Canning and Preserving for Beginners: The Essential Canning Recipes and Canning Supplies Guide. Rockridge Press
Читать онлайн книгу.
rel="nofollow" href="#fb3_img_img_9919d6ef-0475-5ef3-bd88-26a3386c138f.jpg" alt="images"/>
Tips for Water Bath Canning Safety and Food Handling
Always check the recipe, your manufacturer’s guide, or your local agricultural extension office to be sure that the type of food you’re canning has enough acidity to be canned in a water bath canner.
If you’re canning mixed foods containing both high- and low-acid foods (e.g., some soups, relishes, stews), they must be processed in a pressure canner to prevent bacterial growth and spoilage.
Always wipe the rims of the jars with a clean towel before placing the lids on the jars. Food and liquids on the rims of the jars can prevent them from sealing properly.
When selecting and preparing foods for canning, always check carefully for mold, bruises, holes, and cuts that may harbor bacteria or insect eggs.
If children are present, be sure they’re safely away from the stove and the canner during processing, and that they understand that jostling or moving the jars during cooling can interfere with proper and safe sealing.
Always make sure your cooling jars are safe from jostling or tipping for at least 12 to 24 hours. You may want to keep pets and small children out of the kitchen during the cooling period.
2
PERFECT PICKLES
Pickles are a great way to start learning how to can with the water bath method. They’re considered one of the easiest foods to master, and most people love pickles, so they’re also very rewarding.
The Different Types of Homemade Pickles
There are several different types of homemade pickles:
Quick-process or cold-pack pickles are perhaps the most common and simplest to prepare. These are either marinated in a cold vinegar solution for several hours or are packed in a hot vinegar solution, and then they are processed immediately. Most of the recipes included in this section are for quick-process pickles.
Fermented pickles are generally soaked in a briny solution for 4 to 6 weeks before being packed and processed.
Refrigerator pickles are never processed. They are marinated or soaked for about a week, packed into jars, and then stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.
Fruit pickles, such as watermelon rind pickles or pickled peaches, are exactly what they sound like. They’re usually cooked in a type of syrup solution before being packed and processed.
Tips for Perfect Pickles
Pickles are easy to make at home, but the following few tips can maximize your potential for the perfect pickle:
Always select firm cucumbers (or other foods) for making pickles. Overripe or slightly rubbery cucumbers yield floppy, unappetizing pickles. Pickling does not crisp them up, so choose the freshest, firmest cucumbers you can find.
If you’re pickling fruits or other vegetables, such as tomatoes, it’s best to choose produce that is completely ripe. Sweetness is not an issue in pickling, but texture is. Slightly under-ripe produce produces a crisper texture.
Over-processing can turn crisp cucumbers into wilted, leathery pickles in just a couple of minutes, so be sure to double-check the recipe’s recommended processing time, watch your timer, and turn off the heat promptly.
Cucumber blossoms contain an enzyme that can make your pickles limp. It’s best to cut off the blossom end (just a sliver) to ensure this isn’t a problem.
You can use any size cucumber for pickles, but you want something close to uniformity in each jar. This will ensure even processing and pickling. If your pickling cucumbers vary a bit in size, it can be helpful to separate them into one or two groups when you’re getting ready. This way, you don’t have jars waiting to be processed (or jars already being processed) while you pick through your cucumbers to find the appropriate sizes.
Watch your water and vinegar measurements. Too much or too little (most often the case) can result in soft pickles.
Always use pickling salt (found in the canning section of most supermarkets). Table salt has additives that can make the pickle juice cloudy and off-putting.
If you find that your processed pickles are cloudy, a few things may be the cause. Spoilage is your first concern, so open the pickles and look and smell for any signs of spoilage. When in doubt, throw them out. Most often, cloudiness is caused by using the wrong pan. Always use a nonmetallic or coated metallic pan, as aluminum will react with the vinegar in the brine and cause cloudiness. This cloudiness doesn’t affect safety, but it is unappetizing.
You can substitute fresh dill and dill seed one for the other. For every quart of pickles, use 3 heads of fresh dill or 1 to 2 tablespoons of dill seed.
Generally, burpless cucumbers are not good for pickling. They contain an enzyme that softens the pickles during the fermentation process.
Classic Dill Pickles
Almost everyone loves dill pickles, and they’re almost essential for a great sandwich or burger. These dill pickle slices are a cinch to make and a real crowd pleaser.
| • 4 cups apple cider vinegar• 4 cups water• ¾ cup granulated sugar• ½ cup pickling salt• 3 tablespoons pickling spice*• 5 whole bay leaves | • 5 large garlic cloves• 2½ teaspoons mustard seed• 5 heads fresh dill• 13½ cups pickling cucumbers• 5 pint jars, lids, and bands |
* not the packets sold in the canning section, but the mixture sold in the spice section
1. Fill the canner with enough water to cover the jars. Boil the water, reduce the heat to low, place the jars in the water, and simmer until ready to use.
2. Trim the blossom ends of the cucumbers, and cut into ¼-inch slices.
3. Tie the pickling spices up in a small piece of cheesecloth, and secure with kitchen twine.
4. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, pickling salt, and pickling spice packet in a large stainless steel or porcelain-coated saucepan, and bring them to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir well to dissolve the salt and sugar.
5. Reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the spices have infused the pickling liquid.
6. Place 1 bay leaf, 1 garlic clove, ½ teaspoon mustard seed, and 1 head of dill into each of the jars.
7. Pack the sliced cucumbers into the hot jars, leaving about ½ inch of headspace.
8. Ladle enough hot pickling liquid into each jar to cover the cucumbers, yet still leave ½ inch of headspace.
9. Remove air bubbles, wipe the rims, center the lids, and screw on the bands and adjust until they are fingertip tight.
10. Place the jars in the canner and bring to a boil. Make sure there is at least 1 inch of water covering the jars.
11. Process for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove the jars from the canner and cool.
Sweet Gherkins
Sweet gherkins are a hit with everyone, especially children. If you can find them, it’s fun to make these with the really tiny cucumbers. Otherwise, just choose the smallest pickling cucumbers you can find.
| • 4 pounds cucumbers (3 to 4 inches long)• 4 cups granulated sugar• 3¾ cups white vinegar• 3 tablespoons pickling salt | • 4 teaspoons celery seed• 4 teaspoons ground turmeric• 1½ teaspoons mustard seed• 10 half-pint jars, |