Canning, Freezing, Storing Garden Produce - free ebook by United States. Department of Agriculture

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Canning, Freezing, Storing Garden Produce

United States. Department of Agriculture

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Canning, Freezing, Storing Garden Produce

Canning, Freezing, Storing Garden Produce

United States Department of Agriculture Agriculture Information Bulletin 410 This is a reprint of Part 4 from the 1977 Yearbook of Agriculture, Gardening for Food and Fun . The Yearbook may be purchased at government bookstores or ordered from the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. Original page numbers from the entire book are used in this reprint. Issued in December 1977 by Edmund A. Zottola and Isabel D. Wolf [1] The telephone rings in a coun

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Heat Transfer

Heat Transfer

The time required for heat to penetrate to the center of the food in a container (the slowest heating point) is extremely important. Heat is transferred through food in containers by two mechanisms: conduction and convection. The mechanism involved depends on the consistency and amount of liquid in the food. The heat penetration rate is also influenced by size of the container, type of heating medium (wet steam vs. dry air), ratio of solid to liquid, kind and size of solid material in container,

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Fermentation

Fermentation

Preservation of food by controlling the acid content can be achieved in two ways. One is to naturally ferment the food—turning cabbage into sauerkraut. The other is to add an organic acid to the food to reduce the pH—adding vinegar to cucumbers to make pickles. Some foods such as berries and fruits naturally contain enough organic acids so their pH is below 4.6, and preservation of these foods requires only a boiling water bath heat treatment or freezing. In a natural fermentation, lactic acid b

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Drying

Drying

Control of the moisture content of food is one of the oldest preservation methods. Removal of water from the food prevents growth of most microbes and slows down enzymatic deterioration. Water removal from food can have several forms. The oldest and most primitive method for removing water is sun drying, which requires long hot days with low humidity to dry food evenly and quickly. Over-drying and uneven drying will result in nutrient destruction, microbial growth, and other undesirable changes.

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Handling Raw Foods

Handling Raw Foods

Because of the effects of respiration, other enzymes, autoxidation, and desiccation (loss of water), the raw product temperature and the time between harvest and preservation are of utmost importance to preserving high-quality fruits and vegetables. Ideal handling conditions vary with the product. Small berry and stone fruits, asparagus, green beans, beets, broccoli, corn and leafy greens, to name a few, should be preserved the same day of harvest, for highest quality. Apples, peaches, pears, pl

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Canning

Canning

Home canned foods should have a bright color, characteristic texture, pleasant flavor and contain nutrients naturally present. When all steps of scientifically based canning directions are carefully followed, color, texture and flavor will be optimum. These observable signs of quality are also an index to nutrient retention of that canned food. Proper pretreatment of the fruit or vegetable being canned is essential for top quality. This includes using only good, wholesome food at peak eating qua

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Headspace

Headspace

Using the proper amount of headspace pays off in quality products. Adequate headspace is needed so food has enough room for expansion during heat sterilization. Generally, more headspace is needed for foods heat-sterilized in a pressure canner than those in a boiling water canner, because of increased expansion of foods at the higher temperature. With too little headspace, liquid is more likely to cook out of the jars during heat sterilization. This increases the danger of seal failure due to fo

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Freezing

Freezing

Freezing, like canning, does not improve food quality. Top quality fresh fruits and vegetables are essential for premium frozen products. Quality factors include a suitable variety for freezing, optimum maturity, and freshness of the product. Even with high quality, fresh produce, it is imperative to freeze foods on the day when they are at their peak of maturity or ripeness for eating fresh. Selection, sorting and trimming of produce and the quality control steps as related to color, flavor, an

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Drying

Drying

Quality fruits and vegetables can be sun-dried or dried inside using an oven or a food dehydrator. As with other methods of preservation, quality of the final product will depend greatly on quality of the fresh food being dried. Drying does not improve the quality of any food. A top quality dried product reflects suitable pre-treatment before drying, and adequate drying under proper conditions. Also, appropriate storage after drying is vital to keep moisture from re-entering the dried product. F

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Time, Energy Costs

Time, Energy Costs

Raising a garden takes time over a significant number of months. As a hobby for table use, gardening can be a real pleasure. Skillful persons with the right tools and know-how can handle a garden of the size needed for home food preservation with a few hours of work a week, once the plants are well established. Novices can expect to spend a significantly greater amount of time per week during the four or five month growing season in northern areas and even more in areas with longer growing seaso

