Glossary of Home Preserving. (Canning, Freezing, Jam & Jelly-Making, Pickling and Drying) Definitions and Terms

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1 Glossary of Home Preserving (Canning, Freezing, Jam & Jelly-Making, Pickling and Drying) Definitions and Terms Acid foods - Foods which contain enough acid to result in a ph of 4.6 or lower. Includes all fruits except figs; most tomatoes; fermented and pickled vegetables; relishes; and jams, jellies, and marmalades. Acid foods may be processed in boiling water. Altitude - The vertical elevation of a location above sea level. Ascorbic acid - The chemical name for vitamin C. Lemon juice contains large quantities of ascorbic acid and is commonly used to prevent browning of peeled, light-colored fruits and vegetables. Also known as citric acid. "Fruit Fresh" is the brand name of a commonly available (most grocery stores) form of ascorbic / citric acid. Bacteria - A large group of one-celled microorganisms widely distributed in nature. Blanching - Fruits and vegetables contain chemical compounds called enzymes that cause the loss of color, loss of nutrients, and flavor changes when they are frozen or canned. These enzymes must be inactivated to prevent such reactions from taking place. Enzymes are inactivated by the blanching process. Blanching is the exposure of the vegetables to boiling water or steam for a brief period of time (usually 2 to 5 minutes, but it varies by the vegetable or fruit and it's size). The vegetables must then be drained of the hot water and rapidly cooled in ice water to prevent cooking. Blanching is absolutely essential for producing top quality frozen vegetables. Blanching also helps to destroy microorganisms on the surface of the vegetable. The water bath or pressure canning process accomplishes this when canning, so a blanching step is only needed for frozen foods, not canned foods. Blancher - A 6- to 8-quart lidded pot designed with a fitted perforated basket to hold food in boiling water, or with a fitted rack to steam foods. Useful for loosening skins on fruits to be peeled, or for heating foods to be hot packed. Boiling-water canner - A large standard-sized lidded kettle with jar rack, designed for heat-processing 7 quarts or 8 to 9 pints in boiling water. Botulism - An illness caused by eating toxin produced by growth of Clostridium botulinum bacteria in moist, low-acid food, containing less than 2 percent oxygen, and stored between 40 and 120 F. Proper heat processing destroys the bacteria that enable botulism to flourish in canned food. Freezer temperatures inhibit its growth in frozen food. Low moisture controls its growth in dried food. High oxygen controls its growth in fresh foods. Canners - cooking vessels to create an evenly heated environment that subjects canned goods to temperatures high enough to kill bacteria. There are two approved types: water bath canners and pressure canners. Canning - A method of preserving food in air-tight vacuum-sealed containers and heat processing sufficiently to enable storing the food at normal home temperatures. Canning salt - Also called pickling salt. It is regular table salt without the anticaking or iodine additives. 1

2 Cold pack - Canning procedure in which jars are filled with raw food. "Raw pack" is the preferred term for describing this practice. "Cold pack" is often used incorrectly to refer to foods that are open-kettle canned or jars that are heat-processed in boiling water. Enzymes - Proteins in food which accelerate many flavor, color, texture, and nutritional changes, especially when food is cut, sliced, crushed, bruised, and exposed to air. Proper blanching or hotpacking practices destroy enzymes and improve food quality. Exhausting - Removal of air from within and around food and from jars and canners. Blanching exhausts air from live food tissues. Exhausting or venting of pressure canners is necessary to prevent a risk of botulism in low-acid canned foods. Fermentation - Changes in food caused by intentional growth of bacteria, yeast, or mold. Native bacteria ferment natural sugars to lactic acid, a major flavoring and preservative in sauerkraut and in naturally fermented dills. Alcohol, vinegar, and some dairy products are also fermented foods. Headspace - Heat processing - Treatment of jars with sufficient heat to enable storing food at normal home temperatures. Hermetic seal - An absolutely airtight container seal which prevents reentry of air or microorganisms into packaged foods. Hot pack - Heating of raw food in boiling water or steam and filling it hot into jars. Lids, Rings and Jars- Common (in the U.S.) safe system for home canning, the "Ball", "Kerr" or "Mason" jar. Pressure Canner - A specifically designed metal kettle with a lockable lid used for heat processing low-acid food. These canners have jar racks, one or more safety devices, systems for exhausting air, and a way to measure or control pressure. Canners with 20- to 21- quart capacity are common. The minimum volume of canner that can be used is 16-quart capacity, which will contain 7 quart jars. Use of pressure saucepans with less than 16-quart capacities is not recommended. Low-acid foods - Foods which contain very little acid and have a ph above 4.6. The acidity in these foods is insufficient to prevent the growth of the bacterium Clostridium botulinum. Vegetables, some tomatoes, figs, all meats, fish, seafoods, and some dairy foods are low acid. To control all risks of botulism, jars of these foods must be (1) heat processed in a pressure canner, or (2) acidified to a ph of 4.6 or lower before processing in boiling water. 2

