Sourcing Tools, Equipment, and Food
Many of the tools used for canning are typical utensils used in daily food preparation. But there are others specific to the various preservation methods. Some are essential; substitutions can be made for others. Should you find you have questions regarding equipment, tools, or procedures, your local Cooperative Extension office may be able to provide answers and alternatives. The services they provide are usually free.
Canning
For water bath canning, a deep kettle is needed. Food is heated to boiling, put immediately into clean, hot jars, which are then closed and placed on a rack in boiling water deep enough to cover the jar completely plus another inch above the jar. Processing times vary according to the food being preserved. Water temperature is maintained at the boil the entire time.
Pressure canning requires a pressure canner. These are heavy pots that have screw-on lids with rubber ring seals, pressure relief regulators and safety valves. While simple enough to operate, all instructions must be followed closely to avoid under-processed food or an explosion of the pot itself.
You will find that a pressure canner you purchase today will look very much like your grandmother’s, as the science itself has not changed since then. There may be more bells and whistles, but the essentials are still the same. You can buy new pressure canners directly from Amazon.com: Presto 01781 23-Quart Pressure Canner and Cooker
Older style pressure canner
The choice between water bath processing and pressure canning is made based on the acidity of the food being preserved. Whichever method is used, a wire rack is used in the pot to keep the jars off the bottom. A wide-mouth funnel and ladles are useful for filling jars with hot food.
Clean rags or dish towels, useful for protecting work surfaces and wiping jar rims should be abundantly available. A jar lifter, a tool much like a set of tongs but shaped to fit above the jar’s shoulder, helps prevent scalding while putting jars into the boiling water as well as when removing them.
Additional racks are used to set the processed jars on during the cool down time. These racks allow the room temperature air to touch the jar’s entire surface. A regular set of tongs will be useful for removing lids from water simmering in a shallow pan. Of course, jars, lids, rings, or jars that use rubber rings and bails are essential.
All of these items can be found in local hardware, discount, or department stores. Some smaller stores may stock them only in the summer and fall, during the harvest seasons. Replacement seals (rubber rings) for pressure canners are also stocked, and you should probably keep a spare on hand. If you have difficulty locating any of these items, the Cooperative Extension office should be of help.
Dehydration
Although very useful if you will be dehydrating large quantities of food, a commercially purchased dehydrator is not necessary. But if you are planning to purchase one, look for a quality appliance. The fan should be positioned so that all the racks receive air movement equally.
Racks should be mesh that can be easily cleaned, framed in a sturdy fashion. Proper spacing between the racks should allow air to flow easily. The longer it takes for the air to dry the food, the higher the risk of microbial growth. A small toaster oven or your home’s regular oven can also be used for some items. Herbs can be gathered, tied with twine, and hung in a spot out of direct sunlight to dry.
Dry Salting
Although this method is one that requires a lot of time, the end result is worth every bit of it, especially if you are an anchovy aficionado. All that is required is a shallow dish, an abundance of coarse salt, some sterile canning jars, a spoon for skimming the surface, and refrigeration. Coarse salt can be purchased in grocery stores or wherever canning supplies are sold.
Fermentation
Like dry salting, fermentation is a lengthy process. Vegetables are mixed with a high concentration of pickling or coarse kosher salt, packed into a sterile crock, covered with a clean cloth, and weighted down with a plate on top of which is placed a water-filled jar.
A spoon or ladle is useful for removing the foam from the surface during fermentation. When the process is complete, the food must then be either refrigerated or processed in a boiling water bath. Pickling/kosher salt is available in grocery stores or wherever canning supplies are sold.
Freezing
Aside from a deep freezer (which can be purchased wherever home appliances are sold) that can maintain the required temperature of 0oF, containers must be sealable to maintain air tightness. Plastic containers from deli or dairy products will not protect food well enough. Purchase containers that are made for food preservation purposes.
For liquids, or near-liquids, canning jars may also be used with their seals. Whatever container is used, be sure to leave the required “head space” for the expansion that freezing causes in the food. Meats and some vegetables (like corn on the cob) can be wrapped in plastic-lined freezer paper. If the paper is not labeled for use in the freezer, it will not be enough protection from the frigid, dry air of the freezer.
