Preserving Food

Preserving
A careful selection of the food that is to be preserved is the most  important part of the whole process. The flavor of the finished product also depends a great deal on the condition of the food. So, whenever possible, any food that is to be preserved should be perfectly fresh. The sooner it is preserved after it has been gathered, the more satisfactory will be the results.

Keep in mind that a succesful preserving depends entirely on destroying harmful micro-organisms that are present in the food and preventing those present in the air from entering the food.

NOTE: For all curing always use pickling salt and not table salt, as the latter contains starch to keep it dry and this starch may cause the meat to spoil.

Pickling Salt
or Dairy Salt is fine-grained salt that has no additives and is generally used in brines to pickle foods. Unlike table salt, the lack of additives will help keep the pickling liquid from clouding.

If you carefully follow our preserving directions you will have delicious cured meat, and well preserved fruits and vegetables.


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Canning Tips
Did you know that the higher the altitude the lower the degree of heat required to boil water. Time-tables given in instructions for canning are usually based upon the requirements of an altitude of 500 feet above sea level. Generally speaking, for every 4000-foot increase in altitude it will be well to add twenty per cent to the time required as given in recipes or time schedules for the canning of all kinds of fruits, vegetables, greens and meats.

Never use a Mason cap twice unless the cover and collar are separate so that both can be completely sterilized.

If you are using the jars with a vacuum-seal which have a composition attached to the tops, carefully examine this rubber composition to see that it is perfect. This composition should go entirely round the top and should not be cut or broken in any place. If it is the top must be discarded for a perfect one.

While it is possible to safely preserve many kinds of foodstuffs, home canning can expose consumers to botulism and other kinds of food poisoning if done incorrectly. Because of the high risk of illness or death associated with improper canning techniques, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers it critical that consumers who intend to can at home obtain proper and current information from a reliable source. At the basis of these recommendations is the balance between bringing the food to a high enough temperature for a long enough time that spoilage and disease-producing microorganisms are killed, while not heating the food so much that it loses nutritive value or palatability.

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