CANNING, FREEZING, STORING GARDEN PRODUCE TEXT

This makes it possible to avoid spills of seeds, bits of food, or sirup that could prevent sealing. But even when using a funnel you still need to wipe the jar rim. [Illustration: Heating beans thoroughly before placing them in jars. Here, cut beans are covered with water to be followed by five minutes of boiling.] Prepare the lids and sealing of jar according to the manufacturer's directions. When using a flat metal lid, place the composition side on the rim of the jar. Add the ring band and screw it down until firm, but not hard enough to cut through the sealing compound. The lid will have enough "give" to let air escape during processing. This is called venting and means heating to remove air from jars. When using porcelain-lined zinc caps, fit the wet rubber ring on the jar shoulder, but do not stretch it more than necessary. Screw the cap firmly and turn it back ¼ inch. Use a jar lifter or tongs and place the filled jars on the rack in the canner. Fill and place jars in the canner one at a time to keep jars as hot as possible while filling the canner. Water Bath Before you begin preparing the food, fill the water bath canner half full of hot water. This permits water to heat while you prepare the food. Put a large kettle or teakettle of water on to boil. The water should be boiling when hot-pack food is put into the canner. Place raw-pack jars in water that is hot (180° to 190° F), just below boiling. Then bring it to a boil after adding jars. As the rack of jars is lowered into the water, the water level will rise. If more water is needed to have the jars completely covered by 2 inches of water, add boiling water. Prepare only enough jars of food at one time to fill the canner. Work rapidly, allowing as little time as possible between filling and closing the jars and getting them into the canner. Start counting processing time as soon as the water in the canner reaches a gently rolling boil. Put the lid on the canner. Set your timer or clock and make a written note of starting time and final time. Keep the water boiling all during the processing period. If water boils down, add boiling water sufficient to keep it at the required height. When pouring water, avoid letting it hit tops of the jars. Process for the recommended length of time. Do not cut processing time. Pressure Canner Follow the manufacturer's directions for operation of your pressure canner before, during and following processing. Supplement these directions with information in U.S. Department of Agriculture or Extension publications. Count processing time as soon as the pressure reaches 10 pounds or the proper pressure adjusted for altitude. Be sure to hold pressure steady. At end of the processing time, remove the canner from the heat. Allow the canner to cool until the gage registers zero to avoid breakage of jars and loss of liquid from jars. After a minute or two, open the petcock gradually and remove the cover. If a weighted gage is used, nudge the weight slightly. If no steam escapes, pressure is down. Tilt the far side of the lid upward so steam escapes away from your hands and face. Because food in the jars may be boiling vigorously, leave jars in the canner about five minutes and then remove them. After Processing When you remove hot jars from the canner, use a jar lifter, or protect your hands with cooking mits, pot holders or canvas gloves. Set the jars upright to cool on a rack, such as a cake rack, or a bread or cutting board, with double layers of dry cloth or newspapers beneath the jars. If jars are placed on a cold surface or wet cloth, the difference in temperatures may cause the glass to crack. Avoid placing jars in a draft, but leave two or three inches between them so air can circulate freely. Avoid further tightening of lids that have sealing compound, since this usually breaks the seal--unless the lid manufacturer states it is safe to tighten. If your processing temperature was not held steady and liquid boiled out in processing, do not open the jar to add more. Leave the sealed jar just as it is. Do not cover jars because this slows down cooling and food continues to cook. If you have an air conditioning vent that will direct cold air on jars, cover the vent during this canning session. After 12 hours, check the seals. The vacuum may cause a loud snap of the two-piece vacuum seal while it cools, which is an indicator of an airtight seal. If the center of the lid holds down when pressed and the lid does not move, it is sealed. Tap the center of the lid with a spoon--a clear, ringing sound indicates a good seal; a thudding sound indicates the possibility of an imperfect seal. If there is a sealing failure, you will need to reprocess the jars. Remove the lid, heat the food and liquid, fill a clean jar and use a new lid. Process the full length of time. If only a few jars did not seal, you may elect to refrigerate and use the food within a day or two