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Cost of Home Food Preservation

Cost of Home Food Preservation

There is no one right answer to the question, “Does it pay to raise and preserve my own food?” It depends upon your personal goals. You may not save a significant number of dollars. You will work hard. And you probably will experience one of the most exciting activities possible—raising at least some of the food your family uses. “We grew it” are heady words which bring people back to home food production and preservation year after year. by Frances Reasonover [4] Canning is probably the most ec

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Low and High Acid Foods

Low and High Acid Foods

Yeasts, mold and non-spore forming bacteria are readily controlled by processing at 212° F. Most canning equipment and supplies may be purchased at hardware stores, housewares departments, and from mail order companies. Jars and lids are available in many retail stores....

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Canning Jars

Canning Jars

Select standard canning jars made of tempered glass that can withstand high temperatures. The manufacturer’s name or symbol in glass will identify the product. With careful handling, jars last an average of about 10 years. Avoid using antique jars because there can be hair-line cracks not visible to the eye, causing jars to break. Use canning jars in sizes suitable for the product canned and your family’s needs. Canning jars generally are sold in half-pint, pint and quart sizes with wide and nar

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Work Fast

Work Fast

All steps, from beginning to end, of any lot of canning should be carried through as rapidly as possible. A good slogan is “two hours from harvest to container”. Work fast with small amounts of food at a time, especially vegetables with high starch content such as corn and peas which lose quality rapidly. Any delay will result in loss of flavor and nutritive value. Sorting and grading should be done very carefully, according to size and degree of maturity and ripeness. Use only uniformly well-ri

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Packing Methods

Packing Methods

You can pack food hot or raw in jars. Hot-packed food is heated thoroughly before it is packed into jars. Raw-packed food is placed raw in jars. Watery and soft foods such as tomatoes are pressed gently to make their own juice. Air, a poor conductor of heat, should be removed from the jar. Remove air bubbles by gently moving the blade of a plastic spatula or plastic knife around the jar—being careful that the food is not broken. Add more boiling liquid if necessary to get a proper fill. When fil

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Water Bath

Water Bath

Before you begin preparing the food, fill the water bath canner half full of hot water. This permits water to heat while you prepare the food. Put a large kettle or teakettle of water on to boil. The water should be boiling when hot-pack food is put into the canner. Place raw-pack jars in water that is hot (180° to 190° F), just below boiling. Then bring it to a boil after adding jars. As the rack of jars is lowered into the water, the water level will rise. If more water is needed to have the j

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Pressure Canner

Pressure Canner

Follow the manufacturer’s directions for operation of your pressure canner before, during and following processing. Supplement these directions with information in U.S. Department of Agriculture or Extension publications. Count processing time as soon as the pressure reaches 10 pounds or the proper pressure adjusted for altitude. Be sure to hold pressure steady. At end of the processing time, remove the canner from the heat. Allow the canner to cool until the gage registers zero to avoid breakag

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After Processing

After Processing

When you remove hot jars from the canner, use a jar lifter, or protect your hands with cooking mits, pot holders or canvas gloves. Set the jars upright to cool on a rack, such as a cake rack, or a bread or cutting board, with double layers of dry cloth or newspapers beneath the jars. If jars are placed on a cold surface or wet cloth, the difference in temperatures may cause the glass to crack. Avoid placing jars in a draft, but leave two or three inches between them so air can circulate freely.

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Label and Inventory

Label and Inventory

Write name of product and date canned on a gummed label or the lid of each jar with a felt tip pen. Keep a record of food canned, date, number of quarts or pints, and a place for you to check them off as you use them. This can be your guide for next year’s preservation plan. Use food preserved for the current year, readying a storage place for next season’s garden produce. Canned foods stored in a dry, dark, cool temperature (70° F or below) will retain good eating quality for a year. Home canne

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What Freezing Does

What Freezing Does

Freezing and storage even at very low temperatures will not inactivate any of the common enzymes. At 0° F, the recommended temperature for storing frozen foods, enzymes are not inactivated but only slowed down. In two to three months they will produce off-odors and bad taste. This temperature only checks the growth and reproduction of destructive bacteria. The faster a food is properly prepared frozen, the sooner both enzymes and bacteria are rendered harmless. Just about every kind of food you

