Healthy Canning and Preserve Recipes

From the EatingWell website and Magazine its - Healthy Canning and Preserve Recipes. Nothing better than in the dead of Winter than to go the pantry and grab a jar of your favorite fruit, vegetable, jam, etc... We always can Green Beans and Beets and they taste as good as fresh when you cook them up! So check out the EatingWell Healthy Canning and Preserve Recipes for recipes like; Bread and Butter Pickles, Pickled Jalapenos, and Rose Petal-Raspberry Jam. Find these recipes and more all at EatingWell website. Enjoy and Eat Healthy in 2018!  http://www.eatingwell.com/

Healthy Canning and Preserve Recipes

Find healthy, delicious canning and preserves recipes, including jams and jellies, chutneys, pickled vegetables. Healthier recipes, from the food and nutrition experts at EatingWell.


Bread and Butter Pickles
Try these tangy-sweet bread-and-butter pickles on a tuna sandwich or chopped in a tartar sauce for sautéed fish fillets......


Pickled Jalapenos
A great way to preserve a bumper crop of jalapeno peppers is to pickle them. Use them to garnish your favorite Mexican dishes.......


Rose Petal-Raspberry Jam
In this easy jam recipe, a few fragrant rose petals add a floral nuance to otherwise delicious but plain raspberry jam. If you don't want to can the jam, store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Serve with crackers and cream cheese or spread onto a vanilla cake for a healthier frosting.....


http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/22782/cooking-methods-styles/canning-preserves/

Kitchen Hint of the Day!

When canning...........


Thank you Mom for this hint! - Never set jars directly on the bottom of the canner; they will burst. Always use the wire rack that comes with the canner.

Bread and Butter Pickles

Came across this recipe on the CooksRecipes website that I wanted to pass along, Bread and Butter Pickles. If you're looking for some Meal ideas you have to check out the Cooks website. No matter the Cuisine or Diet that you are hunting for they'll probaly have it, check them out!    http://www.cooksrecipes.com/index.html


Bread and Butter Pickles

Bread and Butter PicklesThese crisp, sweet pickles are a welcome accompaniment to sandwiches and salads. When you've eaten the pickles, use the pickling liquid to add zing to dressing for potato or pasta salad.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 pounds (4 to 5-inch) cucumbers, cut into 1/4-inch slices

1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 1/4 cups Splenda® Granulated No Calorie Sweetener
1 tablespoon whole mustard seeds
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves

Cooking Directions:

1 - Place cucumbers and onions in a large non-reactive bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and toss to combine. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours. Drain the vegetables, rinse and drain again. Blot dry using paper towels.

2 - Wash jars and lids in hot soapy water; rinse with warm water. Fill boiling-water canner half full with water; add jars and water to cover. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat and simmer. Place lids in water to cover in a small saucepan; bring water to a simmer. Simmer until ready to use. Remove and drain jars and lids, one at a time, as needed for filling.

3 - Bring vinegar, Splenda® Granulated Sweetener, mustard seeds, celery seeds, turmeric, and cloves to a boil over medium-high heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the cucumbers and onions and return to a boil.

4 - Pack hot vegetables immediately into prepared jars using a slotted spoon, filling to within 1/4-inch of tops. Ladle pickling liquid into jars, filling to within 1/4-inch of tops. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with 2-piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Place jars on rack in canner. (Water must cover jars by 1 to 2 inches. Add boiling water, if necessary.) Cover; bring water to gentle boil.

5 - Process 15 minutes. Remove jars and place upright on towel to cool completely. After jars cool, check seals by pressing center of lid with finger. (If lid springs back, lid is not sealed and refrigeration is necessary.) Store in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year. Once opened, store refrigerated.

* Makes 24 servings.

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/24 of recipe): Calories: 10; Calories from Fat: 0; Total Fat: 0g; Saturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 710mg; Total Carbs: 2g; Dietary Fiber: 0g; Sugars: 1g; Protein: 0g.

http://www.cooksrecipes.com/diabetic/bread_and_butter_pickles_recipe.html

Fried Okeechobee Crappie w/ Canned Green Beans, Fried Potatoes, and...

