June 29, 2017
Whether you are a beginner or experienced food preserver, you can learn the latest preservation techniques recommended by the USDA. Join the Purdue Extension Educator, Karen Richey, on Wednesday, July 12th at 6:30 pm at the Marshall County Extension Office, 112 West Jefferson Street, Room 304, Plymouth, to learn how to safely preserve your food! To register please call the Extension Office at 574-935-8545 or e-mail krichey@purdue.edu by July 11th.
Start by checking your equipment and supplies. Proper equipment in good condition is required for safe, high quality home canned food, for example. Pressure canner testing for gauges is done at the Marshall County Extension office at a $5.00 fee. Testing will be held prior to the program from 5:30pm-6:15pm.
If you’ve not yet purchased your needed equipment, there are two types of canners to consider: boiling water canners and pressure canners. A boiling water canner is used for canning acid or acidified foods like most fruits, most pickles, jams and jellies. Boiling water canners cost about $30-$100, or can be assembled yourself with a large stock pot, secure lid, and rack to keep jars off the bottom of the pot.
A pressure canner is essential for canning low acid foods such as vegetables, meats, fish, and poultry. Temperatures inside pressure canners reach higher than boiling water canners (for example, 240°F and above as compared to about 212°F). This is necessary to follow the tested processes available to be sure and kill the toxin–producing spores of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. If not killed, these spores can grow out and produce a deadly toxin (poison) in room-temperature stored jars of the low-acid foods mentioned.
You have two choices for type pressure canner: a dial gauge canner or a weighted gauge canner. Most steps in managing the pressure canning process are the same, but the two styles have different types of gauges to indicate the pressure inside the canner. Expect to spend $100-$150 or more on a pressure canner.
If you use a dial gauge canner, then it’s important to have the gauge tested for accuracy before each canner season or if you drop or damage your gauge. It isn’t as easy as it used to be to get gauges tested. Purdue Extension-Marshall County provides canner inspections and gauge testing by appointment. For either type of canner, check that the rubber gasket is flexible and soft, and if it is brittle, sticky, or cracked then replace it with a new gasket. Also check that any openings, like vent ports, are completely clean and open.
A final must is reliable, up-to-date canning and other food preservation instructions. Specific kitchen equipment or ingredients could be needed to follow directions as they are written for food preservation. And in the case of canning especially, very significant food safety risks by following unsound recommendations. Reliable, up-to-date canning instructions are available at the National Center Home Food Preservation website, the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, So Easy to Preserve, or the Marshall County Extension office.