Join the Slow Food Movement with Home Canning

Nov 20th, 09 / 0 Comments /

Summer's bounty

The slow food movement, rise of farmers markets, increased backyard vegetable gardens and desire to live a healthier lifestyle, not to mention new economic realities, have prompted increasing numbers of people to dust off fading memories of grandmothers holding court over steaming oversized pots throughout the summer months as they “put up” produce. This has spawned a mini-revival of home canning with sales of home canning products up 30% this year, as reported by the Jarden Corporation, maker of the familiar Ball and Kerr jars that have been manufactured since 1884.

Obtaining the fresh produce

Some people approach the idea of canning to save money. If you grow your own produce you may have enough to save some money compared to store bought. Better yet, if you can acquire produce from a friend’s overproducing garden you’ll definitely be ahead. Farmers markets provide a ready supply of quality produce. Now that the peak summer season has passed you may need to travel a little farther to find farmers markets that stay open in the winter.

If you are purchasing from a farmers market use caution as some purveyors of specialty produce charge fairly high prices, such as heirloom tomatoes for $3.50/lb last summer. Try going toward the end of the day when many stalls start discounting their goods so they don’t have to transport them home. If you purchasing a relatively large volume, such as a flat of strawberries, strike up a conversation and see if you can negotiate a discount. During peak season when the harvest is bountiful you may be able to obtain fruits or vegetables for $1/lb or less. Currently fall fruits such as apples and pears are abundant.

As long as a few principles are adhered to, canning is a delicious and safe way to preserve food and flavor. Best of all, you know exactly what the contents are—no chemical preservatives, no sneaky additions of sugar or salt where they don’t belong.
Safety First

If you cook using a casual “ throw in a pinch of this and a dash of that” approach, be aware that some rigor in following recipes specifically created for home canning are required. The procedures are no more difficult than a regular recipe, but are necessary to prevent a potentially fatal form of food poisoning from the microorganism Clostridium botulinum. The easiest way to assure safety is to use recipes with an acid, either vinegar or lemon juice, then process (boil) in a hot water bath. Recipes without acid require a pressure cooker, adding extra complexity and equipment. Canned foods should generally be consumed with a year.

In high altitudes some adjustments need to be made to assure that foods reach the proper temperature. When preparing the foods follow the general guidelines for cooking at your altitude, which usually means to increase the temperature or time. When processing the foods in a boiling water bath increase the processing times as follows:

Altitude 1000-3000 ft Increase processing time 5 minutes
Altitude 3000-6000 ft Increase processing time 10 minutes
Altitude 6000-8000 ft Increase processing time 15 minutes
Altitude 8000-10000 ft Increase processing time 20 minutes

Recipes and equipment

Pick a recipe for a food you like and start small. Aside from jars, lids and metal rings no special processing equipment is needed, though if you get addicted you’ll want to invest in a few key items to make processing more convenient and efficient.

In the fall, some good recipes to look for are those that contain common ingredients available in cooler temperature. Apples can be made into applesauce or chutney, while it’s timely to make cranberry sauce to grace a holiday table or provide as colorful gifts. Brandied pears make another welcome gift item.

You will need jars and tops. Ball or Kerr brand jars are made of thick glass and use special lids and rings. The lids are a flat metal disc with a thin band of rubber around the edge. The ring is necessary only to hold the lid in place during processing and may be removed after the seal has formed for storage. The rings are necessary to hold the lid in place after opening.

Here’s the general procedure:

Prepare the canning recipe of your choice, following the directions exactly.
While the food is cooking place clean jars in a warm water bath or run them through the dishwasher. Heating the jars prevents them from cracking when the hot food is placed in them or during processing in the hot water bath.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Make sure there is enough water that the jars will be submerged at least an inch.
Fill the jars with hot food.
Insert a non-metal spatula in the jar against the glass and slide it around the jar between the food and glass to remove any trapped air bubbles.
Wipe the rim of glass jar clean of any food debris with a clean cloth or sponge.
Place a lid on the jar with the rubber rim against the rim of the glass.
Screw the metal ring on “fingertip tight” (not too tight, just enough to hold the lid against the glass. Carefully place the jars into the pot of boiling water, again making sure there is at least an inch of water over the top of the jars.
Process (boil) the food-filled jars for the time specified in the canning recipe, usually 10-20 minutes at sea level. The boiling process removes oxygen and kills any microorganisms.
Remove the jars to cooling rack and resist the temptation to touch them for 24 hours.

That’s it. After the jars are removed from the hot water bath you’ll hear the pleasing sounds of a “pop” as the seal forms. The next day the metal rings may be removed. If any of the lids didn’t form a seal you can either re-process or put the jar in the refrigerator and consume within a few days.

Resources

For more information there is no better source than the Ball Blue Book Guide to Home Canning, Freezing & Dehydration, a slim volume created by the makers of Ball jars. This book has been produced and refined for generations, guiding homemakers for more than 90 years. It has a pictorial step-by-step guide to canning that demonstrates the key steps to the boiling water process in 2 pages, many tested recipes and a trouble-shooter guide.

There are many websites that can provide information about canning and some offer classes to help get you started. Canning Across America and the National Center for Home Preservation are two good sources.

Most large grocery chains, such as Safeway, carry at least basic supplies, such as the jars and lids. The most reliable source in many communities is your local hardware store. Supplies can also be ordered directly through the Ball Fresh Preserving website.