3 Microorganisms - Independent organisms of microscopic size, including bacteria, yeast, and mold. When alive in a suitable environment, they grow rapidly and may divide or reproduce every 10 to 30 minutes. Therefore, they reach high populations very quickly. Undesirable microorganisms cause disease and food spoilage. Microorganisms are sometimes intentionally added to ferment foods, make antibiotics, and for other reasons. Mold - A fungus-type microorganism whose growth on food is usually visible and colorful. Molds may grow on many foods, including acid foods like jams and jellies and canned fruits. Recommended heat processing and sealing practices prevent their growth on these foods. Mycotoxins - Toxins produced by the growth of some molds on foods. Open-kettle canning - A non-recommended canning method. Food is supposedly adequately heat processed in a covered kettle, and then filled hot and sealed in sterile jars. Foods canned this way have low vacuums or too much air, which permits rapid loss of quality in foods. Moreover, these foods often spoil because they become decontaminated while the jars are being filled. Pasteurization - Heating of a specific food enough to destroy the most heat-resistant pathogenic or disease-causing microorganism known to be associated with that food. ph - A measure of acidity or alkalinity. Values range from 0 to 14. A food is neutral when its ph is 7.0: lower values are increasingly more acid; higher values are increasingly more alkaline. Pickling - The practice of adding enough vinegar or lemon juice to a low-acid food to lower its ph to 4.6 or lower. Properly pickled foods may be safely heat processed in boiling water. Raw pack - The practice of filling jars with raw, unheated food. Acceptable for canning low-acid foods, but allows more rapid quality losses in acid foods heat processed in boiling water. Spice bag - A closeable fabric bag used to extract spice flavors in pickling solution. Spoilage - the growth of undesirable bacteria, molds and other pathogens that can cause illness, injury or degrade the taste or other qualities of foods. Style of pack - Form of canned food, such as whole, sliced, piece, juice, or sauce. The term may also be used to reveal whether food is filled raw or hot into jars. Vacuum - The state of negative pressure. Reflects how thoroughly air is removed from within a jar of processed food the higher the vacuum, the less air left in the jar. The presence of a vacuum, by itself, does not indicate that the jars are sterile or safe. Some people simply invert jars that are filled with hot product and sealed. That will form a vacuum and seal the lid, but the contents are not sterile, nor considered safe. They require water bath or pressure canner processing after the lids are put on! Water Bath Canner - see drawing - Essentially, a very large pot with a rack to hold jars. Acid foods such as fruits and tomatoes can be processed or "canned" in boiling water (also called the "water bath method"). Yeasts - A group of microorganisms which reproduce by budding. They are used in fermenting some foods and in leavening breads. Do not use overripe fruit. Canning doesn't improve the quality of food, so if you start out with low quality, it will only get worse in storage. Plus Do not add more low-acid ingredients (onions, celery, peppers, garlic) than specified in the recipe. This may result in an unsafe product. 3

4 Don t add substantially more seasonings or spices, these items are often high in bacteria and excess spices can make a canned item unsafe. I doubt whether increasing a spice from 1 teaspoon to 2 in a batch of 7 quarts will have any adverse effect, but use some common sense and don't go overboard. Do not add butter or fat to home-canned products unless stated in a tested recipe. Butters and fats do not store well and may increase the rate of spoilage. Adding butter or fat may also slow the rate of heat transfer, and result in an unsafe product. Thickeners - With the exception of "Clear-Jel" which has been tested in USDA and university food labs, do not thicken with starches, flour, or add rice, barley or pasta to canned products this applies to both savory products (such soups and stews), sauces and pickled items. Items that thicken products will absorb liquid during processing and slow the way in which the food heats. Under-processing and unsafe food could result. DO add acid (lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid) to tomato products when directed in the recipe. In 1994, food scientists proved the risk of botulism poisoning from canned tomato products, and acid is now added to canned tomatoes, even to those canned commercially. Lemon juice is widely available, but will add a sharp note to canned tomatoes; citric acid will change the flavor less noticeably, and vinegar is part of many recipes anyway. If necessary, you can balance the tart taste by adding sugar. Heat process (water bath canning or pressure canning, as called for in the recipe) all canned items that will be stored on the shelf. Some recipes, especially those for jams and jellies, instruct you to simply seal hot-filled jars, or to invert the jars as the final step. Unsafe final products may result from "open-kettle canning" or inverting jars as the final step. Never process the jars in any oven (electric, gas or microwave). Steam canning is also, pretty broadly NOT recommended. There ARE a couple of manufacturers selling steam canners, but you'll find virtually no credible authorities recommending them, for a variety of reasons, starting with basic heat transfers properties of steam vs. water. Increase water-bath processing times at altitudes of 1,000 feet or more to compensate for the lower temperature of boiling water at high altitude. To prevent darkening: Some peeled or cut fruits (such as peaches, apples, nectarines) will darken when exposed to the air. Any of these simple treatments will help prevent darkening: o o o Use a commercial ascorbic acid mixture like "Fruit-Fresh", which is available at the grocery and drug stores. Sprinkle it over the cut fruit and mix well. OR Put the cut fruit in a solution of 1 teaspoon ascorbic acid (vitamin C, available in a powdered form from the drug store) and 1 gallon water. Drain before canning. Put the cut fruit into a lemon juice solution (3/4 cup lemon juice to 1 gallon water). Drain fruit before canning. Canning jars. Use standard mason / Ball / Kerr (etc.) jars for home canning. Commercial food jars that are not heat-tempered, such as mayonnaise jars, often break easily. Sealing also can be a problem if sealing surfaces do not exactly fit canning lids. Be sure all jars and closures are perfect. Discard any with cracks, chips, dents or rust. Defects prevent airtight seals. 4

