Page 1 - 050620-Market-Bulletin

EstablishEd 1917 a CEntury of sErviCE

GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE • GARY W. BLACK, COMMISSIONER • WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2020 • VOL. 103, NO. 10 • © COPYRIGHT 2020
Enjoy Georgia-grown produce all year with expert advice

from the Georgia Department of Agriculture

100th Anniversary
1917 – 2017
Tips and tricks for safe, delicious food preservation at home

By Jessica Badour 2. Boiling water canner – essential for can- University of Georgia Cooperative Exten-
GDA Recall Outreach Specialist ning foods such as fruits, pickles, jellies sion Service also sells “So Easy to Pre-
and jams. You want your canner to be serve,” a comprehensive book with tips
Proper equipment in good condition is deep enough to allow at least one to two for all types of home food preservation.
required for safe and high-quality canned inches of water to boil over the tops of the Order forms can be found at www.soea-
foods at home. A little advanced preparation jars. sytopreserve.com.
and planning can save a home canner time, 3. Rack – whatever type of canner you have,
money and frustration with your next season it should include a rack to keep jars off The biggest food safety concern for
of home canning. Ensure you’re ready before the bottom of the canner. canning is Botulism:
the harvest so you can start preserving food 4. Jars – inventory jars and decide if you Certain vegetables may NOT safely be
at its peak freshness. need to invest in a new set. Look for nicks, preserved unless you are using a pressure
Remember – home canning products cracks or chips, especially around the top canner. A boiling water canner cannot be
cannot be sold in Georgia (not even at farm- where the jars will be sealed. If a jar has used for meats and low-acid vegetables,
ers markets!), except for jams and jellies any imperfection, don’t use it for canning! such as green beans. While this might not
made in a home kitchen, which can be sold Older jars also weaken with age and use seem like a big deal, improperly processed
directly to Georgia consumers with a Cot- and may break under pressure and heat home canned green beans can literally prove
tage Food License. Learn more by visiting over time. Mason-type jars designed for deadly.
http://agr.georgia.gov/cottage-foods.aspx. home canning are your best investment. Spores of Clostridium botulinum bacte-
Tools may include: 5. Lids – regardless of the condition of your ria are found naturally in the environment,
1. Pressure canner - essential for can- jars, you MUST always invest in new flat and they are extremely heat resistant. Hours
ning low-acid vegetables, meats, fish and lids. Lids should be tossed after a single in a boiling water canner will not kill these
poultry. Before you begin a new canning use. The screw bands may be reusable IF bacteria if they are inside jars of beans. The
season, check the rubber gasket (if your they are not bent, dented or rusted. bacteria grow well at room temperature in
canner has one – it should be flexible and 6. Instructions/recipes – brush off those closed jars of low-acid foods (such as veg-
soft, not brittle, sticky or cracked). Ensure pressure inside), you’ll want to get this canning instructions and USE them! The etables and meats), so they MUST be killed
any small pipes or openings are clean and tested before each canning season (check latest version of the USDA Complete beforehand, during the canning process, for
open all the way through. If your canner with your county’s extension office or lo- Guide to Home Canning can be found
has a dial gauge (versus a that reads the cal hardware store). at www.homefoodpreservation.net. The See FOOD PRESERVATION, page 13
Fresh frozen fruits and vegetables deliver tasty, healthy treats all year

By Olivia Rader compromising flavor is one of the know exactly what you have on hand. For
Georgia Grown Chef hallmarks of the modern freez- me, labels also help to spark inspiration
er’s advantage, something that about what I am going to make instead of
Out of all preservation methods, none is Georgia’s farmers know well. As relying on visuals alone – frozen food is
easier than freezing. Preserving fruits and spring moves into summer, more not always appetizing to look at!
vegetables at the peak of freshness without and more fresh Georgia produce • Portion it – Freeze in smaller, individu-
is becoming available to meet al portions instead of in large bags. This
increasing consumer demand helps to speed the defrosting process,
during the coronavirus pandem- keeping things fresh by only allowing
ic, but shelf-stable and frozen what you need to come to temperature.
food purchasing has outpaced Food that has been repeatedly thawed
fresh produce sales. and refrozen runs a greater risk of be-
Preserving the fruits of our coming contaminated by lengthening the
state’s largest industry has never time and frequency that food may be in
been more important as farmers the “temperature danger zone” of 40-140
struggle to find outlets for sur- degrees Fahrenheit.
pluses of fresh commodities that • Blanching – Blanching is a technique
once went straight to now-shut- where foods are briefly plunged into a
tered institutions and restaurants. any harmful bacterial growth. A second large pot of boiling water and then trans-
Please deliver this paid subscription to: Published by the Ga. Department of Agriculture Gary W. Black, Commissioner make use of your entire U-Pick or farmers freezer thermometer is important to mea- • Preventing freezer burn – While freezer
Use these tips for freezing
ferred to an ice bath to immediately halt
some of Georgia’s most popular
the cooking process. For some fruits and
fruits and vegetables so you can successfully
vegetables, blanching is required to set
the texture, flavor and color for future
market haul to create healthier, fresher meals
sure the accuracy of the one built in. This
cooking or baking. In the case of peaches
also helps you monitor the efficacy of
for you and your family throughout the sum-
and tomatoes, blanching also speeds the
mer, all while showing your support for our
your freezer and catch malfunctions early
removal of tough outer skins.
farmers.
before you lose all your hard work to in-
burned food is not unsafe to eat, it can
voluntary defrosting.
Here is an overview of how to construct • The importance of labeling – Keep a roll
become unpleasant in texture and flavor.
the best freezing experience possible:
The longer the food is exposed to even a
of masking tape and a permanent marker
• 0 Degrees Fahrenheit – Make sure your
close by and get into the habit of labeling
little bit of air at freezing temperatures,
and dating everything right before it goes
freezer is set at the proper temperature
See HEALTHY TREATS, page 13
to freeze your foods quickly and prevent
into the freezer. This way, you always