How to Preserve Strawberries, Pears, and Zucchini for Year-Round Breakfast Enjoyment

Once the fruits and vegetables come on in our gardens, yards, or orchards, we love enjoying the fresh produce. But fruits and vegetables don't last long and it is a long wait until next year. Here are recipes for preserving that garden or orchard bounty so you and your family can enjoy it year-round. The Strawberry Jam is easy with no cooking necessary but it tastes so good. The Pear Honey is a favorite of mine as it is a very old family recipe. Zucchini Marmalade turns this little squash into a great breakfast treat! I'm sure it is because I am a senior citizen now, I love things that remind me of my childhood growing up in rural Southern Indiana. Although I never plan to live there again, it was a great place to grow up.

QUICK AND EASY STRAWBERRY JAM
2 cups fully ripe, completely crushed fresh strawberries
1 box Sure-Jell
3/4 cup water
4 cups sugar

Mix the sugar into the crushed strawberries; let stand 10 minutes. Stir to dissolve the sugar. Mix the Sure-Jell and water together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute. Stir the Sure-Jell into the strawberry mixture. Stir for 3 minutes. Ladle the mixture into freezer containers, cover with lids and let set at room temperature for 24 hours. Store in freezer. This is good as a jam and also as a topping for ice cream.

PEAR HONEY
I found this recipe in one of my late mother's boxes of recipe clippings. This one is from my Great-Aunt Truly. I'm sure this recipe is as old as I am, maybe older, and I am a senior citizen!

1 cup fresh pears
1 cup apples
1 cup crushed pineapple
pineapple juice
1/2 cup oranges slices, cut up
1 cup sugar

Peel, and core, both pears and apples and then measure, put through food chopper and measure amount needed for 1 cup of each. Dice the orange slices in small pieces. This is not candy orange slices but slices of real oranges. Mix all ingredients together, using juice from the pineapple, and boil for 20 minutes. Seal in hot jelly jars.

(I love the instructions. That is why I don't change these old recipe instructions. They are too funny the way they are.)

ZUCCHINI MARMALADE
This is another old recipe from Lawrence County Indiana where I was born and raised, oh so long ago!

6 cups grated zucchini, peeled
5 cups sugar
1 can crushed pineapple in juice
1 box Sure-Jell
2 tbsps lemon juice
1 box (6-oz) apricot-flavored gelatin

Cook the zucchini and sugar for 6 minutes; Remove from the heat. Add the pineapple, Sure-Jell, and lemon juice. Return to the heat and cook for another 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the gelatin. Stir until gelatin is completely dissolved. Seal in jelly jars or place in freezer containers and freeze.

Enjoy!

The Best Methods of Food Preservation

Food preservation is one of the oldest technologies that humans use, and people will always disagree on which are the best methods of food preservation. In general people want safe, nutritious foods that are considered good quality, taking into account freshness, wholesomeness, nutritional value, aroma, color, texture and flavor. Generally, food is considered safe if there is no danger from naturally occurring toxins, pathogenic microorganisms, or other potentially harmful chemicals. Food that is sterile contains no bacteria; if it is not sterilized and sealed it does contain bacteria. Milk, for instance has bacteria naturally living in it and will spoil in two or three hours if left out at room temperature. However, by putting it in the refrigerator bacteria is slowed down to such an extent that it will stay fresh for a week or two, even though bacteria are still present.

Food preservation involves treating and handling food to either greatly slow down or stop spoilage that caused or accelerated by micro-organisms. Preservation normally involves preventing the growth of fungi, bacteria and other micro-organisms, as well as the oxidation of fats which the cause rancidity. However, some methods of preservation actually use benign fungi, yeasts or bacteria to preserve food and add specific qualities, for example wines or cheeses. It may also include processes which inhibit aging and discoloration that occur during food preparation, like the enzymatic browning (oxidation) in apples when they are cut. Some food has to be sealed after treatment to prevent recontamination with microbes while others, such as drying, mean food can be stored without special containment. There are many methods of preserving food including freezing, freeze drying, spray drying, food irradiation, sugar crystallization, adding preservatives, preserving in syrup, canning and vacuum-packing.

