Canning & Preserving For Dummies, 2nd Edition
Page 14
3. Release any air bubbles with a nonmetallic spatula or a tool to free bubbles.
If the headspace drops, add additional food and liquid to the jar.
4. Wipe the jar rims with a clean, damp cloth.
Have a few rags handy to be sure you're using a clean one every time.
5. Place a lid on the jar (seal side down) and secure the lid in place with a screw band.
Hand-tighten the band without overtightening it.
Always work quickly, stopping for nothing. Time is of the essence! Your hot foods need to remain hot, your lids seal best if placed on the jars while hot, and your food needs to be processed as quickly as possible to preserve the most flavor and quality.
Step 4: Placing the jars in the canner
Place your filled and closed jars carefully on the rack in the pressure canner, making sure you have the recommended amount of simmering water in the bottom of the canner. Don't crowd the jars or place more jars in the canner than is recommended for your size of pressure canner. Place them so that they're stable, won't tip, and don't touch each other or the side of the canner.
If your recipe makes more jars than your canner can hold, only fill enough jars for one canner load and do the rest in the next batch. Do not fill all the jars and leave a few waiting for the next canner load.
Unlike water-bath canning (see Chapter 4), you can process a second layer of pint or half-pint jars at the same time as long as your canner accommodates the height of the two layers. To build the second layer, place a second rack on top of the first layer of jars. Stagger the second layer of jars so they aren't directly above the bottom layer. This permits proper air circulation for achieving the proper pressure and temperature. After you have a few simple canning sessions successfully under your belt, try this technique to save a little time.
Step 5: Closing and locking the canner
For optimum performance, steam must be allowed to steadily escape from the canner for a specified period. This process is called exhaustion. Properly closing and locking your pressure canner ensure that exhaustion can take place. Closely follow your owner's manual when closing and locking the pressure canner. (If not sealed properly, the canner won't build pressure and/or hot water will spit out.)
Step 6: Processing your filled jars
Once your canner lid is locked on, you're ready to beginning processing your filled jars. Follow these steps:
1. Allow a steady stream of steam to escape from the pressure canner for 10 minutes or the time recommended in your manual.
2. Close the vent, bringing the pressure to the amount specified in your recipe.
If you live in higher altitudes, see the section "Pressure Canning at Higher Altitudes" for information on how to adjust the pounds of pressure used during processing.
Processing time starts when your canner reaches the required pressure. The pressure must remain constant for the entire processing time. If your pressure drops at any time during processing, so will your temperature. To remedy this problem, return the pressure to the specified amount by increasing the heat. After your pressure has been regained, start your processing time from the beginning.
3. After the processing time has passed, turn the heat off and allow the pressure to return to 0.
Allowing the pressure to return to 0 may take as long as 30 minutes. Don't disturb the canner; jars that are upset may not seal properly.
Step 7: Releasing the pressure after processing
Approximately 10 minutes after the pressure returns to 0, or at the time stated in the manual, remove the lid, opening the cover away from you and allowing the steam to flow away from you.
We can't emphasize enough the importance of following the instructions in your owner's manual, step by step, for releasing the pressure in the canner after your processing time is concluded. There's no quick-release method for a pressure canner as there is for a pressure cooker. Don't confuse the two!
Running water over your pressure canner to reduce the pressure is a definite no-no. The sudden change in temperature can cause the jars to burst.
Step 8: Removing and cooling the jars
Ten minutes after you release the pressure (Step 7), remove the jars from the pressure canner with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean towel, away from drafts with 1 to 2 inches of space around the jars.
The jars may take as long as 24 hours to completely cool. Don't be tempted to play with the lids or adjust the bands.
As your jars cool, you'll hear a popping noise coming from them, indicating a vacuum seal. You will soon learn to look forward to these tiny pings and dings. My children (Amy's) often give a shout each time they hear one. This canning music means you have successfully saved your summer bounty.
Step 9: Testing the seal and storing your bounty
The final pressure-canning step is to test the seals on your completely cooled jars: Push on the center of the lid. If the lid feels solid and doesn't indent, you've produced a successful seal. If the lid depresses when applying pressure, this jar isn't sealed. Refrigerate any unsealed jars immediately, using the contents within two weeks or the period stated in your recipe.
To store jars, do the following:
1. Remove the screw bands of the sealed jars.
2. Remove any residue by washing the jars, lids, and bands in hot, soapy water; then dry them.
3. Label your jars with the content and date of processing.
4. Store the jars without the screw bands, in a cool, dark, dry place.
Disposing of Spoiled Products
Although you may follow all the steps and procedures for pressure canning low-acid foods (see the preceding section), you still have a chance for spoilage. Knowing the signs to look for is part of the food-preservation process.
Here are some visual signs that may indicate a spoiled product:
A bulging lid or a broken seal
A lid that shows signs of corrosion
Food that has oozed or seeped under the lid
Gassiness, indicated by tiny bubbles moving upward in the jar
Food that looks mushy, moldy, or cloudy
Food that gives off an unpleasant or disagreeable odor when the jar is opened
Spurting liquid from the jar when the seal is broken
Storing your sealed jars without the bands allows you to see any signs of food seepage that indicates a potentially spoiled product.
As discussed in Chapter 3, botulism poisoning can be fatal. Because botulism spores have no odor and can't be seen, you can't always tell which jars are tainted. If you suspect that a jar of food is spoiled, never, never, never taste it. Instead, dispose of the food responsibly.
When you need to dispose of spoiled low-acid foods, use one of the two disposal methods described in the following sections. The first method is for sealed jars and second is for jars with broken seals.
If your jar is still sealed
If the jar has the seal intact, you can simply place your container in a garbage bag, tie it tightly, and discard it in the trash. This keeps the product from coming in contact with any human or animal and eliminates the transfer of bacteria. Be sure to thoroughly wash your hands and any surface that may have come in contact with spoiled food or its juices.
If your jar has a broken seal
If you see signs that the seal is broken or not tight, place the jar, the lid, the screw band, and the contents of the jar in a deep cooking pot. Cover the items with 1 to 2 inches of water, taking care not to splash any of the contents outside of the pot (this can cause cross-contamination with other foods in your household).
Cover the pot with a tight-fitting cover. Bring the contents to a boil. Keep the contents boiling for 30 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the contents to cool while remaining covered. Discard the contents in a sealed container in the trash or bury them deeply in the soil.
Never pour the contents into a water source, a sink or garbage disposal, or down the toilet, because the contents may come into contact with humans
or animals through a water-reclamation process.
Using a solution made up of one part household chlorine bleach to four parts tepid (lukewarm) water, thoroughly wash all equipment, working surfaces, clothing, and body parts that may have come in contact with the jar or spoiled food. You may also add dishwashing soap. Dispose of the jar, the lid and screw band, and any sponges or dishcloths used in any phase of this process by wrapping the items in a trash bag, sealing the bag, and placing it in the trash.
Pressure Canning at Higher Altitudes
If you're canning at an elevation higher than 1,000 feet above sea level, adjust the pounds of pressure used during processing, according to Table 9-1. Your pressure-canner processing time will remain the same.
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.
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, causing 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.