7,000–8,000
14 pounds
8,000–9,000
14 1/2 pounds
9,000–10,000
15 pounds
If you don’t know your altitude level, you can get this information by contacting your public library, a local college, or the cooperative extension service in your county or state. Or go to http://national4-hheadquarters.gov/Extension/index.html Click on your state on the map and follow the instructions on your state’s Web site.
Chapter 10
Preserving the Harvest: Just Vegetables
In This Chapter
Organizing your vegetables
Filling your jars: raw packing versus hot packing
Processing vegetables perfectly
Preparing nutritious meals from your canned vegetables
Recipes in This Chapter
Canned Asparagus
Canned Fresh Green Beans
Canned Dried Beans
Canned Beets
Canned Bell Peppers
Canned Carrots
Canned Corn
Canned Creamed Corn
Canned Greens
Canned Onions
Canned Peas
Canned White Potatoes
Canned Sweet Potatoes
Canned Sauerkraut
Canned Summer Squash
Canned Winter Squash
Easy Vegetable Soup
Beans with Beef
Baked Chicken with Peppers
Don’t you just love the time of year when you’re starting your garden — preparing the soil, sowing seeds, pulling weeds, looking for pests, and asking the gardening gods for perfect weather and an abundant harvest? Then, after months of hard work and dirty fingernails, you’re rewarded with fresh vegetables. At first, your garden produces enough each day for one or two meals, and then the explosion starts. Tomatoes, zucchini, and beans, to name a few, abound. You wonder, “How can just a few plants produce so many vegetables?” You’re proud to share your bounty with friends, neighbors, and coworkers, but there’s a limit to how much you can give away!
Now, reality sets in. You have to do something with this harvest or it will go to waste! It’s time to get out your pressure canner, check your equipment, and get busy pressure canning. You must act quickly if you plan to preserve these vegetables for use in the winter and spring.
This chapter gives you basic information on selecting and preparing your vegetables, understanding which packing method (raw or hot) works best, knowing the correct pressure and processing times, and using the proper jar sizes for your vegetables.
Selecting Your Vegetables
When choosing your vegetables, be picky. The quality of your final product is affected by the quality of the food you start with. You can find specific guidelines of what to look for for each particular vegetable in the “Pressure Canning Vegetables” section of this chapter.
Picking the perfect produce
Whether harvesting your vegetables from the garden or shopping at a farmer’s market or your local supermarket, select vegetables that are free of bruises and imperfections. These marks could encourage the growth of bacteria in your food. Follow this basic rule for evaluating damage on vegetables for canning: If you won’t eat that portion of the vegetable, don’t buy it and can it.
The key to keeping all this wonderful, perfect freshness? Process the vegetables the day of harvesting or purchasing — the sooner the better. If you need to wait a day, store the items in your refrigerator to preserve the quality and prevent deterioration of your food. Don’t make your vegetables wait longer than one day! For more information on how to successfully process your canned vegetables, head to the section “Processing Tips for Successful Results.”
Even if you don’t have a garden (or access to one), you can find vegetables of high quality at your local farmer’s market or supermarket. Purchasing vegetables in season (when they’re abundant) is usually the best time to find the best pricing. Look for vegetables that are locally grown — they’ll taste fresher and won’t be covered with wax that prolongs the life of veggies.
Vegetables not recommended for pressure canning
Some vegetables shouldn’t be preserved by pressure canning because the food may discolor, produce a stronger flavor when canned, or just lose its look (meaning it disintegrates or falls apart when placed under high heat and high pressure). Other methods, such as pickling (see Chapter 8) or freezing (see Chapter 13), may be better preserving choices for these foods. Table 10-1 lists some vegetables you may be tempted to pressure-can but that will preserve better in other ways.
Table 10-1 Vegetables Not Recommended for Pressure Canning
Vegetable
Suggested Preservation Method
Broccoli
Freezing
Brussels sprouts
Freezing
Cabbage
Pickling (to make sauerkraut)
Cauliflower
Pickling
Cucumbers
Pickling
Eggplant
Pickling
Mushrooms (For safety, use ones that are commercially grown; don’t go out and pick some yourself.)
Pickling
Parsnips
Pickling
Rutabagas
Pickling
Turnips
Pickling
Prepping Your Veggies
You can prepare your clean vegetables for filling your jars in two ways: raw pack or hot pack. Not all vegetables are suited for both methods. Follow your recipe instructions or check out the “Pressure Canning Vegetables” section in this chapter.