The following are all methods of food preservation:

Salting

Salting, also known as curing, removes moisture from meats through osmosis. Meat is cured with sugar or salt, or perhaps both. Nitrites and nitrates are also used to cure meat and inhibit Clostridium botulinum.

Freezing

Freezing is commonly used domestically and commercially for preserving a wide range of food.

Irradiation

Exposure to ionizing radiation is known as irradiation or cold pasteurization. It has a large range of effects including killing molds, insects and bacteria, and reducing the ripening and spoiling of fruits.

High pressure food preservation

Extremely high pressure is sometimes used to preserve food. Pressure as high as 70,000 psi or more is used, resulting in food that retains its nutrients, appearance, texture and flavor whilst presenting spoilage.

Vacuum-packing

Vacuum-packing stores food in an airless environment, like an air-tight bag or bottle. This environment leaves bacteria without oxygen, slowing spoiling.

Pickling

Pickling is a method of food preservation leaving the food in an edible, anti-microbial liquid. Fermentation pickling uses food itself to produce preservation agents, usually in a process that produces lactic acid. Chemical pickling inhibits or kills bacteria and other micro-organisms in a liquid.

Burial

Burying food preserves it by providing much lower levels of oxygen, light and pH level, as well as providing natural desiccants in the soil and cooler temperatures.

Smoking

Fish, meat and other foods may be flavored as well as preserved with the use of smoke. The combination of heat and the aromatic (phenolic) hydrocarbons from the smoke preserve the food.

Lye

Lye, or sodium hydroxide, inhibits bacterial growth by making food too alkaline.

Canning

The process of canning involves cooking food, then sealing it in sterile jars or cans and boiling the containers to weaken or kill any remaining bacteria. Foods have varying degrees of natural protection against spoilage so some may require a pressure cooker as the final step. Foods low in acid, like meats and vegetables require what is known as pressure canning.

Controlled use of micro-organism

Products like wines, beers and cheeses keep for a long time because the production process uses micro-organisms to combat spoilage.

Jellying

Some food can be preserved by cooking in a material that solidifies and forms a gel, including maize flour, arrowroot flour and gelatin. Certain foods form a natural protein gel when they are cooked. Using jellying to preserve fruit produces marmalade, fruit preserves and jelly.

Modified atmosphere

This is a way to preserve food by altering the atmosphere surrounding it. For example, salad is extremely hard to keep fresh and is now being packaged in sealed bags with a modified atmosphere which reduces oxygen and increases carbon dioxide.

Drying

This is one of the oldest methods, it reduces water activity enough to prevent or delay bacterial growth. Most meats can be dried, along with many fruits. Cereal grains including rice, rye, barley, oats, maize, wheat and millet are also dried, as are grapes like sultanas, raisins and currants.

Sugaring

Sugaring is used to preserve fruits such as apricots, pears, apples, plums and peaches, either in syrup or in crystallized form.

Without doubt, one of the best methods of food preservation is called eggstrafresh and it can be found at http://www.eggstrafresh.com. It is a revolutionary breakthrough in food preservation, scientifically proven to dramatically reduce oxidation and retain moisture, thus increasing shelf life. Additionally, eggstrafresh will improve the taste, flavor, texture and natural color of all of your foods.

Homemade Canning - Growing and Canning Your Own Food

When it comes to canning, the fresher the produce the better the flavor and the longer the shelf life would be of the canned produce. Avoid store-bought fruits and vegetables; these have been in cold storage, which results in a shorter shelf life and poorer flavor. Opt instead for produce purchased from a farmers market or from your garden.

How to Choose Produce to Can

If electing to purchase from a farmers market, make sure the produce is really from local farms and has been picked within three days of purchase. You can tell if the food is local by checking for distributor labels, rubber bands or ties, boxes from retailers, and so forth while at the market stalls. Also doing proper research on the farmers market or farmer stall helps to ensure the food is locally grown and not purchased in bulk from a distributor.