Dinner Tonight: Fried Okeechobee Crappie w/ Canned Green Beans, Fried Potatoes, and Corn Bread

I think Spring may have a foot hold on our weather finally! The Winter that wouldn't go away has finally did just that, go away. Windy but sunny all day and about 70 degrees, My Mom's Easter Flowers are up and getting ready to bloom, our neighbors are already in bloom. More rain coming, deal with that when it happens. Got the 4 wheel mobility cart out for a while today. It's still running good and I think I've had now for 5 or 6 years now. My Mom's cousin and her husband stopped by and brought me 10 big and beautiful bags of Okeechobee Crappie, or Specks as they call them in Florida! I love all Fish and Seafood but these have to be my favorite. So for dinner tonight it's Fried Okeechobee Crappie w/ Canned Green Beans, Fried Potatoes, and Corn Bread.

They brought them straight up from Florida sealed and frozen. I laid 2 bags out in the fridge overnight to thaw. I rinsed the fillets off in cold water and patted dry with a paper towel. I then seasoned them a bit of Sea Salt and then rolled them in Zatarain’s Crispy Southern Fish Fri Breading Mix. Pan fried them in Canola Oil about 3 minutes per side. As usual this year's batch of Crappie is just as good as previous years. They came out Golden Brown and delicious! I could just eat these fillets for dinner, or any meal, with no sides needed!








For one side I peeled and sliced some Red potatoes up. Seasoned with Morton's Salt Substitute and ground Black Pepper. Fried them in a Cast Iron Skillet in Canola Oil, fried on medium high and turned with a spatula several times until both sides started browning. I rarely fix Potatoes like this, but I should. The Potatoes come out so delicious prepared this way. Then for another side I heated up a Mason Jar of the canned Green Beans that we had canned back last Summer. They taste as if they were just picked from the garden. I also had a slice of Klosterman Wheat Bread but Mom and Dad wanted some Cornbread so I prepared them a small Cast Iron Skillet of Martha White Cornbread. For dessert later a Jello Sugar Free Double Chocolate Pudding topped With a dab of Cool Whip Free.









Lake Okeechobee Crappie Fishing

The Florida Crappie fishing, speckled perch or speck’ as they are called throughout the State of Florida is the most sort after pan fish on Lake Okeechobee. Although the Florida crappie can be caught during the summer months, they really are at their best from late fall to early spring.

Go Lake Okeechobee freshwater fishing with your family and friends together for an affordable day of Florida crappie fishing on Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee comprises a 730-square-mile area and is the second-largest natural lake in the U.S., holding more than a trillion gallons of water.

Most fishing takes place along the southeastern, west and north portions of the lake within a mile of the shoreline. Look for hyacinths, hydrilla and other water plants where big bass ambush shiners, bluegills and other scaled groceries. They also pounce on frogs, crickets, worms, grasshoppers and pretty much any fish smaller than itself. Plastic imitations of those baits work well.

You know the deal black crappies speckled perch to most Floridians are about as smart as a dead bird, but fortunately they are a lot more abundant. Stick a minnow in their face, set the hook and start heating up the frying-pan as we say here on Okeechobee.



http://www.lakeokeechobeebassfishing.com/crappie-fishing/

Zatarain’s Crispy Southern Fish Fri

The secret of authentic Southern style fried fish is the crispy combination of cornmeal, corn flour, spices and lemon juice captured in this special Zatarain’s Frying Mix.

Amount Per Serving % Daily Value
Calories: 60

Calories from Fat: 0

Total Fat: 0g 0%

Saturated Fat: 0g 0%

Cholesterol: 0mg 0%

Sodium: 630mg 26%

Total Carb: 12g 4%

Dietary Fiber: 0 0%

Sugar: 0g

Protein: 1g

Vitamin A: 2%



http://www.zatarains.com/Products/Breadings-and-Fry-Mixes/Crispy-Southern-Fish-Fri.aspx 

Jennie – O OVEN READY™ Boneless Skinless Turkey Breast w/ Mashed Potatoes,....

