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Published:
May 4, 2021

Canning & Preserving For Dummies

Overview

Get your food preservation skills in the can

Craving a juicy peach in the barren midwinter? Yearning for a cupful of home-grown tomato soup before the seeds are even in the ground? Canning makes you the ultimate boss of your food supply all year 'round and helps you reduce costs and maintain quality control over what you eat—and to be prepared in times of food shortages. And Canning & Preserving For Dummies shows you how to do it all, helping you explore hundreds-of-years-old traditions of food preservation in the comfort of your own home.

In a friendly and step-by-step style, longtime canner and owner of TheFarmingWife.com Amy Jeanroy takes you inside the canning world to show how modern technology and techniques have made it easy to use the four main methods of preservation—water-bath and pressure canning, freezing, and dehydrating—to keep your pantry packed with delicious, out-of-season delights. She also clues you in on how to match preservation technique to food for the most flavorful results—and what supplies to keep on hand for your next canning adventure.

  • Know the benefits, from healthier eating to self-reliance
  • Follow the latest food safety guidelines
  • Get guidance on food storage in urban living
  • Cook up tasty recipes with your preserved delights

Whatever draws you to canning—saving money on groceries, healthy living, or the sheer fun of doing it—this book is stuffed with all the goodness you need to keep your palate happy whatever the season is!

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About The Author

Amelia Jeanroy is passionate about packing her pantry with tasty foods from her small farm and using them to create delicious, healthy meals. She is the blogger behind thefarmingwife.com and the author of a weekly newsletter full of recipes for using and storing summer garden produce. Amy has been canning and preserving foods for more than 20 years.

Sample Chapters

canning & preserving for dummies

CHEAT SHEET

You can preserve food by water-bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, or dehydrating—all are time-honored and safe techniques. Canning and preserving are great ways to save foods at their peak freshness and flavor and to stock your pantry with nutritious and delicious fare. These checklists provide quick instructions for each food preservation method, information on how to adjust recipes for high-altitude processing, advice to ensure canning success, and details on must-have canning and preserving equipment.

