It's a Keeper
Canning produce at home
Canned tomatoes, pickles, applesauce, peppers, and fruit jam preserve the flavors of summer for year-round enjoyment.
Elena Ray/IStockphoto
Strawberry jam preserves the flavor of summer. A jar of tomatoes adds tang to a winter spaghetti sauce. Fruits and vegetables canned at home taste great and are good sources of nutrition.
Canning stops the natural processes that break down food, allowing extended storage. Although some vitamins are lost during the canning process, fresh produce canned immediately after harvest is often healthier than “fresh” produce sold in the grocery store, which has been picked, refrigerated, transported, and stocked days or weeks earlier.
Our grandparents used the open-kettle method for canning all produce, which left food vulnerable to spoilage. Today, we use two methods for home canning. For produce high in acid, such as strawberries, blueberries, and tomatoes, the old-fashioned, open-kettle technique works fine. An open-kettle canner is basically a large pot made of aluminum or porcelain-covered steel. It comes with a lift-out rack for holding jars. Jars are boiled for the required time, allowed to cool for 5 minutes, then removed from the hot water with a jar lifter.
All other fruits and vegetables must be processed with a pressure canner to avoid any chance of botulism or other contamination. A pressure canner has a lid that clamps on to the pot and a pressure gauge. Canning jars are packed inside and heated to more than 240 degrees, a safe temperature for processing low-acid foods (the bacteria that causes botulism cannot survive above 240 degrees).
Whether you grow or buy your produce, preserve fruits and vegetables within 6 to 12 hours after harvest if possible. Discard any moldy parts, trim bruises, and keep produce cool during the preservation process. Do not use jars with nicks and cracks. Canning lids have a rubber ring that seals safely only once, so use new lids every time you can (all other canning supplies can be reused).
When you have completed your canning, store home-canned food in a cool, dark place. Always write the date the food was processed on the lid of the jar. It should be safe to eat for about one year.
For more information on canning, visit the Web site of the National Center for Home Food Preservation. To purchase canning jars and other supplies, visit your local Orchard Supply Hardware or Ace Hardware store.
The following local organizations offer classes in home canning:
Happy Girl Kitchen operates canning workshops in Oakland and at Live Earth Farm in Watsonville
Love Apple Farm offers classes in jam-making in Santa Cruz
Yes, We Can offers canning workshops and classes in Santa Cruz and Pescadero
See our video blog for a video about home canning.