Freezer burn from frigid air touching the food does not render the food unusable, but is rather ugly and can change delicate flavors. Trays, cookie sheets, and racks may all be useful in laying out individual items to be partially frozen before wrapping or placing in containers for freezer storage.
Tape for sealing freezer paper and marking pens are the only additional required tools. Freezer paper and tape is sold in grocery stores and generally wherever canning supplies are sold.
Jelling
Sugar and heat are the main preservatives in this category. Jellies and clear citrus marmalades require the addition of pectin, which is available in most grocery stores and wherever canning supplies are sold. Poured into sterile jars at the end of the cooking time, jellies need only be covered with a thick layer of melted paraffin to protect it from outside microbes.
Jams, preserves, butters, and cheeses do not require the addition of pectin. Preserves, in fact, do not need to jell at all. However, all these need to be processed in a water bath after being placed in sterile jars and sealed.
Pickling/Brining
Brine is usually made from boiling pickling salt, sugar, and vinegar in water, to which flavoring herbs, spices, or other vegetables may be added. All of these ingredients are available at your local grocer. After flavoring with the brine, the food is then packed into canning jars and water-bath processed.
Smoking
The addition of smoke to the dehydration process is done outdoors. A commercial smoker can certainly be used. However, smoking on a small scale can be done with a homemade device that requires only a rack for hanging the food (usually fish), a supply of wood chips of the appropriate species, a heat source that causes the wood to smolder while being kept at a distance from the food itself so that it is not cooked, and something as simple as a cardboard box that can contain the smoke to the food.
As this is mainly a way to add flavor to preserved foods, additional preservation is required, usually by refrigeration. Finding good woods may be the trickiest part to this activity.
Some places that sell smokers and grills often stock commonly used woods, like mesquite. But you might be better off to contact your local orchard or wood mill. You can age the wood yourself by simply letting it rest in a dry, airy spot.
Do not use wood from the lumber yard, as it is frequently either treated with insect inhibitors or is of a sappy soft wood. Both of these are to be avoided. Wood from fruit and nut trees are very aromatic and would make for pleasant flavoring. Commercially available smokers can be purchased at most hardware or lawn and garden supply centers.
Food
Nothing beats the freshness of homegrown fruits and vegetables, or a freshly butchered, hand-raised cow. But if time or resources do not allow you to take part in this ultimate activity, farmers’ markets are wonderful alternatives.
Most food sold at these markets is harvested less than 24 hours before the market opens. Shop here as early as possible to get the best choices. A lot of vendors harvest their foodstuffs by hand. Not only does this protect the food from mechanical and packing damage, but also allows them to do an initial quality sort. While a bruised apple may be eaten out of hand after cutting away the bruise, it is not worth using to make a batch of apple butter; it could spoil the flavor of the entire batch.
If absolutely necessary, grocery store produce may be used, but unless it is locally sourced, these foods could have been harvested a week or more prior to them hitting the sales floor. In food quality, time is its biggest enemy.
Removal from the vine triggers enzymatic changes that work on the sugars stored within the vegetable or fruit. Harvesting equipment may damage otherwise healthy specimens, allowing bacteria or insects to infest it. Choose the food you wish to preserve carefully. The more perfect the food, the less preparation work is necessary, and the better your end product will be.
If hunting is not your thing, and you have no friends that hunt, the local butcher shop may be your next best bet. To be sure, they carry fresher, higher quality meats than groceries. They are also able to cut to order. This is a skill that many grocers no longer offer. Often, though, the local butcher carries meats from undomesticated animals, such as deer and buffalo, or specialty meats, such as rabbit, and even offal. Most will accept special orders.
Whenever possible, use fresh, washed herbs for flavorings. When dried, herbs lose their essential oils, causing a great loss of flavor. Again, starting with the highest quality foodstuffs allows you to produce the highest quality end product, be it beautiful, sparkling jellies, or sumptuous smoky meats.