Getting Started with Home Food Preservation

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Getting Started with Home Food Preservation
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• Take a minute to consider
• Why do we preserve foods?

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Canning, Freezing Drying

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

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Methods in Food Preservation

• Refrigeration Freezing
• Fermentation or Acidification
• Control of Moisture
• Drying
• Adding sugar or salt
• Heat Processing
• Blanching, pasteurization, canning

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Two Types of Canning

• Boiling Water Canning (212F) fruits and
  acidified foods
• Pressure Canning (240F or above) meats and
  vegetables
• Rememberadjust for elevation!

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Getting StartedEquipment

• Boiling Water Canner with rack
• Inspect jars, rims lids
• Supplies measuring cups/spoons, spatula,
  jar/lid lifter, funnel, other nice to haves

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Dont Forget

• Process at the correct temperature
• Follow an up-to-date, research tested recipe
• Adjust for elevation

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Making Jams, Jellies and Fruit Preserves
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Jams and Jellies

• As Easy As 1, 2, 3, 4.
• Fruit adds flavor!
• Pectin natural carbohydrate that causes fruit
  to gel
• Acid needed for gel formation
• Sugar preserves jellied fruit, helps form a
  gel adds flavor

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Fruit

• Fresh, Canned, Frozen, Dried
• Use just-ripe fruit for best flavor and quality
• Mix ripe and unripe fruit if you dont use added
  pectin
• Overly ripe fruit will taste great, but may fail
  to set

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• Freezing Fruits
• Freeze unsweetened for greatest flexibility
• Individually quick-freeze on trays
• Thaw almost completely before making jam
• Or freeze juice for making jelly

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Preparing Fruit

• Jam
• Rinse dont soak
• Remove stems, pits, or cores
• Prepare fruit according to recipe crush or chop
  (with skin on)
• Pack tightly into measuring cup

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Preparing Fruit

• Jelly
• Juicy berries Crush without heating
• Firm fruit Crush, boil, then simmer
• Apples add water only to cover, cook until soft
  (20-25 minutes)
• Grapes only enough water to prevent scorching,
  until soft (10-minutes)
• Strain in jelly bag or cheesecloth

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Pectin

• Can use natural pectin in apples, plums, grapes,
  currants
• Add pectin to other fruits (plus canned frozen)
  to ensure a good gel
• Add pectin to fully ripe fruit

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More about Gels

• Liquid and powered pectin are not interchangeable
• Low-methoxyl pectins for low- or no sugar
  products
• Powdered gelatin for refrigerator products

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Acid and Sugar

• Added acid for gelling
• Measure sugar carefully
• Use honey or corn syrup sparingly
• Sugar substitutes can be used only in special
  recipes (refrigerator jellywww.uga.edu/nchfp OR
  www.splenda.com/index.jhtml)

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Water Bath Canning

• A Must for jams and jellies
• Helps form a seal
• Destroys yeast and mold
• Is required for
• the Fair!

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Basic Steps

• Wash ½ pint jars in warm, soapy water then boil
  for 10 minutes (until filled)
• Prepare jam/jelly and pour into jars leaving ¼
  inch headspace
• Remove bubbles between jam/jelly and jar
• Wipe jar rims and put on lids/bands

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Basic Steps

• Place jars in canner boiling water 1-2 inches
  above jar lid
• Start counting processing time when water returns
  to a boil
• Process in boiling water 5 minutes
• Cool jars for 12-24 hours then check for seal,
  remove bands, wipe jars

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When things just dont work

• Mold imperfect seal, too large jar
• Failure to set too large a batch, incorrect
  proportions of ingredients
• Fading storage place too warm or too light
  stored too long
• Fruit floats Stir fruit mixture for 5 min.
  before ladling into hot jars

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When things just dont work

• Use for syrup
• Refrigerate up to 3 weeks
• Freeze ½ inch headspace
• Re-process- darker, cooked

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When things just dont work

• Re-make Instructions
• Work in small batches
• Carefully measure all ingredients
• Add pectin to product while re-cooking

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For Goodness Sake

• Jams and jellies are shelf stable for at least 1
  year
• Store opened jars in the refrigerator
• Dont consume product that has molded or that
  appears spoiled

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Resources

• USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (1994 or
  later), National Center for Home Food
  Preservation www.uga.edu/nchfp
• Wisconsin Firstwww.wisc.edu/foodsafety/ (see
  Making Jams and Jellies)
• So Easy to Preserve University of Georgia (1999
  or later)
• Ball Blue Book (1997 or later)