K-State Research and Extension

search

You Asked It!

Tag: Food Preservation

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.

 

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

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.

.

Options for Reprocessing Home Canned Food

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Sometimes a jar in a canner load fails to seal upon cooling. This may happen because of a cracked or nicked jar, or perhaps because food is fouling the jar rim where the lid sits. Due to loss of quality, reprocessing of jars is not recommended.

If you do reprocess, follow these steps for a safe product:

  1. Re-process within 24 hours. For a safe final product, you must have followed an up-to-date research-tested recipe on your first attempt, and you must reprocess within 24 hours.
  2. Remove the lid and empty the contents of the jar into a large pot and heat to boiling.
  3. Fill a clean jar with the heated food, remove air bubbles, and top with a new lid.
  4. Reprocess using a tested recipe for a hot-pack product.  If there is no tested hot-pack recipe, the product may not be safely reprocessed.

If you did not follow a tested recipe on the first try, all jars, sealed or unsealed, may be unsafe and should be discarded. 

To preserve quality of food where jars failed to seal (and discovered within 24 hours of initial canning), refrigerate the jars and consume contents within one week. Unsealed jars may also be frozen for up to one year, be sure to adjust headspace to one inch before freezing.

Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation – Newsflash

Using Broth When Canning

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

When following a validated home canning recipe that calls for broth, it is essential to select the appropriate type for safety reasons. Reconstituted bouillon cubes, powders, pastes and bone broths are not suitable for home canning, as they often contain ingredients such as starches or gelatin, for which there is insufficient data regarding their impact on canning safety.

If the recipe specifies broth, a commercially prepared liquid broth—matched to the flavor indicated in the recipe—is an acceptable option. However, it is important to note that broth and stock are not interchangeable in home canning. Stock typically differs in composition and may pose safety concerns, making it unsuitable as a substitute in tested recipes.

Source: National Center for Home Food Preservation – Newsflash

Get Ready for Canning Season!

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Gardens are growing and more will be planted. Now is the time to prepare for preserving your harvest. It starts with equipment and recipes.

Jams and jellies, pickles, many fruits and most tomato products can be safely canned in a water bath canner. This is a large stock pot with a lid and a rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot. The pot must be tall enough so when jars are added the water covers the top of the jars by 1-2 inches. Learn more about water bath canning and also steam canning in the How-to Guide to Water Bath Canning and Steam Canning. It is also in Spanish.

Pressure canning is required for all plain vegetables and meats. There are no instructions to water bath these foods. Stovetop pressure canners are the standard and if you have dial gauge canner from Presto, National, Maid of Honor, or Magic Seal, many Extension offices can test the gauge for accuracy. We do not test All American canner gauges. Learn more about pressure canning in the How-to Guide to Pressure Canning. It is also in Spanish.

Use recipes that have been researched. The testing and research behind these recipes will get you on the right path to success. If you have your own favorite recipe, eat it fresh or freeze it for later use. More information on canning, freezing and dehydrating can be found on the Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe website.

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