5 Do not use jars larger than specified in the recipe, as an unsafe product may result. It's almost always ok to go smaller. Generally speaking, quart jars are the largest size you should use. To remove scale or hard water films on jars, soak several hours in a solution of 1 cup vinegar (5 percent) per gallon water. Keep the jars warm until ready to fill (to reduce breakage from thermal shock). Prepare the two-piece metal canning lids by washing them in water and following the manufacturer s instructions for heating the lids (some need to be covered with hot water for a minute or more - in steaming, but not boiling water) The flat lids can be used only once, but the screw bands can be reused as long as they are in good condition. Read Do not reuse lids from commercially canned foods. Check jars for seals within 24 hours of canning. Treat jars that fail to seal properly as if they are fresh (refrigerate and eat soon). More tips for boiling water bath canning: Fill the canner at least halfway with water. A little practice will help you to know how much water you will need to start out with to ensure the jars will be covered by at least 1 inch of water. Preheat water that is added to the jars (when called for) to very warm but not boiling (around 140 degrees F) for raw-packed foods (the lower temperature helps to reduce jar breakage) and to boiling for hot-packed foods. Put the filled jars, with lids and rings on, onto the canner rack and use the handles to lower the rack into the water. Or you may fill the canner, one jar at a time, with a jar lifter. Obviously, you'd need to be quick, or the first jar could be in the bath for substantially longer than the last jar you add. If you don't use a jar rack, then a flat rack on the bottom helps to reduce break. One of these comes with each canner. Always add more boiling water, if needed, so the water level is at least one inch above the tops of the jars. Turn heat to its highest position until the water boils vigorously, and then set a timer for the minutes required for processing the food. Cover the canner and if necessary, lower the heat setting to maintain a full but gentle boil throughout the processing time. Generally, I find I need to keep the burners on high. If one burner doesn't produce enough heat to keep the water boiling, you can usually straddle two burners with the canner. When the jars have been boiled for the recommended time, turn the heat off and use a jar lifter to remove the jars and place them on a towel in an area that is not drafty, leaving at least one inch between the jars during cooling. Do not retighten the jar lids - it may break the seal. Do not leave the jars in the boiling water after processing time is done, because the food will become overcooked. Check the jar seals hours after processing for leaks and broken seals. Just 5

6 press down on the lid. If it seals, it will be sucked down tight. If it did not seal, it will flex and make a popping sound each tip. To store, remove the screw bands and wipe the jars clean. Otherwise, the rings may rust tight to the jar! Any jar that fails to seal can be reprocessed in a clean jar with a new lid. Reprocess within 24 hours. Generally, it is better to refrigerate the jar and use it within several days. The jar may also be stored in the freezer if the headspace is adjusted to 1-1/2 inches to allow for the expansion of the product. Pressure Canning Information, Explanations, Supplies and Related Items If you've tried some water bath canning; making jams or applesauce, you may have been tempted to can some other vegetables from you garden. If they are low-acid (and pretty much all vegetables other than tomatoes are low acid, not counting pickles - to which vinegar, which is acidic - is added) you'll need a pressure canner! And you definitely need a pressure canner for anything containing any meat. There are limits to what you can safely can at home, though. Home canning of dairy is not recommended (USDA, Ball, etc.), even with a pressure canner. The open water bath canners can't get water any hotter than 212 F and that's not hot enough to kill the bacteria that can grow in low acid foods. A pressure canner hits 240F which allows for home canning of many more foods, like corn, beans, meats, etc.). Why do I need to use a pressure canner to can most vegetables? A water bath canner is fine for acidic fruits and vegetables, such as jams, jellies, applesauce, apple butter, and tomatoes, but for almost all other vegetables, like carrots, squash, green beans, squash, corn, okra, etc. you'll need a pressure canner. Quoting from the Ohio State University Extension's Fact Sheet: "Pressure canning is the only safe method for home canning vegetables. Clostridium botulinum is the bacterium that causes botulism food poisoning in low-acid foods, such as vegetables. The bacterial spores are destroyed only when the vegetables are processed in a pressure canner at 240 degrees Fahrenheit (F) for the correct amount of time. Clostridium botulinum is the bacterium commonly found in vegetables and meats. It is harmless until it finds itself in a moist, low-acid, oxygen-free environment or a partial vacuum. In other words, a sealed jar! Under these conditions, the bacterium can grow and produce toxins dangerous to people and animals. Yes, we have ALL heard about someone's grandmother who canned without a pressure canner and lived to 90. And we all know people who smoked 2 packs a day and lived to 90. But neither is smart to do, and the odds will catch up with most people. You'll literally gambling with your life when you eat low acid foods that were canned using the open water bath, rather than pressure canning method. Do not process (low acid) vegetables using the boiling water bath because the botulinum bacteria can survive that method. 6