Cleaning your vegetables
Properly cleaning your vegetables is important to your finished product (refer to Chapter 3 for more on cleaning vegetables). The method and amount of cleaning required is determined by where the vegetables were grown: above the ground (like beans or squash) or in the ground (like carrots or beets).
Vegetables growing above the ground: These vegetables usually have a thinner, more tender skin than vegetables grown in the ground. Remove any stems and leaves. Run water over them, gently rub the skin with your fingers and remove any dirt. Shake off the excess water and place your food on clean kitchen or paper towels.
Vegetables growing in the ground: Root vegetables, such as carrots and beets, may require soaking to loosen any clinging soil. After first rinsing the vegetables, immerse them in a basin of cool water. Using a stiff brush (a new toothbrush works well), scrub the surface of the vegetables, removing any clinging soil. Rinse thoroughly with running water, placing the vegetables on clean kitchen or paper towels to drain.
Raw packing versus hot packing
Raw packing and hot packing foods refers to the way the food is treated before it is placed in the jars. In raw packing, you don’t cook the food prior to processing. In hot packing, you do. The following sections go into more details on which method is preferable when you’re canning vegetables.
Packing food raw or hot doesn’t change your processing time. Reaching the required pressure in your canner, usually 10 pounds, takes the same amount of time, regardless of the temperature of your raw- or hot-packed jars.
Raw (cold packing)
The raw packing (also called cold packing) method uses raw, unheated vegetables for filling your prepared jars. Filling the jars with raw vegetables keeps them firm without being crushed during processing. Refer to your recipe instructions to decide whether to remove the skin or cut the vegetables into pieces.
Disadvantages of using raw vegetables include the following:
Floating food: During the pressure-canning process, air is removed from the vegetable fiber, causing the food to shrink. With more room in the jars, the vegetables have room to float toward the top of the jar (this is called floating food). Floating food doesn’t affect the quality of your final product, but it may be unattractive.
Discoloring: Discoloring occurs when the food comes in contact with air in the jar, c
ausing a color change in your food after two or three months of storage. The flavor of your product is not affected, but the change in color in a portion of the food may appear odd.
To fill your jars using a raw packing method, follow these instructions:
1. Wash your vegetables.
2. Prepare the hot liquid (refer to your recipe) for filling your jars.
3. Fill the hot, prepared jars with your raw vegetables.
4. Add the hot liquid and canning salt, if required.
5. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive tool (refer to Chapter 3).
If the headspace in your jar drops, add additional food and liquid to maintain the headspace stated in your recipe.
6. Wipe the jar rims; add the two-piece caps, and process the filled jars in a pressure canner (see Chapter 5).
Hot packing
When you hot pack, you precook or heat your vegetables prior to placing them in your prepared canning jars. It’s the preferred method for the majority of vegetables, particularly firm ones, such as carrots and beets. Using precooked vegetables improves the shelf life of the processed food by increasing the vacuum created in the jar during the pressure-canning period.
Precooking your vegetables in a boiling liquid, usually water, preshrinks the food and makes it more pliable, which allows you to pack more food into your jars. This results in using fewer jars. The method is a simple one:
1. Wash your vegetables.
2. Heat your liquid to a boil in a large pot and add the vegetables, precooking them as directed in your recipe.
3. Immediately fill your prepared jars with the hot vegetables, followed with the hot cooking liquid.
4. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive tool.
If the headspace in your jar drops, add additional food and liquid to maintain the headspace stated in your recipe.
5. Wipe the jar rims, add the two-piece caps, and process the filled jars in a pressure canner (see Chapter 9).
Processing Tips for Successful Results
Because vegetables are low-acid foods, you must use the pressure-canning method outlined in Chapter 9. In addition to the pressure-canner-processing steps there, use these tips for producing a product of high quality that’s safe for eating.
Get your supplies ready ahead of time. About one week before you begin pressure canning, assemble and check your equipment (see Chapter 9). Locate your recipe and review the ingredients you need to have on hand. Stopping at any stage of food preparing or processing adversely affects the quality of your final product.
During the canning season (summer), canning supplies may be in short supply and challenging to find. Inventorying your products early and purchasing missing items keeps you ready to can on a moment’s notice. Jars, lids, and screw bands don’t have a shelf life or expiration date.
