Yes... You Can Can!

When I was an undergraduate I had a friend and  if we were bored or stressed or having a bad day would do a spontaneous Cancan dance... it always seemed to lift our sprits and those who witnessed it coming down the stairs of the Student Union... especially on a rainy day... I think it's as symbolic of France as the Eiffel Tower...  Someone once told me it is the official dance of France... but I'm not sure... 

But that's not what this week is all about... it's about canning actually... if you live in the UK it's about jarring.. I grew up with the most marvelous things fresh from the farm and garden that were canned and stored away and enjoyed for the rest of the year. Every summer dozens and dozens of things would be put up and I was always somewhat intimidated about doing the actual water-canning method necessary because I was led to believe along with a few other things that it was very difficult and one tiny mistake could lead to food poisoning and possibly death... well as I got older I realized I could learn to do almost anything from reading a book with the possible exception of landing a 747 or performing brain surgery... and now what with all the educational videos available on line I decided to take the plunge a few years ago... when buying certain products from the store started leading to food poisoning and figured I was better off trusting the cleanliness of my own kitchen and careful preparation.

The turning point for me was the realization that I was not going to be processing hundreds of jars over the course of the summer and I could do things in smaller batches (thanks to the recipes in all the books available in the stores now)... I have a recipe for candied pickled watermelon rinds that I had to get a calculator out and down size it to a reasonable  amount of finished product. (which I'll share later)

The biggest incentive for me was I wanted to enjoy again some of the things I remember eating when I was younger and also the cost and the freshness factor of doing it yourself became an important issue when I was buying homemade canned goods at fairs and farmer's markets.

The methods use to preserve food are as follow...

1. Boiling-Water Canning--- which I will be discussing today
2. Pressure Canning--- Which I'm not sure I'm ever going to do because I'm terrified of pressure cookers  ( and I think you might get put on a terrorist watch group list if you even buy one these day)--- basically it's necessary to have the higher heat to kill microorganisms in  foods with low acidity such as green beans and soups and sauces with meat in them (that is why I believe in the chest freezer method)
3. Freezing---It's the easiest way to preserve texture in garden produce that canning can not.
4. Brining--- I make Moroccan Lemons this way... it's basically marinating certain foods in a vinegar and salt base to preserve them for longer than they would stay fresh otherwise and refrigerating them in sterile jars adds to the shelf life.
5. Preserving In Alcohol--- Alcohol is a disinfectant and kills harmful bacteria and a delicious way to preserve certain fruits with added spices.
6. Drying--- This is essentially dehydrated food and I have no experience with this method and probably never will  (but you never know because I never say never)

What you really need to know abut jars is very simple.. if you are canning larger items you need larger jars and vice versa for smaller food items... and you can reuse them over and over unless they are cracked or have a fracture.... they have wide-mouth or regular-mouth--- and again what you pick should depend on the size of what you are canning.

Lids and bands are another story... you should buy new for every batch you put up. The most important thing about the jars and the lids and bands is they have to be sterile (you just don't want any microorganisms introduced into your food) ... again those pesky thoughts of contamination and food poisoning that are always in the back of my mind when I'm canning.

I recommend running your jars  and bands (but not the lids with the sealing compound) through a cycle of the dishwasher with the heat cycle dry. If you don't have a dishwasher just wash them in dishwashing soap and the hottest water and boil them for 10 minutes and keep then on a sterile tray in the oven at about 200 degrees until you are ready to use them.  (the lids can be sterilized in a small sauce pan of water on low, this also softens the sealing compound)... but even if you do have a dishwasher I still think the jars and rims should be  boiled for 10 minutes... even though certain books say you don't need to) When it comes to canning my watch words are always... better safe than sorry.

The things you need are--- 

• A big pot for boiling water I used to have a Granite Ware pot (as shown) but I found it cumbersome to store so I switched to a large stainless steel lobster pot recently.
• A jarlifter lifts jars firmly and securely in and out of the hot water bath.
• A magnetic wand allows you to lift lids and rims in and out of hot water without touching them. I have one that the other end can be used to measure the head space in the jar as well as slipping it into the filled jar to release air bubbles.
• Jar Funnel has a much wider mouth than a regular funnel and aids in easy filling and avoiding spills on the outside of your jars so you don't contaminate your water

I even sterilize these items when I'm doing my jars and rims. and you usually need a sterile spoon and/or ladle and a pair of tongs. A good kitchen timer is extremely important because timing is crucial in canning ( have a jar tightener as seen on the left of the gadgets and I've never used it. (if you don't have a strong tight grip I recommend you get one)

There are a few things you should understand about canning ingredients....