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Fruit and Vegetable Acidity

Fruit and Vegetable Acidity

Holding of produce to be canned for long periods in warm summer temperatures gives bacteria ample time to multiply into vast numbers, thus increasing the chances of spoilage. For example, one cell can multiply into a billion cells in just 15 hours of holding under favorable conditions. Salt and spices added to low-acid canned products in amounts recommended do not appreciably alter processing time. Salt may slightly lower the heat resistance of some micro-organisms but not enough to present a pr

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How Food Is Heated

How Food Is Heated

Heat is a form of energy which flows from hot to cold substances. This flow occurs by convection, conduction, and radiation. In a pressure canner, convection and conduction are the primary methods of heat transfer. Convection heating occurs in thin liquids and in gases like air and steam. As molecules are heated, they become lighter and rise to the top of the jar, displacing cooler ones toward the bottom. This movement is visible in water that is being heated in a clear glass container. Convecti

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Pressure Canners

Pressure Canners

A pressure canner is a kettle made from a material, usually aluminum, that is strong enough to safely withstand the pressures used in home canning. The lid is built so it can be locked to the base of the canner. On one type, metal in the sealing edge is ground smooth so little or no leakage occurs between the lid and the base. Care should be taken to avoid damage to the sealing surfaces which could ruin the canner. Other canners have a gasket made of a rubber-like substance that prevents leakage

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Effect of Altitude

Effect of Altitude

Atmospheric pressure is like the thickness of frosting on a cake. Where it is thickest it weighs more per square inch than where it is thin. At sea level, where the atmosphere is the thickest, it is heavier than atop a mountain. As altitude increases, atmospheric pressure or its weight per square inch decreases. Altitude affects the boiling point of water. Where altitude is least, at sea level, water boils at 212° F. As altitude increases the boiling point of water decreases. The same is true in

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Equipment

Equipment

Use jars made especially for home canning so the jars will be the right size for the processing time and temperature used, properly heat tempered, and resistant to mechanical shock. Always check jars before using to be sure they do not have nicks or cracks. Wash jars in hot, soapy water and rinse well. It is important to use standard jar closures. They are designed to fit home canning jars correctly, and are made from suitable materials to provide a proper seal. One of the most popular types is

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Selecting and Preparing

Selecting and Preparing

Home-canned foods will be no better than the raw products with which you begin. Fruits and vegetables should be of good quality with no bruises or soft spots. Be sure to choose fresh, firm, ripe fruits and young tender vegetables. Use them before they lose their freshness. Do not use overripe produce because some foods lose acidity as they mature, and the recommended processing time may not be adequate. Wash all fruits and vegetables thoroughly, but gently, to remove dirt which contains bacteria

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Processing Fruits

Processing Fruits

Sugar or sugar-water sirup is often added to fruits to help them hold their shape, color, and flavor. Sugar can be added in the dry form to very juicy fruits. To make sugar sirup—mix sugar with water or juice extracted from the fruit. Proportions for 3 types of sirup are as follows: Heat sugar and water or juice together until sugar is dissolved. Fruit may be canned without sweetening—in its own juice or in water—for special diets. Processing time is the same for unsweetened fruit as for sweeten

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Processing Vegetables

Processing Vegetables

A steam-pressure canner must be used for processing all vegetables except tomatoes and pickled vegetables. Work only with the quantity of vegetable needed for one canner load at a time. As each jar is filled, adjust the lid, and place the jar in the pressure canner containing 2 to 3 inches of hot or boiling water for raw or hot pack, respectively, to keep food hot. The manufacturer’s directions for general operation of the canner you are using should be followed. A few pointers on the use of any

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Day-After Check

Day-After Check

Jars should be examined after they have cooled, but within 24 hours after processing, to be sure a seal has been obtained. To test a jar that has a flat metal lid, press the center of the lid; if the lid is down and will not move, it is sealed. Turn jars with porcelain-lined zinc caps partly over in your hands; if they do not leak, they are sealed. When jars are thoroughly cooled, metal screw bands should be carefully removed. Wipe outside of jars clean, and label jars to show date and contents.

