K-State Research and Extension

It’s cherry season and they are a treat in many recipes. They can be preserved in many ways also!

Freezing, dehydrating and canning are all options for cherries. Frozen cherries can be eaten as snacks, mixed into oatmeal or used in desserts. Dehydrated cherries are great snacks, add to a leafy green salad, or mix into a trail mix. There are many options for canning cherries such as jam, jelly, pie filling, or just plain cherries canned in water or a sugar syrup. Plain cherries can be canned with or without the pits.

Learn more about canning cherries from Preserve It Fresh, Preserve It Safe: Cherries.

If you have a smooth cooktop and the manufacturer says not to can on it, then you might find yourself looking for an alternative. The alternatives for canning (if you have one of these no-canning recommended smooth cooktop ranges) are either to purchase and install a permanent set of electric coil or gas burners as a range top (without an oven) or to purchase a portable electric coil or gas burner.

And that is where important decisions come in to play.  An installed range top requires the utilities to support it and can be quite expensive as a second range top. As for portable burners, they are not all alike and not all portable burners are appropriate for canning.  First of all, check the burner manufacturer’s specifications and directions or contact their customer service department for more specific information about the appropriate use of a particular burner for canning.

Also, most canner manufacturers do not recommend using turkey fryer burner because of the intense heat and physical safety.

Learn more from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Now is the time to get dial gauges tested on pressure canners. Here are some reminders.

Most Extension offices have the Presto® Gauge Testing Unit. This can test pressure gauges on the brands Presto®, National, Maid of Honor, and Magic Seal.

This testing unit cannot test All American pressure gauges. Newer models of the All American canner have both regulator weights (weighted gauge) and the dial gauge. (See top picture.) This canner is actually a weighted gauge canner. The weight is more accurate than the gauge and customers should use the weight achieve the needed pressure.

If the weight begins to rock at the desired pressure and the gauge is off by more than 2 psi, the company recommends replacing the gauge. The dial gauge is now used as a reference to know when the unit is at 0 psi and can safely be removed.

Making homemade chocolate sauce can be a tasty treat. But to can a chocolate sauce safely raises some food safety risks.

Chocolate sauces are low acid foods which could be a risk for botulism food poisoning. There are no chocolate sauce recipes tested for pressure canning.

There are very few recipes that have been tested to be water bath canned. These contain fruit or bottled lemon juice to raise the overall acidity. These also contain unsweetened cocoa powder which has a red-brown color. Recipes that list cocoa powder as an ingredient use unsweetened cocoa powder. An example is Chocolate Raspberry Sauce from Newell Brands.

Do not use Dutch-process or alkalized unsweetened cocoa powder because this will lower the overall acidity. This can lead to an unsafe product. Dutch-process cocoa powder has a dark brown color. Never substitute hot chocolate or cocoa mixes, chocolate syrups, or chocolate bars.

A safe alternative to preserve chocolate sauce is freezing. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has a Freezer Chocolate Fudge Sauce.

Source: Canning with Chocolate, UCCE Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County, University of California ANR

Half-gallon sized canning jars are available, but they are not recommended for canning many foods. In fact, the only products recommended by the manufacturer to can include apple juice and grape juice ONLY in a boiling water bath canner.

There are no other research-tested processes for half-gallon jars. Boiling water processes for other foods for jars larger than those published with recipes (usually pints and/or quarts) cannot be extended by any formula to a larger jar.

Historical canning resources may reference the use of half-gallon jars. However, these are not currently accepted or endorsed by the USDA, Cooperative Extension, or U.S. canning jar manufacturers.

Learn more about recommended jars and lids from the National Center for Home Food Preservation and from Jar It Right! choosing and Using Canning Jars, North Central Food Safety Extension Network.