7 How does a pressure canner work? Modern pressure canners are lightweight, thin-walled aluminum or stainless steel kettles. Most have twist-on lids fitted with gaskets. There are still one or two that have screw-down knobs around the lid on the canner. They have removable racks, a weighted vent port (steam vent), and a safety vent. They also have either a dial gauge for indicating the pressure or a weighted gauge (which both regulates the pressure and indicates, by rattling). Pressure canners can usually handle either one layer of quart or smaller size jars, or deep enough for two layers of pint or smaller size jars. Unlike a water bath canner, the jars do not need to be completely covered with water. The directions that came with the pressure canner tell you how many cups of water to add in order for it to generate the right amount of pressure. You vent the pressure canner a considerable length of time while the water boils (with the jars in and the lid on). This causes steam to push out all the air. So the jars are in a space filled with only boiling water and steam. In theory, both will have the same temperature, which will be 240 F, substantially high than 212 F of an open water bath canner, due to the increased pressure. And since there is no air, just water vapor, the heat will be easily conducted to all sides of the jars. General Instructions For Home Pressure Canning 1. Put the canner on the stove on the largest burner. 2. Put the rack (usually a metal plate with holes in) into the canner and 2 to 3 inches of hot water into the canner. 3. Place the filled jars (with the lids and rings on) fitted with lids, on the jar rack in the canner. 4. Put the canner lid and seal it down. Leave the weight off the vent port (or petcock). 7

8 Tips 5. Turn the burner up to its highest position. Heat until the water boils and steam exits strongly from the open vent port (or petcock). While maintaining the high heat setting, let the steam flow (exhaust) continuously for 10 minutes. 6. Allow the canner to vent for the specified time (usually 10 to 15 minutes), then put the weight or on (or or close the petcock). The canner will get up to pressure in just a few minutes. 7. Once the pressure gauge indicates that it has reached the desired pressure (often 11 lbs) start timing! 8. Adjust the burner to maintain a the desired pressure, as shown on the gauge. If there is now gauge, the weight should jiggle a couple of times per minute, of course, check the manufacturer s directions. 9. At the end of the processing time (often in the range of 5 to 15 minutes; it varies for different foods altitudes and jar sizes), turn the heat off and allow the canner to cool down until the pressure is vented! 10. Lift off the weight open the top and remove the jars! Carefully place the jars onto a towel or cake cooling rack, leaving about an inch of space between the jars. Avoid placing the jars in cold or drafty areas. Let the jars cool overnight (or about 8 hrs) Don't let the pressure drop during processing - if it starts to go down, turn the burner up just a bit. If at pressure goes below the recommended amount, increase the heat to bring the canner back to pressure. Start the timing of the process over from the beginning. If you are located over 1,000 ft above sea level; read the canner's instructions to increase the canning time or pressure. Be sure to vent the canner with steam exiting for the specified length of time to prevent air becoming trapped in the closed canner. Trapped air lowers the temperature obtained for a given pressure and results in underprocessing. Most pressure canners must be vented 10 minutes before they are sealed and pressurized. To properly vent a canner, leave the vent port (steam vent) uncovered after you fill the canner and lock the canner lid in place. Heat the canner on high until the water boils and generates steam that can be easily seen escaping through the open vent port. When a visible plume of steam continuously exits the canner, time for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes of continuous steam, you can close the vent (usually by putting the weight on it)) to begin pressurizing the canner. Raw Packing - also called "cold packing" Raw-packing is the practice of filling jars tightly with freshly prepared, but unheated food. Such foods, especially fruit, will often float in the jars. The entrapped air in and around the food may also cause discoloration within 2 to 3 months of storage. Raw-packing is more suitable for pickles; since pickles require minimal processing due to the very high acid content, and the need to retain the crispness of the raw vegetable. It is generally also used for vegetables processed in a pressure canner, since the additional time getting up to down from pressure ensures plenty of cooking time. 8

