Let

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Lets Get Ready to Preserve!

• Barbara Ingham
• Extension Food Scientist
• www.foodsafety.wisc.edu

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Todays topics

• Why preserve foods?
• What are the basic food preservation guidelines?
• What resources are available to help you get
  started on a successful food preservation season?

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Take a minute to consider.Why do we preserve
foods?
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Why Preserve Foods?

• Increase the shelf life of food.
• Provide convenience.
• Retain the nutritional value.
• Improve how food tastes.
• And because its fun!

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Freezing, Drying, and Canning

• Which method will you choose?
• Our aim safe, high quality food.

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Food Preservation Quiz
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Cold Preservation

• Set refrigerators to 32 - 40F
• Set home freezers to 0F or below
• Rapid freezing is best (less damage)
• Freezing Fruits Vegetables (B3278)
• Proper packaging is critical for quality
• Storage of frozen foods
• Meats 3 to 9 months
• Fruits and vegetables 1 year

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Drying Foods

• Air drying for herbs Sun drying for fruits
  (ONLY!)
• Controlled drying using an oven or dehydrator is
  best
• Resource www.uga.edu/nchfp/
• NEW! Recipes for making safe
• Jerky coming in August 2009
• If water is not available,
• microbes can not grow

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Heat Processing

• Blanching
• Short heating to stop enzymes, soften tissue,
  prevent color loss and remove air from tissue
  (vegetables before freezing/canning)
• Pasteurization
• Mild heat treatment designed to stop enzymes, to
  destroy growing bacteria, and to kill yeast and
  molds (milk juice, and pickles jam too)
• Canning
• High heat to destroy harmful microbes (especially
  pressure canning of meat, vegetables)

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Two Types of Canning

• Boiling Water Canning (212F) fruits and
  acid-added foods
• Pressure Canning (240F or above) meats and
  vegetables (dial gauge or weighted gauge canners)
• Rememberadjust for elevation!

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How do we know which canning method to use?

• What is the pH (acidity) of the food?
• below pH 4.6 above

Boiling Water Fruits, Pickles, Salsa
Pressure Meat, Vegetables
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What is magic about pH 4.6?

• IF the pH of the food is above 4.6
• IF there is no oxygen present
• IF the temperature is warm
• ? Clostridium botulinum can grow and produce
  TOXIN (botulism poisoning)

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Recipe for Danger

• 1 Food, pH above 4.6
• 1 Vacuum sealed canning jar
• 1 Room _at_ standard temperature
• ADD
• C. botulinum spores
• WAIT! You dont need to add these, they are
  everywhere!

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• Conditions for neurotoxin production
• Spores of C. botulinum
• No oxygen
• pH greater than 4.6

?Growing cells produce TOXIN
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What does this mean for home canning?

• Foods with pH above 4.6 that you want to can
• ? Process in a pressure canner to destroy spores
  of C. botulinum.
• ?Adding pressure increases temperature
• At sea level, water boils _at_ 212F
• 10 pounds pressure (psi) - 240F
• 15 pounds pressure (psi) - 250F

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Home Canning Resources

• Using Caring for a Pressure Canner(B2593)
• Wisconsin Safe Food Preservation Series (2008)
  canning fruits, salsa, vegetables, meat,
  tomatoes, pickles jam (www.foodsafety.wisc.edu)
• Ball Blue Book www.freshpreserving.com/
• National Center for Home Food Preservation
  (www.uga.edu/nchfp/)
• Resources MUST be from 1994 or later!

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Botulism Strikes Spokane Mother, Two Children
February 28, 2009

• The Associated Press reported that three people
  in Spokane, Washington, have become ill from
  botulism. The botulism apparently occurred from
  improper canning techniques used in home-canning
  of green beans vegetables from a private home
  garden.
• The woman was a nurse in her 30s with two
  children under ten. She became ill enough to be
  put on a ventilator the children suffered milder
  symptoms. The incident was linked to difficult
  economic times.

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What affects canning besides pH?

• Pack method raw pack or hot pack
• Jar size half-pints, pints or quarts
• Elevation - affects boiling point of water

• Tomatoes, whole
• Boiling water canner 85 minutes
• Dial gauge canner - 25 min _at_ 11 psi
• Weighted gauge - 25 min _at_ 10 psi
• hot pack, Qt. jars, 1,000 ft.
• p. 15 Tomatoes Tart Tasty

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Tips for Successful Canning

• Properly pre-treat jars and lids
• Fill jars with hot liquid (never cold!)
• Leave the proper headspace
• Boiling water canning jars covered with 1-2
  inches of boiling water at the start of
  processing
• Pressure canning vent canner for 10 minutes
  before pressurizing
• Adjust for elevation

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Dont harm your family with these canning methods!

• Boiling water canning of low-acid food
• Open-kettle canning
• Dishwasher canning
• Oven canning

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Dont Forget

• Process at the correct temperature (boiling water
  or pressure canner)
• Follow an up-to-date, research tested recipe
• Adjust for elevation

Note darker areas on the state map have an
elevation above 1,000 feet. Increase time when
boiling water canning increase pressure when
pressure canning.
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And now a word aboutcanners vs cookers

• Pressure canners and pressure cooker are NOT
  necessarily the same thing.
• Pressure canners must hold at least 4 Quart jars
  and be able to regulate pressure at 5, 10, 15
  pounds (psi).
• ?Pressure cookers are NOT recommended for home
  canning.

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Will preserving food at home save you money?

• Do you have a ready supply of fresh produce or
  meat?
• Do you have canners and jars?
• Do you have a working freezer with plenty of
  space?
• Do you have the time.?

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Food Preservation Updates

• Add acid to tomato products!
• Adjust for elevation when canning
• Just because it sealed.it doesnt mean its
  safe!!!!!!
• Check pickle recipes for safety (even
  refrigerator pickles)
• Safety of steam canners
• A word about vacuum sealers

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Getting StartedEquipment

• Assemble Boiling Water and Pressure Canners
• Check dial gauges and rubber gaskets
• ? Dial gauges must be checked each year!
• Inspect jars, rims lids
• Purchase freezer containers
• Clean your dehydrator

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Getting StartedProduce

• Start with tested varieties
• Harvest at the proper stage of maturity
• Discard diseased produce
• Rapidly chill harvested produce

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Getting StartedRecipes

• Use ONLY up-to-date, research-tested recipes!
• Dont (necessarily) do what your Mother told you!
• Current canning instructions
• date from 1994 or later.
• Time to leave creativity behind!

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Canning and Preserving for Special Diets

• Choose recipes that dont require sugar or salt
  for safety
• Read the recipe carefully
• Dont choose your own substitutions
• ? see www.uga.edu/nchfp/

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Happy Preserving!