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Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing
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- From: "Douglas Willhite" <drwillhite@earthlink.net>
- To: "Douglas & Hillary Willhite" <drwillhite@earthlink.net>
- Subject: [Livingontheland] Home Canning and Preserving 101
- Date: Thu, 12 Jun 2008 07:13:50 -0700
Home Canning and Preserving
101
Brothers and Sisters, in these times, it is of
vital importance that you know and understand the differences between viable
heirloom and hybrid/GMO seeds. You must have, at least a basic understanding, of
how to grow your own food, store and preserve harvests and begin the
practice of seed saving.
It doesn't matter where you live. Even if you live
in an apartment with a second story balcony you can still begin these practices.
Many plants will do well in pots. Remember to start with heirloom seeds. Plants
and seeds purchased from nurseries and garden retailers are all hybrids and
will not produce viable seeds.
Learn canning and home preserving. The book
"Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving" is the best book around
and has easy to follow instruction even for beginners. The
book includes comprehensive directions on safe canning and preserving methods,
plus lists of required equipment and utensils.
And finally, begin the practice of seed saving. The
best book around is called "Seed to Seed" by Suzanne Ashworth
and covers all aspects of seed saving. Both of these books are available at
local book stores or you can order them through our "Essene Book Store" link on
the Nazarene Way home page at: http://www.thenazareneway.com
Below is a brief overview on home canning
and preserving by Jackie Clay and includes a couple of
simple recipes to get you started. Then, more information on Ball's
Complete Book of Home Preserving. Home Canning and Preserving 101
Home canning pickles, fruits, jams and jellies. By Jackie Clay
For some reason, (definitely unknown to me) canning, as a
method of very long term food storage, fell into disuse. Maybe it's the
hurry/rush syndrome many folks have become addicted to, necessitating "instant"
foods, microwave ovens, and mixes for everything from pancakes to casseroles.
But for people of a self-reliant inclinationraising a good portion of their own
wholesome, chemical-free food and establishing a storage method that is easy and
results in tasty food, even years down the roadhome canning is the way to go.
And remember, no power outage or mechanical failure will
cause your pantry full of home canned food to go bad, as can happen with frozen
food. This is the reason I do not freeze food now. I lost half a freezer full of
food due to a two-week-long ice storm power outage. Besides, where food only
stays good for a year, max, in the freezer, it stays great tasting for years on
the pantry shelf neatly packaged in shining glass jars.
I regard home canning as essential to self-reliance as any
other facet of my lifestyle. Canning allows my family to eat chemical-free,
delectable fruits, vegetables, pickles, preserves, jams, and jellies, already
cooked and tender, just waiting for a meal.
I can year-round, making up such things as chili, stews,
dry beans, (like pintos for refried beans), spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, etc.
Whatever the season, there's always something special to can up for later meals.
It is simple to start out. Canning doesn't even require a
pressure canner, which can be a bit expensiveabout $130-$150. (Remember,
though, that this is often a once-in-a-lifetime expense.)
A person may begin canning with a water bath canner,
available at most discount stores for under $20. These are the big blue pots
with a lid and wire rack you may already be familiar with. You can also find
them at yard sales for as little as a dollar.
Jars do not have to be purchased new. Just get word around
to your neighbors and friends that you are going to be canning and need jars.
Any jar that a canning jar lid and ring will fit onand
is chip and crack freewill work. Despite rumors, such jarspreviously
containing such things as honey, mayonnaise, Sanka, etc.will work for home
canning. I have used them for many years even for such things as corn which
require long, pressure canning. They do not break any more often than do brand
name canning jars. And canning jars last for generations. I am canning with a
few of my grandmother's old blue Mason Jars.
Pick up a good, fairly recent canning book. (See below)
This is a "must," as it contains time tables, specific directions for many, many
different foods, as well as a lot of recipes for home canned goodies.
Do not try to can using those "country style" cute jars
with zinc lids, glass lids, and rubbers. Not only are they expensive, but you
cannot tell if they are properly sealed. A jar improperly sealed will allow the
food to spoilnot a good thing.
Often, when your friends or neighbors give you jars or you
buy them at a flea market, auction, or yard sale, you will also get some rings.
These are reusable for years and years, serving only to hold the flexible metal
lid down on the jar rim during the canning process. The rings need only to be
solid and strong. Rust is of no consequence, unless it is so bad that the rings
are flimsy.
