It’s that time of year — gardeners everywhere are starting to pick, process and preserve what they’ve worked for all growing season. And UW-Extension specialist Heather Quackenboss says both new and seasoned preservers need to remember to can their food safely.
In her interview with the Mid-West Farm Report, Quackenboss quickly recommends canners visit https://nchfp.uga.edu/ for recipes, tips and other information about food preservation.
The questions Quackenboss gets the most — from new and seasoned canners — are about pressure canners. Pressure canners are what vegetables need because of their low acidity. Users should check their seal on the canner and the pressure. UW-Extension can test the pressure. Call (608) 785-9593.
She says jars and lids are on the shelves, but it can be hard to find just the lids. The lids cannot be reused. Lids need to be replaced every year. Quackenboss says this is important to remember, because the wrong tools for the job could result in food poisoning. She adds if you’re purchasing lids online, make sure it’s a high-quality product and that you’re paying a fair price.
And for people looking to get into gardening and food preservation, Quackenboss says tomatoes are a good place to start. Tomatoes are acidic and therefore can be preserved using the hot water bath method versus a pressure canner.
