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It’s about time for you to start gathering your supplies and making preparations for canning and freezing the vegetables from your garden or the ones you purchase from the local Farmers’ Market or many of our roadside farm stands.

Before starting to can, make sure your canner is working properly and the gauge is reading accurately. If the gauge is reading incorrectly, or if the canner is operating improperly, the higher-than-boiling temperatures that are required in pressure canning will not be reached.

All parts of the canner should be kept clean and in good working order. Check the vents and safety valves to make sure they are free of obstruction. The gasket should be in good shape in order to assure a tight seal once the canner is closed.

If you are unsure if your pressure canner is holding the right pressure the Chowan County Cooperative Extension can test your dial gauge pressure canner. Just call Mary Morris at 252-482-6585 to set up a time to bring yours by.

When canning, make sure you use recipes found in either the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, Kerr Canning and Freezing, So Easy to Preserve or the Ball Blue Book. These are research-based recipes with proven processing times to make the product safe.

Google, Facebook, Tik Tok and Pinterest are not always reliable sources of recipes.

Since its introduction, home canning has changed greatly.

Today, two methods of canning are recommended: boiling water bath and pressure canning. Which process you choose is based on the acid level of the foods. Foods that are high in natural acid, that have been fermented or that have enough vinegar added to make them high in acid can be processed in a boiling water bath canner.

This would include all fruits, some tomatoes, sauerkraut, pickles and relishes. Jams, jellies and preserves are also processed in the boiling water bath.

All low-acid foods need to be processed in a pressure canner. This includes all meats, fish, poultry and all vegetables, including tomatoes. All these foods contain very little natural acid.

Mixtures that contain both high-acid and low-acid foods, must also be canned in a pressure canner. An example of such a mixture might be okra and tomatoes.

Failure to pressure can vegetables could cause botulism, a life-threatening food-borne illness. A temperature of 240 degrees or 11 pounds of pressure is needed to kill the botulism spore.

In addition to the temperature, the time needed to destroy bacteria ranges from 20 to 100 minutes. Never guess at the length of time to process food. Cutting the time short can be dangerous. The exact time depends on the kind of food being canned, the way it is packed into the jars and the size of the jars.

Each year FCS agents receive calls that consumers have canned their vegetables the “old-timey” way as well as some “modern ways.”

Openkettle canning and the processing of freshly filled jars in conventional ovens, microwave ovens, and dishwashers are not recommended. Electric Pressure cookers/canners are not recommended because processing times for use with current models have not been adequately researched. We also do not recommend pressuring in excess of 15 pounds.

From time to time, you will find “canning powders.” These are useless as preservatives and do not replace the need for proper heat processing. Jars with wire bails and glass caps make attractive antiques or storage containers for dry food ingredients, but are not recommended for use in canning.

Onepiece zinc porcelain-lined caps are also no longer recommended. Both glass and zinc caps use flat rubber rings for sealing jars, but too often fail to seal properly.

N.C. Cooperative Extension has been a reliable source of food preservation information for over ninety years. For questions, please call Mary Morris at 252-482-6585 if you need any help with your canning or would like to participate in a hands-on canning class. The next scheduled class will be Canning Pickles on June 21, with a daytime session from 1-3 p.m. and an evening session from 6-8 p.m.

To register please visit www.chowan.ces.ncsu.edu. Classes cost $5.

Originally written by Jeannie Leonard, FCS Agent Randolph County Center, updated by Mary Morris 6-9-22.

Mary Morris is the Chowan County Cooperative Extension Director and Family & Consumer Sciences agent.

Thadd White can be reached via email at twhite@apgenc.com.

www.ChowanHerald.com 423 S Broad St Edenton, NC 27932 Main Phone: 252-482-4418 Customer Care Phone: 252-329-9505

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