Grow Your Own, Nevada! Spring 2012: Preserving your harvest
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This document provides instructions for safely canning fruits and vegetables at home. It discusses determining if foods are high or low acid, adjusting processing times based on altitude, cleaning and preparing canning equipment, filling jars and processing in a water bath canner, and storing canned goods. Proper acidity levels, altitude adjustments, clean equipment and following tested recipes are emphasized to ensure safe home canning.
Grow Your Own, Nevada! Spring 2012: Preserving your harvest
- 1. Canning Fruits & Vegetables
- 2. SAFETY FIRST Acid Content • Low acid or high? Altitude • Know your elevation Equipment • Clean jars and bands with new lids • Canner deep enough for jars to be covered with 1 inch of water
- 3. ACIDITY Low Acid Foods: those with a pH > 4.6 Examples: High Acid Foods: Carrots those with a pH < 4.6 Beans Examples: Corn Apricots Tomatoes Apples Citrus Peaches
- 4. ALTITUDE Boiling water canning adjustment chart Altitude in Feet Increased Processing Time 1,000 – 3,000 5 minutes 3,001 - 6,000 10 minutes 6,001 – 8,000 15 minutes 8,001 – 10,00 20 minutes
- 5. EQUIPMENT Boiling water canner Jars, bands & NEW lids Jar lifter Bubbler Canning funnel Assemble all items before you begin your recipe
- 6. ALMOST READY! • Canner: check for chips or cracks • Jars: look carefully around the outside for cracks or chips, and also feel the rim for cracks or chips EVEN NEW JARS! • Bands: check for dents and rust • Lids: ALWAYS use new lids Heat the jars, submerged in simmering water for 10 minutes (180°) Heat the lids according to package directions
- 7. FILLING YOUR JARS • Each recipe will give you a “headspace” requirement. What is it? Headspace is the distance from the top of the food to the bottom of the lid. Measure correctly! • Remove air bubbles with a non- metallic tool • Clean the rims with a lint-free damp cloth after they have been filled & bubbled
- 8. BATH TIME! • Place lids and bands after all jars are full • Tighten bands finger-tip tight • Lower jars into water bath canner, make sure water covers jars by 1-2 inches, add boiling water if needed, cover • Set timer after the water has returned to a boil, making sure water remains at a boil for the entire processing time
- 9. NOW WHAT? When the processing time is complete: ●remove jars carefully ●place on kitchen towels, away from drafts ●do not touch until completely cooled, usually overnight
- 10. STORAGE • Test seals. Reprocess or refrigerate and use within a few days any unsealed jars • Remove bands, then clean the outside of the jars with a soft damp cloth • Label the jars with the recipe name, month and year • Store in a cool dark place for up to a year
- 11. RECIPES Always use modern, safety-tested recipes Resources: National Center for Home Food Preservation http://nchfp.uga.edu/ Ball www.homecanning.com