26 Canning Tips – Timeless Wisdom Collection / and more

26 Canning Tips – Timeless Wisdom Collection

These tips have been collected from the 1940s and 1950s, most are quite practical but one is truly a piece of old-timer wisdom that I couldn’t resist including (you’ll know which one when you see it!). I’ve also included a section “Canning Arithmetic” from that time period, it provides a guideline for what quantities to expect from several different types of fruits.

1. When canning catsup, pour off the watery liquid on top of tomatoes after running through sieve. Your catsup will have a bright red appearance and cooking time will be cut in half.
2. If your water bath canner does not have a rack, stretch an old rubber ring round the middle of each jar. This prevents the jars from bumping together and breaking while they are being processed.
3. If you don’t have a rack, set extra jar rings on the bottom of the pot to keep your jars off the bottom.
4. For foods which have been blanched for freezing, add ice cubes to the water in which they are to be chilled to hasten the chilling and retain the full flavor.
5. To label jars of food, write on the jar while it is still hot with a bright colored crayon.
6. Flaps cut from old unsealed envelopes can be used to label jars of fruit or preserves.
7. When canning, select only the perfect and fresh products. Imperfect and irregular shaped fruits and vegetables may be used in jams and preserves.
8. One tablespoon vinegar to each quart beets will help retain their color.
9. Use soft water for blanching and precooking peas; it helps to prevent cloudiness.
10. Make sauerkraut when the moon is new until the first quarter, and the juice will stay on until it is used.
11. That teaspoon off your metal measuring spoons makes a handy gadget for coring fresh pears for canning, salads or desserts. Cut pears in half and then run metal teaspoon around the core. Presto, out it comes in a jiffy!
12. When canning corn, place cob in angel food tube and cut off the corn. The corn will fall into pan.
13. To keep pickles from shriveling, add one heaping tablespoon of alum to first salt water. (you’ll find  it below)
14. Use only sack salt for pickles and kraut because other salt has been treated, thus will soften, discolor, and give unpleasant taste.
15. When canning tomatoes, put onions and peppers in with them, this is grand with rice or macaroni and it is all ready to use.
16. When canning pears, add a few drops of food coloring to a jar or two. The colored pears will provide that extra touch in holiday desserts or salads.
17. To clean lids, put them in a pan. Cover with sweet milk, let stand till clabbered, then take out and wash. They are like new.
18. Soak jars overnight in a solution of 1 cup vinegar to 1 gallon of water, this will remove scale and hard water film.
19. A little lime kept on shelves where jellies or preserves are stored, will usually prevent formation of mold.
20. A little borax sprinkled in empty jars will keep them sweet and fresh until needed again.
21. Red fruit fades if cooked too rapidly at the start. It should be heated slowly until hot clear through, then finished quickly.
22. Cook red fruits in aluminum or enamel to avoid their getting a bluish color. Do not use a chipped enamel kettle.
23. After plums are washed for canning, pierce each one to prevent the skin from bursting.
24. When using glass jars, remove only one at a time from the boiling water bath.
25. If you’re canning more than one lot a day, mark the lot number on each label for quality control.
26. Protect packed glass jars from the light to help protect the food from fading in color.

Canning Arithmetic

If the jars and fruit don’t come out even when you are canning, better sit down and do some figuring before you start to can. Here are some tips to help you…

1. Apples: 1 bushel (50 pounds) cans 17 to 20 quarts
2. Apricots: 4 baskets or crates (1 bushel) cans 20 to 25 quarts
3. Berries: 24 quart crate cans 15 to 24 quarts
4. Grapes: 1 bushel (48 pounds) cans 16 to 20 quarts
5. Pears: 1 bushel (58 pounds) cans 20 to 24 quarts
6. Peaches: 1 bushel (50 pounds) cans 18 to 20 quarts
7. Pineapples: 15 pineapples yields 30 pints
8. Plums: 1 bushel (56 pounds) cans 24 to 30 quarts
9. Tomatoes: 1 bushel (56 pounds) cans 15 to 20 quarts

Common Causes Of Poor Quality Pickles: {Tip Sheet}

For Best Results Use Fresh, Good Quality Cucumbers & Ingredients When Pickling

If you plan on doing any cucumber pickling this year, here’s a handy troubleshooting tip sheet listing common problems and why they happen along with some tips I found in an old cookbook.

