Canning

The fall harvest is in full swing and many of us have dusted off our canners ready to put up jams, jellies, fruits and vegetables for the winter. Please remember that the Botulinum bacteria of today have evolved since our Grand and Greatgrandmothers canned.  There are two types of foods based on the PH Scale...low acid and high acid foods. Low acid foods are vegetables and meats while high acid foods are fruits. Surprisingly, Tomotoes are in the center at a PH of 7 so it is recommended by the USDA that 2 tablespoons of lemon juice be added to each quart jar to give the tomatoes the extra nudge over to a more acidic number for boil bathing. 

Please do not be afraid of Pressure Canners, if one simply follows the directions one will not have any problems. Pressure canners come in two varieties - weighted an dialed. Both work very well and are approximately $99 and up. Pressure canners use significantly less water than boil bath canners and take less time to process foods.  The pressure canner is designed to bring water up to well above 212 degrees and hold it at a specific pound of pressure depending upon the item being canned. Low acid foods must be pressure canned to ensure that the Botulinum bacteria has been killed.

Boil Bath Canners may be used for high acid foods. These type of canners can be found a Flea markets, yard sales or purchased brand new at Walmart or even a hardware store. It is important to keep the jars from sitting on the bottom of the canner so use the rack that was included. If no rack was with the canner a piece of wood with holes cut to fit or even a towel will work.

There are many many books on the market although the Ball Blue book is the leading authority on canning times. The local ag extensions will often hold classes in the summer to teach proper canning methods.

It is very important to follow canning instructions and procedures to the letter to prevent Botulinum poisoning. Botulinum is the deadliest bacteria known to man. It can live in an environment without Oxygen so it must be killed during the canning process.  The symptoms of Botulinum poisoning present like a stroke: weakness on one side, slurred speach, double vision, headaches and the victim deteriorates rapidly to death. If detected in time a anti- toxin can be administered but the road back to recovery is slow and need physical therapy and nursing care are often needed.

The nice thing about Botulinum it tells one it is there if one knows what to look for.

Don't use a jar if:

• the lid has come unsealed
• the lid is hoved up
• the liquid is cloudy
• the fruit or veg. has an odd color
• there is an odd odor when you open the jar
• if the liquid fizzes when you open the jar

The old addage "when in doubt throw it out" is very useful in this situation.

Canning tip:

Use a bundt pan when cutting off corn from the cob. Place either end in the "hole" of the bundt pan and the corn will go down the sides and not fly everywhere plus one does not need to wait so long for the corn to cool down.  If one is alone place the bag over a wide mouth jar or glass this will hold it open for you to fill. Lastly, "smush" the bag flat and put on a cookie sheet in the freezer. When the corn is frozen the bags will be flat and can either stand on end or be stacked more easily in the freezer.

Apple tip:

When using a apple peeler lay an old flannel backed tablecloth on the floor under the applepeeler to prevent the floor from becoming sticky. Clean up is easy either hose off the tablecloth to use another day or toss in the trash

 

Hunting season

I often joke with the students claiming that the rest of the world measures the year by the traditional seasons where here in Central Pennsylvania we measure the year according to heat , mud, shovel and dear season. Please enjoy this season but be safe! When hunting please do not drink the stream water. I come from an avid hunting family myself and I have heard all of the signs that water is safe to drink if it is moving fast, has bubbles etc. The fact is that many hunters find themselves in the Emergency room with a nasty case of E-coli from drinking stream water. Please take a water bottle with you ... it can mean the difference between enjoying the hunting season and sitting the season out because of this type of food poisoning. Lastly, canned venison ranks right up there on the taste scale between wow and awesome! Please can venison safely follow canning procedures and use a Pressure canner.

 

Halloween

All hallows eve is fast approaching. Let's face it...it is the only time of the year where people will risk drowning for an apple.  Historically, one carved a turnip and placed a candle inside to carry around the village. Turnips are not only small but very hard to carve and they were not indigenous to the new world. Pumpkins became a nice substitute.

