| Be sure home-canned gifts are prepared properly |
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| Written by Robbie Baird LeValley | |||
| Wednesday, 01 October 2008 03:00 | |||
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With the great produce grown here in the Tri River Area, more people are preserving foods at home this year than have in the past few years.
Many people love to share their bounty in the way of gifts to family and friends. However, home-canned foods can be dangerous if not processed correctly. When giving home-canned gifts be sure they are safe. Nothing would be worse than giving a gift from the heart that would make someone ill or lead to death. If you are giving a gift of home-canned food, make sure you are using an up-to-date canning recipe from a reliable source such as your County Extension Office. Jams, jellies, pickles, and fruits should be processed in a boiling water bath canner. Meats, vegetables, fish and poultry should be pressured canned. Including a complete caning label on your product can assure the recipient the food was processed correctly. Labels should include all ingredients in the product, recipe source, date the product was processed, and methods used to process the product including altitude adjustments. If you are the recipient of a home-canned gift be cautious. Botulism, which can be fatal, can be present in home-canned foods if the food is not processed correctly. Low-acid foods such as meats, vegetables, fish and poultry can be especially susceptible to botulism. If you receive a home-canned gift without a processing label, ask the giver for the recipe and processing instructions. If none is provided don’t eat the food — it’s better to be safe than sorry. Many myths about home-canned foods exist. One of the biggest myths is if a jar is sealed the food inside is safe to eat. This is absolutely not true. A sealed jar is only safe if a tested recipe and adequate processing methods were used. Many bacteria, including botulism, grow in sealed jars. Another canning myth is that foods that are not safe to eat will show signs of spoilage. This is not true. While some foods may show signs of spoilage, foods containing botulism will show no signs of spoilage. While none of us like to throw food away, keeping our families safe is more important than a jar of green beans. A great rule of thumb to follow when receiving home-canned gifts is: when in doubt throw it out! For more information on canning or to have your pressure gauge tested call your local extension office: Mesa County, 244-1834; Montrose/Ouray counties, 249-3935; and Delta County-874-2195.
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