Getting Started:
I have “dabbled” in home food preservation for many years but have never really been passionate about it until recently. I have made jellies and such but not much other than throwing stuff in the freezer. That all changed when my mother-in-law gave me a small pressure canner. With that small item, my world changed. I joined online groups and read all about canning. I’ve watched videos to learn all I can and have realized, it’s an easy (but time consuming) thing to do. You just have to understand the science behind what you’re doing. Let me share a bit about what I have learned.
First, many people ask what they need to do to get started on this journey? Well, all you need to do is answer a few questions. I am not going to try and get you to start preserving food but instead, try to give you reasons why you may or may not want to go down this path.
Why:
- Farmer’s market: Do you have a nice farmer’s market close by where you can get some really nice vegetables? If so, you may consider it. Especially if you can get a lot for less money than buying at the grocery store.
- High yield garden: Did you plant a garden and now you have more vegetables than you can eat before they spoil? Don’t let your hard work go to waste.
- Economy: Unfortunately, many are feeling the effects of higher food prices. To help, you may be able to buy in bulk and take advantage of sales. But, what to do with all that food? Don’t waste your money buying more than you can consume before it spoils. If you can preserve it, do so.
- Homestead: Maybe you want to be more self-sufficient and try homesteading. If you have the space, you can certainly grow your own food, but you will need to prepare for times when your garden and animals are not producing.
Knowing the reason for this decision, may help determine your needs. I can tell you that if you are just starting out, it can be expensive. The supplies you will need up front deter many people. Just remember, many things are bought once and reused multiple times. Others are not.
A Few Canning Definitions:
Many of these definitions were obtained from the Ball Blue Book Guide to Canning and Preserving and are not in alphabetical order.
Clostridium botulinum: The bacteria that causes botulism, a severe form of food poisoning, which can be life-threatening. These anaerobic spores are naturally found in wind and soil and the spores are usually harmless. However, once the spores are in an environment that supports growth (high moisture, low air – anaerobic), they produce a potent neurotoxin that can be deadly. The spores cannot grow in the presence of air and do not usually thrive in high-acid foods, but can thrive and grow in low-acid foods. Controlling botulism in home food preservation is primarily by heat. Low-acid foods must be processed with a high enough temperature to kill the spores. Using a water-bath method cannot reach an adequate temperature to kill the spores. Only by pressure canning can adequate temperature be reached (240o – 250o F (degrees Fahrenheit)).
High-Acid Foods: Foods with a pH of 4.6 or less. These types of foods can usually be processed in a boiling-water canner. High-acid foods include most fruits (except figs) and most tomatoes. Foods include things like jelly, salsa, pickles, etc.
Low-Acid Foods: Foods with a pH greater than 4.6. To minimize chances of botulism growth, these foods must be heat-processed in a pressure canner. Low-acid foods include vegetables, some tomatoes, legumes, and all meats.
Head space: The air or unfilled space between the top of the liquid/food to the rim of the jar. When heat is added, the pressure inside the jar increases. Without adequate headspace, the jar could break or the lid “blow” off. As the jar begins to cool, the pressure inside decreases and causes a vacuum, thus sealing the lid. It is important to remember to remove air bubbles that may be trapped in the food before measuring the headspace. If not, you could have more headspace than intended. Use a headspace tool that can double as a de-bubble device to measure or estimate by using the rings (Fig. 1).
Cold or Raw Pack: Filling jars with raw, unheated food before processing. Food can be chopped or prepped but is not pre-cooked or heated.
Hot Pack: Filling jars with hot food. Sometimes the food is boiled in water or broth. There may be times food is completely cooked and then put into jars before processing. Food still needs to be processed for the amount of time and/or pressure suggested for safety.
Water-Bath Canning: Jars are filled with a high-acid food, lids applied, and then completely submerged into water. There should be about 1-2 inches of water covering all jars. Bring the water to a boil and process for the suggested amount of time. Once finished, the jars can be removed from the water-bath and set out to cool and lids seal. Check for failed seals after completely cooled – about 12 to 24 hours later. If adequately sealed, remove rings, and clean the outside of the jars. These should be shelf-stable for several months to even years. Low-acid foods should never be processed using this method since the temperature to kill Clostridium botulinum cannot be reached using this method.
Pressure Canning: The only canning method suggested for processing low-acid foods. The steam inside the canner builds and can reach a temperature of at least 240o F. This temperature is sufficient to destroy harmful bacteria, spores, and neurotoxins. A weighted gauge or pressure gauge is used to ensure the correct amount of pressure for the elevation is reached. If using a dial gauge, it must be tested and calibrated annually. A weighted gauge does not need to be tested.