9 Hot Packing Hot-packing is the practice of heating freshly prepared food to boiling, simmering it 2 to 5 minutes, and promptly filling jars loosely with the boiled food. Whether food has been hot-packed or raw-packed, the juice, syrup, or water to be added to the foods should also be heated to boiling before adding it to the jars. This practice helps to remove air from food tissues, shrinks food, helps keep the food from floating in the jars, increases vacuum in sealed jars, and improves shelf life. Preshrinking food also permits filling more food into each jar. Many fresh foods contain from 10 percent to more than 30 percent air. this is important because how long canned food retains high quality depends on how much air is removed from food before jars are sealed. Hot-packing is the best way to remove air and is the preferred pack style for foods processed in a boiling-water canner. At first, the color of hot-packed foods may appear no better than that of raw-packed foods, but within a short storage period, both color and flavor of hot-packed foods will be superior. Recommendations: Which to choose, raw pack or hot pack Use the hot-pack method, especially with acid foods to be processed in boiling water rather than a pressure canning method. The Raw pack method is fine for pickles and for vegetables to be processed in a pressure canner. More information? If you are still not bored, here's more information about hot packing v. raw packing! The offering of hot and/or raw packs is usually based on quality issues with the finished product. However, USDA process recommendations have been developed over time by different laboratories and researchers. Sometimes it has been the choice of the researchers who developed the process recommendation to only use one method. Individual food characteristics can also lead to the need for specific preparation procedures. For example, in a hot pack process for a starchy food like potatoes, the food is precooked in water that is then discarded (some of the starch is drawn out into the water) and replaced by fresh boiling water when filling jars. If a raw pack process was chosen for the same product, the starch that now cooks out in the jar may later gelatinize and/or cause excessive cloudiness in the finished raw pack. This amount of starch in the jar also causes safety concerns during the canning processing, and makes it hard to detect any post-processing spoilage in the stored jar. As another example, many pickled products are hot packs because the pre-heating starts to acidify the food before it goes in the jar and results in a safer product. Why are hot and raw pack processing times sometimes the same? Hot pack and raw pack variations, as presented on pickyourown.org are derived from USDA recommendations, which have each been researched separately by the USDA. This includes collecting heat penetration data and calculating an independent process time for each. So the process time is determined by the actual heating characteristics of the pack. Depending on preparation procedures and the type of process, 9

10 the final result may be the same. Other times, it might be different. The temperature of the process (boiling water or pressure) and the length of the process needed can influence the differences between hot and rack pack rates of heating. Another consideration is that USDA home-canning processes are rounded off to the next higher 5-minute interval. If the hot and raw pack process times vary by less than 5 minutes, but in the same interval, the recommended process time will be the same. For example, if the hot pack is calculated as 11 minutes and the raw pack requires 14 minutes, they will both get rounded off to, and published as, a 15-minute process time. This is to avoid the possibility of underprocessing, and the potential for harm that would bring! Acid Content of Fruits and Vegetables for Home Canning and Preserving Acid foods are foods that contain enough acid to have a ph of 4.6 or lower. Acidic foods can be processed safely in a boiling water canner, usually without added acid (lemon juice, vinegar or citric acid). This is necessary to control botulinum bacteria. Acidity may be natural, as in most fruits, or added, as in pickled food. Low-acid canned foods are not acidic enough to prevent the growth of these bacteria. Acid foods contain enough acid to block their growth, or destroy them more rapidly when heated. The term "ph" is a measure of acidity; the lower its value, the more acid the food. The acidity level in foods can be increased by adding lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar. Low-acid foods have ph values higher than 4.6 up to 6.9. (non-acidic, or alkaline foods have ph values of 7.0 or greater).they include red meats, seafood, poultry, milk, and all fresh vegetables except for most tomatoes. Most mixtures of low-acid and acid foods also have ph values above 4.6 unless their recipes include enough lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar to make them acid foods. Acid foods have a ph of 4.6 or lower. They include fruits, pickles, sauerkraut, jams, jellies, marmalades, and fruit butters. Although tomatoes usually are considered an acid food, some are now known to have ph values slightly above 4.6. Figs also have ph values slightly above 4.6. Therefore, if they are to be canned as acid foods, these products must be acidified to a ph of 4.6 or lower with lemon juice or citric acid. To be safe, we simply recommend always adding 2 tablespoons of lemon juice to each quart of tomatoes or tomato products. Properly acidified tomatoes and figs are acid foods and can be safely processed in a boiling-water canner. Botulinum spores are very hard to destroy at boiling-water temperatures; the higher the canner temperature, the more easily they are destroyed. Therefore, all low-acid foods should be sanitized at temperatures of 240 to 250 F, attainable with pressure canners operated at 10 to 15 PSIG. PSIG means "pounds per square inch of pressure as measured by gauge". The more familiar "PSI" designation is used hereafter. At temperatures of 240 to 250 F, the time needed to destroy bacteria in low-acid canned food ranges from 20 to 100 minutes. The exact time depends on the kind of food being canned, the way it is packed into jars, and the size of jars. When it is even possible*, the time needed to safely process low-acid foods in a boiling-water canner ranges from 7 to 11 hours; the time needed to process acid foods in boiling water varies from 5 to 85 minutes. Note: * in many cases, no amount of water bath canning will kill the type of bacteria present, because the temperatures never rise high enough. Summarizing, low acid or non-acidic foods must be: pickled, frozen, 10