Dinner Tonight: Jennie – O OVEN READY™ Boneless Skinless Turkey Breast w/ Mashed Potatoes, Canned Green Beans, and Crescent Rolls

It was about 20 degrees and sunny when I headed out this morning, which is a lot better than it's been around here! Ended up sunny all day and hit close to 40 degrees, plus they say in the upcoming days 50 and close to 60! Headed out and stopped at the Bank, Post Office and a couple of stores for groceries. Dinner tonight was a Holiday Comfort Food Dinner, I prepared a Jennie – O OVEN READY™ Boneless Skinless Turkey Breast w/ Mashed Potatoes, Canned Green Beans, and Crescent Rolls.







As I said I used the Jennie – O Oven Ready Skinless Boneless Turkey Breast. A perfect way to have a moist and fantastic tasting Turkey! Comes in Jennie O turkey Breast Oven Ready Bag,  that you bake at 375 degrees for about 2 to 3 hour until it reads 170 degrees. It also now has a pop up inserted in the breast that pops up when done. The Turkey comes out moist, juicy and delicious, with an excellent flavor! So cooking usually for just myself and my parents, it's just the right size (2-3 lbs.). Enough leftover for some great Turkey Sandwiches the next day or so!

Home canned Green Beans

For one side I heated up some Bob Evan's Mashed Potatoes, microwave for a total of 6 minutes and ready. Then we broke out a jar of the Canned Green Beans, we canned these last year. Love Canned Beans, taste just as fresh as fresh Green Beans. I also whipped a box of Stove Top Low Sodium Turkey Stuffing for Mom and Dad, they love Stuffing. And finally I baked a can of Pillsbury Reduced Fat Crescent Rolls. It was a Thanksgiving Dinner come early! For dessert later a couple of Del Monte Mini Bananas.








Jennie – O  OVEN READY™ Boneless Skinless Turkey Breast

Get all the great benefits of Oven Ready™ in a smaller-sized boneless and skinless turkey breast; this delicious home-cooked turkey breast is the perfect dinner to serve year-round.Goes directly from your freezer to your oven with no thawing.



Product Features:
* Gluten Free
* The Biggest Loser® product
* Preseasoned
* Comes sealed in our Fool-Proof® cooking bag
* With Gravy Packet (contains gluten)



Cooking Instructions:



OVEN COOKING METHOD:
Preheat oven to 375 °F.
Remove frozen turkey from white outer package.
Do not remove turkey from FOOL PROOF. cooking bag.
Place in a roasting pan with at least 2″ high sides.
Note – Do not increase oven temperature, cooking bag may melt at higher temperatures.
Cut three 1/2 inch slits in top of FOOL PROOF. cooking bag.
Place pan in oven, allowing room for bag to expand without touching the oven racks or walls.
Roast the turkey until a meat thermometer reaches 170°F.
Note – Meat temperature increases rapidly during last hour of cooking.
Let turkey rest 10 minutes, cut open top of oven bag.
Watch out for hot steam and juices.
Heat gravy as directed on pouch.



APPROXIMATE OVEN ROASTING TIMES IN 375°F. OVEN TEMPERATURE:
2 – 3 lbs 2-1/2 to 3 hours.
Nutritional Information
Serving Size 112 g
Total Carbohydrates 1 g
Calories 100 Dietary Fiber 0 g
Calories From Fat 10 Sugars 1 g
Total Fat 1.0 g Protein 23 g
Saturated Fat .0 g Vitamin A 0%
Trans Fat .0 g Vitamin C 0%
Cholesterol 40 mg Iron 2%
Sodium 460 mg Calcium 0%
Our products are labeled in compliance with government regulations. It is always necessary to read the labels on the products to determine if the food product meets your required needs regardless of how the product is represented on this site.


http://www.jennieo.com/products/113-OVEN-READY%E2%84%A2-Boneless-Skinless-Turkey-Breast

Seafood of the Week - Canned Fish

Microbial loads can be physically controlled by canning and then sterilizing with heat

Canned fish are fish which have been processed, sealed in an airtight container such as a sealed tin can, and subjected to heat. Canning is a method of preserving food, and provides a typical shelf life ranging from one to five years.
Fish have a low acidity at levels where microbes can flourish. From a public safety point of view, foods with low acidity (a pH more than 4.6) need sterilization under high temperature (116-130 °C). To achieve temperatures above the boiling point requires a method of pressurized cooking which is provided by the containment within the can. After sterilization, the containing can prevents microorganisms from entering and proliferating inside. Other than sterilization, no method is perfectly dependable as a preservative. For example, the microorganism Clostridium botulinum (which causes botulism), can only be eliminated at temperatures above the boiling point.
Such preservation techniques are needed to prevent fish spoilage and lengthen shelf life. They are designed to inhibit the activity of spoilage bacteria and the metabolic changes that result in the loss of fish quality. Spoilage bacteria are the specific bacteria that produce the unpleasant odours and flavours associated with spoiled fish.