Freezing:
Freezing is probably the least expensive if you already have a freezer, but you are limited by space. To freeze your vegetables and meat, you obviously need a freezer and containers to package your food. Using a vacuum sealer is great. It really does extend the life of the food and helps to prevent “freezer burn”. However, the vacuum packing sealer will cost anywhere from around $50 to well over $100. It depends on the type and functions you need. In addition, the bags (for the most part) are not reusable. Once you have opened a package, it will not be easy to reuse. If vacuum seal is not what you want, you can always buy reusable or disposable freezer bags. These will work but not as well as vacuum seal. Also, while not that expensive, disposable bags are, disposable. Mostly one-time use. I know many people reuse them, but they are not designed for reuse. If you can safely reuse some a few times, go for it. Anything that will safely preserve your food to save your hard work and money is always a good thing.
Dehydrating:
Dehydrating is easy to do, but it is very time consuming. You have to prep the food, then run the dehydrator for several hours. Once the food is sufficiently dehydrated, package it. So, is it worth it? Of course! I use a mandolin slicer to get consistent and thin slices. Dry times will vary depending on how thick your items are. Tomatoes are great to dehydrate – you can season or not, and it takes about 6 hours to get them thoroughly dry. I put them either in jars or zip-top bags and always use a desiccant pack because humidity is not your friend when dehydrating. Desiccant packs can be bought online (I got mine on Amazon) and are inexpensive. Besides tomatoes, what can you dehydrate? Lots of things.
According to the Ball Blue Book Guide to Food Preservation:
- Fruits: Most fruits can be dehydrated except for things like avocados, citrus fruits, and melons. Now, I have seen citrus fruits dehydrated and you can find directions online. I personally have never done it, but others have. So, what (according to Ball) are some of the best fruits to dehydrate?
- Bananas – Slice into thin 1/8-to-1/4-inch slices, then soak in citrus water (lemon or lime juice added to water) to prevent them from turning brown. They will darken from the process some anyway, though. These will take 6 or more hours depending on the thickness of your slices, at 135o F in a dehydrator.
- Apples – Probably the most common fruit to dehydrate. These will need to be sliced into 1/4-to-1/2-inch slices and then soaked in citrus water to prevent them from turning brown. Apples take a long time and depending on how thick your slices are, it will take anywhere from 7 to 15 hours at 135o F in a dehydrator.
- Apricots – Remove the pit, cut in half, and process at 130o to 135 o F until pliable with no moisture pockets.
- Blueberries – Wash and remove stems. Dip in boiling water for about 30 seconds. Process at 130o to 135o F until leathery.
- Cherries – Wash and remove stems. Process at 130o to 135 o F until leathery and slightly sticky.
- Grapes (raisins) – Dip in boiling water for 30 – 60 seconds. Process at 130o to 135 o F until pliable with no moisture pockets.
- Strawberries – Wash, remove caps, cut into ½ inch slices. Process at 130o to 135 o F until almost crisp (will still be a little pliable). Be aware that strawberries do not rehydrate well.
- Fruit leather: Almost all the same fruits that are good to dehydrate make excellent fruit leather. Remove the excess seeds from berries. If using bananas, it is best to mix it with another fruit. To make a fruit leather, puree the fruit and spread it out thin, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch – a little fruit juice or water can be used if the pureed fruit is too thick to spread. Sugar or honey can also be added if needed. Process it at 135o F until it feels leather-like and pliable and no sticky spots can be found. Depending on the fruit, it may require 12 or more hours to dry adequately. Frozen fruit can also be used. Just thaw and process the same way as if processing from fresh.
- Others – most are going to be sliced thin, or as in the apricots, cut in half. With almost all directions I have read, the temperature is mostly to process at 130o to 135o F until dry or until no moisture pockets are found.
- Jerky: Jerky is raw meat that marinated and then dried. It needs to be sliced thin; 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Basically, any meat can be used to make jerky, but beef is the most common. Before slicing, slightly freeze the meat to make it easier to slice and be sure to cut across the grain. If the meat is sliced with the grain, it will be chewier and a little more tough. Process the meat at about 145o F for several hours. Start checking the meat at about the 4-hour mark. If you see fat droplets on the pieces when checking it, dab it with a paper towel to remove. When finished, the pieces should bend but not break.
- Some directions suggest heating the meat while still in the marinade by boiling for 5 minutes before processing or placing in the oven at 275o F for 10 minutes after it is dried. Heating before dehydrating will decrease the drying time; however, the main reason to do this is bring the internal temperature of the meat up to 160o F. This helps to make it shelf stable and ensure the meat is cooked thoroughly. If unable to remove all the moisture, it should not be store without freezing or refrigeration. If stored on the shelf, use an air-tight storage container like a zip-top bag, canning jar, vacuum pack, or food preparation container. A desiccant pouch can also be used to help decrease chances of spoilage from moisture contamination.
