Available Moisture in Foods: What Is It Anyway?
Food preservation methods such as drying, freezing and adding salt or sugar work by lowering the available moisture in foods. Moisture in foods occurs in two forms: (1) water bound to ingredients in...
Category: Canning Tips
What is pH?
The pH value of a food is a direct function of the free hydrogen ions present in that food. Acids present in foods release free hydrogen ions; the hydrogen ions give acid foods their distinctive sour flavor. Thus, pH may be defined as a measure of free acidity. More precisely, pH is defined as the negative log of the hydrogen ion concentration. The range of pH extends from zero to 14. A pH value...
Why Blanch?
Why blanch vegetables before freezing? Blanching vegetables before freezing them is critical to their quality, but not their safety. Blanching is scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a...
Why Foods Need to be Preserved?
Why do foods need to be preserved? In other words, what spoils them? Enzymes: Foods begin as living systems. The enzymes that ripen fruits on briars or trees and vegetables on stalks or vines...
Filling Formula: Don’t Pack Too Tight
Directions for filling canning jars are included in the canning recipes recommended by USDA and Clemson. Following these directions carefully is critical. The safety of a specific process has been...
Canning With Half-Gallon Jars
Half-gallon canning jars are available from at least one canning jar manufacturer. That manufacturer indicates that half-gallon jars should only be used for highly acidic foods in a boiling water canner. Their recommended choices are grape juice and apple juice. The USDA, Clemson Extension and the University of Georgia’s National Center for Home Food Preservation recommend process times only for...
Alternatives to Smooth Top Ranges
We have previously mentioned issues with canning on smooth top ranges. Clemson Extension makes no recommendations about pressure canning on smooth top ranges. We do recommend that consumers with...
Safe Canning Recipes?
Where Do You Find Safe, Reliable Canning Recipes? Recipes in the following sources have been carefully tested in university laboratories. Recipes prepared as described and processed as recommended...
Get Ready for Canning Season
Start with your pressure canner. Three manufacturers, Presto, Mirro, and All-American, make pressure canners in the USA. If your canner is made by another manufacturer, have it checked by your...