The first industrial scale fish cannery was a salmon cannery established in North America in 1864 on a barge in the Sacramento River

The "father of canning" is the Frenchman Nicolas Appert. In 1795, he began experimenting with ways to preserve foodstuffs, placing food in sealed glass jars and then placing the jars in boiling water. During the first years of the Napoleonic Wars, the French government offered a 12,000 Franc prize to anyone who could devise a cheap and effective method of preserving large amounts of food. The larger armies of the period required increased and regular supplies of quality food. Appert submitted his invention and won the prize in January 1810. The reason for lack of spoilage was unknown at the time, since it would be another 50 years before Louis Pasteur demonstrated the role of microbes in food spoilage. However, glass containers presented challenges for transportation. Shortly after, the British inventor and merchant Peter Durand patented his own method, this time in a tin can, creating the modern-day process of canning foods.
Canning was used in the 1830s in Scotland to keep fish fresh until it could be marketed. By the 1840s, salmon was being canned in Maine and New Brunswick. The commercial salmon canneries had their main origins in California, and in the northwest of the US, particularly on the Columbia River. They were never important on the US Atlantic Coast, but by the 1940s, the principal canneries had shifted to Alaska.
Just as using cans was a progression from using jars, a further recent progression is to use retortable pouches instead of cans.






Salmon

A salmon cannery is a factory that commercially cans salmon. It is a fish processing industry that pioneered the practice of canning fish in general. It became established on the Pacific coast of North America during the nineteenth century, and subsequently expanded to other parts of the world that had easy access to salmon.
Prior to canning, fish were salted to preserve them. Cobb claims that at the start of the 19th century, the Russians marketed salted salmon caught in Alaska in St. Petersburg. Shortly after, the Northwest Fur Com­pany started marketing salted salmon from the Columbia River. It then merged with the Hudson's Bay Company, and the salm­on was marketed in Australia, China, Hawaii, Japan and the eastern United States. Later, some salmon salteries were converted to salmon canneries.
The first industrial scale salmon cannery in North America was established in 1864 on a barge in the Sacramento River by the four Hume brothers together with their partner Andrew S. Hapgood. In 1866 the Hume brothers relocated the business to a site 50 miles inland on the Columbia River. The history of North American salmon canneries is exemplified by their history on the Columbia River. Within a few years each of the Hume brothers had their own cannery. By 1872, Robert Hume was operating a number of canneries, bringing in Chinese people willing to work for low wages to do the cannery work, and having local Native American people do the fishing. By 1883, the salmon canneries had become the major industry on the Columbia River, with 1,700 gillnet boats supplying 39 canneries with 15,000 tonnes of salmon annually, mainly Chinook.







Sardines

Canned sardines

Sardines are canned in many different ways. At the cannery, the fish are washed, their heads are removed, and the fish are cooked, either by deep-frying or by steam-cooking, after which they are dried. They are then packed in either olive, sunflower or soybean oil, water, or in a tomato, chilli or mustard sauce.
Canned sardines in supermarkets may actually be sprat (such as the “brisling sardine”) or round herrings. Fish sizes vary by species. Good quality sardines should have the head and gills removed before packing. They may also be eviscerated before packing (typically the larger varieties). If not, they should be purged of undigested or partially digested food or feces by holding the live fish in a tank long enough for them to empty their digestive systems.
Sardines are typically tightly packed in a small can which is scored for easy opening, either with a pull tab (similar to how a beverage can is opened), or a key, attached to the side of the can. Thus, it has the virtues of being an easily portable, nonperishable, self-contained food. The close packing of sardines in the can has led to their metaphorical use of the name in describing any situation where people or objects are crowded together, for instance, in a bus or subway car. It has also been used as the name of a children's game, where one person hides and each successive person who finds the hidden one packs into the same space until there is only one left out, who becomes the next one to hide.








