Simple Steps to Canning Foods at Home
Canning foods not only produces high-quality and flavourful food but also saves money and ensures that you have seasonal and quality produce all around the year.
Canning is one of the food preservation methods where foods specifically selected for canning are subjected to water baths to ensure that there is no air or bacteria and in that creates a vacuum where the bacteria will not survive allowing the foods to be preserved for long times.
Deciding on the foods to can
Before you begin with the canning process, choose foods that are ideal for canning or those which you want to enjoy on the dinner table all the year around. Vegetables like tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms and even mixed vegetables can be canned easily at home. Coming to fruits, strawberries and peaches are the favourites while others like apples, peaches and peaches can also be canned.
Equipment needed for canning
Only some basic equipment that is available in any conventional kitchen is almost enough to can foods at home. The equipment includes: water bath canners, jelly strainer, pressure canner, jar funnel, jar lifter, ladle, chopstick, a kitchen scale and tongs to grab the lids.
Preparing for canning
Prepare all the canning equipment before you begin the canning process. Clean the jars with hot water and cleaning powder and ensure that they are completely dry before you put the vegetables or fruits. Make sure that all the equipment and the ingredients are ready on the table for a quick and neat process. Cut the vegetables or fruits into bite-size pieces and put them in the jars with enough vinegar to immerse the contents. Wipe the rims of the jar and screw the lids and bands and then boil the jars in hot water until a vacuum is formed between the ingredients and the lid. Remove them and cool until you hear the pop pops of the seals forming.
Safety and precautions
There are no particular set of precautions for canning as long as you go with the tried and tested recipes. Look out for important references like the National Center for Home Food Preservation and do your research thoroughly with safe canning recipes to make your canning experience a beautiful and lifelong memory.