Intro to Canning Rick Sloan FCS Agent

What we will learn!  Why are we canning in the 21 st century  Canning Trends  Specific Concerns with Canning Foods at Home  Credible Instructions 2Home Food Preservation

Why are We Canning in the 21 st Century? 3Home Food Preservation

Canning History Lesson  Canning dates to late 18th century in France.  Napoleon Bonaparte, concerned about keeping his armies fed, offered cash for developing a reliable method of food preservation.  Nicholas Appert won the prize, 12,000 francs, in 1809 when he submitted his method of “food in glass bottles (Kovel and Kovel, 2007). 4Home Food Preservation

Canning History  Appert used glass jars sealed with wax and reinforced with wire.  Took 14 years to develop.  Peter Durand, in 1810, replaced the breakable glass bottles with cylindrical tinplate canisters.  Tin Can Openers were not invented for another 30 years. 5Home Food Preservation

Basics haven’t changed drastically  The basic principles have not changed dramatically.  Heat sufficient to destroy microorganisms.  Foods packed into sealed, or "airtight" containers.  The canned foods are then heated under steam pressure at temperatures of °F ( °C). 6Home Food Preservation

The Basics  Louis Pasteur provided the explanation for canning when he was able to demonstrate that the growth of microorganisms is the cause of food spoilage (Lund et al. Eds. 2000). 7Home Food Preservation

Commercially Canned Foods  Historically: Relatively safe Only 4 outbreaks in 40 years, last one was in 1974 Before…. 8Home Food Preservation

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Recent Illnesses  September 2008 Botulism Ohio man and his grandson were hospitalized as a result of botulism toxin poisoning caus ed by improperly canned green beans.  2007 Virginia couple died after eating improperly canned foods that also contained botulism toxin. Physician 10Home Food Preservation

Recent Illnesses  February 2009 Woman in her 30s and two children under 10 fell ill from eating improperly-canned green beans from a home garden. The woman is reportedly recovering slowly and remains on a ventilator. 11Home Food Preservation

Canning Trends 12Home Food Preservation

 Home canning continues to be a popular means of preserving food at home (Andress et al, 2002).  Fruits and vegetables make up the majority of home preserved foods.  Meats (especially game) and fish are also preserved. 13Home Food Preservation

National Phone Survey of Canners (2005)  58% of home canners are between years of age  27% are 65 and over  15% are under 35 (D’sa et al., 2007) 14Home Food Preservation

Home Canning Survey  Majority of home canners have reported not following science-based home preservation methods.  Receive much of their home preservation information through friends and family.  Only 45% of respondents thought that home canned foods could be spoiled without obvious signs of spoilage. 15Home Food Preservation

Reasons for Preservation  Local  Economy Personal Business opportunity  Connection to food 16Home Food Preservation

July 22, 2008 New York Times 17Home Food Preservation

Eat Local: Movement Stresses Safety "Buying locally is much safer than just eating food that has been purchased en masse from god knows where." Home Food Preservation18

Food Preservation Trends  Farmers Markets in some areas allow selling home-made jams and jellies, but NOT certain canned goods due to fear of botulism.  Prohibited are low-acid foods, such as green beans. 19Home Food Preservation

Recent headlines  Let us grow our own food to eat better, save money (W-S Journal, April 4, 2009)  More Alaskans trying to keep food source local (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, April 5, 2009)  Locals jump on national gardening trend (Northwest Arkansas times, April 5, 2009) 20Home Food Preservation

Growing, Preparing, Storing Own Food  Seed sales up 10-15%.  Families with gardens expected to increase 40+% in  "As the economy goes down, food gardening goes up," says Bruce Butterfield, the group's research director. "We haven't seen this kind of spike in 30 years." 21Home Food Preservation

Younger Demographic May not have even seen home canning before 22Home Food Preservation

Specific Concerns with Canning at Home 23Home Food Preservation

Storing Jars  Canned foods can be stored for up to 18 months to retain optimal quality.  Store canned foods in a cool, dry environment that is between 50 and 70 o F.  Non-pathogenic thermophilic bacteria can grow if the jars are not stored properly. 24Home Food Preservation

Unsafe Canning Methods  Open kettle  Oven canning  Dishwasher  Addition of aspirin  Steam canners  Microwave oven canners 25Home Food Preservation

Credible Instructions 26Home Food Preservation

Canning Books  So Easy to Preserve, University of Georgia  Ball Blue Book, Alltrista  How to Dry Foods, Deanna DeLong  The Joy of Winemaking, Terry Garey  Canning & Preserving without Sugar, Norma MacRae 27Home Food Preservation

Canning Websites  National Center for Home Food Preservation  Food Safety Website  Alltrista Consumer Products OR Home Food Preservation