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Tag: Food Preservation

Canning Equipment Storage

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
pressure canner
Photo: K-State Research and Extension

For some home canners, the canning season is coming to a close. Here are some tips to store equipment so it is in good working order for next season.

  1. Clean equipment with hot soapy water. Any grease or food residue left behind can lead to bacterial growth or mold growth. Always check small parts of equipment for any leftover food residue.
  2. Hard water can leave a darkened residue, especially on aluminum. Fill the canner with water above that hard water area, add 1 tablespoon cream of tartar to each quart of water and bring it to a boil, covered, until the dark area disappears. Drain out this water and wash with hot, soapy water, rinse and dry completely.
  3. On pressure canners with gaskets, remove rubber gaskets and wash. Check for cracks or brittleness. Check the rubber plug in the lid for cracks or dryness. Both of these items can be replaced.
  4. Check the vent pipe to be sure it is clear. Run a string, small piece of cloth or a pipe cleaner through the hole to clear any food residue.
  5. Now is a good time to check dial gauges for accuracy. Many local Extension offices have the dial gauge testing equipment to test Presto, National, Maid of Honor and Magic Seal brands. We cannot test All American pressure gauges or any other brands of gauges.

Learn more tips on storing equipment at https://extension.psu.edu/storing-canning-supplies. Resources for replacement parts can be found at https://www.rrc.k-state.edu/preservation/index.html.

Videos for Presto® Pressure Canners

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Many people learn visually, such as by watching videos. If you have a Presto® pressure canner, they have videos that may help you learn how to use the canners properly and safely. These are from the Presto® Appliances YouTube channel.

Canning Mixed Vegetables

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Canning mixed vegetables is a great way to use end of garden vegetables and have a colorful side dish or easy addition to soup.

A variety of vegetables can be used except for leafy greens, dried beans, cream-style corn, winter squash and sweet potatoes.

Do not include any vegetable that does NOT already have pressure canning procedures. Examples include celery, eggplant, and cauliflower.

Mixed vegetables can be canned in pints or quarts. No matter the combination of vegetables, the processing is 75 minutes for pints or 90 minutes or quarts, adjusting for altitude.

Learn how at https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can/canning-vegetables-and-vegetable-products/mixed-vegetables/.

 

Preserving Wild Game

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Hunting season has begun! Wild game provides wholesome, nourishing food, but food safety is key for preserving the meat.

To retain the quality of the meat, it is important to handle and preserve the meat safely and efficiently. The most popular methods to preserve the meat are freezing, dehydrating, or canning.

Pressure canning is the only method to can meat. Be sure you canner is in good working order and remember to adjust the processing pressure for you altitude of residence.

Dehydrating meat into jerky makes a quick snack that is easy to store and is portable. The ideal dehydrating temperature is 140°F. But the meat must be heated, either before or after dehydrating, to 160°F.

Learn more at https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/foodsafety/topics/animal.html#game.

Preserving wild game

Put It Up!

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

The National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia has updated their curriculum Put it Up! Food Preservation for Youth. These educational lessons are written for youth, from 4th to 12th grade, but could be used for anyone to understand the science of safe food preservation.

This curriculum can be used for schools, summer camp instructors, parents, 4-H agents, other Extension educators, farm to school programmers, and classroom teachers…anyone who is comfortable with food preparation and food preservation, or is willing to learn!

The series is composed of six different food preservation methods: boiling water canning, making jam, pickling, freezing, drying, and pressure canning. Each method is divided into a beginning hands-on activity and an advanced hands-on activity. Activities may stand alone or be sequenced for cumulative learning. In addition to step-by-step procedures, reflection questions, and ideas for experimentation, each method also includes additional activities: a science-based fill-in-the blank challenge, a history-based word search, a glossary, a resource list, a knowledge test, and more. Each preservation activity is also accompanied by a legal-sized “poster” with simplified step-by-step instructions to be printed and posted as a checklist to help keep everyone on track and working together.

Put it Up!

Reusing Pickling Brine

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
pickles
Photo: KSRE

If you make pickles, you may find that you have leftover pickling brine. Can it be reused? That depends on how it was originally used.