Tuna

Canned tuna on sale at a supermarket

Tuna was first canned in 1903, quickly becoming popular. It is canned in edible oils, in brine, in water, and in various sauces. In the United States, 52% of canned tuna is used for sandwiches; 22% for salads; and 15% for casseroles and dried, packaged meal mixes.
In the United States, only Albacore can legally be sold in canned form as "white meat tuna"; in other countries, yellowfin is also acceptable. While in the early 1980s canned tuna in Australia was most likely Southern bluefin, as of 2003 it was usually yellowfin, skipjack, or tongol (labelled "northern bluefin").
As tunas are often caught far from where they are processed, poor interim conservation can lead to spoilage. Tuna is typically gutted by hand, and later pre-cooked for prescribed times of perhaps 45 minutes to three hours. The fish are then cleaned and filleted, canned, and sealed, with the dark lateral blood meat often separately canned for pet food. The sealed can itself is then heated (called retort cooking) for 2 to 4 hours. This process kills any bacteria, but retains the histamine that can produce rancid flavors. The international standard sets the maximum histamine level at 200 milligrams per kilogram. An Australian study of 53 varieties of unflavored canned tuna found none to exceed the safe histamine level, although some had "off" flavors. The level of omega-3 oils found in canned tuna can be highly variable, since some common manufacturing methods destroy omega-3 oils.
Australian standards once required cans of tuna to contain at least 51% tuna, but these regulations were dropped in 2003. The remaining weight is usually oil or water. In the US, the FDA regulates canned tuna. In 2008, some tuna cans changed from 6 ounces (170 g) to 5 ounces (140 g) due to "higher tuna costs".

Kitchen Hint of the Day!

A wonderful and - dare we say it? - fun way to make your fruits and veggies last longer is to try home canning. You may think canning is just for country folk, but it's becoming more and more popular as a way to save money and make sure you're eating foods with the least amount of preservatives possible. Buy foods when they are in season, or better yet, grow your own and can to save later. The biggest trick in canning is to make sure that no air (which contains bacteria) gets into your jars; this is achieved with a pressure canner or boiling - water canner. Find out what these contraptions are and how safely fruit, vegetables, pickles, meat, poultry, seafood, salsas, pie filling, jams, and more from the USDA's extensive free Guide to Home Canning, available at: http://nchfp.uga.edu/publications/publications_usda.html.

It's Canning Day around here!

It's Canning Day around here!



Well finally Half Runner Green Beans are showing up. I called Jungle Jim's Market Produce Department and they said that they finally got some in from Tennessee at $1.99 a lb. So picked some up Thursday afternoon and they were some beautiful beans, firm and full. We ended up buying about 19 lbs. So we have plenty to can today! I'll take you through the steps of how we can them.




While canning these beans it brings back good memories of when I young and I would spend about the entire summer at my Grandparents. They always lived on a farm, raising cows, pigs, and growing huge gardens. My Grandmother was always canning through out the summer. She would store most of it in the cellar and there would be dozens and dozens of jars of green beans, beets, corn, and relishes. And what they didn't can and use they would sell. I spent many a summer day at a small vegetable stand they would set up in front of the farm and sell corn, green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, and carrots. They had it all, such good, good memories!

* Started by gathering up the jars, lids, and bands. Then washed the jars and bands in hot soapy water then drying them. Had a mix of Mason, Ball, and Kerr Jars.

* Next perhaps the part we dread most, taking the strings off and breaking the beans up.  A boring but necessary part of canning. Always make sure you get the strings off them.

* After the beans have been broken up wash and clean the beans by running cold water over them several times. Then let them soak in cold water while you prepare the jars and canner pot. While the beans are soaking fill your sink with hot water and let the jars soak in the hot water along with the lids.

* Now to start filling your jars. Add a teaspoon of salt to each jar then start filling the jars with the beans. As you add the beans into the jar you want to press your beans to pack them tightly into the jar, add as many beans that will fit into the jar. When full fill the jar with cold water and seal with lid and band.

