Guide to Canning Your Own Foods: Things You Need to Learn Part 1
Gardening was hard work and when the crops started coming in so fast I couldn’t keep up with them; I was on the phone to my aunt for advice on how to start canning. She gave me some good advice but the main thing that she did was to send me one of her old canning books that she started out with and it saved all my fruits and vegetables from the compost pile.
Since then I have been canning for years now. I have made my fair share of mistakes but with my aunt’s help and the County Extension offices I have been successful ever since.
There are a number of thing that you have to learn about before you can ever do any canning yourself. If you don’t have anyone that can teach you, your best place to start is with your local County Extension Home Economist. There you can get advice and even take classes.
Canning has changed so much from years ago. The equipment is much easier and safer than ever. You just have to use your common since when dealing with the boiling water for a boiling water bath and always have your pressure cooker checked out every year by the County Extension office. Pressure cookers use to be very dangerous but now they are so safe that you can even cook your supper in one and set down eating in half the time it would take to prepare your meal in the oven.
The first rule of thumb in canning is called the selection of sound, firm-ripe fresh foods. Over-mature and bruised foods can produce spoilage in the canned product. Fruits and tomatoes should be firm but well ripened. Vegetable should be young and tender. I have made the mistake of using over ripped foods and it does make a difference in the taste.
You have to wash all foods thoroughly before preparing them. Sort tomatoes, berries, cherries and plums, discarding all spoiled or bruised ones. Large fruits such as peaches, apples and pears should be washed before peeling and all trace of bruised or decayed spots removed. Many times the fruit around them should be removed also because it can cause the entire jar to spoil. This happened once when I was canning apples. I missed some bruises and the jar of apples spoiled.
Spoilage
All foods spoil because of the action of microorganisms known as molds, yeast, and bacteria. These are on the food, in the water, air, and soil. In canning, their action must be stopped by the proper application of heat and the jars of food must seal airtight after processing so microorganisms can’t enter the jar.
Molds and Yeast
Subjecting yeast and molds to the temperature of boiling water for a few minutes will usually stop their growth.
Bacteria
Bacteria are more difficult to destroy. The amount and kind of bacteria on foods may vary. Some are more heat resistant than others. The acid in fruits and tomatoes is not favorable to the development of bacteria. Cooking food sufficiently for table use is not enough to stop the growth of spoilage organisms. For this reason, it is very important to process food the length of time needed and make sure the temperature being used is correct. If this is not done the right way spoilage may result later.
Enzymes
Enzymes that can cause discolorations, loss of flavor and texture are in raw fruits and vegetables. The action of enzymes is destroyed by heat.
Fruits, tomatoes, rhubarb and pickled vegetables are best processed in a boiling water bath canner. For all other vegetables and all meats, or meat and vegetable mixture, a pressure canner must be used.
Storage
Store your canned foods in a cool, dry, dark place. Before storing, remove the screw bands and wash jars in warm, soapy water, rinse and dry.
Canned foods should not be subjected to freezing temperatures as it may soften the texture of them, but it won’t cause spoilage in the canned food unless it breaks the seal on the jar cap.
Opening you jars
To open your jars of canned foods just puncture the lid with a sharp, pointed instrument like an ice pick. The lids should remove easily when the vacuum is broken.
Examining canned foods before using
1. When a jar of canned vegetables or meat is opened, do not taste the cold food.
2. Jars should show no signs of leakage, mold, fermentation or spurting out when the lid is opened.
3. The odor of food, upon opening, should be characteristic of the product. If it does not smell right, if the food is exceptionally soft or cloudy in appearance, discard it at once.
Now that I have thoroughly scarred you to death that you wouldn’t even attempt canning; don’t worry this is just general information that you need to be aware of. Spoilage does and will happen to you when you first start out canning and that is okay. Everyone has to start somewhere and learn from the mistakes. Spoilage doesn’t happen to every jar that you fill so you won’t be throwing your money down the drain.
One more thing I want to include and that is the type of jars you have to use. First off, never and I mean never use jars that you buy at the grocery store that have food already in them like, jelly, pickles, mayo, etc. Always use canning jars, caps and rings that are made for canning. The ones I always use are the Kerr brand jars and lids. You can buy these jars by the case at Wal-Mart, K-mart, and Target for next to nothing. They come in pint or quart size and you will need both sizes if you do a lot of canning of different foods.
How do these caps seal? They seal by vacuum, which forms during the cooling of the content of the jar. Heat causes the air and food in the jar to expand. The air escapes from the jar by venting of the jar lid, which is done automatically during processing. This venting is essential in forming a high vacuum. As the contents of the jar cools, the vacuum forms. The sealing composition in the lid makes airtight contact between the lid and glass, retaining the vacuum and preventing outside air from entering the jar. When you hear a “pop” sound, that’s the lid making contact with the glass and you know your jar is sealed.
In part 2 of canning, I will tell you about the equipment that you will need and how to operate them. Don’t worry canning isn’t an expensive labor intense process. It’s a healthy way of eating if you are worried about all the chemicals that are sprayed on commercial grown foods and it can also be fun to see your finished work, be proud that you are lowering your grocery bill and feeding your family with healthy food.