1. Ascorbic Acid--- helps keep the color and flavor of fruits like apples and peaches
2. Canning salt--- has a finer texture and dissolves easier as it's free from anti-clumping additives that can cause cloudiness.
3. Sugar--- not only helps flavor the food but it also serves to help make them thicker and interacts with pectin (when a recipe calls for a certain amount of sugar don't add more or less and absolutely don't substitute with honey or other sweeteners.
4. Pickling Lime--- is made of calcium hydroxide which improves firmness in pickles and also the watermelon rind recipe I'm going to include today.
5. Pectin--- adds body and gel to jams and jellies
6. Vinegar--- is the key to making pickles, salsas and most other preserved food. Most recipes usually specify distilled white vinegar with 5% acidity.
7. Bottled lemon juice--- Fresh lemon juice and lemon rind are often added for flavor in some recipes but for any recipe using tomatoes use only bottled lemon juice as it's acidity is consistent.

One of the best pieces of advice I can give you for canning is to always follow the recipe and don't add or eliminate ingredients.... something as simple as the substitution of fresh herbs for the dehydrated dry herbs in a jar can alter the pH of the recipe enough to affect it's safety. Always make sure your produce is perfectly clean and only slice it if the recipe calls for it.

I love pickled watermelon rind... (Mine is much more red because of the Red Hot Candies and food coloring)

You will need 

15 cups of cubed watermelon rind (about 15-20 pounds whole watermelon)

3 cups distilled white vinegar

1 gallon or more of bottled water

1/4 cup pickling lime

1/4 tsp cinnamon oil

1/2 tsp clove oil (or three tsp whole cloves if you can't find the oil)

7 cups pure cane white sugar

1 tsp red food coloring

1/2 cup Red Hots Cinnamon candy

6 pint sized jars and lids and bands sterilized

Remove the pink watermelon flesh and consume as you normally would You need to take a vegetable peeler and remove the green skin from the rind and chop about 15 cups of rind cut into about 1" squares . Take a large pot and add  water to cover, add the pickling lime  and rind and soak them in the refrigerator over night. The next day drain the water from the pot and rinse the rind throughly under running water in a strainer. Now place the the rind in a fresh pot and cover them with fresh water and bring to a boil over medium heat; cook for half and hour and then drain the pot.

Using a large mixing bowl and add the sugar, vinegar, sugar, cinnamon and clove oil and the Red Hots candy, using a metal whisk sir the ingredients until you have an even mixture. Pour the mixture over the drained watermelon rind in the pot and  place on the stove and bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook until it's transparent and tender (about a half hour or so) You  should have it on low heat with the lid on during this process but keep a close eye on it, if it ever seems like you need more moisture add a bit more water

Pack your melon with syrup in your sterilized jars leaving about 1/2" headroom at the top and put the lids and bands fingertip tight and process in the water bath coving the tops of the jars with at least 2 inches for 10 minutes in boiling water. Remove and cool on wire racks  (you will usually hear the lids pop after you remove them from the water ) if not make sure you have a seal by testing the top of the lid for rigidity by that I mean you can't make the popping sound by pressing on the lid in the middle) Tighten the bands to that they are tight and store in a cool dry place for a few weeks. Refrigerate after opening... Actually these are best served cold so refrigerate before serving.

I've already made pickled asparagus this season and I'm planning, peach preserves, strawberry jam, pickled watermelon rind, pickled beets, blueberry pie filling, canned cherries, pickled peaches, bread & butter pickles, blueberry chutney, pear-cherry chutney (this might be holiday gifts this year but I'm not sure), roasted garlic tomato sauce, and fig jam and orange marmalade... and last but not least thanks to a friend of mine I now prefer homemade ketchup and BBQ sauce. See you next week,