By CINDA CHAVICH

While we all love fresh fruits and vegetables, the sheer volume of the local bounty can be a bit overwhelming at this time of year.

The farm markets are overflowing with piles of colourful peppers and tomatoes, peaches and plums from B.C., and prairie gardens are producing bumper crops of carrots, beets, cucumbers and squash. Bargains abound, so it’s the perfect time to pickle a peck of peppers or put up those juicy peaches, to enjoy in the months ahead.

THE RAW MATERIALS

It’s possible to preserve almost any fruit or vegetable for future use, but some take to canning better than others.

For low-acid foods or things like garden peas, roasted bell peppers, corn and fresh berries, freezing may be the best process for preservation.

But anything that can be pickled with vinegar or preserved with sugar, can safely go into a jar. When there’s no more room in the freezer for berries or corn, there’s always shelf space for raspberry jam, peach preserves and corn relish.

Think about jams and jellies or canned fruits, pickled cucumbers or beans, canned tomatoes or tomato sauces and salsa, and any kind of relish or chutney that uses plenty of sugar or vinegar in the mix.

Then make sure to start with the finest fresh ingredients you can find. This is not the time to salvage bruised apples or moldy blueberries. The “garbage in, garbage out” adage applies when it comes to canning, and in the interest of food safety, it’s always smart to start with clean, ripe and unblemished produce.

That said, it is possible to create a silk purse with your canning kettle, even if you are stuck with green tomatoes or a mountain of oversized zucchini.

THE PROCESS

Heat processing is the most important part of successful home canning – boiling jars of prepared food in boiling water for specific times to ensure that a vacuum is created to properly seal the contents inside, and kill microorganisms that can cause spoilage. This is what makes canned food shelf stable at room temperature for months, and even years.

It’s also vital to follow up-to-date published recipes to the letter. Without the right amount of sugar or acidity in the mixture, you risk dangerous spoilage, and even deadly botulism. So don’t be tempted to cut back on the sugar or vinegar, or try to bottle meats or fish at home. Stick to the recipes and follow the processing guidelines to the letter.

The first step is to cook your jam, chutney, relish or salsa in a big canning kettle until the mixture is reduced to the proper thickness. To test jams for jelling, drop a bit on a chilled plate from the freezer.

Fill the jars, leaving ¼-inch headspace, then wipe the rims clean, top jars with snap lids and screw bands (tightened just finger tip tight). To process and seal the contents, the jars are lowered into a deep kettle of rapidly boiling water (deep enough to submerge the tops by an inch or two), set on a rack and boiled (processed) for the time specified in the recipe.

Make sure to use the same size of jars that the recipe specifies – changing the jar size changes the processing time.

A good canning book, like one published by Bernardin (the company that makes canning jars and equipment) is essential. Or go to their website (www.homecanning.com) for detailed canning instructions and recipes.

THE EQUIPMENT

Don’t be tempted to recycle commercial jars for home canning. You’ll need to invest in some heat resistant mason jars with two-piece metal snap lids for safe canning.

You can reuse the jars and metal bands, just buy new metal snap lids every canning season. Then make sure you clean the jars well, and sterilize in boiling water before filling.

It’s easiest to fill your jars using a wide-mouthed funnel (this prevents spillage and sticky jar rims that won’t properly seal). You’ll also need a large deep stock pot or canning kettle – the latter is a good investment, especially if you buy one with a rack that helps you lift the jars out of the boiling water when the processing time is up.

Any high acid foods (tomatoes, pickles, chutneys) can be processed in this kind of boiling water (or “water bath”) canner. Low acid foods must be processed in a special pressure canner to be safe.

A jar lifter is a handy tool for picking up hot jars and you’ll need lots of labels so that you can record the date that the food was preserved. For best quality, store canned foods in a cool, dark place and use within one year.

THE EMBELLISHMENTS

Your grandmother might have stuck to basic pickled cucumbers and beets, but you can find all kinds of creative new recipes for making chutneys, spicy salsas and preserved fruits at home.

Every culture has its preserving traditions, from Moroccan salted lemons to Hungarian pickled peppers and Korean kimchi. Start with simple fruit jams, then get creative with mustard pickles, spicy chutney or pickled asparagus and herb-infused wine jelly.

Soon you’ll have a collection of glistening jars in the pantry, homemade condiments for daily dinners or holiday gifts.

click here for salsa and apple chutney recipes...

©Cinda Chavich 2008

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