Canning and Preserving For Dummies
Read Canning and Preserving For Dummies Online
Authors: Amelia Jeanroy
®
, 2nd Edition
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: A Quick Overview of Canning and Preserving
Knowing the Benefits of Canning and Preserving Your Own Food
Meeting Your Techniques: Canning, Freezing, and Drying
Key Tricks to Successful Canning and Preserving
Chapter 2: Gathering Your Canning and Preserving Gear
Pots, pans, mixing bowls, and more
Specialty equipment to make work easier
Tools and Equipment for Freezing Food
Tools and Equipment for Drying Food
Chapter 3: On Your Mark, Get Set, Whoa! The Road to Safe Canning and Preserving
Dispelling Your Fears of Home-Canned and -Preserved Food
Choosing the right canning method and following proper procedures
Knowing the Acidity Level of Your Food
Chapter 4: Come On In, the Water’s Fine! Water-bath Canning
Water-bath Canning in a Nutshell
Foods you can safely water-bath can
Key equipment for water-bath canning
The Road to Your Finished Product
Step 1: Getting your equipment ready
Step 4: Processing your filled jars
Step 5: Removing your filled jars and testing the seals
Step 6: Storing your canned food
Adjusting Your Processing Times at High Altitudes
Picking and Preparing Your Fresh Fruit
Identifying the proper degree of ripeness
Cutting and peeling: Necessary or not?
Fresh Fruit Canning Guidelines
Apricots, nectarines, and peaches
Chapter 6: Sweet Spreads: Jams, Jellies, Marmalades, and More
Understanding Your Sweet Spreads
Choosing Fruit for Sweet Spreads
Getting Up to Speed with Fruit Pectin
Types of commercial fruit pectin
Setting Up without Adding Pectin
The Road to Sweet Canning Success
Mastering marmalade, butters, and more
Chapter 7: Condiments and Accompaniments: Chutneys, Relishes, and Sauces
Satisfying Your Sassy Salsas and Sauces
Pickling Equipment and Utensils
Pickled Cucumbers Are Just Pickles
Chapter 9: Don’t Blow Your Top: Pressure Canning
Understanding the Fuss about Low-Acid Foods
Cover: With a gasket or without
Vent tube, pipe vent, or petcock
A-Canning You Will Go: Instructions for Successful Pressure Canning
Step 4: Placing the jars in the canner
Step 5: Closing and locking the canner
Step 6: Processing your filled jars
Step 7: Releasing the pressure after processing
Step 8: Removing and cooling the jars
Step 9: Testing the seal and storing your bounty
Pressure Canning at Higher Altitudes
Chapter 10: Preserving the Harvest: Just Vegetables
Vegetables not recommended for pressure canning
Raw packing versus hot packing
Processing Tips for Successful Results
Bell peppers (green, red, orange, yellow)
Chapter 11: Don’t Forget the Meats!
Tips for safety and efficiency
Selecting and preparing the meat
Canning Beef and Pork: Cubed Meat
Canning fresh chicken: Cold packing
Canning prefrozen chicken: Hot packing
Including Meats in Other Canned Mixes
Chapter 12: Combining the Harvest: Soups, Sauces, and Beans
The Lowdown on Canning Combined Foods
Getting your meal on the table
Rounding Out Your Meals with Beans
Chapter 13: Baby, It’s Cold Inside! Freezing Food
Meeting the Spoilers of Frozen Foods
Gearing Up to Fill Your Freezer
Knowing what should (and shouldn’t be) frozen
Packaging Your Food and Filling Your Freezer
It’s a wrap! Choosing a container
Tracking your frozen food trail
To refreeze or not to refreeze thawed food
Chapter 14: Meals and Snacks in a Snap: Freezing Prepared Foods
The Whys and Wherefores of Freezing Food
A guide to planning your meals
The key to delicious frozen prepackaged food
Freezing Bread, Snacks, and Other Treats
Bread, buns, muffins, and rolls
Freezing Dairy Products and Nuts
Freezing Meat, Poultry, and Fish
Chapter 15: Freezing Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs
Syrup concentrations at a glance
Thawing and using frozen fruits
Freezing Vegetables Like a Pro
Step-by-step instructions for freezing vegetables
Thawing and using your vegetables
Chapter 16: Dry, Light, and Nutritious: Drying Food
Opening the Door to Successful Food Drying
Other tips for successful drying
Protecting the Life of Your Dried Food
Chapter 17: Snacking on the Run: Drying Fruit
Sizing up your preparation options
Detailing Your Fruit-Drying Expertise
Drying a Variety of Fresh Fruits
Enjoying the Labors of Your Drying
Chapter 18: Drying Vegetables for Snacks and Storage
Your Vegetable-Drying At-a-Glance Guide
Storing and using your dried produce
Signs of trouble: Good vegetables gone bad
Drying Common and Not-So-Common Herbs
Getting Creative with Herb Cooking Blends
Chapter 20: Root Cellars and Alternative Storage Spaces
Finding the Perfect Place for Cold Storage
Tried and true: The traditional root cellar
Following Simple Storage Rules
Preparing Foods for Cold Storage
Chapter 21: Ten (Or So) Troubleshooting Tips for Your Home-Canned Creations
Jars That Lose Liquid During Processing
Jelly with the Wrong Consistency
Cloudy Jelly or Jelly with Bubbles
Jelly with Very Little Fruit Flavor
Glasslike Particles in Your Jelly
Hollow, Shriveled, Discolored, or Slippery Pickles
White Sediment at the Bottom of the Pickle Jar
Chapter 22: Ten (Plus) Sources for Canning and Preserving Supplies and Equipment