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Look for Spoilage

Look for Spoilage

Check dates on jar labels to be sure you first use food that has the earliest processing date. Before opening any jar for use, look at it carefully for spoilage signs. If it leaks, has a bulging lid, spurts liquid when opened, or has an off-odor or mold, then do not use it. Do not even taste it. Destroy it out of the reach of children and pets. Canned vegetables may contain the toxin that causes botulism without showing any visible signs of spoilage. Therefore, boil all home-canned vegetables co

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How to Can Peaches[9]

How to Can Peaches[9]

by Annetta Cook [10] The growing season brings an abundance of fruits and vegetables freshly harvested from your garden. The unmatchable sweetness of peas cooked fresh from the pods, the tender-crisp texture of fresh broccoli, the delectable flavor of sweet juicy strawberries are irresistible. It is always a disappointment when the growing season is over. You may have more produce than you were able to use within a short time, so why not savor its just-picked freshness during the autumn and wint

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Packaging Material

Packaging Material

Material selected for packaging fruits and vegetables for freezing must be moisture-vapor-proof or moisture-vapor-resistant to keep the food from drying out and from absorbing odors from other foods in the freezer. Loss of moisture from the food causes small white areas called “freezer burn” to develop. These areas are not harmful, but if extensive they can cause the food to become tough and lose flavor. Suitable packaging materials include rigid plastic food containers, plastic freezer bags, he

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Selecting and Preparing

Selecting and Preparing

Grow varieties of fruits and vegetables that freeze well. Your county Extension office can provide information on suitable varieties that grow well in your locality. Produce selected for freezing should be of optimum eating quality. Freezing only preserves the quality of produce as it is at the time of freezing. It never improves quality. Fruits to be frozen should be firm and ripe. Underripe fruit may have a bitter or off-flavor after freezing. Pick berries when ripe and freeze them as soon aft

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Freezing and Storing

Freezing and Storing

After packing and sealing containers, label them with the name of the food, type of pack (for fruits), and date of freezing. Freeze food soon after packing, placing a few packages at a time in the freezer as you have them ready. Freeze food at 0°F or below. Do not load the freezer with more food than can be frozen in 24 hours. Usually 2 to 3 pounds of food per cubic foot of freezer capacity can be frozen at a time. Place packages on freezing coils or plates or in fast-freeze section of freezer,

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Thawing

Thawing

Home-frozen fruits and vegetables are convenient and easy to use since most of their preparation is done before freezing. Thaw frozen fruit in the refrigerator, or at room temperature in a pan of cool water. Leave fruit in the unopened freezer container. A pint package of fruit frozen in sirup will take about 6 to 8 hours to thaw in the refrigerator, or ½ to 1 hour in a pan of cool water. Fruit in sugar packs takes less time. Unsweetened packs need more time than sirup packs. For best eating qua

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How to Freeze Green Peas[12]

How to Freeze Green Peas[12]

Home Freezing of Fruits and Vegetables , U.S. Department of Agriculture H&amp;G Bul. No. 10, on sale by Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402. 75¢. by Catharine C. Sigman and Kirby Hayes [13] Changing fruit into a variety of products such as jellies, jams, marmalades, and preserves can be most rewarding. These products serve as a good way to use fruit that is not completely suitable for canning or freezing, while adding variety and economy to th

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Extraction

Extraction

In jelly making, juice is extracted either by crushing, by limited heating using small amounts of water, or by longer cooking with measured amounts of water. Heating aids in pectin extraction for those recipes not using added pectin. The prepared fruit is put in a damp jelly bag or several thicknesses of damp cheesecloth, tied, and hung to drip. The clearest juice will be free run, but yields increase if the bag is pressed or twisted. Re-straining this juice is recommended. Do not squeeze or pre

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When It’s Done

When It’s Done

One of the largest concerns when making jelly without added pectin is to know when it is done, or judging the end point. Two of the most frequently used methods for testing doneness of jelly without added pectin are the temperature test and the spoon or sheet test. The temperature test is the most scientific method and probably the most dependable. Before cooking jelly, take the temperature of boiling water with a jelly or candy thermometer. Cook the jelly mixture to a temperature 8° F higher th

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If It Doesn’t Gel

If It Doesn’t Gel

What if the jelly doesn’t gel? Try using it as a topping for pancakes or ice cream, or try recooking the mixture. To remake jelly without added pectin, heat the jelly to boiling and boil for a few minutes until the jellying point is reached. Remove the jelly from the heat, skim, pour into hot, sterilized containers and seal....