* Now were ready to boil and seal the jars in the canner pot. Fill the canner up half way with water and add your jars to the canner, the one we have will take 7 jars. After adding the jars in place fill the canner up the rest of the way with water, put enough water in to almost cover the jars and put the lid on the canner. Turn the stove burner on high till the water comes to a complete boil and then reduce the heat somewhat while keeping the full boil. You'll boil the jars for 3 hours.

* After 3 hours remove the jars, be very careful when removing them from the canner as they are very hot. Put all 7 jars together and set them on top of a bath towel then covering them with another 1 or 2 towels. By covering them the jars will slowly cool off and the jars will completely seal. You'll hear a pop as the lid seals and the jars start to cool. Your done! You can have fresh and delicious Green Beans year round. Plus it gives you a great sense of satisfaction that you've canned your own food. We canned a total of 14 jars!

* The finished Product, 14 qts. of Half Runner Green Beans!



* A special thanks to my Mom for showing me how to do not only this but many cooking ideas and recipes, Love you Mom!

It's that time of year! - Canning 101

I thought I would pass along an informative article on Canning. From the latest issue of Healthy Cooking/Taste of Home. Fantastic magazine that's always packed with great and healthy recipes. The web link is at the bottom of the post.

Canning 101

New to canning? Preserving and canning can seem intimidating at first, but they can be an easy way to save money and give fruits and veggies a longer shelf life. You can enjoy homegrown vegetables and fresh fruit year round and make pickles, salsa, jams and jellies from scratch.

Getting Started

Before you get started, it's important to have all the right tools. Here's a list:

Mason jars with new lids and bands.
Everyday kitchen utensils such as a spatula, funnel and tongs.
A pressure canner or a boiling water bath canner.

Foods with high acidity, such as fruits and tomatoes, can be processed in a boiling water bath canner. These foods are naturally acidic and able to kill bacteria at boiling point (120°). Foods with low acidity, like vegetables and soups, require a pressure canner (not to be confused with a pressure cooker), which reaches high enough temperatures (240-250°) to kill any bacteria.

It might be easier to try canning produce with high acidity first, because most pots found at home can be converted into boiling water bath canners.

The Process

Although low-acidity and high-acidity foods use different kinds of canners, the overall canning process is virtually the same for both.

Gather ingredients; read through recipe and instructions.
Wash and dry jars, lids and bands.
To prevent cracking when hot food is added, heat jars and lids in hot (not boiling) water. Bands should be kept at room temperature so they're easier to handle.
Simmer 2-3 inches of water in pressure canner or fill boiling water canner half-full of water and simmer while food is being prepared and placed in jars. If using a pressure canner, follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Prepare food.
Remove jars from canner using tongs or similar kitchen utensil and fill with food, leaving appropriate headspace as called for in recipe. (Headspace is the space between the food and the lid.) If the recipe calls for it, remove air bubbles in food by running a spatula between the food and the inside of the jar.
Clean rim of jar and place lid on top, making sure it's centered so the seal makes contact with the rim. Tightly screw on band.
Return filled jars to canner. If using a pressure canner, follow manufacturer's directions. If using a boiling water canner, place lid on top and bring to a boil. Depending on the recipe and your altitude, processing times will differ.
Remove jars from canner and let sit 12-24 hours. Don't retighten or adjust the bands.
To be sure the lid is sealed to the jar rim, remove the band and try to lift the lid off. If the lid stays put, the jar was sealed successfully.
Label your jars and store in a dry, cool place.

Sources: USDA Guide to Home Canning (2006) and Ball Canning Corporation. For more information, visit www.uga.edu/nchfp or www.freshpreserving.com



Canning Tips

Remember to adjust the processing time for your altitude. The air is thinner at higher altitudes, which causes water to boil at a lower temperature. Lower boiling temperatures are not as effective at killing bacteria. To compensate, increase the processing time or canner pressure.
Use Mason jars to preserve foods, but never re-use the lids.
Only use a boiling water bath canner or a pressure canner. Open-kettle canning or the use of a dishwasher, oven or microwave for processing is not recommended
Canned food should only be kept up to a year. Only can the amount of food your family will consume over the span of a year.

