It’s simply a hobby … unless you’re confronted with a disaster. Then it becomes crucial for survival. Home canning is a hobby that many people consider a passion. But, if disaster strikes, that’s when the stockpile of healthy provisions becomes invaluable. But before you rush out to buy your supplies and start adding to your pantry, follow these guide-lines to ensure your emergency food is safe and sanitary.

Best Foods

Your first step as a food preservation expert is to determine the foods you will be storing. Highly acid foods like peaches, pears, tomatoes and apples taste the best and last the longest because the natural acids in the fruits help in the long-term preservation process. You can also jar or pickle low-acid vegetables like carrots, beans, cucumbers and peas, but the pickling spices and salt may discolor or break down the composition of the produce.

You’ll want to avoid any foods from the cruciferous family (broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and cabbage) because these foods will disintegrate during the boiling process, resulting in a big pile of jarred mush, advises registered dietitian and canning expert Kathryn Hollering. Meat, poultry and game can be jarred, but they require a pressure cooker and extremely sanitary processes to avoid bacteria.

The proper steps

The most important key to good canning is purchasing firm, high quality produce from a local farmer, particularly a farm that is native to your state, Hollering advises.
Produce that travels a long distance to get to you will lose part of its flavor and quality along the way and the same is true for meat and poultry.

If you are using fresh game, it must be properly cleaned and kept cool until canned. Even though mobility might be important to you in an emergency, sturdy glass jars are the best and safest storage for your stockpile.

Ball mason jars, lids and rings are the easiest to find in the United States, and they can be purchased online or at a variety of local hardware, grocery and department stores. Keep in mind: you absolutely must use new lids that fit precisely for each particular size jar. Reusing old lids can lead to contamination of the food. Your last purchase should be the apparatus used to prepare your product.
There are three types of preparation: pressure boiling, water bath and open kettle, says Hollering. “They all use a form of boiling the product, but they are different and must be applied to the appropriate foods, or botulism can occur,” she says.

A pressure cooker is a large kettle with a strong lid, sometimes with a clamp and a built-in gauge for watching the boiler temperature. For water bath canning, often used when canning fresh fruit, you will need a four-gallon kettle and lid which holds seven jars during the process.
Although you can employ the same four-gallon kettle for the open-kettle method, this style of canning is not recommended because the food may … Read the rest

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