 5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. You say you want a can-volution? Well, you need to know Sean Timberlake. Timberlake is a professional writer and author of the blog Hedonia. He's also the founder of Punk Domestics, a Web site devoted to all things do-it-yourself food - from pickles and jams to goodies in cans. When it comes to preservation, Timberlake admits even learned people and accomplished home cooks are oftentimes stymied by the fear of poisoning their loved ones with a tainted jar of fig jam (Mmm...botulism!). While there are real risks, follow a few rules and Sean assures you'll be safely jamming in no time. Five Myths About Canning: Sean Timberlake In fact, properly canned foods are about the safest things you can eat. But a modicum of attention must be paid to a few fundamentals to ensure that all the bugaboos that can get you are tamed." 2. My grandmother canned in the oven/used paraffin wax/turned jars upside-down while canning, and no one died, so it’s safe. 3. The lids on my jars sealed, so the contents are safely canned. Most fruits are high in acid, which makes them excellent candidates for preserves that can be canned using the water bath method. But unpickled vegetables, meats and many soups and sauces are not, and require pressure canning to destroy the botulinum bacteria. How can you tell the pH of your recipe? Unless you’re a chemist, you can’t, so make sure you’re using a tested recipe from a reliable source. If you don’t know your recipe is safe for water bath canning, store it in the refrigerator or freezer (or in your belly) instead." 4. Canning is for people in big houses in the country, not me in my tiny urban kitchen. Other than a pot large enough to submerge your jars in boiling water, the other equipment required will fit in a drawer. Working in small batches ensures you don’t end up with mountains of jars all over your house." 5. Canning is hard. It’s also an excellent activity to do with friends and family; after all, many hands make light work. And when you hear those lids popping as they cool, your heart will swell with pride and you’ll already start planning your next trip to the farmers market for another round of canning." Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down. |
  Recent Posts
 |
 |
|
© 2012 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertise with us | About us | Help | Advertising Practices
Very nice site!
I make strawberry/rhubarb jam every spring. I don't even use jars; I use ziptop bags and lay them flat in the freezer – and give them away to friends just like that. Just pickled hot banana peppers and heard the ping sound but still keep it in the fridge until I give them away – with recommendation to keep in the fridge. Taking sweet corn and cutting it off the cob on a flexible cutting board and putting in zip top bags, squeezing the air out is incredibly easy; and tastes just as good in the dead of winter.
I grew up on home canned veggies and pickles, and refuse to eat anything else. I got lucky, and my husband was raised the same way. I have my grandmother's pressure canner, his grandmother's "bell" book and tools, both my mother and mother in law have given me jars and rings, and as a gift, hubby got me another pressure canner.
No, I'm not an old lady. I've been canning for years with my parents and grandparents.
I remember this growing up too. Don't be decieved, this hard, hot work. We were very organized (after many years of practice), but you will sweat, your muscles will ache and your kitchen will be a mess after you are done, I don't care how much you prepared in advance. So after you're done working to get everything canned, be prepared to work just as hard to clean everything up.
I once canned something like 100 jars of plum jelly with my mother once( she was on a canning kick). it was so much fun. BUT... i never want to see another mason jar for the rest of my life.
I got the big pressure canner so I could can tomatoes without having to add extra acid but I can't find any recipes for pressure canning salsas, sauces and such that don't still call for adding a bunch of vinegar or whatever. Doesn't pressure canning negate the need for the extra acid?
True, pressure canning obviates the need for adding acid to destroy pathogens. For the salsas and sauces, the vinegar may be in there for flavor as much as anything. The intense heat from pressure canning can dampen the brightness of naturally acidic ingredients.
Try this site – http://www.freshpreserving.com/home.aspx It's the Ball Jar site, has recipes, instructions, etc.
Have been canning like a maniac. Question, though – if you do can a jar full of botulism, won't cooking kill it off (I am thinking of tomatoes specifically)? I also used citric acid instead of lemon juice because I had it for cheesemaking.
As for jellies not setting, I just had a whole batch not set and am trying to get it to re-set following directions. If not, I am unhappy about the waste but will try again with grapes in a couple weeks. Love to can!!
