1. Food Preservation & Home Canning
Updated & Presented by:
Jana Darrington
FCS Agent,
USU Extension-Utah County
Might want to add a date and publication number
FN/FoodPreservation/ pr
DONE – JD 2/9/10
Created by: Teresa Hunsaker
FCS Agent,
USU Extension-Weber County

2. Why Preserve Food? To enjoy garden produce all year long.
Better flavor through home processing.
To improve canning skills.
The convenience of having food on hand.
You get a sense of satisfaction.
Improved nutritional content – fresher, not as old.
Can control for special diet needs – less sugar or salt.
Last bullet
Hyphen needs to be a dash like the bullet before
DONE – JD 2/9/10

3. Preserve the Harvest A variety of ways to preserve. Use all three!
Freezing
Advantage – product most like fresh; freezing is rarely “dangerous”
Disadvantage –expensive (freezer, packaging, energy, time)
Dehydration
Advantage – Storage takes little space; equipment not expensive
Disadvantage – Product most changed from fresh; some nutrition lost (not enough to worry about)
Canning
Advantage – Longest storage time with high quality
Disadvantage – Person needs to be knowledgeable about process as well as high- & low- risk foods

4. Canning 101 Quiz (T/F)
Food preservation guidelines and methods do change.
The last time major changes came out was in 1988.
A sealed jar is a safe jar.
Jams and jellies do not need to be water bathed.
It is OK to alter ingredients just a “little bit” when canning.
Adding extra starch, flour, or thickener to a recipe is fine if it seems to thin for your liking.
Rings must remain on the jars during storage.
All bottles and lids must be sterilized before using.
Have participants get out a piece of paper and write 1 through 8 down the side. As you go through the statement, have them answer with True or False on their paper. Let them know that all of these questions will be answered during the course of the presentation and for them to watch for the correct answer. You’ll review it again at the end.

5. “I’ve been doing it this way for years and no one has died yet!”
That may be true, but...

6. Food Safety is Our #1 Priority!
Canning is NOT Cooking!
Successful Cooking = Good tasting food w/ expected consistency
Successful Canning = Control of potentially harmful microorganisms
Appearance, taste, texture not always good indicators

7. Use Current, Tested Recipes
BE CURRENT:
Test dial gauge each year
Call local Extension office and ask if there are new canning guidelines
USE TESTED research-based recipes – these recipes have been tested repeatedly in labs to control for microorganism growth
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning
Ball Blue Book
Control your creativity when canning
Don’t cap creativity
DONE - JD

8. More Food Safety A sealed jar does not mean a safe jar
Enough heat must reach center of jar to control molds, yeasts, or bacteria that might cause illness
MUST be enough time for the heat to penetrate the food and eliminate undesirable microorganisms.
Processing Time Scientifically determined
Researchers repeat process over and over until they can guarantee control of the target microorganism.
Jars do not need to be sterile. Clean is good.

9. Let’s Start at the Beginning…
Factors affecting processing times:
Acid content of the food
Density of the food
Altitude
Starting Temperature of the Food
Size – quarts or pints

10. In Steam Pressure Canner
Foods on pH Scale
Approximate Growth Limit for:
ACID CONTENT OF FOOD 1
Molds
&
Yeasts 2
Plums
Gooseberries
Prunes
Apricots
Apples
Blackberries 3
Sour Cherries
Peaches
Cut off point = 4.6 ↓ 4
Tomatoes
Bacteria 5
Okra
Carrots
Turnips
Beets
String Beans
Spinach
Asparagus
Lima Beans 6 7
Peas
Corn
Lye Hominy
Neutral 14
Process at 212° F
In Boiling Water Bath
(Kills Molds & Yeasts in High-acid Foods)
Process at 240° F
In Steam Pressure Canner
(Kills anaerobic organisms like those that cause botulism in low acid foods)
Source: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning,
revised 2006

11. Let’s Talk Bot...
Most of us have heard about botulism and anyone who has heard about it does NOT want it in their food!
The c. botulinum spore is all around us and can be found in soil. Yet, we can pull a fresh carrot from the ground, wash it off and eat it without any ill effect.
Let’s Talk Bot…
(initial caps on titles)
DONE – JD 2/9/10

