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Category: August 2022

Helpful Hygiene Education Resources

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Handwashing
Handwashing is an important habit to prevent many types of illness.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have launched a new website to educate consumers about healthy hygiene habits with new tools and resources.

Topics highlighted on this website include:

  • How to clean and disinfect your home.
  • The importance of healthy infant hygiene practices.
  • Practical tips on healthy hygiene habits.
  • Hygiene practices when around animals.
  • Resources for public health and medical professionals.

There is a bi-lingual web-based training for K-12 personnel in schools and child care about clean hands and spaces.

Education can be enhanced with the latest statistics about hygiene services and personal hygiene. Educational materials are available in many formats such as fact sheets, posters, podcasts, and videos.

Learn more at www.cdc.gov/hygiene/index.html.

Why Do Home Canned Green Beans Get Cloudy?

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

There are several reasons.  First, the beans may be too mature which makes them too starchy.  The starch settles out of the food during canning.  Second, minerals in hard water can give a cloudy appearance.  Third, using table salt instead of canning salt.  Table salt contains anti-caking agents that can cause cloudiness.  With any of these three causes, it is a quality issue.  Finally, it could be spoilage due to improper heat processing.  Do not consume them in this case.

Learn how to safely can green beans at www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/mf1179.pdf.

 

Tips on Vacuum Packaging Foods

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Vacuum Packaged Meat
Vacuum packaged meat
Photo: Canva.com

Vacuum packaging food is a great way to preserve food that is refrigerated, frozen or dried for later use. It removes air from the package for a tight seal which reduces dehydration or freezer burn. Food can be portioned out for easy use later.

Here are some tips to remember about using vacuum packaging and to reduce risks from Michigan State University Extension.

  • Vacuum packaging is a method to package food. It does not replace canning. Foods requiring refrigeration or freezing must be stored this way. It does not prevent spoilage.
  • Clostridium botulinum can survive in vacuum packaged foods if present.
  • Vacuum packaged fish must be removed from the packaging before thawing.
  • Do not vacuum package raw onions, fresh garlic or fresh mushrooms.
  • Do not vacuum package liquids or baked goods.

 

Will Pickling Bitter Cucumbers Save Them?

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

You don’t know until you taste them. Cucumbers may look tasty, but one bite reveals the bitterness that will not go away.

Bitterness occurs due to heredity, moisture, temperature, soil characteristics and disease. Hot temperatures typically causes bitterness via the compounds cucurbitacins B and C. The stem end is usually where the bitterness occurs, but sometimes the entire cucumber is bitter. Removing the stem end and peeling the cucumber can help reduce bitterness.

Pickling bitter cucumbers will not improve or remove the bitterness.

Learn more about bitter cucumbers from the KSRE Horticulture Information Center.

Back to School Food Safety!

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Back to school
Have a great school year! Photo: USDA Flickr

It’s almost time for schools to gear up for the year! For families that pack lunch to go, here are some tips to remember:

  • Wash your hands before prepping any food.
  • Use ice packs or frozen juice boxes to keep cold foods cold in an insulated lunch tote.
  • Rinse fruits and vegetables with water and blot dry with a paper towel.
  • Remind kids to store their lunch in a refrigerator at school if available.

Learn more tips at www.fightbac.org/kidsfoodsafety/school-lunches/.

Can I Add Bacon to Home Canned Green Beans?

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Green BeansThe short answer is…no. Here’s why.

This is an example of creating your own recipe which can be a dangerous practice.  While bacon and green beans are both low-acid foods, there are no processing recommendations for canning bacon.  Therefore, can the beans by themselves.  Then when ready to eat the beans, add the bacon just before serving.

Adding any fat or butter to home-canned products, unless specifically stated in the recipe may slow the rate of heat transfer during processing. This will result in an unsafe product. Additionally, the fat could seep in between the lid and jar rim and the lid will not seal properly.

There are recipes to can dry beans and baked beans with a small (3/4 inch) piece of bacon, ham or pork. These recipes have been tested to know they will be safe.

Learn more about canning, freezing and pickling a variety of beans at https://bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/mf1179.pdf. Green beans can also be dehydrated.

 

Use the Pickle Juice Too!

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

After enjoying those crunchy pickles, use the pickle juice to add flavor to other dishes. Here’s some options:

  • Mix pickle juice with some olive oil and fresh herbs for an easy marinade.
  • Add pickle juice to BBQ sauce for some tangy flavor.
  • Chop raw vegetables into pickle juice, refrigerate and marinate.
  • Add pickle juice to your potato salad recipe to boost flavor.
  • Pickle juice is a great addition to Bloody Mary beverages. Garnish with a pickle spear!

Learn more about pickles from ILovePickles.org.

Don’t Toss the Watermelon Rind!

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Watermelon
Juicy watermelon
Photo: USDA/ARS

Juicy watermelons are ready in many gardens! After enjoying a cool, refreshing slice of watermelon, don’t toss out the rind. It can be used to make watermelon pickles! This is a southern specialty to use as a snack or in other creative ways.

When making watermelon pickles, just the pale green rind is used. Remove the watermelon flesh and the outside dark green skin. Here are a couple recipes to preserve watermelon rind from the National Center for Home Food Preservation:

To save the watermelon flesh, see instructions on Freezing Melons.

 

Choose the Right Jar

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Canning jars
Photo: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning

A variety of jar sizes are available to use in canning. Reliable recipes sources will indicate what size of jars are to be used for that recipe. But can you use a jar not listed for that recipe? Yes and no.

Standard jar sizes include half pint (8-oz.), pint (16-oz.), and quart (32-oz.). There are also in-between sizes such as 4-oz., 12-oz., 24-oz., and 28 oz.

When a recipe lists half-pint only, you cannot use a larger jar. This is because the larger jar may require a longer processing time which must be tested and verified to ensure safety. Guessing, by the home food preserver, can lead to spoiled food. If a recipe indicates half-pint AND pint, you can use a 12-oz. jar, but you cannot use any jar larger than a pint. For jams and jellies, 4-oz. jars are a good option. Use 4 oz. jars like half-pints; 12-oz. jars like pints; and 24-oz. and 28-oz. jars like quarts.

Just because your family uses a certain food in larger quantities, does not mean you can preserve in larger jars. Be smart, be safe!

A Jar Guide to what foods are best preserved in the various sizes of jars is at www.ballmasonjars.com/take-guesswork-out-jar-selection.html.

 

Preserving Yellow Peaches

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

PeachesYellow peaches are a favorite to preserve in many ways. Besides just canning peaches, they can be frozen and dehydrated. But there are many other tasty peach treats! Try these:

As a reminder, there are no canning instructions to can white-fleshed peaches because they are a low-acid food. No research has been done to safely acidify and can white peaches. It is recommended to freeze them for later use.

Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation

For information on canning yellow peaches, see https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/mf1182.pdf.

Photo: USDA/ARS

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