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Articles from
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Home cooks who live at high altitudes may be used to adjusting recipes; high-altitude adjustments apply to home canning, as well. Canning food safely requires your filled jars to be processed at a specified temperature or pressure level for a specified amount of time. If you live at altitudes higher than 1,000 or 2,000 feet above sea level, adjust your canning recipes for food safety.
You can preserve food by water-bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, or dehydrating—all are time-honored and safe techniques. Canning and preserving are great ways to save foods at their peak freshness and flavor and to stock your pantry with nutritious and delicious fare. These checklists provide quick instructions for each food preservation method, information on how to adjust recipes for high-altitude processing, advice to ensure canning success, and details on must-have canning and preserving equipment.
Peaches, apricots, and nectarines are flavorsome fruits, and by canning them yourself you can save a lot of money. Prepare canned peaches, apricots, and nectarines using a light syrup so that you can enjoy the full flavor of the fruit. Apricots make a sunny-flavored addition to winter meals. They make a great substitute for apples in an apple crisp recipe, too.
You can preserve foods inexpensively by using canning, freezing, or drying techniques. Modern-day food preservation methods, such as water-bath canning, help you can and preserve with ease. After you understand the basic procedures for a food preservation method, you'll just need to concentrate on preparing your recipe.
Food spoilage is the deterioration in canned or preserved food that makes your food unsafe for eating. Mold, yeast, bacteria, and enzymes are the spoilers. Ingesting spoiled food can cause a wide range of ailments, depending on the type of spoilage and the amount of food consumed. Symptoms vary from mild, flulike aches and pains to more-serious illnesses or even death.
Garden fresh green beans are a staple for any pantry. When you can green, string, Italian, or wax beans, select beans that are tender and small. Remove the ends and strings from the beans. Can them whole or cut them into 1- to 2-inch pieces. Canning and preserving low-acid foods — such as green beans — requires pressure canning to kill microorganisms that are harmful if not destroyed before ingesting the food.
You can use canned raspberries and blueberries to make smoothies or pies, and they make a sweet addition to oatmeal. When canning and preserving berries, you want perfect whole berries that aren't soft or mushy. Canned Raspberries With soft berries, like raspberries, boysenberries, and blackberries, you don’t have to cook the berries before canning.
Canning fresh apples is a great way to preserve large quantities of the fruit in a short period of time. Buying and canning apples when they are in season saves money, and you can be assured of the best-flavored fruit. Choose apples suitable for eating or making pies. You can protect apples from oxidation by slicing them directly into an antioxidant solution, a liquid to keep your fruit from darkening.
When canning foods, the chances of food spoilage are greatly reduced when you follow the precise guidelines for preserving methods. You can detect food spoilage by visually examining your jars. If you suspect, for any reason, that your food is spoiled or just isn’t right, don’t taste it. Also, just because your food doesn’t look spoiled, doesn’t mean that it’s not.
Before you prepare corn for canning, start with corn that has the husks on and the silk attached. This allows you to assess the corn's freshness. Choose ears with brightly colored husks that are free of spots and moisture; silks should be golden, not matted or brown. Here’s a surefire way to select corn that is sure to be juicy and tender: Slightly peel back the husk to check for any pests.
All varieties of pears can and preserve well, so use your favorite variety. After cutting and peeling the pears, treat your fruit with an antioxidant to prevent discoloring. Use a product such as Ever-Fresh or Fruit-Fresh and follow the instructions on the container. After dipping the pears in the antioxidant solution, rinse and drain the pears before packing them into your prepared jars.
Each tomato variety has its own color, flavor, and texture. When preparing canned tomatoes, choose tomato varieties that boast good canning results on the tomato plant’s tag or use a proven Heirloom variety. Some other tomato varieties that work well for canning include Ace, Amish paste, Homestead 24, and Rutgers.
Canning and preserving methods are simple and safe, and can produce food that’s nutritious and delicious. Mastering the techniques and becoming a successful food preserver takes time, effort, and knowledge of the rules.Follow these tips for achieving success as a home canner and preserver: Start with the freshest, best products available.
Onions are a staple ingredient in many recipes. Their savory flavor often is the finishing touch to your favorite meal. Canning and preserving onions leaves them soft but flavorful. Keep these onions in your pantry as an important ingredient for your favorite recipe. Canning and preserving low-acid foods — such as onions — requires pressure canning to kill microorganisms that are harmful if not destroyed before ingesting the food.
Pickle relish is a staple in many kitchens. Use this pickled treat anytime you’d use a pickle relish, on a hamburger or hot dog, in tuna salad, or when you want to add flavor to a sandwich. One advantage of homemade relish is mixing flavors you don’t find in commercially produced relishes. Sweet Pickle Relish This recipe is ready to eat as soon as you’re done precooking it.
This at-a-glance guide shows how to preserve foods by canning, freezing, and drying. People have been preserving food for eons. Newer, safer food preservation techniques and equipment enable you to stock your pantry or freezer with delicious, healthy foods. Pick your preferred method — water-bath canning, pressure canning, freezing, or drying — and follow these basic instructions.
In addition to basic kitchen utensils and equipment designed for canning and preserving, there are other specialty items that save time when canning and preserving foods. Although these items may not be absolutely mandatory, they’re certainly nice to have. The following items can be indispensable for your canning chores: Food processor: Purchase the best-quality food processor you can afford.
When canning and preserving foods, you need the right kitchen tools and utensils to do the job properly. Some of the basic food preservation tools, like a jar lifter or a lid wand, are only used for canning. Other tools, like pots, pans, and knives, are used throughout the year for everyday tasks. Using the proper tool for the job decreases the chance of a jar failing to seal or being able to harbor bacteria.
Keep safety in mind whether you're water-bath canning or pressure canning. By canning foods safely, you can prevent kitchen accidents and food spoilage. Increase your chances for successful canning and maximum safety by following these guidelines: Used recipes made for modern-day canning (about 2000 or newer) and follow them exactly.
If you plan to can, freeze, or dry your food, you'll need some special tools. The equipment involved with canning or preserving food is designed for efficiency and safety, so be sure you to use them. If you have these pieces already, great! If not, add them to your shopping list: Tongs: Have tongs ready for lifting hot foods out of boiling or simmering water.
Most of the tools and equipment you'll need for freezing or drying foods (except an electric dehydrator) are probably waiting for you in your kitchen. These items will make your preserving tasks more efficient. The faster you process your fresh ingredients, the better the quality and flavor of your final product.
Knowing the acidity level of the food you’re preserving is important because the pH, the measure of acidity, determines which of the two canning methods you should use: water-bath canning or pressure canning. For canning purposes, food is divided into two categories based on the amount of acid the food registers: High-acid foods include fruits and pickled foods.
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