or freeze it. Once the jar is sealed, allow it to set until cold. Then remove the screw ring band, wash and store in a dry place for reuse. For safety make a routine check of canned foods each month. Label and Inventory Write name of product and date canned on a gummed label or the lid of each jar with a felt tip pen. Keep a record of food canned, date, number of quarts or pints, and a place for you to check them off as you use them. This can be your guide for next year's preservation plan. Use food preserved for the current year, readying a storage place for next season's garden produce. Canned foods stored in a dry, dark, cool temperature (70° F or below) will retain good eating quality for a year. Home canned foods stored in a warm place near direct sunlight, hot pipes, above a range or refrigerator, or in kitchen cabinets may lose some eating quality within a few weeks. Dampness may corrode lids and cause leakage so that the food spoils. The main cause of spoilage in canned foods is improper processing. Bulging jar lids, or a leak, may mean gas is present and the food spoiled. Before opening home canned foods, wash jars and lids and carefully inspect the jars. Bacteria, yeasts and molds should have been destroyed if the food was properly processed. When you open the container, look for such danger signs as spurting, cloudy or frothy liquid, an "off" odor, deterioration, or slimy texture. A foamy or murky appearance and patches of mold are visible signs of spoilage. That ordinary looking mold on home-canned food may indicate the presence of a much more deadly problem: botulism. [Illustration: ALWAYS _label home-canned foods_.] Destroy food if any of these signs are obvious; discard out of reach of humans and animals. The odor in good jars of food should be pleasant and characteristic of the product. Do not use food which looks or smells bad, or if there is any doubt as to its safety. All low-acid, home-canned food should be boiled 10 to 20 minutes to insure destruction of botulism-causing toxin for added safety. Heating denatures the toxin so that it does not react with the body. Never taste home canned food before cooking it. Successful results largely depend upon the accuracy with which up-to-date directions are followed. Safety is best assured when you exercise special care as you prepare and pack food into canning jars, fitting jars with properly pretreated lids, and heating jars of food to a high enough temperature for a sufficient length of time to kill micro-organisms that cause spoilage. A Primer on Home Freezing for the Beginner _by Charlotte M. Dunn_[5] Every homemaker knows that meals must be planned to get the most out of the food dollar and to provide the family with a well-balanced diet. The freezer, more than any other household appliance, can help secure these results. The more you learn how to use it in relation to your own family, the greater the returns. Freezing is a quick, convenient and easy way to preserve foods in the home. Plan ahead to manage your time and energy for preserving food directly from harvest. Freeze limited amounts at one time so the work is spread over several days of picking, rather than squeezed into one long tiring period of time. Be practical about what you attempt. Your own observation has taught you that some foods "spoil" more quickly than others, so the rate of speed at which they must be frozen varies with their individual temperaments. A good rule for home freezing is: two hours from garden or orchard to container, and the faster the better! Most food that is highly perishable at normal temperatures can be quick frozen. Even delicate fruits and vegetables can be frozen, with only a few exceptions such as tomatoes (stewed tomatoes can be frozen) and those vegetables that lose crispness such as radishes, celery, cucumbers and salad greens. Decide what you will freeze on the basis of availability of foods, family needs and taste, freezer space, cost of freezer storage, and availability of alternate methods of storage. It is essential to start with high quality raw material. As garden foods mature, process without delay. Quality of the frozen food will be only as good as the quality of the food before freezing. Freeze foods at their peak of eating quality to preserve flavor, texture, and appearance as near those of the fresh product as possible. Do not ignore details of the recommended procedures for preparing foods for freezing. Seemingly unimportant steps can make the difference between a low quality and a superior frozen product. Before you begin freezing foods at home it's important to know exactly which process to use and what the process is doing to the food. Micro-organisms grow on food, causing it to spoil. The common growths are simple yeasts, molds, and bacteria. Because these micro-organisms are everywhere--in the air, water, soil and on all surfaces they contact--they naturally occur on all foods. Storing and preserving foods