Always put hot food in hot, sterilized jars for safety's sake!

There’s a lot of talk today about the safety of canning food at home – something I am sure our ancestors did not fret over. Why? Because the art of canning was handed down from generation to generation making it possible for one to understand the art of canning on a much higher level than what many do today.

Wash all fresh fruits and vegetables before canning them, even if they were organically grown.

Cleanliness is one of the most important aspects when it comes to food safety. Anyone who has ever taken a home economics class can tell you that. In addition to clean pans, clean lids, clean caps and clean jars, the food must be cleaned too. Pesticides and other chemicals cling to the skins of fruits and vegetables. These must be washed off for safety’s sake. In addition to making sure all of your utensils are clean, the caps, lids and jars need to be sterilized. Do not skip over this step, even if you wash everything in a dishwasher. It only takes a second to dip the caps, lids and jars into the boiling water to sterilize them – and best of all, it means you do not need to heat the jars up because the sterilization process gives you “hot jars” to put “hot food” into.

Another important step is proper inspection of the jars. A tiny chip on the jars rim – one that might not be obvious to the naked eye – is enough to keep the jar from properly sealing. The best way to take care of these kinds of problems is to carefully run your finger over the top of the clean jar before filling it with food. If you feel something that doesn’t feel right, do a further inspection to make sure it is not missed food particles or rubber from a previous jar lid that was not removed when the jar was washed. If it is indeed a crack or chip, dispose of the jar. There are many recycling centers that accept clean glass jars.

Periodically check sealed jars in your pantry to make sure they remain sealed.

Finally, do not reuse the lids. The lids are the flat parts that seal the jar and contain a rubber ring. The reason for this is that the lids were manufactured to be used once and once only. Although the jar may seem ok at first if you use these lids again, later on the seal can break and that will cause your food to spoil. It is ok to use the caps, which screw down over the top of the jar over and over until they become too rusty to continue to use.

By following these simple safety tips when canning at home, you are sure to have a good experience both during the canning process and for months afterwards as you eat up the bounty you preserved.

More resources and inspiration can be found at culinary arts degree.org.

Canning jars being filled with lime juice in preparation for canning.

It is possible to make a variety of juice concentrates at home. This is ideal for people who have a bumper crop of fresh fruit and are looking for a new way to use it or for those who drink a lot of fruit juice throughout the year.

First you must remove the juice from the pulp. This is done either by squeezing the juice out by hand, using a juicer or a steamer.

Once you have separated the juice from the pulp, put the juice into a freezer-proof bottle with a narrow neck. Leave enough empty space in the top of the bottle for the liquid to expand as the juice turns to ice.

Once the bottle is filled, sit the bottle in a freezer bag just in case it bursts or the liquid overflows as it freezes and then place it in the freezer.

Once the liquid is completely frozen, turn the bottle upside down and place the neck of the jar with the frozen liquid inside a larger jar and let the liquid thaw.

You will notice that the frozen sugary, colored sugars will drip out first. When all you see is a white mass of ice, remove the bottle. The remaining ice can be set in a refrigerator while it finishes thawing and once it is in a liquid form again, drank.

Repeat the freeze, thaw, freeze process three times.

The liquid that is left after the third time should resemble store bought juice concentrates. Bring this liquid to a boil and ladle into pint size canning jars.

Another way to do this if you prefer not to freeze your juice is bring the liquid to a boil, then simmer it until it is reduced by two-thirds, then ladle it into canning jars.

Wipe jar rims, put lids and bands on making sure they are fingertip tight. Process for twenty minutes in a cold pack canner, remove and tighten lids.

Allow to cool, then check the lids to make sure they sealed.

Apples are easy to preserve in a variety of ways including by freezing them.

Wash, core and quarter apples.

Soak them in citric acid as you work.

Place the apples in boiling water for 2 minutes.

Remove the apples and place them in ice water. Gently stir the apples to help cool them.

Once the apples are cool, remove them and lay them out on paper towels placed over cloth towels to drain.

Once the apples are dry, put them into freezer bags, seal, label and place in the freezer.

A vacuum-sealed jar of dehydrated apples.

Wash, peel and core apples.

