After nurturing our garden all summer, the last thing I want to do is let produce go to waste. If you are like me, you find yourself overrun with vegetables towards the end of summer and cannot cook them all fast enough. This is where you need to think about storage options. Many homesteaders will freeze their fruits and vegetables, which is a great way of preserving produce for the winter months. However, at Mother Clucker Farm, both of our freezers are dedicated to meat storage – leaving only one other option for preserving and storing our fruits and veggies: Canning!
First things first: Food safety! Google search botulism … Are you nervous yet? I was too, but I did my research and now know the safest ways to preserve and store our produce.
What is Water Bath Canning?
Water bath canning is essentially a way of sealing your jars. It requires minimal equipment: A deep pot of boiling water, a rack to place in the bottom of said pot, and glass mason jars (Home canning does NOT use metal cans). The jars are fully immersed in boiling water. The heat of the water drives out any air remaining in the food and in the jar. Once the jars are taken out of the water bath, the cooling process creates a vacuum seal and preserves your food for storage. This method can only heat the jars to boiling temperature (212 degrees Fahrenheit) and is only appropriate for acidic foods.
What Foods Can be Preserved Using Water Bath Canning?
As mentioned above, water bath canning is only safe for acidic foods such as:
- Fruits
- Jams and jellies
- Pickles and pickled foods (yummm…pickled peppers)
- Tomato sauce and salsa (without meat) – Note: tomatoes are borderline acidic. You will need to add lemon juice, vinegar, or citric acid to safely can tomatoes – just remember to follow the recipe.
What is Pressure Canning?
Low acid foods need a much higher temperature to destroy harmful bacteria (between 240-250 degrees Fahrenheit) which can only be achieved under pressure. This requires a special piece of equipment known as a pressure canner. (Not to be confused with a pressure cooker – However, I have also discovered they make a 2-in-1 product that is both a pressure canner and pressure cooker. Just be careful and read the full description when buying a product for pressure canning.) Your jars will not be fully immersed in water this time as pressure canning requires less water. Pressure canners trap steam inside the chamber to increase temperatures above boiling water temperature.
What Foods Can be Preserved Using Pressure Canning?
Pressure canning allows us to preserve food that is low in acid such as:
- All vegetables (We mainly like to preserve beans, corn, squash, and carrots on our homestead)
- Meat and meat sauces
- Stocks and stews
- Dairy products
Again, just remember to follow the recipe
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