Purdue Extension Does….10 steps for safe home food preservation

Purdue Extension Does….Safe Home Food Preservation

It’s garden time in our county. For many that will mean an overabundance of garden produce will be readily available soon. It is not too early to be thinking about and preparing for how you plan to preserve extra produce safely.

During the season, I receive phone calls from home food preservers. Some ask for safe, research-based directions. Some are looking for a quicker, faster, easier way to can, freeze or dry certain foods. Some want me to give them permission to use an unsafe practice. And some are hoping to solve a family dispute over home food preservation techniques used by family members. Over the years, I like to share my list of the ten most important guidelines home preservers need to know to keep their food safe.  Go ahead, cut this article out and share it with your family home food preservers!

1. Do not use grandma’s recipes. These recipes may be a treasure, but many of them are no longer considered safe practices. So frame her recipe and hang it in your kitchen in her memory. Please be safe when processing foods for you and your family! Knowledge and recommendations change over time with scientific developments. You should use up-to-date recommendations and methods. Don’t rely on practices of past generations without first checking research-based guidelines.
2. Do not believe everything you read on the internet. Search on research-based sites for recommendations. Visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation website http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/ where you can download safe and current information free. If you prefer a printed resource, you have some options. The print version of the USDA Home Food Preservation Guide is available for purchase from our Purdue Extension office for $15.00, stop by and pick up your copy. You can also order a copy of the So Easy To Preserve book from the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. The book details different methods of food preservation, how they work, the costs to consider and the amounts of foods needed are included to help you select the best method for your lifestyle and product. Read about the basics of canning and learn which method is safe, what equipment will be needed, how to perform the steps to ensure a safe product. Directions are included for canning many different products. The section on pickled products lists ingredients and equipment needed for successful pickling. Recipes for cucumber and other vegetable pickles, fruit pickles and a wide assortment of relishes provide the opportunity to add spice to your meals. If you enjoy preserving sweet spreads and syrups you’ll discover jellies, jams, preserves, marmalades, conserves, butters, syrups, refrigerator/freezer jams and jellies, products without added sugar…this chapter has it all. The variety of recipes helps you choose the product that is right for you. If you want to know more about freezing which is always a safe alternative, but wonder what the quality of the finished product will be like? Details are included about how freezing affects food, which foods do not freeze well, what to do when your freezer breaks down and how to freeze more than 150 different foods. Also included is information on drying, the oldest form of food preservation, and now with electric food dehydrators, it is easier than ever. You will find tips to help you prepare safer jerky to tips to keep your fruits from darkening. Also, the book includes a list of most frequently asked questions and a table of problems, causes and ways to prevent the problem from happening again. Ordering information is available at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.
3. Get your home canner dial guide tested annually. Purdue Extension-Dubois County offers this service to home food preservers upon request by appointment. Contact the office 812-482-1782 to get your pressure canner tested before the home preservation season begins.
4. Know the acidity of foods since this determines the method for canning. High-acid foods, such as fruits, are safe to process in the water bath canner. Tomatoes need to have acid added when processed at home. Low-acid foods such as vegetables and meats need to be pressure canned in a proper pressure canner.
5. Understand proper, safe canning methods. The only two approved and recommended processes for home food preservers are water bath canners for high-acid foods and pressure canners for low-acid foods. Pressure canning is the only safe method that will kill botulism spores. Always remember to vent the pressure canner for 10 minutes before putting on the weight. The steam canner is not recommended at this time for either acidic or low-acid foods. Processing times have not been adequately researched to achieve a safe product. Ovens, microwaves, dishwashers, slow cookers, open kettles or the sun are not approved canning methods and should not be used.
6. Some home food preservers are still canning green beans at home using the boiling water canner instead of a tested pressure canner. Beans canned this way look fine coming out of the canner, but soon can turn cloudy and jars pop open, sometimes with force. These beans are spoiling from being under processed. Even if the jars still look good, it is possible that they contain botulism toxin from this unsafe canning practice. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation: Jars of improperly canned vegetables and meats can contain the deadly botulism toxin without showing signs of spoilage. Jars that do show signs of spoilage could also contain botulism toxin because they are showing other signs of under processing. Spores of Clostridium botulinum bacteria, as found naturally in soils, are very, very heat resistant.  Even hours in the boiling water canner will not kill them if they are inside your jars of beans. Left alive after canning, they will eventually germinate into actively growing bacterial cells that will produce a deadly human toxin when consumed.  The bacteria like the conditions inside closed jars of low-acid foods (such as vegetables and meats) sitting at room temperature, so they must be killed during the pressure canning process for safe storage.
7. Salt and sugar are not preservatives for canned fruits and vegetables. Sugar is necessary in jams and jellies but can be omitted when canning fruits. Sugar increases the texture, color and flavor of the product. Vegetables are safely canned when salt is omitted, however, salt is necessary for canning pickles.
8. Proper storage increases shelf life. When foods are stored in a cool, dry, dark space, the quality shelf life of the food is increased. For best use of the product, enjoy it within a year.
9. Many vegetables can be easily frozen including tomatoes. Raw tomatoes can be frozen without blanching and can be frozen with or without their skins. The best uses for frozen tomatoes are in cooked foods because they become mushy when thawed.
10. Lastly, some foods cannot be safely processed at home. If there are no directions available for home processing a food from the National Center for Home Food Preservation, just do not do it at home. It may sound like a good idea, but there is a food safety risk for your family