- Experiment with different marinades. You can find a lot of good recipes online. The one I use most often is Dale’s marinade with a little pepper added. No salt is needed because the liquid is salty enough. Marinate for several hours before processing.
- Vegetables: Almost all vegetables can be dehydrated. Use fresh produce to get the best results. Depending on your dehydrator, you will use a temperature from 125o F to 140o F for 4 to 14 hours. My dehydrator does not go below 130o F, so I start there and begin checking the veggies at the 4-hour mark. They need to be crisp. These can be stored as is, or ground into a powder. I usually don’t grind mine. Once dehydrated, they take up very little space.
- Tomatoes: This is my favorite. I have found Roma tomatoes on sale several times this year, so I bought several pounds. I fermented some and dehydrated the rest. I sliced them into thin slices on my mandolin slicer, some were seasoned with salt and Italian seasoning, the rest I left plain. Some I stored in a zip-top bag, others in a jar. These are great to add to stews and sauces, or they are good to eat right out of the package. You can also powder them.
Freeze-drying:
Honestly, I have never done any freeze-drying, but I have eaten it. It is intriguing and I would love to have a home freeze-dryer, but they cost more than I can justify spending. I have watched several videos of people who have the equipment, and it looks awesome. Harvest Right seems to be the company that is most popular for home freeze-drying (honestly, I don’t know if there is another company that makes a home freeze-dryer). So, if you can afford it, go for it. From what I have read, it takes about 24-48 hours to complete the cycle and your food will be shelf stable for about 25 years! I am not an affiliate with Harvest Right, I just wanted to provide you the link to make it easier to search – just in case you wanted to research it yourself.
Of course, you can also order freeze-dried foods. There are several companies available, so it is your preference which you choose to use. I recently ordered several items from Augason Farms. I ordered my items through Amazon and have been pleased so far. I have only gotten vegetables and butter powder but would like to explore more with the meats and fruits. That will come with time.
Pickling and Fermenting:
So, what is the difference? They’re both usually sour but the difference is how they achieve that sour flavor. When we think of pickling, we usually only think about cucumbers being turned into those wonderful pickles. Believe it or not, many foods can be pickled – veggies, fruits, seafood, and eggs.
So, the sour flavor we get from pickling is by soaking foods in an acidic liquid. It not only changes the taste but also the flavor of the foods, and we use heat to destroy and inhibit the growth of harmful microorganisms. The most common liquid used in the home is a brine made from a combination of vinegar, salt, and sugar. The food is packed in a jar and then the brine is heated to dissolve the sugar and salt. Enough brine is poured into the jar to cover the food, leaving about ½ inch of head space. Since there is adequate acidity, pickled foods are usually jarred using the water-bath method.
Fermenting is different. Foods are processed in a brine that allows the intentional growth of bacteria and yeast. Many times, the liquid used to ferment is formed from adding salt to the vegetable or fruit and liquid is extracted from the food. Or a salty brine is made and poured over the food. When fermenting, it is very important to make sure the food remains under the brine. The brine prevents bad bacteria and mold from growing. If using a salt-water brine, make sure not to use water that has been chlorinated (tap water). It’s best to use filtered or even distilled water. Remember, you’re wanting good bacteria to grow and if you use chlorinated water, it could prevent the bacterial growth, which could result in ruined food. If you see mold, it’s best not to take a chance and just throw it out. Some people will say you can scoop off anything that was not in the brine and save the rest so it’s up to you? However, you’ll hear many people say, “when in doubt, throw it out”.
After a few days, it is normal to see some bubbles and the food may even be “fizzy”. Gases will form and will need a way to escape. This can be done using a “burp” lid, lightly placed 2-piece lid and ring, or a lid with a one-way valve. You can also invest in a fermenting vessel. It’s up to you and what you want to spend if you don’t have anything now. I choose to use jars with a burp lid.
There may be times you need to use something to push the food below the surface of the brine. There are many ways you can do this. Fermenting weights are available online that will fit nicely in a jar. I typically use a ½ gallon jar and use a ¼ pint jar as my weight. I have also seen people put some brine in a plastic zip-top bag and use that as the weight. If you have a fermenting crock, they often come with weights. If fermenting cabbage, save one of the outside (clean) cabbage leaves and use it to press the food down. There are also fermenting kits that come with quart jars, a spring weight, and burp lid. These work well and aren’t terribly expensive. I have several and have been happy with the way they work.
My next post will be about canning and I will share some information regarding water-bath and pressure canning. But, until then, live life and have fun doing it!