Slice the apples into 1/4 inch thick slices.

Put the apple slices into an citric acid mixture. This helps prevent discoloring and helps preserve the fruit. Citric acid is available in most grocery stores or places where they sell canning or dehydrating supplies.

Dry at 150 degrees Fahrenheit for 2 to 3 hours. The time varies considerably, so check the apples periodically.

When they easily break in half, they are done. Turn the dehydrator off. Allow the apples to cool. Pack into an airtight container if possible. If not, put them in a canning jar in a cabinet or into a freezer bag and freeze them.

Red hot spiced apples and apples in syrup in sealed canning jars.

There are many recipes for canning apples and I think I have tried them all, however, a friend said to me one day that canning apples in a plain syrup was the best way because they can be used for anything. I thought about this and decided she was right. Once you can apples for a specific purpose they may have an ingredient in them that makes them unsuitable for another use, so now I can all my apples using a light syrup. Here is my recipe.

2 1/4 cups cane sugar

5 cups of water

Combine sugar and water in a stainless steel pan.

Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Once the sugar is dissolved, reduce the heat to low so the syrup remains warm.

Fill clean, sterilized canning jars with apple quarters. Be sure to run your fingers around the tops of the jars before using them to check for tiny nicks. If you find any, those jars are no longer useful for canning.

Cover the apples with the water and sugar syrup you just made. Leave 1/2 inch air space at the top of the jar.

Wipe the top and edges of the jar with a clean, damp cloth.

Put a clean, sterilized, new lid on the jar, add the band and screw it down until it is fingertip tight.

Place the jars in a cold pack canner filled with boiling water.

Process both pints and quarts for 20 minutes.

Turn the heat off under the canning pot once the 20 minutes is up.

Remove the lid, but allow the jars to sit under the water for 5 minutes longer.

Carefully remove the jars. Set them aside and allow them to cool overnight.

Remove the bands and check the seals by gently prying them with your fingertips.

If the jars are sealed, replace the bands, label and store in a cool, dark, dry place.

If the jars are not sealed you can either select a new lid and attempt to seal the jars again or put the food into your refrigerator and use it up.

That's a lot of limes! 460 pounds worth!

Last week I went to the local Mission Mart to do some shopping. They were giving away limes. This was the second year in a row for this to happen. The lady behind the counter said to take what I wanted because most people did not know what to do with limes and if no one took them, they would get tossed.

Whole limes in the freezer.

By this time I had filled about six grocery bags with limes and answered several people’s questions about what to do with limes. It was wonderful to see people begin to fill bags with limes once they knew they could freeze them and use them as they needed to. I took several bags of limes to others who were not able to get out, then I headed home.

Once I returned home, the first batch of limes went into the freezer since that was the fastest way to deal with them and I was busy that day. My friend Shirley told me last year all you have to do is put them in a freezer bag and freeze this. This is true for any of the citrus fruits. No washing, no peeling, no juicing! Nothing could be easier! Best of all, when you are ready to juice them, just let them thaw at room temperature and you will get a lot more juice than you would if you juiced them when they were fresh.

Of course, if you are like most people, you have limited room in your freezer for limes. That was my next problem when I went back and the limes were still there. I wanted to take more to keep them from being thrown away, but what on earth was I going to do with them?

Fresh limes being juiced.

Lime juice certainly takes up a lot less room in the freezer than whole limes, but you have to divide it out into small portions to prevent thawing too much at once. That is very time consuming. Trust me, I did that last year.

Fresh-squeezed lime juice being canned.

So, I went in search of a recipe for canning. Jerry was the one who actually came across one. Lucky for me! I went to my Ball books first and there was no mention of canning lime juice in them. So we began juicing – and are still juicing limes! Canning lime juice is easy. Here in Indiana we cold pack the pints for 5 minutes and the quarts for 10 minutes.

The left over lime peels ready for me to freeze until I am ready to use them.

After you juice the limes, you are going to end up with a ton of highly fragrant lime peels. Be sure to save them. You can candy them, distill them, zest them or use them in a variety of crafts such as potpourri once the peels are dry. I put my peels in freezer bags and freeze them until I have time to put them in the dehydrator, in the still or use them in a recipe.

