Can It

There's no special magic to canning. Fruits, vegetables, or meats are packed into canning jars, which are fitted with self-sealing lids and then heated. Sustained high heat kills dangerous organisms that could cause food spoilage in the jars; it also causes the gases in the food and in the jars to expand, driving out most of the air left inside. Hot jams, jellies, and other preserves are cooked first and then packed, hot, into hot jars.

When a jar cools, the vacuum created inside pulls the lid down against the jar mouth to make a tight seal. Unless the seal is broken, none of the organisms that cause spoilage can enter.

It's possible to preserve almost any fruit or vegetable for future use, but some take to canning better than others.

For low-acid foods or things like garden peas, roasted bell peppers, corn and fresh berries, freezing may be the best process for preservation.

Think about canned fruits, pickled cucumber or beans, canned tomatoes or tomato sauces and salsa, and any kind of relish or chutney that uses plenty of sugar or vinegar in the mix. Then make sure to start with the finest fresh ingredients you can find.

This is not the time to salvage bruised apples or moldy blueberries. The "garbage in, garbage out" adage applies when it comes to canning, and in the interest of food safety, it's always smart to start with clean, ripe and unblemished produce.

That said, it is possible to create a silk purse with your canning kettle, even if you are stuck with green tomatoes or a mountain of oversized zucchini.

Safety is crucial in canning. In general, there are three methods of canning - open kettle canning, the water bath method and the steam pressure method. In later lenses, detailed step-by-step canning directions will be given for vegetables, meat and fish, as well as for jam, jelly, and pickles.

Here I will be showing you how my great-grandmother, grandmother , mother, myself and now my daughter (5 generations) have canned our tomatoes. Not with the hot water method as recommended by most but using the open kettle method.

By using this method the ingredients have a better chance of melding and certainly taste better than when using the other method.

Step #1
~ Get out the stock pot, jars (discard any that have nicks or cracks), lids (they must be new), ring bands, and other items listed under "Equipment Needed."
~ Be sure all equipment is clean and ready to use.
~ Scald lids in boiling water: keep in very hot water until time to use.
~ Scald jars and place upside down on a clean towel.


Step #2
~ Fill a medium sized pot with water and bring to a boil.

For tomatoes follow my directions below, prepare only enough for one canner load at a time. (7 quarts)

~ Use only ripe/sound tomato, onions and zuchinni and use fresh parsley.
~ Wash and prepare the fruit and vegetables.

~ Chop onion into very small pieces. (I use a stick hand blender making this a no-tears job.)
~ Peel and chop zucchini into small cubes.
~ Chop parsley until very fine. (Basil and oregano may also be added.)
~ Place these three ingredients into your stock pot with a small amount of water and simmer for appoximately 10 minutes or until the zucchini turns transparent. Be careful not to let it burn.

Now for the tomatoes

~ Score tomatoes on the bottom or prick with a fork.
~ Dip tomatoes in hot, hot water. (I usually start out with the water boiling.) Leave in hot water until skins start to pull away from the fruit. (Approx. 1 minute)

~ Take out of the water with a slotted spoon (If you have a blanching basket, all the better).
~ Immerse tomatoes in cold water and then place in the colander to drain.

~ Remove core and skins and chop into large chunks. (I use the seeds also.)

~ Place tomatoes into pot with onions, etc. and stirring it, bring it all to a boil.

~ Lower temp. and allow to simmer until tomatoes are cooked.
~ Salt it to taste.

When all is cooked keep it hot, HOT!
~ Boil lids for 5 minutes.
~ Place all your jars and rings near the stove.
~ Use a small pot to carry the jar up to the rim of the stock pot to fill.

~ Fill the jar with boiling hot tomatoes, leaving 1/4-inch head space.
~ Run a narrow spatula (or a table knife) gently around the jar between the food and jar sides to release any bubbles: add more liquid if necessary.
~ Wipe jar rim with a damp cloth or damp paper towel to remove any food particles that might prevent a seal.
~ Lift a jar lid from the boiling hot water and place it on jar. Screw ring band on by hand; tight but not overtighten. This is tricky at first ... but you'll get it right in no time.
~ Place full jar on a clean towel, out of a draft and let it cool.

~ Repeat with remaining jars.

Shhh, Listen :
You'll hear the wonderful "POP" as each jar seals. Music to the ears!

**Many thanks to Will Borden's Galleries
for taking the photos for this portion of the lens.

Heat-processing is the most important part of successful home canning - boiling jars of prepared food for specific times to ensure that a vacuum is created to properly seal the contents inside, and kill microorganisms that can cause spoilage. This is what makes canned food shelf stable at room temperature for months, and even years. (I do have a cool storage room for my canning though.)

It's also vital to follow up-to-date published recipes to the letter. Without the right amount of sugar or acidity in the mixture, you risk dangerous spoilage, and even deadly botulism. So don't be tempted to cut back on the sugar or vinegar, or try to bottle meats or fish at home. Stick to the recipes and follow the processing guidelines.