12. Botulism Toxin
It is when the botulism spore is placed in an environment with
Low acidity (pH is greater than 4.6)
Moisture (and it doesn’t take much!)
And no oxygen
that it creates a toxin that is deadly!
When we home can low-acid foods, we have just created the PERFECT environment for botulism (if not killed) to kill us!
Delete bullet before “that it creates…”
DONE – JD 2/9/10

13. Killing Botulism
It is impossible to reach 240° F in a regular boiling water bath canner. The highest possible temperature we can reach is 212° F (the boiling point of water at sea level).
In order to kill botulism, we must use a pressure canner when we home-can any meats or vegetables (that aren’t pickled).
With pickled vegetables, if we follow an approved recipe, we add enough acid (i.e., vinegar) to make it safe from botulism.

14. Density: Heat Penetration impacted by thickness of contents
Heat must travel from molecule to molecule to center of jar
(slow process)
Heat travels through convection currents which circulates to bring heat to center
Cold Zone
Cold Zone
Conduction:
Thick/solid contents
Convection:
Liquid/Less dense contents
When it says to cut 1” cubes, it is for a reason!

15. Changing Density
Changing a recipe will alter the density of the product. Examples:
Simmering salsa 3 hours instead of 30 minutes
Adding thickeners (flour, barley, pasta)
Adding more solids (meat, beans, vegetables) to recipe
Altering density impacts processing time: Processing time in recipe no longer valid
If you are unhappy w/ thickness, add thickener just before serving!

16. Adjusting for Altitude
Water boils at 212°F at sea level
At higher altitudes, water boils at lower temperatures – for example: between 4,000 and 6,000 feet, water boils from 204°F to 201°F.
This means it takes longer to heat the center of the jar to the necessary temperature to kill molds/yeast (high-acid) and botulism (low-acid).
A little side-note for any candy-makers out there... You also need to apply altitude adjustments to your candy thermometer to have the best success!
Source: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning,
revised 2006

17. ALWAYS verify according to guidelines
Remember: Processing Time Scientifically Determined ONE ADJUSTMENT NECESSARY…
As Altitude Increases
ADD:
TIME (Boiling Water Canner)
add 10 min. for 3,000-6,000 ft. OR
PRESSURE (Pressure Canner)
Dial gauge: 13 lbs. at 4,001-6,000 ft.
Weighted gauge: 15 lbs. at 4,001-6,000 ft.
ALWAYS verify according to guidelines
Source: Ball Blue Book, 2009
Source: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning,
revised 2006

18. Starting Temp of Food: Packing Method
Raw pack
Raw food put into jar; then boiling canning liquid is poured in over food.
Oxygen in food tissue may cause discoloration after 2 to 3 months
More suitable for vegetables processed in a pressure canner
Fruits (high air content) will float in jars
Source: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning,
revised 2006

19. Source: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning,
Hot Pack
Hot pack
Boil raw foods and canning liquid 3 to 5 minutes in a saucepan or blancher, then poured into jars.
Advantages
Helps remove air from food tissues
Helps keep the food from floating in the jars
Increases vacuum in sealed jars, and improves shelf life.
Preshrinking food permits filling more food into each jar.
Source: USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning,
revised 2006

20. Recommendations…

21. Prepare Only One Batch at a Time AND…

22. Follow Preservation Instructions Exactly!23

23. Preparing Jars & Lids Fill jars w/food, leaving correct headspace.
Remove air bubbles w/rubber spatula.
Wipe down mouth of jar.
Put on warm lid & screw band.
Lids need to be heated in pan of warm or simmering water. Do not need to boil.

24. Other Terms: Headspace
Needed for food expansion & proper vacuum sealing during canning process.
USDA Guidelines:
Jams & Jellies: ¼ inch
Fruits and tomatoes: ½ inch
Low acid foods: 1-1 ¼ inches
The unfilled space above the food in a jar and below its lid is termed headspace. Allows space for the food to expand and a vacuum to form during the canning process. The extent of expansion is determined by the air content in the food and by the processing temperature. Air expands greatly when heated to high temperatures; the higher the temperature, the greater the expansion. Foods expand less than air when heated.

25. Jars & Lids
Follow directions on the box for tightening the jar lids properly and heating.
Too tight: air can’t escape, buckling, food discoloration and jar breakage
Too loose: liquid escapes, seal fails.
DO NOT readjust the lid after processing!

