Canning and Preserving For Dummies (3 page)

Part I

Getting Started

In this part . . .

In Part I, you find out what benefits canning and preserving your own food can bring to your life. Discover what tools and supplies make the food preservation process run smoothly and which rumors you may have heard about canning are myths and which are true. The chapters here introduce you to the language of canning and preserving and explain how to do so safely so that you can begin to fill your pantry with delicious and healthy fare.

Chapter 1

A Quick Overview of Canning and Preserving

In This Chapter

Discovering the world of canning and preserving

Understanding the
why
s and
how
s of canning and preserving

Preparing yourself for safely canning and preserving your foods

Becoming a successful food canner and preserver

Over the years, because of our busy lifestyles and the convenience of refrigeration and supermarkets, the art of canning and preserving has declined. Other than jams and jellies, many people started thinking of canning as sort of a novelty hobby. But today, many people have a renewed interest in learning this art. With the decline in the economy, more people are finding that canning and preserving foods is an inexpensive and easy way to have a full pantry.

This chapter gives you an overview of the four canning and preserving techniques presented in this book — water-bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, and drying — and explains the benefits, both practical and emotional, that canning and preserving your own foods can provide.

If you’re new to canning and preserving, don’t be overwhelmed or scared off by the rules. This book walks you through easy, step-by-step instructions for each technique. After you understand the basic procedures for a method, like water-bath canning, it’s just a matter of concentrating on preparing your recipe.

Knowing the Benefits of Canning and Preserving Your Own Food

Canning and preserving are ways to protect food from spoilage so you can use it at a later time. Some preserving methods, like drying, date back to ancient times; others, like canning, are a little more recent. There’s no doubt that being able to offer fresh-tasting, home-canned or -preserved foods to your family and friends throughout the year is definitely one of life’s luxuries.

Whatever food-preservation method you choose (this book covers canning, freezing, and drying), your efforts will give you

A pantry full of fresh, homegrown foods.
Having a stocked pantry offers a cushion against the fluctuating cost of healthy foods. If you enjoy specialty foods from gourmet stores but dislike the high prices, home-canning is a safe and economical way to preserve large or small quantities of high-quality food.

Convenience:
You can build a pantry of convenience foods that fit into your busy lifestyle and that your family will enjoy.

Confidence in the ingredients that go into your food.
If you love fresh ingredients and like to know what goes into your food, doing your own canning and preserving is the answer.

Protection against rising food costs.
The whole idea of canning and preserving is to take advantage of fresh food when it’s abundant. And abundant food generally means lower cost.

A sense of relaxation and accomplishment:
For many people working in the kitchen and handling food provides a sense of relaxation, and watching family and friends enjoy the products of your efforts gives you a great sense of accomplishment. Taking the time to select your recipe, choosing and preparing your food, and packaging and processing it for safety is fulfilling and a source of pride for you, the home-canner.

A good time:
Producing canned and preserved food in your kitchen is fun and easy — and who doesn’t like fun?

The price of food has skyrocketed in the last few years. Food safety has become a concern for everyone. Canning is the answer to both the price dilemma and the desire to offer nutritious foods throughout the year. Home-canning and -preserving instantly rewards your efforts when you follow the proper steps for handling and processing your food.

Meeting Your Techniques: Canning, Freezing, and Drying

The techniques discussed in this book are safe for home use and produce superior results when you follow all the steps for each method. You compromise the quality and safety of your food if you make your own rules. An example of this is shortening your processing period or not timing it correctly. Either of these adjustments can cause food spoilage because the food doesn’t heat long enough to destroy all of the microorganisms in it.

Review the basic techniques for your type of food preserving before you begin — and if you’re already familiar with the techniques, review them annually just to refresh your memory. You’ll experience fewer interruptions in your food-preserving process. Always do a trial run before canning. This ensures you have all your supplies and steps in order so that you can work quickly and efficiently.

You’ll have no doubts about preparing safe home-canned and -preserved food after you discover what each method does, which method is best for different foods, the rules for the technique you choose, and safe food-handling techniques. The pages that follow introduce you to the ancient and modern-day techniques that will help you can and preserve with ease.

Put by
or
putting up
are terms that describe canning years ago, before there was refrigeration. They meant, “Save something perishable for use later when you’ll need it.”

About canning food

Canning is the most popular preserving method used today. Don’t let anyone tell you that home-canning is complicated and unsafe. It’s simply not true. Canning is the process of applying heat to food that’s sealed in a jar in order to destroy any microorganisms that can cause food spoilage. All foods contain these microorganisms. Proper canning techniques stop this spoilage by heating the food for a specific period of time and killing these unwanted microorganisms. Also, during the canning process, air is driven from the jar and a vacuum is formed as the jar cools and seals. This prevents microorganisms from entering and recontaminating the food.

Approved methods

Although you may hear of many canning methods, only two are approved by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). These are water-bath canning and pressure canning:

Water-bath canning:
This method, sometimes referred to as
hot water canning,
uses a large kettle of boiling water. Filled jars are submerged in the water and heated to an internal temperature of 212 degrees for a specific period of time. Use this method for processing high-acid foods, such as fruit, items made from fruit, pickles, pickled food, and tomatoes. Chapter 4 explains this method in detail.

Pressure canning:
Pressure canning uses a large kettle that produces steam in a locked compartment. The filled jars in the kettle reach an internal temperature of 240 degrees under a specific pressure (stated in pounds) that’s measured with a dial gauge or weighted gauge on the pressure-canner cover. Use a pressure canner for processing vegetables and other low-acid foods, such as meat, poultry, and fish. For more information about pressure canning, see Chapter 9.

Don’t confuse a pressure canner with a pressure cooker, which is used to cook food quickly. A pressure cooker does not have adequate room for both the canning jars and the water needed to create the right amount of pressure to preserve foods.

In both water-bath canning and pressure canning, you heat your filled jars of food to a high temperature in order to destroy microorganisms and produce an airtight, vacuum seal. The only way to reliably produce a safe canned product is to use the correct method for your type of food, follow your recipe instructions to the letter, and complete each processing step. For all the details you need about canning and a plethora of recipes, head to Parts II and Part III.