In the end, I ended up with 460 pounds of limes – and there were still a ton left. I’m not sure if people finally started taking what was left or where they ended up. I hope someone took them. I hate seeing food wasted.

Find a cool, dark and dry place with secure shelving. This is the best place to store your canned goods.

Stocking up on food that you preserved is a great way to save money and eat healthier. Let’s face it, I don’t know what all those preservatives are in the foods I buy are, do you? I’m not even sure after talking to my local grocer if I can trust any of the signs they put up. This is why home food preservation and growing my own food is so important to me – and it should be important to you too.

Preserve fresh fruits and vegetables the day they are picked for best results.

So I asked the produce manager at our local grocery store about the local grown sign and how to get produce from my farm into the store. I always thought local grown meant it was grown somewhere in the county you lived in – boy was I wrong! Local grown means it came from somewhere in the state, was shipped in a semi-truck from the farm to the stores processing center where it was processed according to their standards, then shipped to the actual grocery stores and put on their shelves. That seems like a lot of wasted gas, a lot of unnecessary processing (because the products are handled by the farmer, then by the employees of the grocery store), not to mention a lot of wasted time.

True, the products don’t come from the other side of the country, but they are still days old when you get them, which means the nutrient value is down. You have no idea what farm they came from, how the products were grown or what went on them during the processing. As far as I’m concerned, I’d rather buy straight from a local farmer or better yet, grow my own.

Oh – and if you think all the produce at farmer’s markets are grown by the people selling the products, think again. There are huge auctions where vendors can go and buy what they want then take it to the farmers market and sell it. Now, I’m not saying all vendors do this or that all markets allow it, I’m just advising that you ask where the produce you buy comes from and if possible, support a real local farmer! It could mean the difference between their continued survival and the loss of their farm.

Green tomatoes growing on a vine.

When it comes to getting the most bang for your buck and eating as healthy as you can, nothing beats growing your own food. I don’t care if you live in an apartment, there are things you can grow year-round. Tomatoes for one. All you need is a container (a five-gallon bucket works well and many deli’s will give you one for free), a grow light and good soil (use compost if you have it, but be aware worms and other critters may be in it, so shift it well). Be sure to drill some drainage holes in the bottom of the bucket and sit in in a large saucer so water does not run all over your floor when you water it. That’s all there is to it. You’ll be harvesting fresh tomatoes all winter long – and don’t worry about pollination. Tomatoes self-pollinate before the flowers open.

You can grow an entire vegetable garden indoors using this technique if you choose to and have the room. So don’t let lack of space hold you back – get growing – and preserving your own food.

Once you have all those fresh vegetables, the next step is learning how home food preservation works. Dehydrating, freezing, canning, preserving in oil or salt are popular home food preservation methods. Most people end up using a combination of these methods to preserve a wide variety of herbs, meats, vegetables and herbs. After all, the more food you put up, the more money you will save on your grocery bill.

Slice peppers before dehydrating so the inside of the pepper doesn't mold.

Dehydrating is nice because it removes most of the water from the food you are preserving. This means you can store more food in less space and the packages are very lightweight. The drawback is when you get ready to use that food, you have to rehydrate it. This often takes a couple of hours since the food needs to absorb the water and plump back up. Dehydrated food has a long storage life and this is the type of food often sold in survival kits. I dehydrate fruits such as bananas, pears, apples, cherries, cranberries, blueberries and these make great snacks that you don’t need to rehydrate. I also use my dehydrator for herbs, garlic, peppers, tomatoes and edible flowers. Peppers and tomatoes are wonderful powered and used as a spice.

Keep the area where you are canning and the canning supplies sterile.

Canning is my favorite method of food preservation. It takes a while to prepare the food, prepare the jars and do the actual canning, but when I’m ready to eat what I have preserved, all I have to do is open the jar. It’s like store bought food – only better. I also control the amount of sugar and salt. While you do need to put it in there to help preserve the food, let me tell you the small amount you add is nothing compared to what is in store bought food. The most important thing to remember when you are canning is to keep things clean. Check the lids 24 hours after processing and periodically throughout the storage process to make sure they are still sealed. If the lid comes loose, throw that food away. Don’t chance getting sick!

