Canning & Preserving For Dummies

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!

Amy Jeanroy (Ravenna, NE), has been canning and preserving foods for more than 20 years. She is passionate about filling the pantry with useful, delicious foods, and creating healthy meals from her own small farm. Amy is the Herb Garden Guide for About.com, and also writes a weekly farm newsletter to provide her readers with homemade recipes for storing and using their summer bounty.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 3

Icons Used in This Book 3

Beyond the Book 4

Where to Go from Here 4

Part 1: Getting Started 5

Chapter 1: A Quick Overview of Canning and Preserving 7

Appreciating the Benefits of Canning and Preserving Your Own Food 8

Introducing Your Techniques: Canning, Freezing, and Dehydrating 9

About canning food 10

About freezing food 12

About dehydrating food 13

Holding the Keys to Canning and Preserving Success 13

Chapter 2: Gathering Your Canning and Preserving Gear 15

Keeping Basic Kitchen Tools at the Ready 15

Essential tools and utensils 16

Important pots, pans, mixing bowls, and more 20

Specialty equipment to make work easier 20

Add as needed: Handy but nonessential items 22

Canning Equipment 23

Canning vessels 23

Must-have canning tools 23

Required Tools and Equipment for Freezing Food 29

Necessary Tools and Equipment for Dehydrating Food 30

Chapter 3: On Your Mark, Get Set, Whoa! The Road to Safe Canning and Preserving 31