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How to Prevent Problems With Jellied Products

How to Prevent Problems With Jellied Products

To remake with powdered pectin, measure ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup water, and 4 teaspoons powdered pectin for each quart of jelly. Mix the pectin and water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Add the jelly and the sugar, stir thoroughly, and bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Boil the mixture hard for 30 seconds, remove from the heat, pour into hot containers and seal. To remake with liquid pectin, measure ¾ cup sugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons liq

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Ingredients

Ingredients

SALT—Pure granulated salt with no noncaking material or iodine added is best. This is sold as pickling salt, “barrel” salt, and “kosher” salt. Pickling salt is sold at the grocery store and “barrel” salt from many farm supply stores. Table salt contains noncaking materials that may interfere with fermentation during brining. It also may make the brine cloudy. Iodized salt may darken pickles. Never use ice cream salt or rock salt—they are not food-pure. VINEGAR—Use a 4 to 6 percent acidity (40 to

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Equipment

Equipment

Having the right kind, size and amount of equipment and tools can save you time and energy. Check these the day before you plan to make your pickles. Otherwise you may not have what you need. For fermenting or brining use a crock or stone jar that has never had fat or milk in it. An unchipped enamel-lined pan, glass or stainless steel are also O.K. Do not use plastic. To cover vegetables while they are in a brine, you will need a heavy plate or large glass lid that fits inside the container. Use

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Heat Treatment

Heat Treatment

All pickle products require heat treatment to destroy organisms that cause spoilage and to inactivate enzymes that may affect flavor, color and texture. Adequate heating is best achieved by processing the filled jars in a boiling-water bath. Spoilage organisms are in the air and there is danger of them contaminating the food as it is transferred from boiler to jar. This can happen when even the utmost care is taken. Therefore, boiling-water bath processing is needed. After adjusting the lid, put

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Pickle Problems

Pickle Problems

Why are pickles soft or slippery? This generally results from microbial action which causes spoilage. Once a pickle becomes soft it cannot be made firm again. Microbial activity may be caused by —Too little salt or acid —Cucumbers not covered with brine during fermentation —Scum not removed from brine during fermentation —Insufficient heat treatment —Seal is not airtight —Moldy garlic or spices Blossoms, if not removed from the cucumbers before fermentation, may contain fungi or yeasts responsib

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Making Red Wine

Making Red Wine

The grape constituents which matter most to the winemaker are (a) sugar content of the juice, and (b) tartness or “total acidity” of the juice. Sugar content is important because the amount of sugar determines alcoholic content of the finished wine. A sound table wine contains between 10% and 12½% alcohol. The working rule is that 2% sugar yields 1% of alcohol. Example: a sugar content of 22% yields a wine of approximately 11% alcohol. California grapes normally contain sufficient sugar. Grapes

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Sugar Correction Table

Sugar Correction Table

Note : The result is not precise, yield of alcohol varying under the conditions of fermentation.— Adapted from Grapes Into Wine by Philip M. Wagner. In using non-California grapes, you need to test the sugar content in advance. That is done by a simple little instrument called a saccharometer, obtainable at any winemakers’ shop. This is floated in a sample of the juice, and a direct reading of sugar content is taken from the scale. The correct amount of sugar to add, in ounces per gallon of juic

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Clarifying

Clarifying

Next, transfer the containers to a place where the wine will be thoroughly chilled, even down to freezing. This precipitates more suspended matter and unwanted ingredients, and encourages clarification. Assuming that the wine was made in early fall, hold it in cool storage until after the first of the year. By then it should have “fallen bright” and be stable. To test its clarity, hold a lighted match behind the bottle. The wine is then siphoned once again from its sediment, and another dose of

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Making White Wine

Making White Wine

As we have seen, red wine is fermented “on the skins” in order to extract the coloring matter and other ingredients lodged in the skins. In making white wine, the grapes are crushed and the fresh juice immediately separated by pressing so that it may ferment apart from the skins. This fresh juice is checked for its sugar content and acidity, as in preparing to ferment red wine, and the proper corrections are made immediately after pressing. Likewise, a yeast “starter” is added. The fermentation

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Vinegar

Vinegar

If a cork happens to pop out unnoticed and air reaches the wine for several weeks, there is a good chance that bacterial action will begin to convert the alcohol in the wine into acetic acid. Once the presence of acetic acid can be detected (a vinegar-like odor) the wine will lose its appeal as wine. A usable vinegar can be retrieved by encouraging the process to go to completion. Vinegar produced from an undiluted wine will be overly strong, so an equal volume of water should be added. The cont