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Healthy-Cooking-Magazine?pmcode=IMIKA07U&_mid=2385109&_rid=2385109.976649.250799

The National Center for Home Food Preservation

A really great site with great details and information on all types of Home Food Preservation. How to details on ways to Can, Freeze Dry, Smoke Ferment and a lot more!
If you are a home canner, this is the time of year to plan ahead and prepare. Get your equipment and supplies out and inspect them so you are ready when the crops are.

How Canning Preserves Foods

The high percentage of water in most fresh foods makes them very perishable. They spoil or lose their quality for several reasons:

    * growth of undesirable microorganisms-bacteria, molds, and yeasts,
    * activity of food enzymes,
    * reactions with oxygen,
    * moisture loss.

Microorganisms live and multiply quickly on the surfaces of fresh food and on the inside of bruised, insect-damaged, and diseased food. Oxygen and enzymes are present throughout fresh food tissues.

Proper canning practices include:

    * carefully selecting and washing fresh food,
    * peeling some fresh foods,
    * hot packing many foods,
    * adding acids (lemon juice or vinegar) to some foods,
    * using acceptable jars and self-sealing lids,
    * processing jars in a boiling-water or pressure canner for the correct period of time.

Collectively, these practices remove oxygen; destroy enzymes; prevent the growth of undesirable bacteria, yeasts, and molds; and help form a high vacuum in jars. Good vacuums form tight seals which keep liquid in and air and microorganisms out.

http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/

Food Preparations - Canning

Canning is a method of preserving food in which the food is processed and sealed in an airtight container.
Here's an easy to follow guide with all the basics you need to know for successful home canning. If you've never done any canning because you think it's just too complicated, I hope this will encourage you to give it a try.

Beginners should start with high acid foods that can be safely canned by using the easy boiling water bath method of canning. This is a basic way to preserve food at the temperature of boiling water, 212 degrees, using inexpensive equipment. Tomatoes and most fruits are high acid foods.

Vegetables are low acid foods, but when vegetables such as cucumbers, various beans, beets and some others are pickled, they can also be canned using the boiling water bath canning method. Because of the acid in vinegar used for pickling, jars of pickled vegetables can be canned in a boiling water bath.
   

Pressure Canner
   Low acid vegetables like carrots, peas, corn, unpickled beets or beans need to reach a temperature of 240 degrees to kill all bacteria and safely preserve them. Cooking under pressure traps the steam from boiling water, allowing it to reach the higher temperature low acid foods need for safe preservation. This is done by using a pressure canner, making this method a bit more complicated and expensive.

Boiling water bath canning can be easy, if you have the right home canning equipment.
Here's the basic supplies you'll need .....



Canning Jars

There are specially made jars and lids designed for canning. The jars can be reused for many years. Canning jars come in various sizes. Pint and quart sizes are usually used for fruit, applesauce, tomatoes, pickles, etc. Smaller 8 oz. jars are perfect for jams, jellies and relishes. Both pint size and quart size jars are available in regular or wide mouth styles. The wide mouth style is best for pickles and larger pieces of fruit such as peach or pear halves. Canning jars are usually sold in a boxes of 12... Each jar includes a two-piece lid.

Do not use just any jars. Though canning lids may fit some commercial brand mayonnaise or similar type jars, the glass is not tempered as it is in Mason jars and the surface of the jar rim is narrower. These jars may crack in the canning process and the lids might not seal tightly.



Case of jarsTwo-piece lids

Today's jar lids consist of a small cap that seals to the jar rim and a band or screw cap that holds the cap in place. Replacement lids are sold in most grocery stores, department or hardware stores, kitchen shops, farm centers, etc. Lids can be purchased in packages that include both rims and sealing caps, or you can buy boxes of just caps. Sealing caps should never be re-used...You'll need fresh new ones each time you do canning. Make sure you get the right size caps for your used canning jars, either regular or wide-mouth.


Canner    A large covered water bath canner -

A canner must be deep enough to completely immerse the jars with 1 to 2 inches of water covering the top of the lids. Canners have a rack to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot. You can improvise by using any large stockpot with a wire cooling rack placed in the bottom.

Canning suppliesJar Lifter

A very handy tool for removing freshly processed jars from the boiling water. It looks like a wide tongs.

Wide mouth canning funnel -
Used to fill the jars...especially useful for jars with regular size tops.

