Tag: canning

Canning Pears

Liz Meimann 3 Comments
Canned Pears final
A jar of pears

When I was a child my grandmother had a pasture full of pear trees. The pears these trees produced were small but of unequaled flavor to anything I have found in the grocery store. If you have pear trees on your property or have access to a quantity of delicious pears and want to can them, follow these guidelines:

Choose ripe fruit of ideal quality (sub par fruit will not improve in the canning process, so always start with an excellent product), allowing the fruit to ripen for at least 1 day after harvest.

Hot Pack:  Fruit can be packed using a very light, light or medium syrup; or by heating white grape juice, apple juice or water. Wash, peel and cut lengthwise in halves and remove core. Dip them in an ascorbic acid mixture to prevent browning and then drain well. Boil drained pears 5 minutes in water, syrup or juice then pack hot pears into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Fill jars with liquid used for cooking them, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe jar rims, adjust lids and process in a boiling water bath.

Pints: 20/25 minutes (20 minutes for elevations under 1000 ft and 25 minutes for over 1000 ft)

Quarts: 25/30 minutes (25 minutes for elevations under 1000 ft and 30 minutes for over 1000 ft)

Note: Though a raw pack method can be used for canning pears, a hot pack is generally preferred. If a raw pack method is desired, follow the instructions for canning peaches with a raw pack.

Quantity: An average of 17-1/2 pounds is needed per canner load of 7 quarts; an average of 11 pounds is needed per canner load of 9 pints. A bushel weighs 50 pounds and yields 16 to 25 quarts—an average of 2-1/2 pounds per quart.

Liz Meimann

I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Food Science at Iowa State University. I love to quilt, sew, cook, and bake. I spent many years gardening, canning, and preserving food for my family when my children were at home.

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Sauerkraut

Liz Meimann

cabbageBefore I took this job, I never really gave sauerkraut much thought. It continues to amaze us here at AnswerLine just how popular making it has become.

This method of preserving cabbage has been around for a very long time and it generally yields a delicious product. In spite of the ease of making sauerkraut, we do get a number of calls from folks when the process takes a wrong turn.

If you want to avoid problems with your sauerkraut, be sure to follow a tested recipe exactly. The National Center for Home food Preservation has an excellent recipe with tips and directions at this link. Check it out if you have some extra cabbage this season.

Commonly asked questions:

  • Why did my sauerkraut turn pink?
    • SauerkrautToo much acid was formed during fermentation.  SAFE to eat.
  • What temperature is best for fermentation
    • 70° to 75°F (3-4 weeks), 60° to 65°F (5-6 weeks), lower temperature may not ferment.
  • Do I have to can my sauerkraut?
    • Yes, this stops enzyme activity that can change the texture to soft and slimy.
  • Can I use quart jars for fermentation instead of a crock?
    • Not recommended—fermentation may not happen in this size container.
  • I don’t have a crock, what else can I use?
    • A large food-safe bucket.  You may be able to purchase from a grocery store bakery or fast food outlet.

Liz Meimann

I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Food Science at Iowa State University. I love to quilt, sew, cook, and bake. I spent many years gardening, canning, and preserving food for my family when my children were at home.

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5 tips for making your own pickles!

Liz Meimann
pickle slices
Home canned pickles.

Pickles! It seems like everyone wants to make pickles this time of year. We get so many calls related to pickles; I will highlight just a few of the facts that we share with callers.

Ingredients:

  • Use small cucumbers of a variety designed for pickling.
  • Use canning or pickling salt.  Other salts may result in cloudy brine.
  • Use commercially produced vinegar with 5% acidity.  Use white if you are concerned about brine color.
  • Recipes do exist for reduced salt pickles.  Don’t just cut back on the salt in your recipe, the product may be unsafe.  These recipes can be found in the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.
  • Alum is not recommended in current pickle recipes.  Other products and processes are available.  Check with us at AnswerLine for some ideas.

Remember to use tested recipes for your pickles. Tested recipes will always include a boiling water bath processing time.

Liz Meimann

I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Food Science at Iowa State University. I love to quilt, sew, cook, and bake. I spent many years gardening, canning, and preserving food for my family when my children were at home.

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Canning Carrots

Liz Meimann 3 Comments
Canned carrots
Home canned carrots

Are the carrots in your garden ready now? If you want to start canning carrots here are some things to remember.

It takes 2 to 3 lbs of carrots, without tops, to make a quart of canned carrots. So be sure to dig enough carrots for only one canner load at a time.

For a raw pack: wash, peel, and rewash carrots. Slice or dice them. Baby carrots can be left whole. Pack tightly, leaving 1-inchheadspace. Cover with boiling water, maintaining 1-inch headspace.

For a hot pack: wash, peel, and rewash carrots. Cover with boiling water; bring to boil and simmer 5 minutes. Fill jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Cover with boiling cooking liquid, maintaining 1-inch headspace.

Vegetable

Pack

Jar Size

Minutes of processing

Canner pressure at altitudes of

0-2000 Ft

0-1000Ft

Above 1000Ft

Dial gauge

Weighted gauge

Carrots

Raw or Hot

pint

25

11

10

15

quart

30

11

10

15

Remember to check your altitude. As altitude increases, water boils at a lower temperature (below 212° F). Lower temperatures are not as effective for destroying organisms. Therefore, when using a pressure canner, the pressure must be increased as altitude increases. Refer to the map below to check the altitude of your county, then follow the altitude adjustments in the above table

 

 

 

 

 

Altitudes of Iowa Counties

Shaded areas are less than 1,000 feet • Unshaded areas are 1,000 to 2,000 feet

altitude map

Liz Meimann

I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Food Science at Iowa State University. I love to quilt, sew, cook, and bake. I spent many years gardening, canning, and preserving food for my family when my children were at home.

