You may think that raspberry jam
can only be enjoyed in winters when you buy it from a store. Think again! The
art of home canning lets you preserve food not just with your personal taste
but also in an economic manner. Food prepared in large batches, bought on sale
or grown in home gardens can be easily be available for a longer duration, if
you can it at home. With canned food prices soaring high, you can manage it in
your own kitchen with negligible costs. You can celebrate the flavor of one
season all the year round if you can it the right way.
Once you see the markets over
flooding with the smell of fresh and colorful fruits and veggies, all you want
is to take them home and indulge in delectable fun. You need not be a seasoned
expert or a kitchen pro for making food an everlasting delight. All it takes is
a few basics, right equipment and some effort to make homemade canning
successful.
I. What
you are able to can
Well, the answer is that every food item can be canned,
if you know the right tricks. People may preserve vegetables, jams, fruits, sauces
or even premade meals. One must remember that every edible item requires a
different technique for storing.
II. Special
precautions to take while canning
Handcrafting
your own delicious food preserves can be done using some of the following
techniques. Depending on your food item, you need to alter your methodology to
capture the right flavor.
1. Sure-Jell
Sure-Jell are standard pectin readily available to
preserve jams and jellies. It turns your filling to jam and is appropriate for
fruits like raspberries, mango, apples or pineapples.
2. Salt
Salt is known to be a preserver since forever.
Pickles, gravies, vegetables, meat and tomatoes can be effectively canned using
canning salt (coarse granulated salt).
3. Pressure Canner
Pressure canning is useful for low acid foods like
meat, stews, stocks, soups and vegetables. You can use a pressure canner to
heat the food at a temperature of 240F.
4. Water bath
If your food item has high acid content like tomatoes,
pickles, vinegars, fruits or salsas, then water bath canning is the best
alternative.
5. Focus on altitude
The altitude you live at substantially affects your
home canning. If you are living at an altitude greater than 1000 feet, then the
pressure is reduced and water boils at a lower temperature. One must ensure
boiling food at the right temperature, if delicious, fresh tasting food is to
be enjoyed.
6. Focus on type of food
The science of food preservation teaches us that each
food item has a different composition and needs to be canned accordingly. Whether
you want to relish jellies or have savory sauces, your food choice will
determine the methodology of the storage.
7. Focus on Acidity
It is essential to understand the acidity of the food items
before they are preserved. There goes some knowledge and thought to know the
acidity and decide the appropriate technique.
III. Every
item has its own method
1. How to can vegetables
Once the market is overflowing with ripe and plum
vegetables, it’s time to stock them using a pressure canner. As vegetables are
low in acidity, this method is best suited.
2. How to can fruits
Let the juicy and pulpy fruits stay in your kitchen
all year round by using a water bath canner. Fruits and tomatoes are high in
acidity and needs to be preserved by this method. You may also convert them to
jellies using Sure-Jell.
3. When to use a Pressure Canner
Pressure Canners are easy way to store low acidic
foods like vegetables, meats, seafood, poultry, stews and soups.
4. When to use a water bath
A water bath is handy when you plan to can high acidic
foods like pickles, vinegars, fruits and tomatoes.
5. When to use a preservative
When you are not using any extensive canning
technique, you could just add some artificial preservative to keep your food
fresh and edible. Salt is perhaps the most common preservative but is not
compatible with every food item.
6. Canning Sauces
For canning sauces, you must cook them thoroughly so
that they reduce to half the quantity and put them in canning jars.
7. Canning Premade Meals
You can preserve chicken curries, spaghetti, gravies or any
meal using the pressure canner. For shorter duration, simply adding salt and
oil layer on top before freezing should be fine.
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