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Procedure

Procedure

Drying is a relatively simple process, but there are a number of recommended techniques. You may need to use a “trial and error” approach to find the drying procedure which works best in a particular situation. Fruits and vegetables can be dried in pieces or pureed and dried in a thin sheet as a “leather.” The following information summarizes major steps in drying. Detailed instructions are available at county Extension offices. Also, various books on the market give instructions for drying and

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Steps in Drying Fruits and Vegetables

Steps in Drying Fruits and Vegetables

Prepare produce immediately after gathering, and begin drying at once. Wash or clean all fresh food thoroughly to remove any dirt or spray. Sort and discard defective food; decay, bruises, or mold on any piece may affect an entire batch. For greater convenience when you finally use the food, and to speed drying, it is advisable to peel, pit, or core some fruits and vegetables. Smaller pieces dry more quickly and uniformly....

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Pretreating

Pretreating

Enzymes in fruits and vegetables are responsible for color and flavor changes during ripening. These changes will continue during drying and storage unless the produce is pretreated to slow down enzyme activity. Blanching is the recommended pretreatment for vegetables. It helps save some of the vitamin content, sets color, and hastens drying by relaxing tissues. Blanching may also prevent undesirable changes in flavor during storage, and improve reconstitution during cooking. Steam blanching is

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Drying

Drying

A temperature of 135° to 140° F is desirable for dehydrator and oven drying. Moisture must be removed from the food as fast as possible at a temperature that does not seriously affect the food’s flavor, texture, color, and nutritive value. If the initial temperature is too low or air circulation insufficient, the food may undergo undesirable microbiological changes before it dries adequately. If the temperature is too high and the humidity too low, as when drying small loads in the oven, the foo

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Conditioning and Storing

Conditioning and Storing

Fruits cut into a wide range of sizes should be allowed to “sweat” or condition for a week after drying to equalize the moisture among the pieces before placing in long term storage. To condition, place fruit in a non-aluminum, non-plastic container and put in a dry, well-ventilated and protected area. Stir the food gently each day. Dehydrated foods are free of insect infestation when removed from the dehydrator or oven. However, sun-dried foods can be contaminated and should be treated before s

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Home Frozen Foods

Home Frozen Foods

A plus for home freezing is that slight variations in following directions do not result in a botulism hazard. The bacterium that causes botulism cannot grow in the freezer. Proper freezing prevents the growth of microorganisms that cause spoilage and those that can cause illness. Besides the initial cost of the freezer itself, energy costs are significant. Utilize the freezer fully to keep the energy costs per unit as low as possible. Fill the freezer when foods are least expensive, use the pro

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Don’t Open

Don’t Open

A well packed freezer will hold the product for many hours even if the unit is not operating. Normally, power failures are short in duration and no food thawing results. If the power is off, do not open the freezer as this will hasten thawing. Telephone or otherwise determine when the power will be turned on again. Sometimes freezer failure is discovered only when a homemaker goes to the freezer to get something. If this occurs, condition of the food should be determined immediately. Discard all

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Root Crops

Root Crops

Root crops such as beets, carrots, celeriac, kohlrabi, rutabagas, turnips, and winter radishes should not be put in storage until late fall. Root crops keep best between 32° and 40° F. They require high humidity to prevent shriveling. Continued storage at 45° causes them to sprout new tops and become woody. Large and overmature root crops may become tough and stringy in storage. Small and immature root crops probably will shrivel. Dig root crops when the soil is dry and the temperature consisten

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Tomatoes

Tomatoes

Even though the home canner has canned plenty of tomatoes, it may be desirable to keep some of the fresh fruit. Keep tomatoes in the garden as long as possible. You can protect against early fall frosts by covering the plants with burlap or old carpets in the evening when frost is predicted. Polyethylene may also be used but injury will occur wherever it touches the plant. In the summer, tomatoes should be harvested when fully vine-ripened for best quality. Pick when the color is a dark red in r

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Onions

Onions

Harvest onions for storage when the neck of the plant dries down, the tops have fallen over, and the roots are dry and have stopped growing from the stem plate. At that time the outer scales of the bulb are drying out and do not cling tightly (outer scales of yellow-skinned varieties change to a darker color). Pull the onions by hand and lay in a windrow to cure with the tops placed over the bulbs to prevent sun-scald. Onions may also be cured in an open shed. Remove onions with thick neck (seed