If you add salt, use pickling or canning salt, which doesn’t have preservatives, to eliminate cloudiness in the liquid.
Using or not using salt in your vegetables is a personal preference. Add 1/2 teaspoon to each pint jar and 1 teaspoon to each quart jar before adding the hot liquid.
Cover the vegetables with liquid, allowing the proper headspace. This prevents discoloration and spoilage. Head to Chapter 3 for detailed information on why headspace is important.
Release air bubbles. Releasing all trapped air bubbles between the food pieces prevents a decrease in the liquid level of your final product, keeping the correct air space in the jar. After releasing air bubbles, you may need to add additional food or liquid to the jar. Go to Chapter 3 for more information how to release air bubbles.
Be ready to process your jars immediately after filling them and process them exactly as the recipe indicates. This decreases the opportunity for microorganisms to reenter the jars.
Cool your jars. Let your jars cool naturally. This may take as long as 24 hours.
Pressure Canning Vegetables
This section offers instructions and guidelines for pressure canning some of the more common fresh vegetables. Included are tips for selecting your vegetables, determining the approximate amounts of fresh vegetables for yielding 1 quart of a finished product, and which method is preferred.
Before you begin, take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with the steps for pressure-canner processing in Chapter 9. Always check your recipe to ensure you’re processing your food for the correct time, pressure, and jar size. Also keep in mind the following:
When canning at altitudes over 1,000 feet above sea level, refer to the altitude chart in Chapter 9 for pressure adjustments.
If it’s safe to use either quart jars or pint jars for your vegetables, the correct processing time for each size is listed. Quarts typically take longer to process than pints because there’s a larger amount of food to heat to properly destroy all microorganisms. If only one size jar is listed, that food may not be suitable for canning in the alternative-size jar due to the thickness of the finished product.
Use only one size jar (pints or quarts) for each batch of food. This allows you to complete the correct processing time required to evenly heat the jars and destroy microorganisms.
When using low-acid, pressure-canned vegetables, always boil your food for 15 minutes before you taste the food. For altitudes over 1,000 feet above sea level, extend the boiling period 1 minute for each increase of 1,000 feet.
Asparagus
Select firm, bright-green stalks with tightly closed tips. Stalks with small diameters indicate a young, tender vegetable. Cut stalks into 1-inch pieces or can them whole, placing the tips of the stalks toward the top of the jar (be sure to trim them from the bottom to maintain the headspace indicated in the recipe).
Canned Asparagus
Canning asparagus is a great way to preserve this delicate vegetable. With only one short season, it is usually a special treat or pricy delicacy during the rest of the year. Keeping plenty on hand will ensure that your family can enjoy this treat any time it wants. In Chapter 8, you can find a recipe for Pickled Asparagus.
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Processing time: Pints, 30 minutes; quarts, 40 minutes
Pressure level: 10 pounds
Yield: 14 pints or 7 quarts
24 pounds fresh, young asparagus
Boiling water
Canning salt
1 Prepare your canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For detailed instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)
2 Wash the asparagus spears. Cut them into 1-inch pieces. In a 12-quart pot, bring water to a boil. Heat the asparagus pieces in the boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, until the spears are bright green but still firm inside. Do not drain.
3 Loosely pack the cut spears into jars (don’t press them down). Pour the boiling cooking liquid over the pieces, leaving 1-inch headspace. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt to each pint jar or 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil, adding more liquid as necessary to maintain the proper headspace (refer to Chapter 3). Wipe the jar rims; seal the jars with the two-piece caps, hand-tightening the bands.
4 Process the filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 30 minutes (pints) or 40 minutes (quarts). When the processing time is done, allow the pressure to return to 0, wait an additional 10 minutes, and then carefully open the canner lid. (Head to Chapter 9 for detailed processing instructions for pressure canning.)
5 Remove the jars from the canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (refer to Chapter 4). If you find jars that haven’t sealed, refrigerate them and use them within two weeks. Prior to eating or tasting, boil the food for 15 minutes.
Per 1/2-cup serving: Calories 23 (From fat 3); Fat 0g (Saturated0); Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 301mg; Carbohydrates 4g (Dietary fiber 2g); Protein 3g.
Beans
You can put up either fresh or dried beans.
Regardless which type of beans you use, be sure to thoroughly examine them:
Canning and Preserving For Dummies Page 16