Dispelling Your Fears of Home-Canned and Home-Preserved Food 32

Preparing your food properly 32

Packing your jars with care 33

Choosing the right canning method and following proper procedures 35

Checking your equipment 36

Knowing the Acidity Level of Your Food 37

Adjusting for Your Altitude 37

Spoiler Alert: Identifying Food Spoilage 38

Meeting the spoilers 38

Determining what you need to dispose of 40

Part 2: Water-Bath Canning 43

Chapter 4: Come On In, the Water’s Fine! Water-Bath Canning 45

Water-Bath Canning in a Nutshell 46

Foods you can safely water-bath can 46

Key equipment for water-bath canning 47

The Road to Your Finished Product 49

Step 1: Getting your equipment ready 49

Step 2: Readying your food 51

Step 3: Filling your jars 51

Step 4: Processing your filled jars 52

Step 5: Removing your filled jars and testing the seals 53

Step 6: Storing your canned food 54

Adjusting Your Processing Times at High Altitudes 55

Chapter 5: Simply Fruit (Yes, a Tomato Is a Fruit) 57

Picking and Preparing Your Fresh Fruit 58

Identifying the proper degree of ripeness 58

Cutting and peeling: Necessary or not? 59

Deterring discoloration 59

Raw pack and hot pack 59

Lining your jars with liquid 60

Fresh Fruit Canning Guidelines 62

Chapter 6: Sweet Spreads: Jams, Jellies, Marmalades, and More 83

Introducing Your Sweet Spreads 84

Choosing Fruit for Sweet Spreads 85

Getting Up to Speed with Fruit Pectin 85

Commercial pectin basics 85

Types of commercial fruit pectin 86

Setting Up without Adding Pectin 87

Water-Bath Canning: The Key to Sweet Spread Canning Success 89

Chapter 7: Condiments and Accompaniments: Chutney, Relish, Sauce, and Syrup 99

Expanding Your World of Condiments and Accompaniments 100

Enjoying the surprising flavors of chutney 100

Reveling in your relish 100

Satisfying your salsa needs 101

Savoring syrup with a berry base 101

Chapter 8: The Art of Pickling 109

Bring on the Brine 109

Gathering the ingredients 110

Following the appropriate brining process 111

Keeping that crunch 113

A Few More Prep Tips to Ensure Tasty Pickled Treats 114

Picking Pickling Equipment and Utensils 115

Part 3: Pressure Canning 129

Chapter 9: Don’t Blow Your Top: Pressure Canning 131

Understanding the Fuss about Low-Acid Foods 132

Choosing Your Pressure Canner 132

Cover: With a gasket or without 134

Gauges 136

Vent tube, pipe vent, or petcock 138

Overpressure plug (or safety valve) 138

Rack 138

A-Canning You Will Go: Instructions for Successful Pressure Canning 139

Step 1: Gearing up 139

Step 2: Preparing your food 141

Step 3: Filling your jars 141

Step 4: Placing the jars in the canner 142

Step 5: Closing and locking the canner 142

Step 6: Processing your filled jars 143

Step 7: Releasing the pressure after processing 143

Step 8: Removing and cooling the jars 144

Step 9: Testing the seal and storing your bounty 144

Disposing of Spoiled Products 145

If your jar is still sealed 145

If your jar has a broken seal 146

Pressure Canning at Higher Altitudes 146

Chapter 10: Preserving Your Vegetable Harvest 149

Selecting Your Vegetables 150

Picking the perfect produce 150

Vegetables not recommended for pressure canning 150

Prepping Your Veggies for Pressure Canning 151

Cleaning your vegetables 151

Raw packing versus hot packing 152

Processing Tips for Successful Results 154

Under Pressure! Canning Vegetables 154

Using Canned Vegetables 158

Chapter 11: Don’t Forget the Meats! 187

Preparing for Pressure Canning Meats 187

Tips for safety and efficiency 188

Selecting and preparing the meat 189

Meat canning, step by step 190

Canning Meat Cut into Cubes or Strips 191

Preparing the meat 191

Filling the jars 192

Canning Ground Meat 192

Pick Your Packing: Canning Poultry 193

Canning fresh poultry: Cold packing 193

Canning previously frozen chicken: Hot packing 193

Worth the Effort: Canning Fish 194

Picking your fish 195

Preparing fish and seafood 195

Filling the jar 195

Including Meats in Other Canned Mixes 196

Chapter 12: Combining the Harvest: Soups, Sauces, and Sides with Beans 207

Confidently Canning Food Combos 208

Choosing the appropriate processing method 208

Tips for a successful meal 209

Getting your meal on the table 210

Stocking Up on Soup 210

Teaming Up with Tomatoes 211

Rounding Out Your Meals with Beans 211

Part 4: Freezing 225

Chapter 13: Baby, It’s Cold Inside! Freezing Fresh Food 227

Defining Freezing 227

Meeting the Spoilers of Frozen Foods 228

Bacteria, molds, and yeast 228

Enzymes 229

Freezer burn and oxidation 229

Ice crystals 230

Gearing Up to Fill Your Freezer 230

Knowing what should (and shouldn’t) be frozen 230

Evaluating your freezer 231