Lids need to be bought new for each use, for if the lid
has been bent on opening it will not reseal, and the rubber is usually only good
for a one-time use. Further use may result in seals which come loose or a lid
that will not seal. Both conditions are a waste of money, time, and the result
can be dangerous, i.e., food spoilage.
Canning with the hot water bath is a simple process:
cleaned, sterilized (boiled) jars are filled with (often) hot high-acid food.
The jar rim is wiped clean. A hot, boiled new lid is placed on the jar. And a
clean ring is screwed firmly onto the jar. The filled jars are then placed
carefully in the boiling water bath of the canning kettle and settled into an
individual place on the wire rack. When filled, the water level needs to be one
to two inches above the top of the tallest jars. The cover is put on the kettle
and it is allowed to return to a full rolling boil, at which time the processing
time is begun.
At the end of the processing time each jar is carefully
lifted out and placed on dry folded towels where sealing will occur as the jar
cools. Usually you can hear the loud, musical ping as each jar seals. (I've
noticed that my wide-mouth jars usually seal first). Leave the jars alone until
they are cool. Don't wipe, poke or move them, or you may end up with an
incomplete seal. And do not screw the rings tighter thinking it will "help" the
jar to seal. Tightness doesn't equal good sealing. It happens due to the vacuum
caused by the processing.
After the jars have cooled (usually overnight), you may
remove the rings, wash the jar, and place it in a cool, dark, dry area to store.
It is a good idea to mark the lid with the contents and date, in order to allow
for the best rotation. Often, foods such as spaghetti and taco sauce look alike,
and you really don't want spaghetti sauce in tacos.
What foods can you can with the hot water bath? A lot!
This processing method will be good for all high acid foodsjams, jellies,
preserves, nut meats, pickles, tomatoes, tomato sauce, (without mushrooms or
meat), all fruits and fruit products such as butters, conserves, fruit cocktail,
juices etc., barbecue sauce, chili sauce, catsup, relish, and more.
This list would be huge if we took into consideration all
the possibilities with fruits and pickles. I can prickly pear jelly and jam,
chokecherry jelly, corn relish mix, barbecue sauces, tomato relish, eight types
of pickles, watermelon pickles, six fruit juices, and combinations such as
raspberry-apple and many more, often forgotten by countless home canners.
Hot water bath tips · A combination of hot and cold will crack and break jars. Put hot food into hot jars, cold into warm jars. Do not put hot jars onto cold surfaces or in cold drafts. · Using a jar with a tiny chip in the top or a small crack
in the side will result in either a broken jar or an incomplete seal. Before
filling them, check each jar carefully. I routinely run my clean finger around
each top as I am about to fill it, just to double check.
· Be sure to adjust your processing time according to
altitude. Most charts are calculated to altitudes of 1,000 feet or less. You
must increase the processing time by five minutes for altitudes of 1,000 to
3,000-feet, ten minutes for 3,001 to 6,000-feet, fifteen minutes for altitudes
of 6,001 to 8,000-feet etc.
· Do not remove the jar rings for those pickles that are
not processed before placing in jars, such as some types of dill pickles. Again,
read your canning book.
· If the boiling water does not come over the tops of the
jars by at least one inch, add more boiling water to accomplish this.
The finished product being lifted to a folded dry
towel to cool and seal. The jar lifter prevents burns.
· Always use the wire rack of your canning kettle, as the
boiling water must circulate well under, over, and between jars. The wire rack
will also prevent overheating (and possible cracking) of the jar bottoms and
will keep the jars from bumping together while processing, which might result in
breakage.
· Always check the seal as you store the jars. Each jar
lid should be indented in the center, having no give as you gently press down
with a finger. If it makes a noise on pressure, or if it can be moved downward,
it is not sealed and must either be reprocessed with a new lid or eaten soon.
· When canning tomatoes or tomato products, use "regular"
high-acid tomatoes, not low-acid tomato varieties. If unsurefor instance if you
bought them at a farm marketadd two tablespoons of lemon juice or ½ tsp. citric
acid (vitamin C) to each quart to ensure the product is acid enough not to
spoil. Neither product affects the taste a bit and only increases the
nutritional value.
· Always be careful of steam and hot jars as they can burn
you. Lift canner lid away from you to allow steam to escape safely, away from
your face.