I’ve also included a homemade spice blend recipe at the bottom.

Too Shriveled

1. Shriveling may result from using too strong a vinegar, sugar, or salt solution at the start of the pickling process. In making the very sweet or very sour pickles, it is best to start with a dilute solution and increase gradually to the desired strength.
2. Overcooking or over processing may also cause shriveling.

Pickles Are Hollow

Hollowness usually results from:

1. Poorly developed cucumbers.
2. Holding cucumbers too long before pickling
3. Too rapid fermentation.
4. Too strong or too weak a brine during fermentation.

Too Soft or Slippery

This generally happens from microbial action which causes spoilage. Once a pickle becomes soft it cannot be made firm. Microbial activity may be cause by:

1. Too little salt or acid.
2. Cucumbers not covered with brine during fermentation period.
3. Scum scattered throughout the brine during fermentation period.
4. Insufficient heat treatment.
5. A seal that is not airtight.
6. Moldy garlic or spices.

Blossoms, if not entirely removed from the cucumbers before fermentation, may contain fungi or yeasts responsible for enzymatic softening of pickles.

Too Dark

Darkness in the finished product may be caused by:

1. Use of ground spices.
2. Too much spice.
3. Iodized salt.
4. Overcooking.
5. Minerals in water, especially iron.
6. Use of iron utensils.

Source: Making Pickles and Relishes At Home, Home and Garden Bulletin No. 92, U.S. Department of Agriculture (1970)

Pickles And Relishes: Points On Pickling

Handy Pickling Tips

1. Use firm, good quality vegetables and fruits when making pickles.
2. Some vegetables such as cucumbers require soaking in brine before covering with vinegar. This soaking helps maintain the firmness and color of the vegetables during the pickling process and also reduces bitterness. Cucumbers for gherkins should be placed in brine as soon after picking as possible. Cucumbers for dills should be placed in cold water. Hollow centers may result if cucumbers are held at room temperature for even a few hours.
3. The proportion of 1 cup fine salt or 1 1/2 cups coarse salt to 2 quarts (10 cups) water makes a good brine. Too weak a brine will cause pickles to become soft, too strong a brine will cause them to shrivel and become tough.
4. Be sure to use a pickling salt. Free-running salt has a chemical added to keep it from caking and is not recommended for pickling and brining.
5. Use good quality vinegar. Both cider and blended vinegar have good flavor, but white vinegar gives better color where light colored foods such as onions and cauliflower are used. Never dilute vinegar unless the recipe calls for it.
6. Use spices with caution. A dark color or bitter flavor may result from using too much spice or from boiling the spice too long with vinegar. Whole spices give better color and flavor than ground spices. Whole spices should be tied loosely in a cheesecloth bag, cooked with vinegar or pickle, then removed.
7. Pickles should be stored in clean glass jars, sealers, or crocks. If kept in crocks, pickles should be well covered with vinegar solution to prevent spoilage. A plate or wooden board cut to fit inside the crock should be placed on top of the pickles and weighted down.
8. Relishes and sauces should be packed in hot, sterilized jars and completely sealed.

Source: Cooking The Co-op Way Cookbook (1960)

Pickling Spice Blend

Combine 2 TBS each:

allspice berries
cardamom seeds
coriander seeds
whole cloves
mustard seeds
peppercorns

Add:

2 bay leaves (crumbled)
2 cinnamon sticks (broken)
2 small pieces dried ginger root (chopped)
2 small dried red chilies (crushed) or 1-2 tsp hot pepper flakes.

1. Store in a tightly sealed container until ready to use.