The botulinum toxin can be denatured by cooking at 140ºF for 15 minutes, but you need to be extremely careful handling the product so as not to get exposed to the toxin beforehand. The NCFHFP's instructions for destroying tainted food are extreme and make it sound like you practically need a Hazmat suit. When in doubt, dispose of it promptly and safely.
If you get a can full of botulism, then you will expose yourself to the botulism when you open the can. It can potentially get into any cuts on your hands at that point (not to mention the risk of getting it on your hands, then touching all sorts of things that you'll forget to wash, and then ingesting the bacteria later).
If you are stupid enough to try to cook food with evidence of botulism, then you need to boil it for several minutes (around 10 or 20 minutes). If you aren't a complete moron, you'll throw out the can immediately upon finding evidence of botulism (like bulging).
Student – pay more attention in class next time. IT IS NOT THE BACTERIA THAT CAUSE BOTULISM, it is the toxin they produce. Ingesting the bacteria will not give you botulism unless they colonize the gut and start to actively grow inside you. This can happen in infants (infant botulism) due to their immature digestive system – that's why you are never supposed to give honey to an infant. The stomach acid in an adult would be more than sufficient to prevent the growth of Clostridium botulinum.
And you can can outdoors! Lots of people do it on their back porch, cooler, and less mess. Lots of good books out there, and a small investment in equipment you can use for years. I'm starting this summer with homegrown berries, apples and nectarines. Yum! And remember- food security!
The Agricultural Dept. no longer recommends water bathing – only pressure canning.
Absolutely not true.
Please stop spreading misinformation.
Leslie-
Here is a link to a 2009 booklet written by "The Agriculture Department" (USDA) that has many, many boiling-water bath recipes:
http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html
You are making a sweeping, all-inclusive statement that is simply not true for all "canned" foods. Case in point – pressure canning is absolutely not needed, and to my knowledge has never been 'recommended', for jams and jellies. The acidity of the fruit together with the lowered water activity (because of sugar content) negate the need for "pressure".
100,000 sperm and you were the fastest?
It is probably safe for him. However, home canning is not that safe for everyone. A little forgetfulness a start of senility, and whole families are dead! Unless what you are canning has lots of salt or sugar in it or you always add vinegar botulism can grow unless you get it hot enough and make sure the lids are sealed hot before cooling and then pop in. Beware of reporters, bloggers, and hobbyists, they do not necessarily know what they are writing about. There are lots of folks out there who would poison themselves and their families horribly and painfully rather than face the potential slow harm of commercial junk.
Articles like this are going to become more and more popular and necessary when the Republicans cause the economy to crash.
Canning isn't hard, but it is time consuming, and frustrating if something doesn't set. Even if you follow the recipes jams can sometimes be difficult if they do not jell like you want. I love to can, but its not really a newbie adventure. IT takes time to prepare all the fruits and vegetables and then process them correctly. I do jams and jellies and pie fillings and most of the time they turn out well. when they do not set though I hate the world! (Heh), At least for a little while.
I suppose I'm wired a little geeky, but when I have a fail like that it compels me to do more research to find out why, and how to do better the next time (or fix it if possible). That's part of the fun of the process!
If you need help, don't forget to contact your local Extension office. They have food safety specialists who can provide scientific support and guidance with canning. For additonal information on food preservation (canning, dehydration, freezing, etc.) , go to UGA National Center for Home Preservation at: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/
Exactly. The NCFHFP site is the absolute bible to refer to.
I canned for years; it was satisfying. However, except for jams, I know prefer to freeze. Lots less work, I haven't found a difference in taste and I know there is no chance of spoiling. (But we won't talk about the big tomato worm that went into my tomato sauce whole and was there when I was making chili!)
One of the major reasons I can is that our freezer is eeeeeety beeeeeety, and we have a lot more shelf space (including a basement). But yes, it's always about what works best for you.
Ewwww, hornworm! How did it taste?
Love number 4 – you wouldn't believe the production that comes out of my my "tiny urban kitchen" and I know lots of folks who produce even more.
My mom canned when I was a kid and I remember her grape jelly, tomato sauce, rhubarb jelly, and etc. I just started canning myself with my mom's help because all her receipes are in her head :)
Hey guys, will you visit helpfaye.ORG a friend of mine is fighting for her life.... thanks....