If the vegetables were soaked or heated in the pickling brine prior to filling the jars, it CANNOT be reused for another batch.

  • Once vegetables are heated or soaked, pH changes
  • Produce absorbs brine
  • Pickling brine becomes less acidic

If the vegetables were raw packed into jars, then the pickling brine was added, it CAN be reused for another batch.

Learn more from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, University of Georgia blog post “That Leftover Pickling Brine.”

 

Preserving Tomatoes after a Fall Frost or Freeze

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Tomato plants may still produce fresh tomatoes into the Fall season. But, if the tomato vine is dead or killed by a frost or freeze, those tomatoes are not safe for canning. The pH, or acidity, changes in this situation to increase the pH above 4.6. Therefore, the safest choice to preserve these affected tomatoes is by freezing or dehydrating.

Unripe, or green, tomatoes can be preserved just like ripe tomatoes. So when canning them they still require acidification. Here are some ideas to can green tomatoes.

Tomatoes

Learn more about pre-frost tomato harvest at https://www.johnson.k-state.edu/programs/lawn-garden/agent-articles-faqs-and-resources/agent-articles/vegetables/Pre-Frost-Harvest.html.

Preserving Apples

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee

Fall is coming and apple trees are bursting with apples!

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 Research and Extension. More options are available from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Preserving Apples
Preserving Apples
Photo: KSRE

Tips for Canning Tomatoes

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
tomatoes
Photo: USDA Flickr

Many gardeners plant tomatoes and they are starting to ripen. Preserve them by canning, freezing or dehydrating to use later in many recipes. While it is fun to make salsa, spaghetti sauce or even a barbecue sauce, having basic options such as whole tomatoes, tomato juice or tomato sauce allows you to use tomatoes in many more recipes.

Here are some reminders about tomatoes:

  • Although tomatoes are usually considered to be acidic in flavor, most have pH values slightly above 4.6, which makes them a low-acid food. As such, tomato products must be acidified to a pH of 4.6 or below with bottled
    lemon juice, vinegar, or citric acid. Properly acidified tomatoes can be safely processed in a boiling-water canner or pressure canner as an acid food. Learn how to acidify tomatoes in Preserve it Fresh, Preserve it Safe: Tomatoes.
  • Pressure processing instructions are equivalent in heat treatment to water bath processing. Caution: Both methods require acidification. There are no recommendations for processing tomatoes without acidification. The chart in the above publication provides the options for acidification.
  • Tomato-based recipes for products such as salsa, barbecue sauce, ketchup and others will also include added acid. Do not reduce the amount of added acid in these recipes.
  • Tomatillos can be substituted for tomatoes in the same amount stated in a recipe, such as in salsa.
  • Salt is for flavor only and can be omitted, if desired.

Tomatoes

The Science of Freezing Food

Posted on by Karen Blakeslee
Freezing Food
Photo: Newell Brands, Inc.

Freezing food is an easy way to preserve high quality food with maximum nutritional value. But food in the freezer doesn’t last forever as changes will occur during storage.

Freeze food as soon as possible after harvest to stop chemical compounds, called enzymes, that cause deterioration and spoilage. Enzymes are naturally in foods and must be inactivated to stop loss of color and nutrients, as well as flavor changes. Blanching vegetables is an important step to inactivate enzymes. In fruit, color changes are prevented by using pure ascorbic acid (vitamin C) or a commercial ascorbic acid mixture such as Fruit Fresh®.

Because of high water content in fruits and vegetables, texture changes occur. Water expands when frozen which ruptures food cell walls. Freezing food quickly will help reduce texture damage. Don’t overload the freezer with unfrozen food and keep the freezer as cold as possible, at least 0°F or below.

Over time, food loses moisture during freezing which leads to freezer burn. Use packaging designed for freezing to reduce this problem.

Freezing does not kill bacteria, it only slows it down. When food thaws, any bacteria present will become active again. Always inspect food and packages  carefully before use.

Source: https://extension.umn.edu/preserving-and-preparing/science-freezing-foods

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