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Apples, Pears

Apples, Pears

Chemical changes take place in the ripening process of apples and pears. This activity is called respiration. Starch changes to sugar, acids and insoluble pectins decrease, and volatile gases are given off. This continues until the fruit becomes overripe and mealy. During this ripening process oxygen is consumed from the air, and water and carbon dioxide are produced and heat is generated. You may slow respiration by cooling fruit as rapidly as possible after picking. The sooner this is done the

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Other Fruit

Other Fruit

Storing fresh cherries, peaches, and apricots very long is difficult. Refrigerate as close to 32° F as possible. Peaches ripen well at 65° to 85° and refrigerate well in hydrators for as long as 4 weeks. Peaches may be stored in walk-in refrigerators in larger quantities. Grapes are generally not adapted to long storage. Concord grapes may be stored 4 to 6 weeks at 31° to 32° F. Catawba and Delaware varieties can be held 8 weeks. Vinifera table grapes such as Emperor and Ribier will keep 3 to 6

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Points to Consider

Points to Consider

Here are some questions to consider before starting a community center: How many people will commit themselves to organizing a center? How much time will they give? How much support can be expected from the community, town officials, local growers? How many community and family gardens are in the area? How near are the community gardens to the cannery site? Is the site near a well-travelled route? Is parking available? Can the canning center exist merely to provide a service to the community, or

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Major Costs

Major Costs

Cost of organizing a community cannery is influenced by its size and scope of operation. Expenses can be broken down into these major areas: At least two companies manufacture community canning equipment (Ball Corp. and Dixie Canner Equipment Co.). Prices start at $4,300 for a single-unit operation, and go up to $20,000 for a large center. This does not include the price of a steam boiler, which costs between $3,000 and $5,000. By fabricating some of its own equipment, and by buying used equipme

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Regulations

Regulations

Food and Drug Administration regulations regarding food processing do not apply to community canning centers if they are not involved in interstate commerce. In June, 1976, FDA issued “Suggested Minimum Guidelines for Community Canning Operations” to protect the safety of the consumer. Environmental regulations that apply to the centers must be carefully followed. Although these regulations are usually not hard to follow, they often mean a possibly unplanned-for expense to the cannery. It may be

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Skills Needed

Skills Needed

Cannery supervisors will benefit by employing people to work at the cannery who can provide or learn such skills as: Bookkeeping/accounting —to keep records of input and outflow of goods and money; to pay bills. Management —to oversee the flow of food through the center in an efficient manner for smooth operation of the plant. Maintenance and repair —to maintain equipment and housing in operational condition. Purchasing/supply —to ensure a supply of materials such as jars and lids. Sales —to man

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Hours, Fees

Hours, Fees

A community cannery should be available to all people interested in preserving food. Ideally, canneries are open during daytime and evening hours. Weekend hours are a possibility. When canneries are limited to processing vegetables and fruits, at least 6 months of potential operation are lost in certain sections of the country. If at all possible, canneries should be operated to process a wider range of foods such as jams, jellies, pickles, preserves, meat, fish, poultry. William E. Carnahan Tom

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Questions and Answers on Food Preservation

Questions and Answers on Food Preservation

by Carole Davis and Annetta Cook [20] Consumers frequently have questions regarding home food preservation practices. Below are some questions commonly asked, and the answers. They concern canning fruits, vegetables, pickles, and jellies, and freezing fruits and vegetables. Why is open-kettle canning not recommended? In open-kettle canning, food is cooked in an ordinary kettle, then packed into hot jars and sealed. The food is not processed after packing in the jars. Open-kettle canning is unsaf

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Food Preservation Glossary

Food Preservation Glossary

compiled by Annetta Cook and Carole Davis [21] Acid food —Food with a pH of 4.6 or below. An acid food can be safely processed in a boiling-water bath for specified times. Includes most fruits, tomatoes, and pickled vegetables. Anaerobes —Bacteria capable of growing without air, as in a sealed container of canned food. Blanching —Heating vegetables by immersion in boiling water, steaming, sauteing, or stewing to inactivate enzymes capable of causing quality changes in foods during freezer storag

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