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Botulism poisoning–could this really happen?

Liz Meimann 1 Comment
Clostridium Botulinum bacteria
Clostridium Botulinum bacteria under the microscope.

We often speak to callers about the possibility of botulism poisoning if they don’t process their low acid vegetables properly. But really, what is botulism poisoning and is there really a risk?

Clostridium Botulinum bacteria live in the soil. The vegetables that we harvest and preserve were either grown in the soil or rain water may have splashed dirt up onto them. It is not uncommon for green beans to have dirt on them; this dirt could contain botulism bacteria.

This bacterium grows well in low acid foods (high pH) and the absence of oxygen. These are just the conditions you will find inside a jar of home canned beans (or other low acid vegetables). The heat of canning from a boiling water bath canner is not hot enough to destroy the bacteria if they are present. The “if” is a big part of this equation. We often speak to people who have processed their beans in a boiling water bath canner for years and “nobody has died yet”. However, if the bacterium is present you will not be able to see, smell, or taste it. Likely your first indication of the contamination in your jar will be symptoms of the poisoning. Botulism toxin is a neurotoxin that may first cause gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or constipation). The neurological symptoms will appear in a very short time—blurred or double vision, difficulty in swallowing, breathing, speaking, dryness of the mouth, and paralysis of different involuntary muscles. Death usually results from respiratory failure.  It takes only a very small amount of the toxin to sicken or kill you.

Since the consequences of ingesting the toxin are very high (possible death), even though the frequency is low, it is important to process vegetables according to the directions in tested recipes. Remember that all of the vegetables that you grow in your garden are low acid and must be processed in a pressure canner.

Liz Meimann

I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Food Science at Iowa State University. I love to quilt, sew, cook, and bake. I spent many years gardening, canning, and preserving food for my family when my children were at home.

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Getting ready to can green beans

Liz Meimann

It’s just about time to start canning green beans.  In a good growing year like this one it can be hard to keep up with all the beans the garden can produce.  Canning green beans really isn’t too hard, as long as you have a pressure canner. Using a water bath canner to process green beans is really unsafe, no matter how long you boil the beans. The boiling water bath canner can never reach the high temperatures (240°F) that you can achieve in a pressure canner.  Green beans and other low acid vegetables must be canned in a pressure canner.

For best results, clean and prepare the beans—don’t plan to can damaged beans.  The beans won’t improve after canning so eat those spotted beans fresh and preserve the unblemished beans. You can choose between hot or raw packs—check out these detailed instructions.

Remember if you have a dial gauge canner, the gauge should be checked yearly.  We have a list of locations in Iowa that do this testing.  A weighted gauge does not need to be checked but if you live in a location with an altitude above 1000’ you will need to adjust the weight upward by 5#.  (Instead of processing at 10# you would adjust the weight necessary to 15#).

As always, we are ready to help with your canning questions at AnswerLine.  Just give us a call on our toll-free number 1-800-262-3804 in Iowa, 1-800-854-1678 in Minnesota, or 1-888-393-6336 in South Dakota. If you do not live in any of those states you can reach us at 515-296-5883. You can also send us an email, leave us a message on our facebook page, or comment on the blog.

Liz Meimann

I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Food Science at Iowa State University. I love to quilt, sew, cook, and bake. I spent many years gardening, canning, and preserving food for my family when my children were at home.

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Time to make Jelly

Liz Meimann 2 Comments

Strawberries are ready at the “pick your own” farm near my home. My family enjoys fresh strawberries, but if I pick more than we can eat in a few days I enjoy making strawberry jam.

These days we have several different options for preserving jams and jellies. We can make freezer jam or the cooked jam that can be preserved in canning jars. Any jam or jelly recipe should be followed exactly as written. You should not double or cut these recipes in half—the jelly may not set if you do.

Freezer jam is the easiest product to make. You simply prepare the fruit, stir in the instant fruit pectin and ladle the jam into clean jars. After a short standing period the jam is refrigerated or frozen. Remember, you can’t can freezer jam.

Strawberry jelly1
Strawberry jam ready to process.

Cooked jam or jelly takes a bit more effort. Fruit or juice is prepared, then heated, pectin is added to the juice or fruit, sugar added, product boiled for a minute, and lastly the jam or jelly is placed into clean jars with ¼ inch of headspace. The product is processed in a boiling water bath canner for 5 minutes (10 minutes if the altitude at your home is over 1000 feet and under 3000 feet).

If this puts you in the mood to make some jam, check out the recipes at these sites: Preserve the Taste of Summer publications through Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. Or, go to the National Center for Home Food Preservation. You can also find recipes on the package inserts of commercial pectin packages. If you have any questions, please contact us at AnswerLine.

We are always happy to help you.

Liz Meimann

I received both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in Food Science at Iowa State University. I love to quilt, sew, cook, and bake. I spent many years gardening, canning, and preserving food for my family when my children were at home.

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2 Comments on Time to make Jelly

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