Preserving the Harvest

Flower & Garden Magazine, Nov, 1999 by Kris Wetherbee

Canning, Freezing and Dehydrating

You did all the right things -- prepared the soil, planted, watered and fertilized your way to the perfect garden filled with an assortment of fabulous foods. Only now the fruits of your labor are getting a little out of hand as bushels of ripened squash, tomatoes, cucumbers and apples impatiently wait to be picked, and picked, and picked ...

That's OK. In fact, that's great, because now you can capture summertime flavor at its peak of perfection. Canning, freezing and dehydrating are three ways to preserve fresh fruits and vegetables and enjoy your garden surplus all winter. Plus, you may discover that you enjoy preserving your harvest as much as you do growing it. Though I do need to warn you -- the flavor of home-grown and home-preserved produce is superior and can be quite addicting.

CHOOSING THE METHOD

Ten years ago I started preserving the bounty from my own garden. Since I had bushels of extra tomatoes, canning was naturally my first choice. Back in those days I canned lots of tomato ketchup and soup, plus jar after jar of delicious salsas and my favorite pasta sauce. Soon I tried cucumbers, peppers, zucchini and strawberries, and I found that some things are even better when frozen or dried (dehydrated).

Zucchini turns to mush when canned as a vegetable unless it's pickled or transformed into a tasty relish. Peppers somehow keep their magical crunch when diced and then quickly frozen (no blanching necessary) into convenient servings just right for a steaming pot of chili or sizzling stirfry. The ultimate though is a sugary sweet treat of dried Asian pears.

Knowing which variety you're growing will also help you decide on which method of preserving to use. `Fern' strawberries are excellent when frozen -- not so for the newer variety `Seascape,' which is better when preserved into jams and jellies. Some tomato varieties like `Sausage' or `Viva Italia' are better canned; others such as `Early Girl' or `Principe Borghese' are choice for drying. And though any Asian pear is delicious when dried, `Shin-Li' with its spicy cinnamon flavor is in a class by itself.

Canning, freezing and drying your garden surplus also gives you lots of choices. If you don't like frozen green beans, then can them instead with a nice sprig of fresh basil added to each jar. After all, it depends on what you and your family want or enjoy the most.

CANNING CLUES

Canning preserves food by applying sustained high heat to destroy microorganisms that can cause foods to spoil. Once canned foods are cooled, a vacuum seal is formed, which prevents further spoilage.

Each year I process more than 300 jars of canned foods without a single case of food poisoning. (Although, I can't say the same for several restaurants I've eaten at over the years.) The reason I've had such success with canning is that I always follow the rules. A good canning book or your local county extension agent (in the phone book under the Government section) can provide you with the proper canning information along with great recipes. That's your first step.

The next step is to know which of the two processing methods you should use, and that depends on the acidity of the food. Acidic foods include fruits, jams, jellies, relishes, most tomatoes (increase the acidity of low-acid tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon of citric acid per quart of processed tomatoes) and anything pickled in a vinegar solution, such as sauerkraut or pickled vegetables. These foods are processed using a boiling-water canner (212 degrees).

Low-acid foods such as vegetables and meats are processed at a higher temperature (240 degrees), using a steam-pressure canner with either a weighted or dial gauge. If you're a beginner, I recommend starting with something simple, like a strawberry jam using the boiling-water method.

Here are a few basics to get you started. Always use glass canning jars, sometimes called Mason jars, designed to withstand heat shock. These are available in either a narrow mouth (good for jams, sauces and soups), or a wide mouth, which makes it easier to process and to retrieve those pickles, peaches, green beans and whole tomatoes. For each jar, you'll need the two-piece lid consisting of a new metal vacuum lid and used or new metal screw ring (band).

Any large pot that's 4 inches higher than the lidded jars can be used as a boiling-water canner, but you'll also need a wire rack to keep the jars away from direct heat. Commercial canners (wire rack included) made of porcelain-coated steel or aluminum are readily available and can usually be found for less than $20.

A steam-pressure canner is required if you'll be canning low-acid foods. Other useful utensils for canning include a plastic or metal funnel for filling jars, a plastic heat-resistant spatula for removing air bubbles from jars, and a rubber-coated jar lifter to remove hot processed jars from the canner. Additional handy items include several large saucepots, a food mill or processor, a juicer (for making jellies) and a cooking timer.