A pumpkin carving tip

Traditionally most people cut the top from the pumpkin to remove the "innards." Try cutting the bottom from your pumpkin instead. The "innards" are easier to remove plus the candle can be sat on the porch, lit and the pumpkin placed over the candle. The candle is easier to light and wont be weeble wobbling around in the inside of the pumpkin. Enjoy the season and watch out for the low flying witch!

November

Thanksgiving is sneaking up rather quickly and I thought I would share a few tips to make your Holiday cooking go more smoothly.

First Lets talk Turkey! Lysteria is a common Food Borne Illness associated with Turkey so it is important to thaw your turkey safely. Turkeys thaw in the refrigerator 4 pounds per 24 hours. My turkey is approximately 14 pounds so I will begin to thaw my Mr. Tom Turkey on Sunday. Don't assume your Turkey is clean be sure to check for any yucky stuff still in the bird and don't forget to REMOVE THE BAG OF GIBLETS AND NECK!

Stuffing is another issue. I know with all of the sides to prepare on the BIG day it might be tempting to stuff the Turkey the night before. DON'T DO THIS!!! The USDA recommends stuffing the Turkey before it goes into the oven because of Lysteria. Stuffing can be made ahead and put in the refrigerator to stuff the next day. To make stuffing extraction easier place cheese cloth inside the cavity first which makes a pouch. One can simply remove the pouch and dump into a bowl rather than pick bread out of the ribs while fending off the people trying to get that first bite of skin. Don't forget the crawl (where the head use to be. My family are stuffing eaters so I also make a pocket between the skin and the meat and place stuffing there. My turkey looks like it has a bad case of the mumps but my family thinks turkey is just a venue for stuffing anyway. I can't take credit for this tip...I learned this from my Aunt Joyce who use to stuff the turkey for our family butcherings. When you feed over 20 people you learn interesting places to put stuffing in a turkey.

Pies for some the thought of making your pie pastry may seem daunting on Thanksgiving. Make your pastry a week or more ahead and place in your pie pan cover and place in the freezer. Simply get out and use as you would a store bought frozen pie crust. If you want to mix things up a bit try a pumpkin moose topped with Ready Whip and garnished with a cinnamon stick. Martha Stewart has a good recipe on her website or simply Google a recipe.

Time Savers - Prepare your cranberry sauce, pies, stuffing and sides the night before or farm out the sides to family. Afterall, you are cooking the turkey and hosting but it is still a holiday for you as well. You can make your mashed potatoes the morning of add cream cheese so the potatoes stay soft and keep warm in a crock pot. (This is what the Amish do for their weddings.) Lastly, keep the good china in the china closet and use paper plates,cups, napkins etc. Walmart has some nice paper stuff - afterall the Pilgrims didn't have fine china either besides there will be enough pots and pans to go around. Remember this is your holiday to with fun stuff to do like watching football or sleeping through pumpkin chunkin on TLC channel, Black Fiday shopping to plan etc. 

Be safe and have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Christmas Sugar Cookies

A quick tip for sugar cookies - Dust the board and rolling pin with powdered sugar instead of flour to avoid the chalk like flavor and consistancy on the bottom of the cookie. When transferring the cookie onto the cookie sheet transfer the cookie cutter as well...you can decorate with colored sugar and it is coralled onto the cookie and doesn't go everywhere. After you have decorated your cookie, remove the cutter and bake as usual.

To package for gifts you might try a box lined with cupcake papers. The cupcake papers are a nice presentation and keeps the cookies from sliding around and breaking. You might also like the look of lycene bags which can be purchased from the internet. A ribbon and basket is all that you will need.

Please remember that this is your holiday to so simply choose a few holiday favorites and switch them out year to year. Don't tie yourself to your stove...be a kid again and make a snow angel, go sled riding or ice skating with your children...this is the time to build memories that your children will treasure forever!

Have a Happy and Safe Holiday Season!!