Enjoy the fruits of your labour through canning
By Fiona Wagner • Bankrate.com
You'll also need canning lids, which come in two parts -- a flat, round metal lid and a screw band. The lid can be only
be used once, but as long as there is no rust or other damage, a screw lid can be reused.
Start small
While you may have visions of gourmet papaya-cucumber relish and mango and apple chutney, Brine suggests starting slowly and simply. "Many
people start out with a freezer jam because you don't have to do any processing," he says. "When they get comfortable, then they typically
try a cooked jam or jelly. Next comes a picked vegetable or tomato and then a low acid food like a meat sauce."
The best place to find the freshest (and often cheapest) in-season produce is in your own backyard garden or at your local
farmer's market. It's also the perfect place to find inspiration for your next canning adventure!
Dos and don'ts for home canning
- Do invest in a good canning technique and recipe book.
- Don't use grandmother's canning techniques. Better yet, use only professionally developed and tested recipes. Food science has changed
a lot over the past 50 years, and while it may have once been acceptable to heat jars in the oven or use paraffin wax to seal jam lids, it
isn't anymore.
- Do follow the recipe and processing steps exactly. Any shortcuts could result in improperly processed foods.
- Don't use any produce that is past its peak. If you can a poor quality product, your results are going to be poor. Use the best and
freshest produce.
- Do store your filled jars in an area that is cool, dry and dark, such as an unfinished basement or garage
- Don't eat anything from a jar that is seeping, bubbling or has a warped lid. If you open a jar and there's mould, discard the jar
immediately. It may be tempting to just scoop out the guck but spoilage means the jar wasn't processed properly. "You shouldn't risk your
family's health over a couple of jars of tomatoes," says Brine.
Fiona Wagner is a freelance writer in Marmora, Ont.
|
