use these resources to find methods to preserve green beans safely.

Preserving Green Beans

 

The Importance of Peeling Tomatoes for Canning

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Peeling Tomatoes
Peeling Tomatoes
CSU Extension Flickr

The National Center for Home Food Preservation continues to recommend peeling tomatoes for canning, unless specified otherwise, because most tested recipes were developed with the skins removed, and the processing times are based on peeled tomatoes. Skins may interfere with heat penetration during the canning process, leading to under-processing and potentially unsafe products. Additionally, removing the skins not only enhances safety by reducing the bacterial load but also improves the texture and flavor of the finished product. Tomato skins tend to leave tough, chewy bits and can impart a bitter taste to your canned goods.

For more information on preserving tomatoes, see Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe: Tomatoes and Conservas Frescas, Conservas Seguras, Tomates.

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Reference to any specific commercial products, process, service, manufacturer, or company does not constitute its endorsement or recommendation. Paid for by Kansas State University