Spam! Would you also like to offer me a wonderful business deal?
I love canning cherries and blackberries. It’s the best way to keep summer with you all year long.
I bought a big aluminum pressure canner a few years back, along with all of the mason jars, lids, and such. I have been canning spaghetti sauce and a few other vegetables from my garden. It has worked out pretty well over the past few years. My roma tomatoes, basil, garlic peppers and onions are growing for this years big batch of sauce as I type this.
Great tips, Sean! I am inspired to can – tomatoes in Napa Valley are just coming around.
I almost called out tomatoes specifically. Make sure to acidify them with lemon juice, or pressure can. They're just at the threshhold of safety. We pressure can a hundred pounds or more of tomatoes every year, and use them all year long.
I remember canning with my mom and sisters. We would hit up the u-pick farms and our grandparents gardens, and then we canned tomatoes, pickles, green beens, apples sauce and butter, and of course black berry jam. I have started getting back into the canning thing by canning apple and pear butter. I forgot how much fruit it took to make a little butter, but the taste is so good on bread and pork.
'IMy kid's babysitter taught me to can 20 years ago, and I love to can, nothing more satisfying than having shelves full of jams, green beans, tomatoes, peaches, plums and whatever else we can find to put up. It's also great to be able to control the sodium and sugar in the food we eat. I have so many people that want to learn the process, I feel really privledged to pass along what I've learned. Give it a try and enjoy!!!!
My grandmother taught me to can produce from her large garden which she grew every year. This year my daughter and I put up sweet pickle relish, pickles, peppers, jams and some delicious peaches. All my friends and family save their jars so I can send them back with more goodies. Great Christmas gifts, too!
I like a nice set of cans.
Oh can it! We don't need jarring comments like that. Now you're in a pickle but I can help get you out of this jam, I'm Cheney Mason!
Thanks, I'll be here all week.
You're here all week?
Eh, they never get any decent acts in this joint anymore.
Another myth - not all food needs to be canned to be safely preserved. Fermenting and pickling are great ways to preserve food without needing to sterilizing it and kill nutrients. I've been hooked since reading the book Wild Fermentation by Sandor Katz.
I love that book-wild fermentation. I think pickling is much healthier than canning because like you said, you don't kill nutrients, there's less sugar, and you can have live cultures in your food.
Excellent point! And of course there's freezing, dehydrating, and more. Sandor is a total force of nature.
I have all the equipment to can, but have yet to attempt it. I do a LOT of lactofermentation, ala Sandor, not Sally (salt, not whey). Frankly the botulism thing scares the bejeezers out of me, but I probably should at least try it, not that I have health insurance.
I grew up on a farm, and its absolutely wonderful to jar or can items. it saves money and its good for you, you know what your putting in their, no sugar fats or sodium. I can tomatoes and make marinara sauce. used for all different purposes
I just started canning, and have tried my first batch of Bread-n-Butter pickles. They turned out great. I just wish I paid better attention when they old folks were canning when I was little. I remember the taste of homemade grape jelly and blackberry jams. That's next on my list.
My wife and I can all sorts of goodies. The best thing in our region is blackberry jam. Canned produce makes for a very personalized and cheap christmas gift. Now go can some stuff!!!!!!
You forgot the biggest myth of all. You don't need cans for canning! Mason jars work great...
Amen to the canvolution. I've been canning for decades and I'm happy to see it's back in vogue. You ought to corner SaltySeattle on her Nudie Foodies project, since it is for charity.
Linda's great! But I'm not ready to go nude just yet ...
Ahome economist told me about 10 years ago that the gov't only recommends pressure canning now. Water bathing is out.
Well they were wrong. That is not true.
If they were specifically talking about low acid foods, such as corn or green beans canned in water, then yes, pressure can them. Otherwise, if you use a modern, approved recipe, with enough acid content, the water bath is safe.
I had heard the same thing at some point, but a few days ago I looked at the USDA canning guide from 2009 (available from the USDA's webpage in PDF format) and it specifically recommends a water bath canner, NOT a pressure canner for tomatoes on the grounds that it is perfectly safe and takes significantly less time. Of course, it's possible they've changed their recommendation in the last two years.