Preserving and Storing Food -

Details for Preserving and Storing Food

ID:	10651
Author:	tomselwick09
Title:	Preserving and Storing Food
Article:	Before the invention of food processing, vacuum packers, or freezers, most homemakers preserved food by canning. Canning requires no special storage temperatures other than cool, and the final products look best when kept in the dark. These simple requirements make the art of canning a good way to preserve food for long-term storage. You can buy canning materials at any of the large retail discount stores or at a small local hardware store. To save money, buy jars by the case with lids and bands in pint and quart sizes. These come in either regular mouth or large mouth. Follow canning instructions carefully for the specific types of produce. Common products to preserve are jams and jellies, pickles, fruit in sugar syrups, vegetables, and tomato sauces. Make sure you clean jars thoroughly with soap and water or run through a hot dishwasher cycle. You then sterilize them by placing them in a hot oven for 30 minutes at more than 250 degrees. Wash the lids and put in a pan of hot water simmering low on the stove. Make sure that you do not boil the lids. Keep them in the hot water for at least 20 minutes and wash the bands as well. You can make jam or jelly by following the instructions in the pectin box. When ready to process, spoon the hot sweet liquid into hot jars from the oven. Wipe the mouth of the jar with a clean cloth and use a fork to place the lid without touching and screw the band on tight. Hot pack wide mouths with good quality peeled fruit like pears or peaches and add heavy syrup to a half inch below the rim for headspace. After filling them up, cover the jars and process them in a boiling water bath. You can use a hot or a raw pack canning process for fresh green beans from the garden. Perform a hot water blanch of the beans for about five minutes before packing them in jars. You then fill the jars with salted boiling liquid and process in a pressure canner at 10 lbs. for 20 minutes in pints. If you want to preserve game meat or large meat cuts, use a precooked hot pack method. Cut meat into stew size pieces and cook in the oven until medium done. You then pack the hot meat into straight-sided jars and add salt and boiling meat juices. Pressure can at 10 lbs. for 90 minutes in quarts and 75 minutes in pints. A variety of fruit, vegetables, and meat will serve you well for your meal needs. After preserving the food, you should decide how large you would like your storage rotation to be. You can build your own storage shelves in your home. Four 2-by-4 boards are going to be the support system for the plywood shelves. The plywood shelves are going to be attached using the L brackets. Ensure that the back-end is about 1 inch higher than the front end. To begin, attach the L brackets to the 2-by-4 boards. The front boards start at the very bottom and attach the L bracket with either nails or screws. Work your way up with a new bracket about every 6 inches, depending on your can or jar sizes. On the back two 2-by-4 boards, start 1 inch up when attaching the L brackets and then continue up about every 6 inches - again depending on the size of you can or jars. Use the 1-inch strips to make the rows on the plywood for the cans. Use some cans around then house as a measuring guide. Allow for some rows to be different widths for bigger cans. Attach the strips by wood glue, clamp into place if you wish, allow about an hour to dry, and then nail. Make sure to put a strip at the end of each plywood board. You can then put boards in the middle to make rows for the cans. Attach the plywood board to the 2-by-4 board with the other end of the L bracket by screwing or nailing them into place. You can then Insert cans down the rows, oldest ones going in first. When you go to get a can to use, take the one from the front and let the others roll forward. About the author of this article: tom selwick has worked the past 21 years in the food storage industry. he suggests buyingfood storage from a quality company so you know your food will last. contact info: tom selwick tomselwick09@gmail.com http://www.dailybread.com
Category:	Recreation: Food-and-Drink
Date:	December 17, 2010 04:03:01 PM

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