K-State Research and Extension

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Author: Karen Blakeslee

The Rapid Response Center was formed in 1995 as a resource for Kansas State University Research & Extension Agents. Resource topics included Food Science, Human Nutrition, Food Service, Textiles, Home Care and other consumer topics. Since that time, the Center has grown to be of valuable assistance to Kansas State University Extension Specialists in those areas.

Better Process Control School for Acidified Foods

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Better Process Control SchoolSmall food processors add value and support for local communities. This includes farmers market vendors. For some food products, such as acidified foods, it is required the food processor be trained to process these foods safely. Acidified foods or formulated acid foods examples are pickles, salsa, BBQ sauce, and others.

The Better Process Control School for Acidified Foods is an FDA-recognized course for operators or manufacturers who produce thermally processed acidified foods. The course is being offered by Kansas State University and University of Missouri.

Those passing two exams with a grade of 70% or higher will receive a Certificate of Course Completion to fulfill the training requirements of the FDA Acidified Food regulations. Exams will be open book, multiple choice and will be online. Exams generally require no more than one hour to complete. Homework is required.

Topics covered include microbiology of food preservation, formulating acid/acidified food products, containers and closures, record keeping, and FDA process of filing.

Information and Registration

Cost: $400

Course Dates: October 9-10, 2025 via Zoom

Registration deadline:
September 26, 2025

Canning Previously Frozen Tomatoes

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

So you saved your tomato crop in the freezer. Can those frozen tomatoes be canned? What about tomatoes that froze on the vine?

First, it is not recommended to can tomatoes that froze on the vine. This is because the acid content changes too much, while on the vine, making them unsafe for canning.

But tomatoes harvested prior to a fall freeze, then frozen, do not change in acidity. What does change is their texture and how they measure.

The best choice for canning previously frozen tomatoes is to make a well cooked product such as a stewed or crushed tomato product, or make into tomato juice or sauce.

It is not recommended to can frozen tomatoes whole or quartered. They will pack into the jars differently, absorb moisture differently, and the heat transfers through the jars differently. This could lead to under processing and spoilage. Tomato canning recipes are based on fresh tomatoes.

Source: University of Georgia

Tomatoes

Preserving Apples

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Preserving ApplesFall is almost here and apples are a favorite treat!

Apples can be preserved by canning, freezing, dehydrating, jams, jellies, fruit butter, and pickling. The best varieties for preserving are crisp, cooking varieities. Some suggested varieties for different types of preserving can be found from the University of Illinois Extension.

It is best to preserve the fruit shortly after harvest. Use apples that are neither too green nor too ripe. Avoid using apples held in cold storage for an extended period of time as the pH level can change.

Learn more about preserving apples in Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe: Apples from K-State Extension. More options are available from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

 

Preserving Horseradish

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

HorseradishK-State Extension Horticulture says horseradish is typically harvested in late fall just before the ground freezes. Once harvested, how can it be preserved?

There are no canning instructions, but it can be pickled and stored in the refrigerator. Vinegar helps to tame the strong flavor. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has a recipe for Pickled Horseradish Sauce. Remember, this is stored in the refrigerator only.

The heat and pungency in horseradish comes from the compound allyl isothiocyanate, a mustard-like oil. Vinegar tames this compound, but timing matters! Waiting longer after grinding to add vinegar, the hotter it will be!

Horseradish can be dried. Clean and peel roots. Grate or slice into 1/4-inch pieces. No blanching is required. Spread on dehydrator trays in a single layer. Dry at 140°F for 6-10 hours until very brittle. Grind into a powder or leave as pieces. To use, mix with a little water before adding to recipes.

Removing Odors from Refrigerators and Freezers

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Clean Fridge DayNational Clean Your Refrigerator Day is November 15th! But this cleaning step is important many times of the year. One example is after a power outage.

Power outages can happen at anytime, not just when bad weather strikes. After a long power outage, food stored in the refrigerator and freezer may be unsafe and spoil.  This leads to strong odors inside the appliance.  Can these odors be removed?  It’s possible, but can be difficult.

Here are some tips from the United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service:

  • Dispose of any spoiled or questionable food.
  • Wash shelves, crispers, and ice trays with hot water and detergent. Sanitize with a bleach solution (1 teaspoon bleach per quart water).
  • Wash appliance interior, door and gasket with hot water and baking soda. Sanitize with a bleach solution.
  • Leave door open for air circulation.

For lingering odors, try these tips:

  • Wipe inside with solution of equal parts water and vinegar.
  • Let appliance air out several days.
  • Stuff appliance with wads of newspaper. Close door for several days.  Remove paper and clean with vinegar and water.
  • Sprinkle fresh coffee grounds or baking soda in a shallow pan, place inside appliance to absorb odors.
  • Place cotton ball or swab soaked with vanilla inside appliance. Close door for 24 hours, check for odor.
  • Use a commercial product for cleaning appliances.

If all else fails, the appliance may need to be discarded. But remember to discard it safely.

  • “Childproof” old refrigerators or freezers so children do not get trapped inside. The surest way is to take the door off.
  • If the door will not come off, chain and padlock the door permanently and close tightly, or remove or disable the latch completely so the door will no longer lock when closed.

It is unlawful in many jurisdictions to discard old refrigerators or freezers without first removing the door.

 

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

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