Canning and Botulism

 

 Colleen and I have been canning since we were young and we consider ourselves master canners. We have canned pretty much everything from meat to veggies, jams, sauces, preserves, soups and so on. We have a goal to have a least a years’ worth, if not two of canned and or frozen food at our disposal. The word prepper comes to mind doesn’t it…. 

We grow annual items in out garden on a rotational basis for example we will plant two years’ worth of broccoli this next year and not plant any the next and so on. Safety when canning is essential, first, you don’t want to blow yourself up and second you don’t want to die from an illness like botulism! According the Centers for Disease Control - Botulism is a rare, but serious illness caused by a germ called Clostridium botulinum. The germ is found in soil and can survive, grow, and produce toxin in a sealed jar of food. This toxin can affect your nerves, paralyze you, and even cause death. Even taking a small taste of food containing this toxin can be deadly. Pretty Scary stuff ay!!! How do we know if we have botulism? Here are some of the symptoms: Double vision  Blurred vision  Drooping eyelids Slurred speech  Difficulty swallowing  Dry mouth Muscle weakness Many people think they have the flue and try to treat as though it was with dire consequences. 

Botulism is a medical emergency. If you have symptoms of food-borne botulism, seek medical care immediately. 

So now you may be thinking that maybe I don’t want to be canning, it is pretty scary stuff, but don’t let it dissuade you! Common sense prevails over most if not all issue in canning, hey, if I can do it for 40 plus years and still be walking so can you! So let’s get started with the common sense stuff. Clean, clean, clean and sanitize, sanitize sanitize!!! Everything you use in the canning process needs to be cleaned; you need to wash yourself, all the canning tools & equipment with an anti-bacterial soap or vinegar or lemon juice. We don’t use chemicals if at all possible you can find lots of ideas on commercial soap alternatives and we will cover that in a later blog. Once all the items have been cleaned they need to air dry do not dry with a towel, if you have some bacteria, mold or yeast on that towel it will then be transferred to the whatever you are drying. 

I suggest you do all your canning in a pressure cooker vessel rather than the old fashion bath cooker. The thickness of the metal that makes up the pot holds more heat, and stays hot longer. The pressure cooker works fine for bath canning, just don’t lock the lid in place while in the cooking step of the canning process. Clean all the surfaces you will be working on. It is common sense but you would be surprised to know most transfer of bacteria comes off the counter, that raw chicken you prepped last night and only wiped up with a paper towel is a recipe for disaster. So now you have all your tools, equipment and surfaces cleaned. > start with boiling some water in your pressure cooker> add four tablespoons of vinegar to the water. (Ours is a 23 qt pressure cooker). > Start heating the water for the pot you will be boiling your lids in add 2 tablespoons of vinegar. > Once the pressure cooker reaches a rolling boil place the clean air dried jars into the boiling water for ten minutes (most people say eight I go ten). Boiling water at a temperature of 180° to 212° is the temperature at which molds, yeasts and some bacteria are killed. So we boil the before we process our food so can get ahead of the menacing organisms to do us harm. After boiling for ten minutes pull the jars from the cooker and fill immediately then process per the canning recipe.  

We don’t want to experience the big bang theory up close and personal, so don’t walk away from your pressure cooker when you are processing, it will ruin your day and your home if it is used improperly. Make sure you read the instructions cover to cover before using.  So let’s talk about those recipes you might get from a friend or family member, you need to take an objective look at what you have and do some research, the Ball Canning Company is an excellent resource. I am not saying don’t use the recipe, I am saying verify the processing times, if you are using vinegar or salt as the preservative make sure the proper amounts or ratios are in that recipe. As an example, for us, I will never go below a 1 to 3 ratio of vinegar to water, if the recipe calls for salt as the preservative I put at least one tablespoon to each two cups of liquid. 

Use common sense, look up a recipe that is similar and make sure the ingredients that are preserving agents meet the standard need to not wake up dead! Let’s jump a year into the future, our rule is I will let can goods store for up to two years, some people will go farther but that is our rule. I feel that the food starts to lose its flavor and the potential for bacteria growth is much greater. Figure out what you are comfortable with and go with that. I know it’s hard to throw food out, but it makes great compost! Before you open a jar take a good look at it, has it discolored? Is it full of bubbles or foam? Is there dried food on the outside of the jar? 

Store your jars with the ring off the jars in a cool dark place, seals can be broken with pressure changes, if you leave the ring on the lid may reseal itself on the jar when the pressure adjust back and you won’t know it came unsealed. After ensuring the jar and food look fine, open the jar; do not taste the food yet. Use your sense of smell does it smell like the food that is in the jar? Did the liquid come out like a shaken up pop can? What does the texture of the food look like? If it doesn’t pass the sniff test or the sight test bury it in the compost pile! 

If the food is something you add to a recipe such as stewed tomatoes to a soup go ahead and add them and let them cook prior to eating. If it’s a jar of pickles have at it and enjoy. I suggest when canning soups that require meat, can the meat separate of the soup. Meat takes a long time in a pressure cooker to process and will break down the vegetables in the soup, so can separately then mix together when you make the soup. Also do not can noodles for say chicken noodle soup with the soup, add them later when you heat up the soup as they will just disintegrate or at minimum turn to mush. They also may have residual yeast in them so it’s just a good practice to not add them until you make the soup.  

So let’s recap: · Wash and let equipment & tools air dry · Boil jars and tools in the pressure cooker prior to processing · Clean/disinfect all working surfaces prior to starting · Check recipes from friends and family against recommended processing time and preserving agents · Know your equipment prior to using it. Read the instructions, follow the suggestions · Store jars without the rings  · Store jars in a cool dark space · When opening the jars, make sure it passes the vision & smell test We have found canning to be a useful strategy for preserving food, it has been done for hundreds of years and can be very safe when done correctly. Let us know if you have any questions!    

Resources for safe canning: http://www.extension.umn.edu/food/food-safety/preserving/canning/canning-quick-reference-chart/

 http://www.cdc.gov/Features/HomeCanning/index.html http://demandware.edgesuite.net/abbp_prd/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-BALL-Library/default/dw0bf2f473/assets/canning/pdf/IntroToCanning.pdf