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Posted on 2.3.22
GELLS: Which is Which?
Do you get confused? So do we sometimes. What's the difference between a chutney and a conserve, again? Never fear! This handy graphic and these useful links should help to clear the fog of confusions!
- Eater.com has a very useful article "What’s the Difference Between Jam, Jelly, Preserves, Compote, Marmalade, and Chutney?"
- Check out CFPAs Safe Jams and Jellies Series
- There are tons of recipes on our RECIPES: Jams, Marmalades, & Chutneys page.
- And here's a recipe from heoyeahyum.com that we are excited about: Tomato and Onion Jam
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Posted on 7.12.20
HAL'S NOTES: What, When, How and Where to Buy for Preserving - Part 2
Posted on 7.10.20
HAL'S NOTES: What, When, How and Where to Buy for Preserving - Part 1
IMPORTANT NOTE: These two posts have been incorporated into a single resource page that is updated annually. CLICK HERE to go to the What, When, How and Where... page for updated resource listings.
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Posted on 6.21.20
DON'T HANG LOOSE: SAFETY FIRST!
It's simple to look at preserving food and think "It's easy! I just put a lid on it and into the freezer it goes!" But such loose practice can have unfortunate after effects. Home canning and food preservation can be easy and you need to know what you are doing to keep it so.
Here are some resources to start you on the road to being "in the know":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01lTxSgXlys&fbclid
The Role of Headroom
https://www.healthycanning.com/the-role-of-headspace-in-home-canning/
Spacing for Canning
Spacing for Freezing
Mold on Food
AND, if you did not read it when we released it, scroll down this page to the March 21st post "Can Cans Last Forever?"
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Posted on 5.13.20
Notes from HAL:
to Substitute, or not to Substitute?
Zounds! What a question! It was a subject many of our parents wrestled with during the rationing days of World War II. Yet having an understanding of what ingredients can be successfully substituted for others is not just relevant in times of want or crisis, it is very useful information at anytime.
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Notes from HAL:
to Substitute, or not to Substitute?
Zounds! What a question! It was a subject many of our parents wrestled with during the rationing days of World War II. Yet having an understanding of what ingredients can be successfully substituted for others is not just relevant in times of want or crisis, it is very useful information at anytime.
I’d hoped to find a source that would give us a “Unified Theory of Ingredient Substitution.” It appears that it is really a mystic art built on experience. I did find some great resources for examples and charts.
One common thread is to keep in mind that substitutions may not perform like the original ingredient. The links below provide good information on what to look out for with different substitutions:
- General chart by our old friend the spruceeats.com
- Another comprehensive list with a few novel items from cooksmarts.com.
- This guide to baking substitutions has some of the same substitutions in the Spruce Eats chart, but with much more detail and helpful instructions - from realsimple.com
- Connected to baking you can make your own oat flour (gluten free) with a blender and any raw oats from groats to rolled from theviewfromgreatisland.com
- Even Eggs! from Allrecipes.com
The Allrecipes article has the best explanation of what eggs do in baking as well as a great discussion of substitutions, what recipes they work best in, and other fun facts.
· Bind. Eggs help bring the dry ingredients together. So any substitute needs a liquid consistency.
· Lift. Partly from their liquid, and partly from protein, eggs provide leavening, or lift, to baked goods. So the replacement needs some protein content.
· Structure. This is especially true of egg whites, as (once again) the protein helps "set" the dough as it finishes baking.
· Flavor. Of course, eggs do contain fat, and fat makes baked goods taste better. So any substitute needs a little fat content.
While there's no one ingredient that can perfectly recreate all of these functions at once, you can still get satisfactory results in many cases. When in doubt, you can turn to commercially available egg substitutes such as Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer and Ener-G Egg Replacer.
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Posted March 21, 2020 ~ Can Cans Last Forever?
Of course, there’s no way to find out whether a canned food has gone south unless you open it, so if you can’t remember when you bought it and want to err on the safe side, throw it out (and replace it). Always use FIFO (First-in, first-out), meaning use your oldest cans first. Before opening, discard any badly dented, bulging, rusty, or leaky cans or jars that have broken seals. Open cans or jars to view and smell contents. When opening, discard any can that spurts. Discard contents (do not taste) if there is a strange odor or appearance. Although the toxin that causes botulism is extremely rare in commercial canned goods, damaged cans have a higher chance of being contaminated.
If there is no strange appearance or odor, taste a sample. For added safety, in the case of older canned foods, you may wish to boil the food for 10 minutes before tasting. Discard if there is an off-flavor. High-acid foods may leach metal or metallic flavors from cans if food is stored in open cans; remove unused portions and store covered in the refrigerator. Low-acid foods should be heated to 165 degrees F° or boiled for 5 - 10 minutes before eating. Once opened canned foods may last between a day and a week depending on the food.
As a general rule, unopened home canned foods have a shelf life of one year and should be used before two years.
For emergency storage, commercially canned foods in metal or glass will remain safe to consume as long as the seal has not been broken. (That is not to say the quality will be retained for that long). Foods “canned” in metal-Mylar®-type pouches will also have a best-if-used by date on them.
The longest shelf life tested of this type of packaging has been 8-10 years (personal communication U.S. Military MRE’s). Therefore, storage for longer than 10 years is not recommended.
No, they can’t.
According to the USDA, high-acid canned goods, like tomatoes and citrus fruits, will keep for up to 1½ years. Low-acid canned goods—that’s pretty much everything else, including vegetables, meat, and fish—will last for up to 5 years. Canned foods are sterile, so they won’t host bacteria, but eventually the taste and texture of the items inside will deteriorate. Keep them at room temperature in a dark place, like a cabinet or a pantry.
If there is no strange appearance or odor, taste a sample. For added safety, in the case of older canned foods, you may wish to boil the food for 10 minutes before tasting. Discard if there is an off-flavor. High-acid foods may leach metal or metallic flavors from cans if food is stored in open cans; remove unused portions and store covered in the refrigerator. Low-acid foods should be heated to 165 degrees F° or boiled for 5 - 10 minutes before eating. Once opened canned foods may last between a day and a week depending on the food.
As a general rule, unopened home canned foods have a shelf life of one year and should be used before two years.
For emergency storage, commercially canned foods in metal or glass will remain safe to consume as long as the seal has not been broken. (That is not to say the quality will be retained for that long). Foods “canned” in metal-Mylar®-type pouches will also have a best-if-used by date on them.
The longest shelf life tested of this type of packaging has been 8-10 years (personal communication U.S. Military MRE’s). Therefore, storage for longer than 10 years is not recommended.
For details on how long home canned food will last and how to judge if safe, check out this GREAT article done by a Utah University Extension service. FYI State Extension Services are considered the ‘Gold Standard’ for food preservation information. Department of Agriculture, both State and Federal are others.
Dehydrated fruits can last 5 years, Dehydrated vegetable can last up to 10 years. This is a really excellent article. Another one we recommend you read it from beginning to end.
Here's a handy reference for evaluating your canned goods.
Defect | Cause | Safe to Consume |
Brown color or dark color | Oxidation or chemical breakdown of food pigments | Yes |
Soft food texture | Chemical breakdown of plant or animal tissue | Yes |
Magnesium amonium phosphate crystals naturally formed | Yes, crystals dissolve with heat | |
White crystals in some fruits like apricots or grape juice | The crystals are a natural acid-salt complex. | Yes, if food has no off odors. |
Food above the liquid level in home canned foods | Yes |
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