Canning

There has been so much buzz lately about eating locally, and I think it is a great idea! The problem is, for a majority of people living in climates that have vastly different seasons, getting fresh fruits and produce locally year round is not an option. How, you may ask, did people get past this before there were semi trucks and airplanes transporting food across the country and even the world? The answer is simple my friend, and it is canning.

Canning is a lost art, and because of the ease of buying canned goods from stores, most people don't do it any more, but luckily, I spent many a summer helping my family preserve the fruits of our labors. Mind you, I grew up in the city, so this is possible to do with even a small yard, and if you have no outdoor space or no desire to grown your own vegetables (although I highly recommend it) you can utilize you local farm market. If I can do it in a one bedroom Chicago apartment, you can to.

There are two basic methods of canning, the first is called a hot water bath method and the second is the pressure cooker method. I myself, have always used, and prefer the Hot Water bath and it is very simple. You cook and prepare the food to be canned, then pour it into sterilized canning jars, leaving about 1/4" inch headspace. Wipe any mess from the top of the jar with a clean towel, and place a clean lid that has been heated in boiling water over the top, the place the ring on and screw it down tight, but leaving a slight give for the glass to expand as it heats. You then place your jars in a canning kettle of water, once the water hits boiling, you start timing, and the jars must heat for 30 minutes.

Once the jars have been heated for 30 minutes, remove them from the water bath and set them on a stable, heat resistant surface. Using heat resistant gloves or a thick dishtowel, ensure the rings and screwed tightly on the jars. After the jars start to cool, you will hear popping noises, and this is a happy sound as it means your jars are sealing. You will see the lid has become concave and this means the jar has sealed. If a jar does not seal, you do not need to throw it away, simply remove the lid and ring, and replace with a fresh lid (you can always reuse the rings) and repeat the process.

Different foods may require different ingredients and cooking methods prior to putting the in the jar, for example, when canning tomatoes, it is best to put a small amount of salt and lemon juice in each jar to ensure the proper acid content. If you are ready to try it on your own, consult a book, Better Home and Gardens cookbook has a great section on canning and it my favorite tool when trying to preserve a new item. Ball also has an excellent website with tips and tricks at http://www.freshpreserving.com/pages/home/1.php


Definitions:

Sterilized Canning Jars: Jars that have been thoroughly washed and then heated either in a dishwashers hot cycle or boiled in hot water to ensure they are sterile for the canning process.

Lid: The flat metal piece that forms the seal with the jar.

Ring: Metal ring which screws on the jar to hold down the lid.

Headspace: The amount of empty spaces left in the jar for air, this usually is some portion of the rim of the jar.


Canning Kettle: The large pot used for boiled water canning, traditionally these are enamel, but come in several varieties. Inside, they have a rack which will hold the canning jars in place, racks are made for either quart or pint size jars. If your rack is not the right size for your jars, use dishtowels to keep the jars from banging into each other.





What's on my shelf?

• diced tomatoes
• tomato juice
• salsa
• pickles
• pickled peppers
• dilly beans
• chili sauce
• raspberry jam
• strawberry rhubarb jam
• peach jam