11 dried or canned in a pressure canner (where there is a safe recipe determined for them - there is no safe recipe for canning pumpkins and squash) Foods can be acid because they are: 1. naturally acid foods 2. foods that have acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice, added 3. fermented foods, such as sauerkraut. During the fermentation process bacteria produce an acid. Tomatoes are borderline - and must be considered a special case, with acid added! Low Acid or Non-acidic Foods These are considered to be LOW acid foods: Certain fruits: figs, Asian pears, melons, bananas, dates, papaya, ripe pineapple, persimmons Almost ALL vegetables, such as: asparagus beans corn cucumbers garlic green beans greens (lettuce, kale, collards, spinach, etc.) onions peas pumpkins squash (summer or winter varieties) How long will frozen food keep? This depends upon the type of food and the storage temperature. Most foods obey the rule 'the colder the better'. Properly frozen food stored in a deep freeze (not a "frost-free" freezer) will retain optimum eating quality for at least 6 months ands in many cases, 1 year. frost-free freezers cycle the temperature above freezing to melt ice accumulations and may cause foods to lose some of their eating quality in a few weeks or months, depending on the temperature. 11

12 What can I freeze? You can freeze almost any food. Some exceptions are canned food or eggs in shells. However, once the food (such as a ham) is out of the can, you may freeze it. Being able to freeze food and being pleased with the quality after defrosting are two different things. Some foods simply don t freeze well. Examples are mayonnaise, cream sauce and lettuce. Raw meat and poultry maintain their quality longer than their cooked counterparts because moisture is lost during cooking. How does freezing preserve food? When frozen, many microbial actions in food, which lead to it spoiling are prevented or slowed down considerably. For example, bacteria cannot grow in the cold of the freezer. When food is frozen much of the water is 'locked up' as ice which means that many other chemical changes in food are also slowed down. Does that mean that frozen food stored for longer is not safe? No. Bacteria, some of which cause food poisoning, cannot grow at freezer temperatures so the storage life reflects the length of time the product is likely to remain quality of taste and texture. Eventually, even well frozen food will deteriorate and become unpalatable whilst still remaining safe to eat. What is Freezer Burn? Freezer burn does not make food unsafe, merely dry in spots. It appears as grayish-brown leathery spots and is caused by air reaching the surface of the food. Cut freezer-burned portions away either before or after cooking the food. Heavily freezer-burned foods may have to be discarded for quality reasons. What is blanching? Heating or scalding vegetables in boiling water or steam for a short period of time. Is it recommended to blanch vegetable before freezing? YES. Blanching slows or stops the action of enzymes which cause loss of flavor, color and texture. Blanching cleanses the surface of dirt and organisms, brightens the color and helps retard loss of vitamins. Blanching also wilts or softens vegetable and makes them easier to pack. Vegetable Asparagus Beans (green and yellow podded) Beans, fresh lima Beets Broccoli and cauliflower Preparation and boiling water blanch times for common vegetables Preparation and boiling water blanch times Leave whole or cut into 2-inch lengths. Blanch small stalks 2 minutes; medium stalks 3 minutes; large stalks 4 minutes. Cool promptly and drain. Snip tips and sort by size. Cut or break into suitable pieces or freeze small beans whole. Blanch 3 minutes. Cool promptly and drain. Shell and sort. Blanch small beans 2 minutes; medium beans 3 minutes; large beans 4 minutes. Cool promptly and drain. Remove all but 2 inches of top; wash. Cook tender for 25 to 30 minutes for small beets; 45 to 50 minutes for medium beets. Chill. Remove skins. Slice or dice large beets. Pack. Trim. Separate into individual pieces. Cut broccoli stalks lengthwise. Soak 1/2 hour in salt brine (4 teaspoons of salt to 1 gallon cold water) to drive out small insects. Rinse and drain. Blanch 3 minutes in water or steam blanch 5 minutes. Cool promptly and drain. Brussels sprouts Trim. Soak 1/2 hour in salt brine (see above). Rinse and drain. Blanch small heads 3 12