properly controls or inhibits the growth of micro-organisms, thus maintaining both quality and safety of the food. Cleanliness and sanitary methods are as important in handling foods for freezing as in preparing them for immediate use. All foods contain chemical substances called enzymes. They are essential to life, and continue their chemical activity after the fruits and vegetables mature or are harvested. If allowed to work after a food reaches its peak of maturity, enzymes destroy the food's physical properties, thus changing its color, flavor and texture. When perishable food is not preserved by one of the recommended ways, enzymes within the cells of the food continue to live and cause spoilage. What Freezing Does Freezing and storage even at very low temperatures will not inactivate any of the common enzymes. At 0° F, the recommended temperature for storing frozen foods, enzymes are not inactivated but only slowed down. In two to three months they will produce off-odors and bad taste. This temperature only checks the growth and reproduction of destructive bacteria. The faster a food is properly prepared frozen, the sooner both enzymes and bacteria are rendered harmless. Just about every kind of food you or I will freeze contains moisture or water, and the process of freezing food involves the freezing point of water. As temperature of the surrounding air goes below the freezing point of water, the water progressively crystallizes out in the form of pure ice. Size of the crystals which form is determined by the span of time during which freezing takes place. When the temperature is lowered slowly, the crystals expand considerably. If the freezing is sharp and sudden, the crystals retain approximately the same size as the original water molecules. In case you have doubts about how well a food will freeze, test it before freezing large quantities. To test, freeze three or four packages and sample the food a couple of weeks later. This will show the effect of freezing but not the effect of storage. Some varieties of the same kind of food freeze well, others do not. Much of the success you have with your home freezer will depend on how you prepare, package, wrap and seal foods. Protecting frozen food is as important as freezing food of high quality. You will need general kitchen utensils plus a steel, aluminum or enamel kettle large enough to hold at least one gallon of boiling water, with a tight fitting cover. Use a mesh basket, a strainer, or large squares of cheesecloth to hold one pound of vegetables in the boiling water. Steaming of cut, sliced or green leafy vegetables is recommended and will preserve more nutrients than water does. You will need a container to hold ice water for quick chilling of vegetables to stop cooking action. Drain thoroughly in a colander and turn out on absorbent towels. It is false economy to skimp on wrappings and containers. They should protect the food from cold air, which is dry, so as to retain the moisture in foods and prevent freeze burn and dehydration. Select them according to the use they will be put to. Most freezer containers on the market today are easy to seal, waterproof, and give satisfactory results. Rigid plastic containers, bags, and jars with wide tops are favorites. Moisture- and vapor-resistant wraps, which are exceptionally effective at excluding oxygen, include heavyweight aluminum foil, coated and laminated papers, polyethylene films, saran, and polyester films. They should be strong and pliable so the wrap will adhere readily to irregularly shaped objects, and eliminate as much air as possible to avoid frost accumulation inside. Careful wrapping is of no avail if the package breaks. It should be easily sealed, either by heatsealing or freezer tape. Freezer bags are available, and freeze-and-cook bags that withstand temperatures from below 0° F. to above the boiling point. The freeze-and-cook bags are suitable for freezing and reheating food. Points to consider include the size convenient for your use and the cost. Materials not moisture-proof and vapor-proof, and thus not suitable for packaging foods to be frozen, are ordinary waxed papers, cartons from ice cream or milk, and plastic cartons from cottage cheese or gelatin products because they crack easily. Compare price, durability, shape and reusability in selecting containers, keeping in mind their convenience and the economical use of freezer space. Retaining the vitamins and other nutrients depends on how fruits and vegetables are handled before freezing, on storage temperature in the freezer, and on how you cook them. Always follow up-to-date recommendations available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture or county Extension office. Select foods of top quality. A freezer is not magic--it does not improve food. Its function is to preserve quality and food values and to prevent spoilage. Choose vegetables and fruits suitable for freezing, and the best