Canning Tips – How tight should your lids be?
Find out how canning tips – how tight should your lids be? can boost your food prep, preservation, or nutrition.
Category: Tasty Bites
Storing Bacon Jam
From the recent conversation about bacon jam, we understood that the prepared product was stored at room temperature. Please do not store bacon jam at room temperature. Storing bacon jam at room temperature poses the risk of botulism, a serious foodborne illness caused by the nerve toxin produced by Clostridium botulinum, a spore forming bacteria. How could this happen? Our search identified...
Preserving Summer Squash
USDA has withdrawn recommendations for canning summer squash, including zucchini, that appeared in former editions of So Easy to Preserve or USDA bulletins. The reason for withdrawal is uncertainty about the determination of adequate processing times. Squash are low-acid vegetables; they require pressure canning for a known period of time to destroy the bacteria that cause botulism....
Preserving Spring Greens
Greens are excellent sources of vitamin A, calcium, folic acid and fiber. Preserve extra spinach, collards, kale and other spring greens by freezing, pressure canning, or drying them. Freezing Greens: Greens may be canned for long term storage; however, freezing results in a better product. Select young, tender green leaves. Wash leaves thoroughly and cut off woody stems. Water blanch collards...
Preserving Onions and Garlic
Onions and garlic are relatives; both are in the genus Allium. Both are root vegetables whose bulbs grow underground. Both garlic and onion are very low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium. Garlic is a good source of calcium, phosphorus and selenium, and a very good source of vitamin C, vitamin B6 and manganese. Onion is a good source of dietary fiber, vitamin B6, folate, potassium and...
Strawberries, Strawberries, Strawberries
MAKING STRAWBERRY JAM: When strawberries are in season, make jams that you can enjoy throughout the year. Make an old-fashioned strawberry jam with just strawberries and sugar, a freezer jam using powdered pectin, or a jam with no added sugar. Choose the recipe that suits your tastes and enjoy! Old Fashioned Strawberry Jam Ingredients: 2 quarts crushed strawberries, 6 cups sugar Combine berries...
Dry or Can Those Legumes
Drying Legumes: Legumes include many beans (navy, kidney, butter, great northern, lima) lentils and soybeans. Beans are a good source of protein, fiber, calcium, potassium, and other nutrients. Dry beans by leaving pods on the vine in the garden until the beans inside rattle. When the vines and pods are dry and shriveled, pick the beans and shell them. No pretreatment is necessary. If beans are...
Canning Meats & Poultry
Meats and poultry are low acid foods (pH above 4.6) that provide a good environment for the growth of Clostridium botulinum, the cause of deadly foodborne botulism. Please remind your friends and neighbors that no safe way to use a boiling water canner for these foods exists; meats and poultry must be pressure canned for safety. Canning Meat (Strips, Cubes or Chunks of Bear, Beef, Lamb, Pork,...
Canning Gifts
“So what can I safely preserve to give my friends and family for Christmas?” Jams, jellies and soft spreads prepared according to recipes from credible sources make excellent Christmas gifts; so do pickles, chutneys, and relishes. Seasonal cranberries are a good source of vitamin C and of health-promoting antioxidants. They can be used to make colorful products that spice up your holiday table...
Canning Controversies: No to Home Canning Dairy Products
Despite what is found on the internet, there are no science-based methods for home canning of cheeses, milk, butter or other dairy products. Clemson Extension and the National Center for Home Food Preservation do not recommend any process for canning these products. Two examples are discussed in the following paragraphs. Cheese: A Youtube video indicates that all kinds of cheeses including cream...
Canning Venison
Meats, poultry and seafood are low acid foods (pH above 4.6) that provide a good environment for the growth of Clostridium botulinum, the bacterial cause of botulism. These foods must be pressure canned for safety. A story recently shared on the Carolina Canning Facebook page and the Cooperative Extension Los Angeles Facebook page details the medical calamity (botulism) that can result when a...
Cakes and Breads in Jars – Are They Safe?
Recipes for canned breads and cakes as gift items seem to appear each year around Christmas time. While they look attractive and are unique for gift giving, these products are not shelf-stable and cannot be safely stored at room temperature. Canned breads and cakes are typically made by pouring batter into glass canning jars and baking them in the oven. Once the cake or bread is done, the...