Preserving Garden's Bounty: Canning and Freezing

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Preserving

Garden's Bounty: Canning and Freezing

FROM BRINGING FAMILIES TOGETHER TO PRESERVING THE SEASON’S SUCCULENT

FRUITS

AND VEGETABLES, CANNING AND FREEZING ARE WONDERFUL WAYS TO MAKE THE MOST OF

YOUR HARVEST.

 

by Patricia Mitchell...photos by Kata Rishel

 

• • •

 

Here we are again, at the height of our local growing season, our bodies and

tastebuds rejoicing at the abundance of fresh produce making its way to our

dinner tables and picnic baskets. Summer finds us luxuriating in the taste

of ripe melons, the nourishment of homegrown garden greens and the joys of

fresh-picked corn-on-the-cob. But as the growing season comes to an end,

these delights don’t have to. With a little planning and effort,

it’s easy

to preserve the season’s bounty and enjoy homegrown nourishment all year

long.

 

For many years, rural families have practiced canning — the process of

applying heat to food in a closed jar to delay spoilage — and freezing

their

harvests to ensure a steady food supply through the cold winter months. And

while modern-day preservers rarely rely on these practices for survival, the

traditions of canning and freezing remain alive and well.

 

Donna Litton, owner of Litton’s Produce and Berries in Fairplay, is a

home-canner who has been preserving the fruits of her garden for as long as

she can remember. In addition to childhood memories of snapping beans and

making applesauce with her family, she fondly recalls, “My first canning

experiences were with my mother. I enjoyed them so much. Now, I’m using

what

I learned, and I’m passing those skills on to my own children…

It’s part of

our heritage.”

 

Canning at the Litton household is truly a family affair — one in which

all

seven of Donna’s children, ages 1–14, participate. Donna and her

“own

picking crew” measure the growing season by its harvests, from early

asparagus to late-season watermelon. As the family collects foods that

preserve well, they work together — with the younger children turning a

food

processor’s crank and the older kids peeling fruits and veggies —

to fill

their shelves with a rainbow of green beans, applesauce, tomatoes, pickles,

peaches, pears, tomato sauce, salsa and pepper relish.

 

“I really think anyone can do this,” Donna says. “It’s

not hard at all. I

learned from my mother and from a canning book, and I’ve won ribbons for

my

canning at the local fairs.”

 

Get Ready to Can

Before beginning your own canning venture, contact your county extension

office or another qualified source for detailed instructions and to get a

firm grasp on safety basics, like ensuring that you have the proper

equipment for the job.

 

Be sure to use only glass jars designed specifically for canning, as they

are made to withstand high heat and to accommodate lids and screw bands.

While canning jar lids are made with a sealing compound and can be used only

once, intact jars can be reused for 10 years or more, and screw bands can be

reused until they turn rusty or show signs of wear. Thus, after an initial

investment, annual equipment costs are minimal. A jar lifter, wide-mouth

funnel and kitchen scale also will come in handy.

 

There are two types of canners, each suited to preserving a different type

of food.

 

The simpler of the two varieties is the water-bath canner. Any large pot

with a tight-fitting lid and an interior rack — used to keep jars from

contacting the pot’s bottom — and deep enough for jars to stay

submerged in

water, can be used for water-bath canning.

 

This method works best for canning high-acid foods, including fruits, jams,

jellies, vinegar-based pickles and some tomatoes. Because the acidity of

these foods kills bacteria naturally, temperatures needn’t be as high

during

the canning process.

 

Foods with lower acidity, however, like asparagus, beans, beets, carrots,

corn and peas, should be canned at higher temperatures (usually 240–250

degrees) which can only be maintained through pressure canning. Pressure

canners — whose lids lock, rather than simply fit tightly — make

use of a

vent or petcock, a pressure relief mechanism, and a dial or pressure gauge.

The Washington County extension office offers free gauge testing in addition

to a wealth of information and safety tips.