Fill the jars, leaving 1\4-inch headspace, then wipe the rims clean, top jars with snap lids and screw bands tight.

To process and seal the contents, the jars are lowered into a deep kettle of rapidly boiling water (deep enough to submerge the tops by an inch or two), set on a rack and boiled (processed) for the time specified in the recipe.

Make sure to use the same size of jars that the recipe specifies - changing the jar size changes the processing time.

A good canning book, like Canning Freezing & Drying-A Sunset Book is essential.

Nearly everyone has heard about a deadly form of food poisoning called botulism. It is a type of food spoilage that usually occurs in low-acid foods. The organisms that cause it have some peculiar characteristics: they thrive without air in sealed jars, can't be destroyed by being processed at the temperature of boiling water (212 degrees F.) in a reasonable amount of time, and can't be easily detected when a jar is opened.

Through botulism doesn't occur in acid foods such as tomatoes (except low acid tomatoes) and other fruits, it can occur in virtually all vegetables, meat, poultry, and fish. That is why these foods must always be processed at 240 degrees F in the steam pressure canner.

Other types of food spoilage that might occur if jars of food aren't sealed properly are more easily detected. If the food smells bad or is soft, discolored, or moldy, discard it without tasting it.

If in doubt, throw it out!

Your grandmother might have stuck to basic pickled cucumbers and beets, but you can find all kinds of creative new recipes for making chutneys, spicy salsas and preserved fruits at home.

Every culture has its preserving traditions, from *Moroccan salted lemons to *Hungarian pickled peppers, Chicken Scallion Yakitori and Miso Soup. Start with simple fruit jams, then get creative with mustard pickles, spicy chutney or pickled asparagus and herb-infused wine jelly.

Soon you'll have a collection of glistening jars in the pantry, homemade condiments for daily dinners or holiday gifts.

* Recipes provided below.

Preserved lemons is the secret ingredient in many Moroccan meals - the je ne sais quoi, the dose of Moroccan mystery. It has been secretly used a whole lot - in salmon, olive stew, salade cuite, and in vegetarian chick pea tagine.

To me, preserved lemons are the premier secret ingredient in North African cuisine.

Their taste is a bit tart, yes, but it is intensely lemony and different from using just juice and zest. The lemons are preserved whole-flesh, pith, and zest - by being packed in salt and their own juice for a month. The result is small, round, yellow lemons (you generally start with the smallest, roundest ones) that are soft and entirely edible, although I still remove the seeds. I think it is the pith and the skin that make them taste more like lemon than any lemon you've ever had. To use them, you can slice or dice as you wish - just be sure to give them a quick rinse. And if you want to tone down their flavor, blanch them for 30 seconds to a minute in boiling water.

If you don't want to make them yourself they are not hard to find. There they'll be, bobbing like apples at a country fair at the Whole Foods Mediterranean Market - the first place to check. You can also order them from Amazon.

They are very easy to make following a process similar to this one I have given you. If you do make them yourself, you can use Meyer lemons or regular lemons and spice them however you like.

In Morocco, salted lemons are a staple of every kitchen. This traditional condiment is a newcomer to the American culinary scene.

There are many variation of this recipe - ranging from simple salt and lemons through to a variety of added spices. The recipe here is the one I have used for years,

The lemons last for about one year. If they get a white jelly-like substance after a few months... don't worry. The lemons will still be fine.

Remember to rinse them well before using. This is important as they can be far too salty if you forget to do this.

If you are doing a large leg of lamb, consider using the entire preserved lemon (after rinsing).

CANNING RECIPE:

1. Take each lemon and slice it in four, but without making the cut all the way through. Then, holding the lemon open, coat each portion with salt. I know this sounds strange, but iodised salt is best as lack of iodine is causing problems world wide and a lot of so-called fancy salts lack iodine.

2. Place a tablespoon or so of salt in the bottom of a clean preserving jar and place the lemons in - squashing them down as you go. As you fill it up, add a couple more tablespoons of salt.

3. Now - for added flavour try adding a couple of cinnamon sticks, four or five cloves, a sprinkle of coriander seeds, a couple of bay leaves and eight or nine black pepper corns.

4. Next, fill the jar to the top with lemon juice and seal tightly. Leave it in a mildly warm dark space for about five or six weeks. Turn the jar upside down .. then right side up every few days.

Once you open it, keep it in a refrigerator or very cool space. You can add a new lemon plus salt and juice from time to time.

Yield: 4 servings

MMMMM

This lens was made to meet the challenge of lensmaster Carol Fisher for the Weekly Challenge - August 9 to 15th. Topic: Fall - Season of Mellow Fruitfulness

I hope that you will find this lens "CAN IT!" useful, informative and entertaining.

Sept.11, 2011
This lens was awarded a purple star.
Purple Star?

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they are awarded to Lenses that are:

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