One of Clemson’s Canning Coaches was asked about “dump” recipes for the slow cooker. She asked me, “Is this a good idea? The idea is to prepare the recipe, package it in gallon freezer bags and then put it in the freezer. It involves putting raw vegetables in the freezer without blanching them. And why do we have to blanch vegetables before freezing them?” Answer: A “dump” recipe is...
Eggs can be stored for at least 1 month, covered in the refrigerator. Freezing is often unnecessary, but it can be done. Preparation – Select fresh eggs and break each separately into a clean saucer. Examine each for freshness and remove any pieces of shell before mixing with other eggs. WHOLE EGGS — Thoroughly mix yolks and whites. Do not whip in air. To prevent graininess of the yolks, add 1-½...
Care of Your Pressure Canner: First, start with your biggest investment, the pressure canner. For safe operation next season, clean the vent and safety valve. To clean the vent, draw a clean string...
Avoid common pitfalls that can turn a festive Thanksgiving meal into a foodborne illness disaster! Preparing and cooking a turkey safely can determine whether your family and friends simply enjoy a...
What is fermentation? During sauerkraut fermentations, lactic acid bacteria change vegetable sugars to acids and flavor compounds. Commercial sauerkraut may be fermented by naturally occurring...
Question: I want to know about pressure canning soups. I usually make chicken soup with large egg noodles. Is it okay to add noodles at the time of canning or will they get mushy? I have never...
Do your friends and neighbors have pumpkin or hard winter squash on hand? Do they have lots of cranberries? How about turkey? They may want to have that goodness at Thanksgiving or throughout the...
“My recipe for raw packed tomatoes with no added liquid provides both boiling water canning and pressure canning options. Do I really need to acidify the tomatoes if I use the pressure canning...
You may be asked: How long is it safe to store leftovers in the refrigerator? Is it safe to eat that meat found in the back of the freezer? How long is too long to store home-canned jars of...
Why Acidify Tomatoes? Tomato varieties have been bred for ease in harvesting; as a result many now have milder flavor and lower acidity than the ancestral tomatoes. Testing has shown that some...
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...
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...
