Canning and Freezing Produce and Meat - Backyard Farming: On an Acre - page 279

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When you pull a can of produce from your larder, always inspect it carefully for signs of damage or
contamination. Is the lid still tightly sealed? If not, throw it out. If there are signs of foamy bubbles in the
can, moldy spots present in the food, or a bad smell to the food, you should discard the food immediately
without tasting it.
Basic Steps for Water-Bath Canning
Water-bath canning is a method that is only safe for high-acid foods like fruit, tomatoes, and
foods in vinegar like pickles. Canning fruits at the moment of harvest is one of the best ways to
preserve the maximum level of nutrients. Be sure you find a recipe to follow based on USDA safety
recommendations.
Here are the basic steps for water-bath canning:
1. Preparing the food for canning means peeling, pitting, deseeding, or in some cases precook-
ing the fruit. Discard any soft, rotten, or spoiled items. Some foods are put into the cans
unheated, known as raw or cold packed, while other foods are put into hot jars precooked
and heated, known as hot packed . Each recipe specifies the method of preparation, how much
headspace (empty room) to leave at the top of the jar, and how long to process the jars in the
pressure canner.
2. Fill the canning pot with water until the level is within an inch of the top of the jars. Bring
the water to boil to heat the jars. You should also be warming up the lids and rings at this
time but not to a full boil.
3. Fill the hot canning jars with the produce—either hot sauces or raw fruit chunks, and boil-
ing liquid, as directed by the recipe. Fill the jar to the appropriate level, leaving the correct
amount of headspace at the top according to the recipe. Use your bubble releaser or a rubber
spatula to make sure there are no air bubbles trapped around the fruit in the jar.
4. Wipe the rim of the jar clean with a clean dish rag or towel and place a hot lid over the top
of the jar. Screw on a ring and hand tighten.
5. Place each jar into the water-bath canner carefully. Use a jar lifter to grasp the glass of the jar
and avoid messing up the band. When all the filled and lidded jars are in the canning pot,
on the canning rack, make sure there is at least an inch of water over the top of the jar.
6. Put the lid on the water-bath canner and bring the water to a boil. Remember that when
canning recipes you start the timing at the point of boiling so if the recipe says three min-
utes, that means boiling for three minutes.