It Doesn’t Have To End
It’s the time of year to enjoy late-summer tomatoes packed with flavor, refreshing cucumbers, and ripe apples picked straight from the tree. Whether from a backyard garden or a local farmers market, canning is a great way to preserve food for year-round use, reducing waste and maximizing value.
Canning preserves food by heating both the contents and jars to eliminate harmful microorganisms and destroy enzymes that cause spoilage. It also removes oxygen, helping to maintain the food’s color, texture, and flavor, and creates a vacuum seal that keeps moisture in and air and contaminants out.
There are two methods for safely canning food at home, depending on the food’s acidity level (pH). Using the appropriate method and equipment is critical for food safety.
Water Bath Canning is suitable for high-acid foods, such as fruits, jams, jellies, and acidified foods like pickles, fermented foods, and some tomato products. Jars are submerged and processed in boiling water for a specified amount of time to destroy harmful microorganisms that live in an acidic environment.
Central Arizona encompasses a large area with altitudes ranging from about 3,000 to 7,000 feet. For water bath canning, processing time is increased as altitude rises. These adjusted processing times are usually included in tested recipes.
You will need a water bath canner or a deep stockpot that can hold at least four pint jars and still cover the tops of the jars with one to two inches of water, maintaining a rolling boil without spilling. A bottom rack and fitted lid are also required.
Pressure Canning is required for low-acid foods, such as vegetables, meats, poultry, fish, and legumes. These must be processed at very high temperatures, 240 degrees F, only achievable with a pressure canner. These temperatures are needed to destroy Clostridium botulinum spores, which can cause botulism in a low-acid environment.
Pressure canners use steam to build pressure. Instead of being submerged, jars are placed in the canner with a couple of inches of water on the bottom. Pressure canners have dial or weighted pressure gauges. Dial gauges must be tested annually for accuracy. Contact your local extension office for dial gauge testing. Weighted gauges use fixed weights that rock or jiggle at pressure and do not require testing. Check gaskets regularly for dryness or brittleness. Do not use pressure cookers or multicookers like Instant Pots, which are not safe for pressure canning. For pressure canning, pressure is increased as altitude increases.
Although jams and jellies process quickly, preparing them for canning can be labor-intensive and there are several things that can go wrong—such as issues with gelling or achieving the desired texture.
Pickled bread-and-butter zucchini is a great way to use all that produce. Just like cucumber pickles, they need to be prepped ahead of time and stored in water in the refrigerator for a few hours to keep them crisp. Other pickled vegetables, such as dilled beans or pickled asparagus, do not require that first step because crispness isn’t as critical.
Visit nchfp.uga.edu for tested recipes and to learn more about food preservation.