varieties for freezing. Because growing conditions and varieties vary greatly across the country, check with your county Extension office to find out which varieties are best for freezing. Freeze fruits and vegetables when they are at their best for table use. If possible, freeze those that are ripened on the tree, vine or bush. Fruits should be ripe but firm. Enzymatic changes continue after harvest, lowering quality and nutritive value. If stored at too warm temperatures, fruits can lose vitamin C, turn brown, lose flavor and color, and toughen. Don't delay in harvesting vegetables since asparagus, corn, peas, snap beans, and lima beans all deteriorate rapidly in the garden after reaching their peak. Observe cleanliness while you work, to avoid contaminating foods. Prepare vegetables for freezing by blanching them in boiling water for recommended times. County Extension offices will have information on specific times for various foods. Blanching vegetables is absolutely necessary to inactivate enzymes that cause undesirable changes in flavor and texture. This brief heat treatment reduces the number of micro-organisms on the food, enhances the green color in vegetables such as peas, broccoli and spinach, and displaces air trapped in the tissues. Pack food in containers as solidly as possible to avoid air pockets, leaving the necessary head space for expansion. Press out as much air as possible, with your hands or by using a freezer pump. Then seal the plastic bags by twisting the open end, folding it over. Freezer rubber bands, twist-seals, or freezer tape are satisfactory for sealing bags. Label packages clearly and carefully with name of product, date when frozen, number of servings or poundage, and any information that will help you. Special pens are made for marking frozen food products. Or you can use a wax pencil or crayon. Speed is important in preparing food and getting it into the freezer, so as to maintain quality. Put only the amount of unfrozen foods into the freezer at one time that will sharp freeze within 24 hours. Allow at least one inch between packages of unfrozen food in the freezer for circulation of cold air. Leave packages in freezing position for 24 hours before stacking them close together. Uniform freezing temperature and keeping frozen products at 0° F or lower will maintain quality. Different foods have varying storage periods, so keep your frozen food inventory changing. Use a freezer thermometer in your freezer. Check your freezer door and wall plug daily to avoid any catastrophe. A freezer can pay wonderful dividends with considerable thought and planning by the homemaker. Pressure Canners, Vital for Low-Acid Foods _by Nadine Fortna Tope_[6] Use of a pressure canner for preserving low-acid foods is not new. Pressure canners for home canning were first marketed in the early 1900's. In 1917, the U. S. Department of Agriculture announced that use of a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure (240° F) was the only safe method for canning vegetables. Today's recommendations are essentially the same. A temperature of 240° F or 10 pounds pressure at sea level is needed to kill spoilage organisms in a reasonable time, especially the spores of _Clostridium botulinum_. These spores, if not killed, can produce the most deadly toxin known to man. The commercial canning industry stringently follows safe canning practices. Their safety record is excellent. _A Complete Course in Canning_ by Lopez (1975) says that since 1925 four deaths have been reported from the consumption of more than 800 billion cans of commercially processed foods. The record for home canning is much worse--450 deaths in a fraction of the number of cans. Unsafe practices were probably used in preserving the deadly home-canned food. Methods like open kettle, oven, and boiling water bath canning for low-acid foods are not sufficient to kill _Clostridium botulinum_ spores. Educators talk to many people even today who still use unsafe practices because "that's the way my mother always did it", or because they are unfamiliar with pressure canners. In this chapter, the need for safe pressure canning procedures will be discussed along with the rationale for using care in preparing low-acid foods for canning. Acidity of a particular food is the most important factor in determining which canning method should be used--pressure or boiling water bath. Acidity is measured and stated much the same way we express length or weight. Acidity (pH) refers to acid strength, not the amount of acid present. For example, citric acid, an acid found in oranges, grapefruit, and other citrus fruits, is a weak acid compared to hydrochloric acid, a very strong acid. The measure used to express acid strength is pH. The pH scale runs from 1 to 14 with 7 as the neutral point. Substances with pH below 7 are called acidic, while those above 7 are called basic or alkaline foods. The lower the pH, the more acid the food.