You can freeze fresh fruits and vegetables, then can them later on in the event you have too much to deal with.

Preserving foods in oil and salt is no longer recommended, but there are books out there that tell you how to do it. I preserve garlic scapes in salt every year. I put a thin layer of salt in the bottom of the canning jar, cut the scapes into thin pieces, put a small layer of them on top of the salt and cover them with more salt. I then alternate salt, garlic scapes, salt until I run out or reach the top of the jar. The top layer needs to be salt by the way. You can use the garlic scapes just like you use garlic and use the salt like you would garlic salt.

I hope this gives you some ideas and gets you on your way to learning home food preservation methods. As always, I welcome questions and comments.

If you raise chickens or other types of poultry, it is possible to keep the eggs longer than their general shelf life if you freeze them. Frozen eggs work better if they are used in baked items rather than cooked and eaten. Eggs will keep up to six months in the freezer as long as they are preserved in the proper way and kept frozen. Eggs that you are going to freeze should be gathered as soon as they are laid and frozen immediately.

If you separate your eggs, the whites can be frozen in air tight containers without doing anything to them except removing the yolk. You should write on the container how many egg whites are in it and package according to use. For example, if you always use three egg whites, package just three egg whites together, or you can package one egg white at a time in individual containers.

Egg yolks and whole eggs need to be stabilized for freezing. To do this, scramble the egg or yolk and add one teaspoon salt or honey for each egg that is in the mixture. Again, be sure to mark the container so you know what is in it, what preservative you used and how many whole eggs or egg yolks are in it.

Twelve yolks equal one egg. Five eggs equal one cup. Three tablespoons equal one egg. If you want to freeze them individually, make up the mixture, measure three tablespoons into an ice cube tray compartment and freeze. Once the eggs are completely frozen, pop them out, wrap each cube in plastic wrap or freezer paper, put them in a freezer bag and label it.

To use, thaw the eggs, either in the refrigerator for nine hours or at room temperature for four hours. Use immediately upon thawing or the eggs will begin to deteriorate.

If you prefer to store the eggs in their shell and you have a cool basement or root cellar, it is possible to do this. Remove any large pieces of dirt, but take care not to wash the entire egg. Fresh eggs are best.

Find a stone crock, layer the bottom with a thick layer of salt, place a layer of eggs into the salt, with the large end down, then cover with a thick layer of salt. You do not want the eggs touching one another. You can continue to layer the eggs to the top of the crock, alternating salt and eggs in layers. When you are done placing the eggs you have in the crock, cover the top with a lid or thick piece of wood. Be sure to wash the eggs off before use and crack them in a separate dish to ensure they are still good.

Here is an update on what is in the pantry. Some of the items I canned have been used and were removed from the earlier list. New items have been canned and added.

Currently, there are 373 jars of food and spices preserved for the winter of 2010-2011.

Please note, this does not include items in the freezer.

Apple pie filling 2-pint jars

Apples in red hot sauce 1-pint jar

Applesauce 5-pint jars

Banana peppers – 1 pint

Bayleaf – 1 pint

BBQ Sauce 6-pint jars

Bell peppers – 1/2 gallon

Blueberries 4-4 ounce jars and 1-half pint jar

Chamomile – ½ pint

Celery leaf – 1/2 gallon

Celery seed – 4-ounce

Cestrum nocturtum extract – 1 pint (preserved for perfume use)

Cherries 1-half pint jar

Cherry juice 2- half pint jars

Chicken broth 1 quart and 1 pint

Chicken wing sauce 1-pint jar

Chili peppers – 1 pint

Chives – 1 pint

Chocolate raspberry sundae topper 5-pint jars

Cinnamon pears 2-pint jars

Cinnamon sticks – 1/2 gallon + 1-quart

Cloves 4-ounce

Corn – 11 pints

Costmary – 2 pans

Dehydrated banana chips – 1 quarts + 1 vacuum sealed container

Dehydrated dandelion flowers – 1/2 gallon

Dehydrated celery – 1 pint

Dehydrated cranberries – 1 quart

Dehydrated pears – 1 vacuum sealed container

Dehydrated potatoes – 1/2 gallon

Dehydrated tomatoes – 1 vacuum sealed container

Dehydrated violets – 1 quart

Dill weed – 1 pint

Domestic Meat & Wild Game Sausage Seasoning & Cure – Cheddar Polish – ½ gallon

Domestic Meat & Wild Game Sausage Seasoning & Cure – Pepperoni – ½ gallon

Fennel – 1/2 pint

Grapefruit peel – 1 pint

Grape jelly 1-pint jar and 7-4 ounce jars

Grape juice 3-pint jars.

