Canning 101

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Canning 101

• Martha Rosemeyer
• Farm to Table
• May 15, 2003

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Outline

• History of Tomato
• History of Rhubarb
• Canning basics
• Canning tomato raw-pack
• Canning rhubarb hot-pack

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History of tomatoSolanaceae Solanum lycopersicon

• Tomatyl in Nahuatl means
  something round and plump!
• Tomatillo (Physalis) first
• called miltomatl
• high elevation in Mexico, name shortened by the
  conquistadores to tomate
• Aztecs appear to have used?
• Wild relatives of Solanum lycopersicon- 7 spp
  found from Ecuador to Chile and Galapagos-Called
  jitomate in Mexico

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Tomato brought to Old World--not accepted
immediately

• In 1837 a tomato sauce recipe first appeared in a
  cookbook in Italy
• Thomas Jefferson in 1780 had grown them
• 1872 still thought best not to eat much-- thought
  your teeth would fall out (Lewis, D. Our
  Digestion)
• Today must studied and genetically altered New
  World vegetable

Coe 1994 Americas First Cuisines
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Heirloom varieties

• Bradywine most widely recognized variety,
  considered best tasting
• Origin Amish around Brandywine Valley in PA or
  commercial introduction by Stokes Burpee in 1889?
• Potato-leaf foliage

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Yellow toorange

• Striped German
• Red tie-dyed pattern inside
• Flavor good

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Green whenRipe

• Black plum
• origin Russia
• Plum tomato
• (whatever color)
• less water and used for paste
• Amish paste

Yepsen, R. 1998. A Celebration of Heirloom
Vegetables Growing and Cooking Old-Time
Varieties. Artisan
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Heirloom varietytrials

• New interest in variety trials

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RhubarbPolygonaceae, Rheum rhabarbarum
OriginW. China and Tibet Originally related spp.
was medicinal in China some 2000years ago In
Europe- 1700s started using in pie Oxalic acid
fatal concentrations in leaves High fiber and
Vitamin C
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History of canning feeding an army

• In 1800 Napolean divided army to forage on own
  but nearly lost battle to Austria because army
  scattered across countryside
• In 1805 winemaker Nicholas Appert preserved
  food-- set up business. Packed and boiled
  fruits, veges, soups and stews in thick bottles
• Used wax and cork to seal bottles and wire wine
  cages to prevent inadvertent opening
• In 1810 Ministry of govt offered prize for
  invention 12,000F
• In 1812 Napolean marches off to war in Russia

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Who cans today?

• 1996 survey of 250,000 people- 28 of US
  households canned in the previous two years, 56
  have ever canned
• Of 28, 46 said that they can every year
• Ave household 2 to 4 members and makes
  20,000-40,000
• Canner is white woman over 50 years old, not
  employed full-time
• Lives in center of US, not on either coast

Getty, V. and Evers, B. Home canning Who and
why? EFR 7-40 Purdue Univ. www.sfu.cajfremont/h
omecanning.html
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What is canned?

• Jams/jellies- 62 all, 55 beginners
• Vegetables- 58 all, 39 of beginners
• Pickles- 38, 31
• Fruits- 38, 26
• Tomato sauce 34, 32
• Salsa 17, 24
• Relishes 15, 10
• Meat 6, 3

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How do they can? And source?

• 70 boiling water bath, 35 pressure canner, 27
  pickle without boiling, 25 freeze in jars
• Source of food 58 own garden
• Why? Economics, like the taste, control over what
  they eat (avoid pesticides), a family tradition,
  run out of freezer space, personal satisfaction
• 20 given away as gifts

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Ensuring safe canned foods

• Botulism, deadly form of food poisoning, caused
  by Clostridium botulinum
• Cannot tolerate acid lower than pHlt4.6 so able to
  can at the lower temperature of a boiling water
  bath 212 F
• All low acid foods need to be canned in boiling
  water canner at 240-250F for 20-100min

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What is an acidfood?

• New varieties of tomatoes are often lower in acid
• Therefore need to add lemon juice or citric acid
  to ensure acidity

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Altitude affects temp at which water boils, so
need to boil longer
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Pressure canning in pressure cooker
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Three main factors in what method used and how
long to boil

• Type of food- low acid or acid
• Size of jar (pints or quarts)
• Altitude

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Vitamin loss in canning

• Heating causes loss of 1/2 to 1/3 of Vitamins A
  and C, thiamin and riboflavin
• After canning loss is 5-10/year
• Other vitamins comparable with fresh
• Apparently less vitamin loss with pressure canning

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Prevent flavor loss in canning

• Remove oxygen from food tissues and jars
• Quickly destroy food enzymes
• Obtain high jar vacuums and airtight jar seals

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Tomato raw-pack in water (USDA Selecting,
Preparing and Canning Tomatoes and Tomato
Products, page 3-6)

• Important to start with unbruised food (reduce
  microorganisms) and wash
• For pint peel 4-5 tomatoes 30-60 secs in
  boiling water, dip in cold, peel, place in jar
• Add a few garlic cloves, basil leaves, 1T lemon
  juice/pt and eliminate air bubbles in jar
• Cover with boiling water to 1/2 headspace
• Clean threads of glass with damp paper towel and
  place lid and ring on
• Immediately process in boiling water canner- 40
  min for raw-pack tomatoes in pints at sea level

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Rhubarb-stewed (USDA-Selecting, Preparing and
Canning Fruit and Fruit Products, page 2-21)

• Select young and tender stalks (cut leaves off)
• Cut up and add 1/4 c. sugar per pint fruit
• Let stand until juice appears
• Heat gently until boiling
• Fill jars without delay leaving 1/2 headspace
• Boil for 15 min for pints in boiling water canner
  at sea level

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Jars need to be clean but not sterile if will be
boiled gt 10 min
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Tomatoes Rhubarbraw-pack hot-pack
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One/half inch headspace
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Boiling water canner
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Dont retighten lids, cool without moving for
12-24 hrs
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Test center of lid to see that vacuum maintained
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Review!
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Cedar Grove Cheese Living machinefor
wastewater
No rGBH Family Farm for over 100 yrs
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References

• USDA. 1995. Complete Guide to Home Canning on web
  or book version
• Hupping, C.1990. Stocking Up, Third Edn. Rodale
  Publishers