Preserving Local Fruit: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some common questions from local preservers:
- How do I make a low sugar version of my favorite
preserve?
- Is there a consensus in the group on the subject of
using a pressure cooker vs. hot water bath to can Tomatoes?
- Can you recommend the best pressure canner to
purchase?
- A woman asked us if she can make wine vinegar out of
wine her friend gave her. It is a very old wine and doesn't taste
agreeable to her. I remembered that you made different kinds of vinegar,
and I wanted to know how you did it.
- How do I make a low sugar version of my favorite
preserve?
A: Sugar is a very powerful preservative. When making low sugar
preserves, acid is included as a preserving agent to offset the fact that
you've lowered the sugar's preserving power.
Unless you're able to test pH, stick to the commercially available
low-sugar pectins and recipes. Do not simply reduce the amount of
sugar in a recipe.
Low acid fruit like apricots and figs should be pH tested even after
following commercially available pectin and recipes. The judges at
the California State Fair, will often test these preserves to ensure that
they are safe before they taste them.
- Is there a consensus in the group on the
subject of using a pressure cooker vs. hot water bath to can Tomatoes?
A: I don't know if there is a "consensus"... However with the boiling
water bath (BWB) times being increased by the USDA to be so darn long,
pressure cookers are definitely time savers, energy savers, and keep the
kitchen cooler during the summer when you're canning tomatoes.
The other advantage is that since you're pressure canning, you don't
have to add a lot of extra acidity to ensure that the tomatoes are acid
enough to BWB can. So, you can better preserve the original flavors of the
tomato.
The risk to BWB processing and part of reason that the processing times
have been increasing is that tomatoes are being bred to be sweeter and
less and less acidic, many of the modern tomatoes are on the borderline of
being considered acid-foods and we've measured many to be clearly
non-acid. So, you could be inadvertently creating a situation perfect for
botulism to grow by BWB canning a non-acid tomato. The amount of acid that
you need to safely BWB can a non-acid tomato is considerable -- enough to
change the flavor, and unless you're pH testing, you won't know if you
have enough.
Our recommendations for canning tomatoes are:
1 - Pressure can
2 - pH test if you're going to BWB
3 - Freeze, dehydrate or consider another alternative if you're not able
to do either of the above.
For reference information on preserving and pressure canning see:
http://www.villageharvest.org/resources.htm
There you'll find a link to the latest guidelines from the USDA on
canning and preserving of all types.
-
Can you recommend the best
pressure canner to purchase?
A: At our last preserving from the garden meeting we talked about
equipment and I handed out a
chart comparing different pressure canners from another UCCE
organization.
Basically after all the mergers, there are only a handful of companies
left that make pressure canners. They are all good. If you plan to do a
lot of canning it's worthwhile to get a pressure canner (not a pressure
cooker) with a calibratable dial pressure gauge. After that, just
choose based upon the volume that will suit your needs. They are not
expensive as large pots go and well worth it IMHO.
- A woman asked if she can make wine vinegar out of
wine her friend gave her. It is a very old wine and doesn't taste
agreeable to her. I remembered that you made different kinds of vinegar,
and I wanted to know how you did it.
A: The wine may have already started to turn into vinegar.
Vinegar mother does occur naturally, however if you'd like to help it
along, you can get vinegar mother from most wine or beer making shops. I
find the shops to be very helpful, there are a few books out there and
instructions you can find on the internet but it's pretty easy. Just stick
the mother in with the wine in an open glass/nonreactive container and let
sit for a few months. There will be a thick layer that forms on the top of
the wine. I like to remove it before it sinks because it can change the
flavor. You can keep adding wine or it will stop on it's own when the
alcohol has all turned into acetic acid.
The vinegar that Village Harvest makes available for sale is a flavored
vinegar using commercial vinegar and fruit.
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