Packaging Your Food and Filling Your Freezer 232

It’s a wrap! Choosing a container 232

Tracking your frozen food trail 235

Packing your freezer 236

Thawing Out Your Frozen Food 236

Choices for thawing 237

Unplanned thawing 237

To refreeze or not to refreeze thawed food 238

Chapter 14: Meals and Snacks in a Snap: Freezing Prepared Foods 239

The Whys and Wherefores of Putting Up Prepared Food 239

Considering the benefits 240

Removing the guesswork with meal planning 240

Keeping the keys to quality in mind 241

Freeze Convenience Meals Now, Thank Yourself Later 242

Main dish casseroles 242

Soups, stews, sauces, and stocks 242

Save Some Dough: Freezing Breads, Cakes, and Other Treats 243

Bread, buns, muffins, and rolls 243

Cakes 244

Cookies 244

Pies 245

Freezing Dairy Products and Nuts 246

Making the Most of a Good Meat Deal: Freezing Meat, Poultry, and Fish 247

Packing hints 247

Thawing tips 247

Chapter 15: Freezing Fruits, Vegetables, and Herbs 249

Mastering the Easy Art of Freezing Fruit 250

The fruit freezing process at a glance 250

Selecting mighty fine fruit 250

Preparing your fruit for freezing 251

Selecting a storage container 252

Considering syrup concentrations 252

Keeping headspace in mind 253

Thawing and using frozen fruits 253

Freezing Vegetables Like a Pro 253

Simple instructions for freezing vegetables 254

Taking a closer look at the blanching process 254

Packing your vegetables 255

Thawing and using your vegetables 256

Freezing Fresh Herbs 256

Properly prepping your herbs for freezing 256

Adding creative flare to your frozen herbs 257

Part 5: Dehydrating and Storing 283

Chapter 16: Light and Nutritious: Dehydrating Food 285

Setting Up for Food Drying Success 286

Understanding key food drying factors 286

Assembling the necessary equipment 287

Putting suggested drying strategies in play 287

Choosing a Drying Method 288

Quick and consistent: Investing in an electric dehydrator 288

Getting results with a conventional oven 290

Setting your trays in the sun 291

Storage Solutions: Protecting the Life of Your Dried Food 293

Chapter 17: Dehydrating a Variety of Delicious Fresh Fruit 295

Putting Your Best Fruit Forward 296

Understanding what impacts the dehydrating process 296

Making time for pretreating 296

Navigating Your Fruit-Drying Experience 298

Drying fruit step by step 298

Evaluating dryness 299

Rehydrating and Enjoying the Labors of Your Drying 300

Chapter 18: Dehydrating Vegetables for Snacks and Storage 319

Vegetable Drying at a Glance 320

Following some basic rules 320

Storing and using your dried produce 321

Signs of trouble: Good food gone bad 321

Drying Common Vegetables 322

Mixing It Up for Soups, Stews, and More 325

Chapter 19: Drying Herbs 353

Selecting, Drying, and Storing Common and Not-So-Common Herbs 353

Chamomile 356

Dill 357

Marjoram 357

Mint 358

Oregano 359

Rosemary 360

Sage 360

Stevia 361

Tarragon 361

Thyme 362

Getting Creative with Herb Cooking: Rubs and Blends 363

Herbs for Teas 363

Chapter 20: Helping Your Food Keep Its Cool: Cold Storage Spaces 371

Cold Storage Must-Haves 372

Exploring Your Cold Storage Options 373

Tried and true: The traditional root cellar 373

DIY storage spaces 374

Following Simple Cold Storage Rules 378

Preparing Foods for Cold Storage 379

Apples 379

Beets 380

Cabbage 380

Carrots 381

Garlic 381

Onions 382

Pears 382

Potatoes 382

Tomatoes 383

Turnips 383

Part 6: The Part of Tens 385

Chapter 21: Ten (Plus) Troubleshooting Tips for Your Home-Canned Creations 387

Jars That Don’t Seal Properly 388

Jars That Lose Liquid During Processing 388

Jars with Cloudy Liquid 389

Dark Spots on Your Jar’s Lid 389

Jelly with the Wrong Consistency 389

Cloudy Jelly or Jelly with Bubbles 390

Moldy Jelly 390

Jelly with Very Little Fruit Flavor 391

Glasslike Particles in Your Jelly 391

Hollow, Shriveled, Discolored, or Slippery Pickles 391

White Sediment at the Bottom of the Pickle Jar 392

Food That Floats in the Jar 392

Food with an Off Color 393

Chapter 22: Ten Common Food Storage Problems and How to Solve Them 395

I never use up all my stored food, and so it goes to waste 396

I don’t know how much to preserve 396

My family doesn’t want to eat the food 396

I don’t have any more room and I am not done 397

I don’t know what I have already stored 397

I don’t know which preservation technique to choose 397

I don’t know how to use the food I have preserved 398

My preserved food looks weird 398

I used up all the food that I stored 398

I don’t know where I’ll store food if I start preserving it 399

Appendix: Metric Conversion Guide 401

Index 405

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