User Friendly Canning

Join the ranks of homemakers who have discovered that canning is one of the easiest and most satisfying ways to ensure having your favorite fruits, vegetables, and even meats year-round. While turning out a marvelous array of jars packed with fruits and vegetables is a natural activity for the home gardener, the smart shopper can do the same. And it isn't difficult. All you need is the basic equipment and an understanding of how canning works.

Preserving food has been a problem for man from the earliest times. If he lived in a cold climate he could freeze it. If he lived in the desert, he could dry it. And if he lived near the ocean, he could pickle it in salt water. Otherwise, he ate as much food as he could before it spoiled.

The big breakthrough in food preservation came in 1810 when a French confectioner named Appert developed a method of preserving food in a bottle. He had no idea why heating food in a sealed container preserved it. That knowledge came years later. Nevertheless, his work had a profound effect on the development of food storage. The most crucial part of canning is referred to as heat processing. Here's how it works. Once jars are filled, the metal lids and screw bands are applied, and the jars are placed in a canner filled with water. As heating begins, the contents of each jar expand, and changes in internal pressure take place. Initially, gases are vented from the jar. When the processing period is finished, the atmospheric pressure outside the jar is greater than the pressure inside. This difference in pressure pulls the lid down onto the jar and forms a vacuum seal. Heating for the required period of time also kills molds, yeasts, bacteria, and enzymes that may be present. Your preserves now keep safely, as the vacuum seal prevents microorganisms and air from re-entering the jar and contaminating the contents.