13 Cabbage Carrots Sweet corn, onthe-cob Sweet corn, cut Kohlrabi Vegetable Mushrooms Okra Peas (green, English, blackeyed) Peas (edible pod, sugar, or Chinese) Peppers, green Peppers, hot Pimentos Potatoes, Irish minutes; medium heads 4 minutes; large heads 5 minutes. Cool promptly and drain. Discard coarse outer leaves. Cut into wedges or shred coarsely. Blanch wedges 3 minutes and shredded cabbage 1 1/2 minutes. Cool promptly and drain. Trim and scrape. Dice or slice 1/4-inch thick. Blanch cut carrots 3 minutes; whole carrots 5 minutes. Cool promptly and drain. Husk, remove silks, and trim ends. Use a large kettle for blanching. Blanch small ears (1 1/4- inch diameter) 7 minutes; medium ears (1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch diameter) 9 minutes; large ears (over 1 1/2-inch diameter) 11 minutes. Chill in ice water for as long as it takes to blanch or corn may become mushy and develop a cob flavor. Husk, remove silks, and trim ends. Blanch 4-6 minutes, depending on size of ear. Chill. Cut from cob. Cut off tops and roots. Wash and peel tough bark. Wash and slice 1/4-inch thick, dice in 1/2- inch cubes, or leave whole. Blanch cubes 1 minutes; slices 2 minute; whole 3 minutes. Cool promptly and drain. Preparation and boiling water blanch times Trim stem ends. Sort by size. Freeze small ones whole; slice larger ones. To prevent discoloration, use 3 teaspoons lemon juice or 1/2 teaspoon ascorbic acid to 1 quart water when blanching. Blanch whole 4 minutes; sliced, 3 minutes. Cool and drain. To steam blanch: Dip for 5 minutes in a solution of 1 teaspoon lemon juice or 1 1/2 teaspoon citric acid to 1 pint water. Steam whole 5 minutes; buttons or quarters 3 1/2 minutes; sliced 3 minutes. Sauteed: Heat small quantities of mushrooms in butter for 3 minutes. Cool and pack. No blanching is required. Cut off stems without opening seed cells. Blanch small pods 3 minutes; large pods 4 minutes. Leave whole or slice crosswise. Cool promptly and drain. Shell small amount at a time. Blanch green or English for 1 1/2 minutes; black-eyed 2 minutes. Cool promptly and drain. Remove stems, blossom ends, and any string. Leave whole. Blanch small pods 1 1/2 minutes; large pods 2 minutes. Cool promptly and drain. Remove stem and seeds. Halve, chop, or cut into 1/2-inch strips or rings. May be frozen without blanching. For use in cooking, blanch halves 3 minutes, strips or rings 2 minutes. Cool, drain, and package. Wash and stem. Package leaving no headspace. Peel by roasting in oven at degrees F for 6-8 minutes or until skins can be rubbed off. Wash off charred skins, cut out stems, remove seeds. Package. Plain: Wash and peel or scrub. Blanch 3-5 minutes depending on size. Cool, drain. French fried: Use potatoes that have been stored at least 30 days. Wash, peel, and cut into thin strips. Rinse in cold water, dry thoroughly. Fry in hot fat (360 degrees F) about 5 minutes until tender, not brown. Drain on paper towels. Cool and package. Finish browning at serving time in a hot oven (475 degrees F). 13

14 Potatoes, sweet Spinach and other greens Summer squash, zucchini Tomatoes Choose potatoes that have been cured for at least one week. Sort to size and wash. Cook until almost tender (in water, pressure cooker, oven). Cool at room temperature, peel and cut in halves, slice or mash. To prevent darkening: Dip whole potato or slices in a solution of 1/2 cup lemon juice to 1 quart water for 5 seconds. For mashed sweet potatoes: Mix 2 Tablespoons orange or lemon juice with each quart. Remove damaged leaves and tough stems. Blanch collards 3 minutes; other greens 2 minutes. Cool promptly and drain. Peel; cut in 1/2-inch slices; blanch 3 minutes. Steam shredded zucchini 1-2 minutes or until translucent. Cool promptly and drain. Raw: Wash and dip in boiling water for 30 seconds to loosen skins. Core and peel. Freeze whole or in pieces. Use for cooking or seasoning only. Juice: Wash, sort, and trim. Cut in quarters or eighths. Simmer 5-10 minutes. Press through sieve. If desired, add 1 teaspoon salt per quart. Pour into containers, leaving headspace. Stewed: Prepare as in juice. Cover and cook until tender, minutes. Cool and pack leaving headspace. Why is it necessary to cool vegetables after blanching? Vegetables should be cooled quickly and thoroughly after blanching to stop the cooking process. Otherwise, vegetables will be overcooked with loss of flavor, color, vitamins and minerals. Can I freeze mixed veggies? We love them and I'd rather put them together before hand than open three or four bags and mix them? Certainly! Just blanch them (each according to it s own method and blanching time), cool, drain, THEN combine them in your freezer bags and freeze. I have so much potatoes. Is there a way to freeze potatoes for French fries or diced and scalloped( semicooked)? What is the best way to do that? I haven t tried it, but according to the USDA, there is: 1. Select smooth new potatoes directly from the garden. 2. Peel or scrape and wash. 3. Water blanch for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on the size. 4. Cool, drain and package whole or sectioned, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. 5. Seal and freeze. Can I Refreeze foods? Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it is safe to refreeze it without cooking, although there may be a loss of quality due to the moisture lost through defrosting. After cooking raw foods which were previously frozen, it is safe to freeze the cooked foods. If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion. 14