26. THE PROCESS…

27. Boiling Water Canner Procedure
HANDOUT
Aluminum or porcelain-covered steel.
Must have flat bottom and cannot be more than 4 inches wider than the diameter of the electric coil burner.
Steam Canners not recommended.
Update Handout:
Allow jars to sit for 5 minutes before removing.
From the files of Alltrista Consumer Products Company, marketers of Ball Brand and Kerr brand home-canning products.

28. Pressure Canner Procedure
HANDOUT
Vent at least 10 minutes before pressurizing.
For altitudes above 1,000 feet the pressure must be adjusted: Utah County = 13 lbs.
Gauges should be checked before use each year.
Check gaskets. Nicked or dried gaskets could result in steam leaks.
Update Handout:
7.5 Allow jars to sit for 5 minutes before removing.

29. Cooling Jars Testing Seals DO NOT retighten lids.
Cool at room temperature for hours on a rack or a towel.
When cooled remove screw lid, wash, dry (bottles & screw bands), label jars & store.
Testing Seals

30. Reprocessing unsealed lids
Change lid or possibly jar and reprocess within 24 hours for the whole processing time.
Refrigerate and consume within several days if not reprocessed.

31. Removing Metal Screw Bands
After jars have cooled, remove metal screw band.
Clean it: warm soapy water
Dry it: air dry or towel dry
Store it: in a box or container with tight lid in a cool, dry location
If you do this, you’ll never need to purchase new screw bands.
If screw bands stay on the jar, become rusted, or stuck (sticky juice runs out), then there is some risk that the food inside could be compromised.
Rust working itself inside, opens the door for other microorganisms to get inside.

32. Storing Your Food Label and date your jars.
Store filled jars in clean, cool, dark and dry place.
Accidental freezing may cause unsealing or softening of food. Insulate jars if they are stored in a place with possible freezing capabilities.

33. Steam Canners USDA does not recommend them.
If you do not want to follow this guide and choose to use them anyway, we remind you that……….
They are not a substitution for foods that needed to be pressure canned.
You must use processing times for a boiling water bath at your altitude.
An 8 to 10 inch plume of steam needs to be present during the entire processing time.
You need adequate water in the steamer so it doesn’t run out during processing. If it runs out, you must start over.
DO NOT use for whole fruit or salsa – use only for juice & jams/jellies
(See Our USU Position Statement on the USU Extension website)

34. What about Salsa? Use only scientifically tested recipes
HANDOUT
Use only scientifically tested recipes
The only changes you can safely make:
Substitute bottled lemon juice for vinegar
Change the types of dried spices and herbs (keep amounts the same)
Reduce the number of hot peppers (but increase green peppers or onions proportionally)
If you reduce the number of hot peppers, do not add any additional vegetables beyond what you eliminated in peppers. This means, if you removed ¼ cup of hot peppers, only add in ¼ cup of green peppers or onions.

35. What about Salsa? Do NOT:
Use a recipe that is from the friend of a friend of a friend or from your favorite relative unless… it has been tested or is from an approved source (do you want to Take Your Chances?)
Change thickness by adding more tomatoes, corn starch, etc.
Add more vegetables
Leave out added acid (vinegar or lemon juice)

36. What do I do with my FAVORITE salsa recipe?
Make and serve it fresh
Make and freeze it
Process in a pressure canner
Use same time for green peppers: Pints or half-pints for lbs pressure
If it has beans: Pints for lbs
(No current recommendations for quart jars)
After processing, it won’t taste the same as when made fresh

37. Canning 101 Quiz (T/F)
Food preservation guidelines and methods do change.
TRUE
The last time major changes came out was in 1988.
FALSE
A sealed jar is a safe jar.
Jams and jellies do not need to be water bathed.
It is OK to alter ingredients just a “little bit” when canning.
Ok to change types of peppers in Salsa, but not amounts.
(and true)
Adding extra starch, flour, or thickener to a recipe before canning it is fine if it seems too thin for your liking.
Rings must remain on the jars during storage
All bottles and lids must be sterilized before using.
This is true only for items whose processing
times are 10 minutes or less.

38. extension.usu.edu/utah

39. Food Preservation & Canning

40. Canning class, handouts, resources

41. Resources: www.freshpreserving.com
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539
National Food Safety Database Canning, Freezing and Drying Clipart, University of Florida Extension
National Center for Home Food Preservation
Ball Canning Company