Home food preservation update Dr. Ben Chapman Food safety extension specialist Dept of 4-H Youth Dev and FCS benjamin_chapman@ncsu.edu

Recent illnesses March 2011: British Columbia Watermelon Jelly Was “not quite set” pH was too high One illness No tested recipe for watermelon jelly

Proposed law changes MI – allow for in-home produced low-risk products (not canned/acidified, but jams are included. Must carry a label that says: Produced in uninspected kitchen Ingredients Address

Reminders Summer squash Low acid tomato foods One-piece lids Not all that uniform Just have to assume that tomato foods are low acid One-piece lids Not recommended, failure rate is too high (from NCHFP)

Process Food Properly: Don’t be Rachel Ray Encourage following a credible recipe exactly The following slows heat penetration: Extra sugar or fat Oversized food pieces Added thickeners Salt and spice are for taste Sugars, in jams/jellies are needed for pectin interaction

The Resources So Easy to Preserve, University of Georgia (soeasytopreserve.com) USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning (free download on UGA site) Ball Blue Book (amazon, Wal-Mart) http://www.theconsumerlink.com -- $6.04 with shipping and handling 6 6

Selling home preserved foods NCDA resources on this http://www.ncagr.gov/fooddrug/food/homebiz.htm It is okay to sell jams and jellies Acidified foods are allowed but vendors must attend specified training http://ncsu.edu/foodscience/workshops_training.htm

Preservation Websites National Center for Home Food Preservation www.uga.edu/nchp NC State home food preservation Homefoodpreservation.ncsu.edu Alltrista Consumer Products www.homecanning.com/usa OR 1-800-240-3340 USDA guide to home canning http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/publications_usda.html 8 8

Judging suggestions State fair experience 1200-1500 entries in 236 categories 20 judges, 6 helpers $8,185 in premiums

Judging preserved products at fairs Prior to the fair Only include categories that have tested recipes No squash, no watermelon jelly When entrants come with products/questions tell why Give a list of requirements Nothing decorative on lids etc (hard to see fill).

Judges Depending on entries, judge between 150-200 products each Canned Fruits/Veg (2 judges) Dried Fruits/Veg Preserves (2 judges) Jams, Conserves, Marmalades (4 judges) Jelly (2 judges) Juices/Syrups (2 judges) Pickles, relishes, chutneys, salsas (6 judges) Junior (2 judges)

Gather the following materials Pencils Staplers Processing time charts Comment cards resources on chapmanfoodsafety.wordpress.com site

Tasting State fair and NCHFP guidelines: The only canned foods that should be tasted are jellies, jams and other fruit preserves made with high concentrations of sugar or flavored vinegars.

Day of the event Have judges meet before hand and go through requirements Talk about comment cards and processing times Encourage to be encouraging

From NCHFP best practices Judge the item, not the exhibitor. Be consistent. Judge all projects against the same standards. Start comments with a positive remark. Inspire the exhibitor to plan ahead for future successful projects.

Have on hand So Easy to Preserve USDA guide Extra sheets, pencils and staplers

Judging resources chapmanfoodsafety.wordpress.com And www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/nchfp/tech_bull.html

Questions from consumers Can I pressure can outside with a gas burner? Not a best practice because of wind gusts and not being able to regulate temperature evenness Boiling WB is probably okay

Best tomato to buy/use for canning All the same, safety-wise I prefer red rounds (less surface area, more pulp)

Wants to can cabbage and does not know the processing time. Nope, no tested recipes for cabbage canning (straight up). Just fermented cabbage. Yes, sauerkraut is good: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can_06/sauerkraut.html or freezing: http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/freeze/blanching.html

Dr. Ben Chapman benjamin_chapman@ncsu.edu Follow me on twitter @benjaminchapman 919 809 3205 www.foodsafetyinfosheets.com www.bites.ksu.edu www.barfblog.com