 

Hagerstown resident Mary House confesses to a one-time fear of pressure

canning, which does require focus and following exact procedures. But Mary

says that once she challenged her fear, she developed a love for this method

and she now admits, “It’s not that hard at all.”

 

Preserving a Tradition

Like Donna and scores of others who carry on the tradition, Mary learned the

art of canning from the generation that came before her. Gathering recipes

from friends, family and outside sources over the years, she feels she’s

finally perfected tomato sauce. And she’s learned to be a bit more

adventurous, reaching new culinary heights by preserving 10-day pickles and

sauerkraut.

 

Mary and her mother, Norma Buckley, continue to pass on their knowledge to

Mary’s three daughters, ages 12, 14 and 16 — all of whom are

enrolled in a

local 4-H program, which further encourages their interest. Sixteen-year-old

Brenna has even taken home the title of Grand Champion for the jellies she

entered in last year’s county fair.

 

The House family finds similar success when freezing their produce yields.

“I think everything tastes so much better when you can or freeze your own

food,” Mary says. “There’s a big difference in flavor in

having your own

frozen corn over anything else.”

 

In addition to corn, foods that freeze well include ripe berries, squash,

sweet potatoes, beans, broccoli, peaches, carrots, cauliflower, peas and

spinach. Blanching vegetables — scalding them in boiling water for a

short

time (dependent on the type of produce, see chart on page 146), then cooling

them in cold water for an equal time — before freezing stops enzyme

action

and keeps the vegetables’ flavor and color fresh. Choose a freezer

container

that is sealable, moisture-proof, vapor-proof, and made to withstand

temperatures of 0 degrees or below.

 

Frozen foods, like canned foods, can be stored and used for up to one year

—

and sometimes longer. While canned foods can be shelved in any cool, dark

place, frozen food storage is often limited by freezer space. But freezing

requires a lesser commitment, in terms of time and effort.

 

Preserving your harvest, whether by canning or freezing, is ultimately up to

you. Both methods offer payoffs ranging from economy to creating gourmet

gifts. But the best reward comes with the first full-bodied taste of

garden-grown tomatoes during the height of winter.

 

For more information, consult the Ball Blue Book of Preserving by Alltrista

Consumer Products; contact the Washington County Cooperative Extension

office at 301-791-1504; or visit helpful Web sites like www.homecanning.com

or www.cfsan.fda.gov, the U.S. Food and

Drug Administration’s Center for

Food Safety and Applied Nutrition site.

 

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Tips for Freezing Vegetables

If done properly, freezing vegetables is a great way to store your harvest

through the winter months. Blanching veggies before freezing them stops the

enzyme activity that makes them become tough and lose flavor. It’s

important

to cool veggies in ice water immediately after blanching, for a time equal

to blanching time (see chart on page 146). Here are some other tips to

ensure freezing success:

• Since vegetables lose quality rapidly after harvesting, reap only an

amount you can prepare to freeze within three hours. Or refrigerate veggies

then freeze as soon as possible.

• Choose young, tender vegetables to freeze.

• Wash veggies thoroughly to remove dirt, bacteria and pesticide residue.

Drain and rinse several times with cold water.

• For a boiling-water blanch, use one gallon of water per one pound of

vegetables (two gallons for leafy greens). Place vegetables in wire basket

or mesh bag; immerse in boiling water. Cover. Start counting blanching time

immediately.

• For a steam-blanch, place one layer of vegetables in a wire basket.

Suspend in steamer above several inches of rapidly boiling water and cover.

Steam 1 1/2 times longer than boiling water blanch time.

• To prevent air exposure and moisture loss, use only moisture-proof,

vapor-proof packaging designed for freezing — “can or freeze”

glass jars,

plastic freezing containers, heavyweight aluminum foil, plastic-coated

freezer paper and polyethylene wrap and bags.

• Pack veggies tightly in freezer bags or rigid containers. Squeeze air

from bags before sealing. Leave

1/2-inch headspace.

• Label and date the product.

• To retain quality, freeze veggies quickly at lowest possible freezer

setting.

 

Source: Ohio State University Extension, www.ohioline.osu.edu