Preserving the end of season
Fire up the canning kettle when the days start to shorten. September and October offer a flood of local peppers, onions, tomatoes and many other fruits and vegetables collected during farmers’ last passes through their fields. Blemished fruits like softened tomatoes or scarred peppers are especially useful in canning. Pack the local harvest season away for a February day when winter life in the Berkshires seems to drag on.
When canning with a hot water bath, refer to: nchfp.uga.edu/publications/usda.pdf
The following recommendations should be observed:
- Wash the jars and lids prior to beginning the cooking process.
- Keep the jars and lids warm until you need them.
- Don’t overfill jars, or they will leak or break during processing.
- Screw bands on only enough to hold the lid in place prior to processing.
- Make sure the water in the bath covers the jars.
- After processing, cool jars completely before further handling.
Brent Wasser is interested in the processes by which plants and animals become food. He manages the Sustainable Food & Agriculture Program at Williams College.
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