Even better yet, grow your own produce for best results. Home-grown foods picked at the peak of freshness and canned weekly or semi-weekly result in a delicious and fresh-picked taste that will win awards and smiles over store-bought goods. Research is the key to perfect canning. Find out which foods should be picked in the morning and which should be picked in the evening for the best flavor.

The Best Fruits for Home-Grown Canning

The easiest produce for homemade canning are fruits like peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, berries, quinces, oranges, apples, and cherries. These are also easier to grow and produce a large harvest from a single tree or two. Most fruits are high-acid and usually a lot of sugar goes into the process which further helps keep the fruits from spoiling.

Most fruit trees and vines are low maintenance compared to a vegetable garden. Simply prune and fertilize once to twice a year at the appropriate season, and water them frequently. Plus, each fruit ripens in a slightly different week or month all summer long, if you choose the right varieties, making it easier to deal with one type of produce that week.

The Easiest Vegetables to Grow and Can

Vegetables take a bit more maintenance than fruits to grow and to can. Low-acid vegetables need to be canned more carefully to prevent spoilage. However, like fruits, the right garden can produce something to can weekly or bi-weekly all year long.

When setting up a home-grown garden for canning, select vegetables for particular seasons:

Winter Garden Produce

Cabbage Brussels sprouts (in coastal areas) Kale

Spring Garden Produce

Asparagus
Celery
Dark leafy greens like spinach

Summer through Fall Garden Produce

Green beans or long beans

Rhubarb

Peppers

Okra

Onions and Garlic

Peas

Zucchini

Dark Leafy Greens like Kale and Swiss Chard

Herbs

Even a small family garden, or container garden, can produce enough to stockpile canned produce. Many of these foods can well with little or no previous cooking. Simply scrub them, chop them up, stuff them into a jar, pour boiling water over them, screw on a lid, and put them into the pressure canner. Each vegetable, vegetable blend, or relish has a specific time and recipe that needs to be followed to the letter when canning it. Failure to follow a recipe for the particular food can result in an inedible product, or worse, spoilage.

Other foods not mentioned in this article are not recommended for homemade canning because the time and effort in growing and/or preparing them makes it not worth it, especially for a beginner. The fruits and vegetables listed tend to grow large harvests with little space. And, when picked and canned right away, also last longer in the shelves and retain their flavor.

Home grown produce not only tastes better, but may be better for you since store-bought canned or fresh vegetables tend to lose important nutrients the longer they sit. Additionally, it will save money. With the right soil conditions and care, home gardens can typically produce more food with less expense over the same amount of food purchased fresh or canned from a grocery store.

The Canning How To on Barbeque Sauce

These canning how-to tips came out of necessity. You see, I've been making my own barbeque sauce since I was a kid, but it caused conflict in my household.

I loved using the sauce as a grilling marinade so I'd make gallons of my "New York Attitude" Barbeque Sauce and portion it into used plastic Wonton Soup containers. The shear number of containers would fill my Mom's refrigerator.

I had to find a better way to preserve my sauce without taking up the whole fridge. "People have been preserving food for generations," I thought to myself. "They didn't have refrigerators or Chinese take-out containers, how did they do it?"

At the time, I probably had to go to the library and look through the encyclopedias. That seems laughable now, but even as a child, I knew there was a better way waiting for me. I found it with a 125 year old device, the two-part lid canning jar.

The inventors of these jars are really the creators of every canning how to instructions from that day forth. The idea is simple. Their jars consist of a flat lid with a rubber washer to seal the jar. A band fits over the lid, securing it to the jar but also allowing air to escape.

Under boiling water, air leaves the jar between the two parts of the lid. When it's cooled, it creates a vacuum, sealing the jar in an anaerobic environment. This not only preserves the sauce, but keeps it safe from bacterial growth as well.

Hot water canning is meant for highly acidic products like tomato sauce, marinades, and perfect for my barbeque sauce. At sea level, water boils at 212F or 100C. This is certainly hot enough to let the two piece lid do its job, and the acid content of the sauce will keep it safe.