Two easy projects Bread and butter pickles:
(Called thus because they are good enough to eat at every
meal)
7 slim medium cukes 5 crisp medium onions 1 bell pepper, chopped 1 small sweet red pepper (chopped) ¼ c salt cracked ice Pickling solution:
2½ c white vinegar
2 ½ c granulated sugar 1 Tbsp mustard seed 1 tsp celery seed ½ tsp whole cloves ¾ tsp turmeric Mix veggies, mix in salt and cracked ice. Put in fridge or
a cool place and let stand for at least three hours, then drain.
Mix pickling solution. Add to drained veggies in kettle.
Bring mix to boiling, remove veggies to clean, sterilized jars immediately. Pour
hot liquid over to cover leaving ½-inch of headspace (no more). Wipe jar rims,
checking for nicks, with a clean damp cloth, then place hot, sterilized lids on
and screw the rings on firmly-tight. Place filled jars on a dry folded towel.
Quickly repeat this process with the rest so that the veggies do not cool down.
If pickles in the kettle are allowed to boil, they will soften. These pickles
are very crisp and fresh tasting. Our favorites. (I also slice a batch of
smaller cukes lengthwise for spears, and use the same recipe with great
results).
Canned tomatoes: Fill a large pot with water up to ¾ full and put on to boil. Fill a clean water bath canner ½ full and bring it to a boil, with the wire rack in place. Wash the jars in warm soapy water and rinse. Check each one for minute cracks and nicks in the rim. Leave the jars in the hot water until needed. Separate the lids and place them in a sauce pan of water. Bring to a boil, then leave in the water until you need them. Wash sound, ripe, high-acid tomatoes and dip them in the
boiling water of your large pot (I use a wire basket) for about a minute or
until the skins crack. Then place the tomatoes in cold water. This allows the
skins to slip off easily. Core out the stem and discard. Leave the tomatoes
whole or cut, depending on size and preference. Pack into jars and either mash
down, so that the juice covers them, or cover with hot water leaving a ½-inch of
space between the product and jar rim.
Canning tools of the trade: lids, jars, wooden long
handled spoon, canning funnel, jar lifter, measuring spoons, jar rings
Add ½-tsp of salt to each pint or 1 tsp. to each quart, if
desired for taste. Remove any large air bubbles with a wooden spoon. Wipe off
jar rim with damp cloth, place the lid on, and screw ring down firmly. Place the
jars into boiling water bath carefully and process pints for 40 minutes and
quarts for 45 minutes counting from when the water returns to a full rolling
boil. (Remember to adjust time according to altitude). Remove carefully and
place jars on dry folded towel until cool and sealing is complete.
See how easy canning is? Neither of these projects takes a
rocket scientist or over an hour of your time. The total cost to me is about
10-cents a quart canned on the wood range, or 12-cents a quart on the propane
stove. Not bad for really great eatingpicked fresh from our garden 15 minutes
before, and absolutely no chemicals added.
Even my seven-year-old son, David, can put up a surprising
number of crops with very little assistance. So you see, canning truly is for
everybody. Home canning is a definite life skill worth
developing.
Learn more about canning at:
----------------------------------------------------
The
Complete Book of Home Preserving
Ball Home Canning Products are the standard in home preserving supplies. Now the experts at Ball have written a book destined to become the "bible" of home preserving. As nutrition and food quality has become more important, home canning and preserving has increased in popularity for the benefits it offers:
These 400 innovative and enticing recipes include everything from salsas and savory sauces to pickling, chutneys, relishes and of course, jams, jellies, and fruit spreads, such as:
The book includes comprehensive directions on safe canning and preserving methods plus lists of required equipment and utensils. Specific instructions for first-timers and handy tips for the experienced make the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving a valuable addition to any kitchen library. You can order these books and many others through our
Essene book store link on our main site. ------------------------------------------------------- __._,_.___ Peace be with you, The Nazarene Way Thus saith the LORD; Stand ye at the crossroads and look, and ask for the ancient Ways, where the path is good, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. Jeremiah 6:16 Help keep the Nazarene Way on line: http://www.thenazareneway.com/donations_tithing.htm Join the Nazarene Way Communions at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Communions Visit The Nazarene Way of Essenic Studies main site: http://www.thenazareneway.com Add your thoughts, words and blessings to our Guest Archive at: http://www.thenazareneway.com/guestbook/guestbook.html |
- [Livingontheland] Home Canning and Preserving 101, Douglas Willhite, 06/12/2008
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