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Can It! Make Grandma proud - preserve a great fall with an inspired pioneer spirit that doubles as an homage to seasons past 
Given the economic events of 2009, families everywhere are preserving what they can, and that resourcefulness is proving to be mighty tasty. Don't let a lack of experience deter you - canning your fall harvest, even if it comes from a grocery store, is becoming more accessible as it grows in popularity. "Have fun! You're reclaiming an art that will help you save time, money and provide you with healthier meals," says Patricia Telesco, co-author of "The Everything Canning and Preserving Book" (Adams Media, 2009). Stock Up Take caution when browsing the canning aisle. "You're going to see expensive pressure cookers and all kinds of tong devices and jars with two-part lids," says Lorene Edwards Forkner, co-author of "Canning and Preserving Your Own Harvest: An Encyclopedia of Country Living Guide" (Sasquatch Books, 2009). "Some of it's necessary and some of it just helps." For a less expensive option, Forkner suggests using a soup pot. "You can give a perfectly good water bath deep enough to accommodate jars and the two inches above with boiling water," she says. Since a soup pot doesn't include a rack, Forkner says to line it with a dishtowel to keep the jars from banging against each other. Other items to consider include canning jars since they're designed to withstand temperature change, a funnel to avoid mess, a jar lifter to safely lift bottles, and two-part lids. Forkner warns that although jars and rings can be reused, lids cannot. "The gasket on the inside will make an indentation which is a perfect seal for the first time it's used, but an imperfect seal from that point on," she notes. Follow Recipes "Be sure to follow canning recipes accurately, especially regarding time and temperature in hot water or a pressure cooker," says Telesco. "You eventually will learn how to tinker with the recipes, but get to know what's safe and what isn't first." The Food and Drug Administration provides safe, up-to-standards canning recipes on their Web site. "Food doesn't spoil when it gets old, it spoils in the presence of microbes, so when you're preserving you're trying to keep those out," says Forkner. "Properly following a safe recipe will ensure this happens." Keep your recipes current - even if your mom did it a certain way, Forkner says to check that it's still safe. "When I made jam as a kid, we put the hot jam in a hot jar, put the lid on and flipped it upside down," she says. "That's no longer up to par with the FDA's standards for sterilizing." Store Responsibly "Once you start canning you'll find it addicting," says Telesco. "So be sure to have some cool and dry places prepared to store your food." When freezing, take note that for long-term preservation, you need a separate freezer and a freezer thermometer that tells you if the conditions are perfect. Forkner says to consider live storage to keep food in its optimal form for as long as possible without using electricity. "For instance, warm storage conditions ranging from 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit may be found in an attic, garage, spare closet, or pantry space - even under the bed," she says. These areas are good for ripening tomatoes and short-term storage of pumpkins, winter squash, sweet potatoes, and onions. "After you've had your pumpkins outdoors for seasonal display move them inside to warmer conditions for longer storage." And always remember to label properly and consume the oldest items first. "If you ever open a jar and suspect that the seal is loose or the food looks and smells odd, throw it out," says Telesco. |
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