The Precise Canning How To Steps:

Inspect all jars, lids, and bands for defects.

Wash all jars, lids, bands, and any other equipment that will come in contact with the sauce.

Place a round cake cooling rack in the bottom of a very large stock pot and fill with water.

Bring the water to a full, rolling boil.

Place the empty jars in the boiling water to sanitize them.

In a small saucepan or bowl, remove some boiling water and place the flat lids in the hot water.

Prepare your barbeque sauce and keep it very hot.

Remove the jars from the water bath, one at a time, and fill with barbeque sauce

Be sure to leave 1-2 inches of "head room" between the sauce and the lid.

Wipe the rim clean of any spilled sauce

Stir the jarred sauce with a wooden stick to drive out excess air

Remove the flat lid from the warm water and place it on top of the jar.

Secure the lid with a band and hand-tighten only.

Place the filled jar, standing up, into the boiling water canner.

Wait 15 minutes and remove the jar to cool.

(Add 5 minutes for every 3000 feet above sea level)

As the barbeque sauce cools, you'll hear the vacuum created as the jar lids are sucked toward the interior of the jar. Soft "ping", "ping", a symphony of suction is created and the jars are now safe for storage. Any jar lid that still yields to pressure when pressed with a finger has not sealed correctly. It should be refrigerated and not stored at room temperature.

The canning how to instructions are different for low acid products, because there's greater risk of bacterial growth. Items like vegetables or protein-based soups must be canned in a high-pressure canner because the boiling water bath does not get hot enough to assure the safety of the food.

As a child, I simply wanted to preserve refrigerator space. What I discovered is a process that's been around for more than a century. Home canning saves money, preserves fresh ingredients, and is a fun and easy hobby when you know the canning how to steps.

See the entire Canning How To video here.

Home Canning Tomatoes

Tomatoes are probably the most popular food item grown in gardens. Usually there is an abundance of this crop once they begin to ripen. Home Canning Tomatoes is one way to ensure that the overstock of produce will not go to waste. By canning your own tomatoes you will also be able to enjoy the flavorful taste of you home grown tomatoes long after the season ends.

Ways to Preserve Tomatoes

There is an assortment of ways to preserve tomatoes. They may be canned, frozen or in some cases even dried. The most popular way of preserving tomatoes is to canning. This versatile method allows you to utilize the canned tomatoes in a variety of techniques that can be used later to make soups, chili or stews. Who wouldnt want that same great fresh tasting flavor even in the cold winter months?

Preparing Tomatoes for Canning

Only a stainless steel pot or saucepan and stainless steel utensils should be used when preparing tomatoes for canning. Because the to matoes have such a high acidic value, using any other type of pot may result in bitter tasting canned tomatoes that have a less than desirable color about them.

Canning Tomatoes Safely

It is important to remember that in order to ensure safety tomatoes must be canned correctly. Only choose disease free, fresh firm tomatoes for canning. Tomatoes tend to be a high acidic food item. Boiling Water Bath Canning or Pressure Canning methods are the recommended processing technique to be used when home canning tomatoes. According to some sources using a pressure canner may even yield higher quality flavor with more nutritious value. Either however, is an acceptable means of preserving tomatoes.
The USDA recommends that all home canned tomatoes be acidified prior to canning to ensure safety from botulism. This is achieved by adding 2 tablespoons of lemon jui ce or teaspoon of citric acid per quart. Using pints, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or teaspoon of citric acid.

Processing times for hot packed crushed tomatoes in water bath canning is 35 minutes for pints and 45 minutes for quarts. If using a pressure canner the processing time is 15 minutes for both pints and quarts. You must be sure to set the dial gauges on the pressure cooker to 11lbs. of pressure and the weighted gauge should be set at 10lbs. of pressure.

Following these instructions should assure the quality of taste when Home Canning Tomatoes. Just think about how happy you and your family will be this winter when you are enjoying the same great flavor you had this summer.