By: Piers Crispin
Canning fruits and vegetables is one of those great traditions that has entered the memories of generations of families. There is something so rustic and enjoyable about those hours spent canning and it’s not just the knowledge that you will have the finest canned fruits and vegetables without chemicals, preservatives and additives of commercial canning.
Canning is the process in which foods are placed in jars (for the home-canner) and heated to a temperature that destroys microorganisms and inactivates enzymes.
And there is so much that can be canned, with asparagus, beans, carrots, peas, pumpkin and tomatoes being among the most popular. Plus, if you are canning juices, you do not need a special tomato canning juicer, a fresh fruit canner or canning juice extractors: you can use your current juicer, juice extractor or juice steamer (like the Mehu-Liisa juice steamer.)
What Canning Supplies Do I Need?
Canning is very easy and requires few supplies (check http://juicers.organic-knowledge.com/juicer-store.htm for great canning supplies). The two main items are the jars with lids and the canner. There are two types of canner: a pressure canner and a water bath canner. Pressure canners work at a higher heat and are therefore used for low-acid foods such as meat and poultry as well as vegetables like beans, corn and carrots. Water bath Canners work at the boiling point of water and are good for high-acid foods such as jellies and fruits.
How Do I Can Tomatoes, Fruits and Vegetables?
Prepare the food you are going to preserve by washing it first. Then peel, slice, pit or blend it as per your recipe. Be sure to use a trusted and proven recipe to start. Remove skins, such as tomato skin, as the skins can become tough. Scalding usually does the job.
You can then make a choice of whether to hot pack or cold pack, again, depending on the recipe. Hot packing is when the food is placed into the jar hot. The jar is then placed into the boiling water. The hot contents prevent the glass from breaking when submerged in boiling water. With cold packing, raw food is placed in the jar before being put into hot water in the canner. The water is then boiled. The jars are kept in the canner for the required amount of time, and that’s it!
Canning Is Great Fun!
So, to recap, canning is a fun, safe method of food preservation that is even more enjoyable when done with friends or family. Canning is a bit more work than freezing, but once done, all you need to do is store it. And it doesn’t need thawing and cooking to eat. The equipment is cheap to buy and operate, and you really don’t need much in the way of supplies. Home canning is a healthy way to fill your pantry with home-cooked, preservative-free recipes such as soups, vegetables, baby food and so much more.