A non-metallic spatula -
Or, a long plastic knife to run through the filled jars to release trapped air bubbles.

You'll also need a clean dish cloth to wipe the rims before placing the caps on the jars and a heavy dish towel or absorbent mat to sit the hot jars on after they're removed from the canner.

Then just take it step by step....

1 - Have all your equipment ready to use - Wash jars and lids with hot, soapy water. Thoroughly rinse and air dry. Check glass jar rims for even minute chips or cracks as these will not seal. Rinse new caps with hot water before using them.

2 - Prepare the food.
Always start with fruit at the peak of freshness. Fruit and vegetables should be washed, peeled and prepared according to your recipes for preserves, pickles, salsa, spaghetti sauce, etc.. For fruit, I recommend using a product such as "Fruit Fresh" to prevent discoloration. Follow the package directions for the desired amounts of sugar and water for a light, medium or heavy syrup. Prepare jams and jellies according to the directions for the brand of pectin you're using or follow a trusted recipe.

3 - Pack prepared food into hot jars, leaving a head space....usually 1/2" to 1" below the top of the jar rim or the amount stated in the recipe you followed.

Hot Pack or Cold Pack ???? (sometimes called raw pack) - The term "hot pack" in canning directions, means the food is first cooked in a syrup or other liquid. Foods that have been pre-cooked are already hot when they go into the canner, "Cold packed" means the food is raw when it's packed in the jars. Pickles and other foods that easily become soft or soggy go into the canner uncooked.

4 - Carefully run a wooden or other non-metallic spatula or knife down through the ingredients to release any trapped air bubbles.

5 - Wipe the jar rims with a clean, damp cloth to remove all traces of food on the rims.

6 - Place a cap on each jar, making sure it's centered and seated with the rubber edge directly over the rim.

7 - Screw the lid band onto the jar, but do not over tighten.

8 - Fill the canner with hot water - the amount depends on the size of the jars you are using. Most canners have pre-marked guides to give you a general idea.

9 - Place the jars on the rack in the canner or stock pot, adding more water if necessary to cover the jars by 1 to 2 inches.

10 - Cover with lid and bring the water to a full rolling boil. Continue to boil for the time stated in your recipe. A rough guide is about 5 to 10 minutes for pickles, 10 minutes for jam, about 20 to 30 minutes for fruit, fruit pie fillings, and applesauce, and 30 to 45 minutes or more for tomatoes. (Begin timing after the water begins to boil.)

11 - Turn off heat; carefully lift the lid away from you to prevent burning by steam. Using a jar tongs, remove jars from water. Place jars on a dish towel or absorbent mat. Allow to cool several hours or overnight.

12 - Check seals. Lids should be lowered in the middle and not move up or down when you lightly press or tap them. Remove bands wash them and dry them thoroughly. Some sources suggest taking them off for storage. This is important if they will be in a damp area such as a basement where the rims could become rusty. For storage in a dry pantry, I prefer to store them with the bands in place. If you do store them without the bands, leave a few bands in a convenient spot, to use on jars to hold caps in place after they have been opened for use.

13 - Label and date the jars, then store them in a dark, cool, dry area. where there's no danger of freezing.



How Canning Preserves Foods

The high percentage of water in most fresh foods makes them very perishable. They spoil or lose their quality for several reasons:

    * growth of undesirable microorganisms-bacteria, molds, and yeasts,
    * activity of food enzymes,
    * reactions with oxygen,
    * moisture loss.

Microorganisms live and multiply quickly on the surfaces of fresh food and on the inside of bruised, insect-damaged, and diseased food. Oxygen and enzymes are present throughout fresh food tissues.

Proper canning practices include:

    * carefully selecting and washing fresh food,
    * peeling some fresh foods,
    * hot packing many foods,
    * adding acids (lemon juice or vinegar) to some foods,
    * using acceptable jars and self-sealing lids,
    * processing jars in a boiling-water or pressure canner for the correct period of time.

Collectively, these practices remove oxygen; destroy enzymes; prevent the growth of undesirable bacteria, yeasts, and molds; and help form a high vacuum in jars. Good vacuums form tight seals which keep liquid in and air and microorganisms out.