Green Beans – 3 quarts and 7 pints

Green Tomatoes 1 quart jar

Hole Mole hot peppers – 1 pint

Hot sauce – 7 jars, various sizes

Jalapeno peppers – 1 pint

Jerky Seasoning & Cure – Cajun Blend – ½ gallon

Jerky Seasoning & Cure – Pepper Blend – ½ gallon

Jon’s Pickles – 55 pints

Kosher Dill Pickles – 35 quart

Lavender flowers – 1 quart

Lavender flower spikes – 1 pan

Lemon balm and lemon verbena jelly 6-4 ounce jars and 1-cup jar

Lemon grass – ½ gallon

Lemon peel – 1/2 pint

Lemon verbena – 1/2 pint

Lemon verbena extract – 1 quart

Lilac flowers – 1 ½ pint

Maple syrup – 2 pints

Marachino cherries 5-4 ounce jars and 3-half pint jars

Marachino cherry juice 1-4ounce jars and 3-half pint jars

Mixed berry preserves 1- cup and a half jar

Mixed herb vinegar 4-4 ounce jars and 2- half pint jars

Mixed Raspberry Vinegar – 1 ½ pint

Mystical grape wine – 16 bottles

Orange peel – 1 quart

Oregano – 1 1/2 gallon and 2 quarts

Orris root – 1/2 pint

Paprika – 1 quart

Parsley – 1 ½ gallon and 2 quarts

Passion fruit mojito 1-quart jar

Paw paw extract – 1 quart

Peach juice – 13 quarts

Pear butter – 4 quarts

Pear juice 1-pint jars

Pear sauce 4-pint jars

Peppers for grilling – 1 quart

Perpetual cinnamon (cinnamon extract) – 1 pint

Pimento peppers – 1 pint

Pineapple, banana and orange fruit spread 1-cup jar

Pineapple, banana and passion fruit spread 1-cup jar

Pineapple mint – 1 pint

Plums 4-pint jars

Pomegranite juice 1-quart jars

Potatoes 4-quart jars

Powdered cheese – Cheddar – 1 pint

Powdered cheese – White – 1 pint

Raspberries in light syrup 5-half pint jars

Raspberry and Mulberry Vinegar 1-half pint jar

Raspberry syrup 4-half pint jars

Red bud flowers – 1 pint

Roasted garlic Italian vinegrette 2- cup and a half jar

Rose hips – 1 pint

Rosemary – 1 quart

Rose petal extract – 1 quart

Rose petal jelly 5-half pint jars

Sage – 1/2 gallon

Sauerkraut – 3 pints

Scented geranium flowers – attar of rose – 1 quart

Scented geranium leaves – snowflake rose – 1 quart

Shitake mushrooms – 1 pint

Stevia extract – 1/2 pint

Strawberries 1-pint jars

Strawberry fruit spread 1-quart jar

Strawberry juice 1-pint jar and 1-4 ounce jar

Taco sauce 4-4 ounce jars and 1-pint jar

Tarragon – 1/2 gallon

Tea – raspberry leaf and spearmint – 1 pint

Tea – raspberry, spearmint and passion fruit – 1 quart

Tea- spearmint and chocolate mint – 1 pint

Tea- spearmint, lemon balm and lime balm – 1 pint

Thai hot and sweet dipping sauce 5-pint jars

Thyme – 1 quart

Tomato soup 5-quart jars

Tulip petals – 1 quart and 1 ½ pint

Vanilla bean apple cider vinegar – 1 pint

Vanilla extract – 1 pint

Vegetable broth – 4 quart

Wing Sauce – 1 pint