15 If you purchase previously frozen meat, poultry or fish at a retail store, you can refreeze if it has been handled properly. Tomatoes Can you freeze tomatoes from your garden! Certainly! They will be great for a winter meal that uses cooked tomatoes, like spaghetti sauce. Tomato sauces and salsa freeze well and are convenient to have on hand for later cooking. Frozen tomatoes, however, won't substitute for fresh later. Whole Tomatoes tend to crack and collapse when they thaw, and then become soft, mushy and watery. Not what you want on your salad (although the flavor is still great). To freeze fresh raw tomatoes, try the following methods: Short term freezer storage (0 to 3 months): 1. Wash tomatoes 2. Slice tomatoes into at least one-half inch slices. Package in a rigid airtight container and fast freeze. 3. Or put slices on a cookie sheet and freeze for two hours, or until they are crisp on the outside. Then remove and put them into freezer bags or containers. Long term freezer storage (3 months to 12 months): You really need a vacuum food sealers as they will prevent freezer burn, and are recommended! 1. Blanch tomatoes to for 30 to 60 seconds and then into ice water to remove skins (the tend to get tougher in storage) 2. Put slices on a a piece of wax paper or plastic wrap (cling film) on a cookie sheet and freeze for two hours, or until they are crisp on the outside. 3. Remove and put them into vacuum freezer bags or containers. 4. Vacuum and seal them up! You can use regular freezer bags, like Ziplocs, instead of the vacuum sealer, but you get much better results with the vacuum sealer. TIP: If you don't own a vacuum food sealer to freeze foods, place food in a Ziploc bags, zip the top shut but leave enough space to insert the tip of a soda straw. When straw is in place, remove air by sucking the air out. To remove straw, press straw closed where inserted and finish pressing the bag closed as you remove straw. Washing tomatoes: Tomatoes should be washed before cutting. To wash, wet each tomato with water, rub its surface, rinse it with running water, and dry it with a paper towel. After washing, cut away the stem scar and surrounding area and discard it before slicing or chopping the tomato. Washing tomatoes in a sink filled with water is not recommended since contaminated water can be absorbed through the fruit's stem scar. The use of soap or detergent is neither recommended nor approved for washing fruits and vegetables because they can absorb detergent residues. 15

16 Can I freeze Melons (Cantaloupe, Crenshaw, Honeydew, or Watermelon) Preparation Select firm-fleshed, well-colored, ripe melons. Cut in half, remove seeds and rind. Cut melons into slices, cubes or balls. Syrup Pack Pack into containers and cover with cold 30 percent sugar syrup. Leave ½ inch headspace. Seal and freeze. Unsweetened Pack Pack into containers, leaving headspace. Seal and freeze. Does Freezing Destroy Bacteria & Parasites? Freezing to 0 F inactivates any microbes -- bacteria, yeasts and molds - - present in food. Once thawed, however, these microbes can again become active, multiplying under the right conditions to levels that can lead to foodborne illness. Since they will then grow at about the same rate as microorganisms on fresh food, you must handle thawed items as you would any perishable food. Trichina and other parasites can be destroyed by sub-zero freezing temperatures. However, very strict government-supervised conditions must be met. It is not recommended to rely on home freezing to destroy trichina. Thorough cooking will destroy all parasites. Nutrient Retention The freezing process itself does not destroy nutrients. In meat and poultry products, there is little change in nutrient value during freezer storage. Enzymes Enzyme activity can lead to the deterioration of food quality. Enzymes present in animals, vegetables and fruit promote chemical reactions, such as ripening. Freezing only slows the enzyme activity that takes place in foods. It does not halt these reactions which continue after harvesting. Enzyme activity does not harm frozen meats or fish and is neutralized by the acids in frozen fruits. But most vegetables that freeze well are low acid and require a brief, partial cooking to prevent deterioration. This is called "blanching." For successful freezing, blanch or partially cook vegetables in boiling water or in a microwave oven. Then rapidly chill the vegetables prior to freezing and storage. Freezer Storage Chart (0 F) Note: Freezer storage is for quality only. Frozen foods remain safe indefinitely. Item Months Bacon and Sausage 1 to 2 Casseroles 2 to 3 Egg whites or egg substitutes 12 Frozen Dinners and Entrees 3 to 4 Gravy, meat or poultry 2 to 3 16

17 Ham, Hotdogs and Lunchmeats 1 to 2 Meat, uncooked roasts 4 to 12 Meat, uncooked steaks or chops 4 to 12 Tips Meat, uncooked ground 3 to 4 Meat, cooked 2 to 3 Poultry, uncooked whole 12 Poultry, uncooked parts 9 Poultry, uncooked giblets 3 to 4 Poultry, cooked 4 Soups and Stews 2 to 3 Wild game, uncooked 8 to 12 To prevent freezer burn, don't leave slices very long in the freezer unwrapped. Frozen sliced tomatoes should be eaten in a near-frozen state for fresh taste. Cherry tomatoes are good on salads if eaten while partly frozen. 17