The Complete Guide to Home Canning - Mississippi State University · 2016-06-07 · The Complete...

The Complete Guide

to

Home Canning

At least 30 million

Americans rush out each

summer to beat inflation

with a garden hoe and

a jar lid.

Many of these gardeners have pro-duced some prize-winning blistersand backaches. They have reached alow level of despair with jelly thatdidn’t gel, pickles that didn’t pickle,and preserves that didn’t preserve.Other gardeners, though, have foundthey had a hidden talent for a “greenthumb.” They have showered friendsand loved ones with fresh-from-the-garden produce and take-home pres-ents. They have packed theirpantries with home-preserved fruitsand vegetables.

Home canning gives a great feel-ing of pride and accomplishment. Itbrings family members together increative activity. It provides securityin having food within an arm’sreach. It offers a supply of food pre-pared according to family prefer-ences and special dietary needs.

For these reasons and others, theUnited States Department of Agri-culture and the Mississippi StateUniversity Extension Service haveprovided consumers with instruc-tions and tips for best preserving thegarden’s bounty. In this publicationyou will find the latest informationon home canning techniques forfruits, vegetables, jelly, jam, pre-serves, pickles, and relishes.

EQUIPMENTSpoilage and botulism are alwaysthreats to home canning. To producehome canned foods that are safe toeat, always use the right equipment.When you desire to can fruits andvegetables, heat them at a tempera-ture high enough and long enoughto destroy spoilage organisms andstop enzyme action. Do this process-

ing either in a boiling waterbathcanner or a steam pressure canner.The type of canner you use dependson the kind of food you’re canning.For fruits, tomatoes, and pickled veg-etables, use a boiling water bath can-ner. These foods contain enough acidto be processed safely in boilingwater.

ThermometerA canning thermometer is an essen-tial piece of equipment. This willhelp you monitor the temperaturesneeded in home canning. A ther-mometer that has clear markingsand will clip to the side is a good investment.

Important Temperatures to Know

Boiling (Roll/Hard Boiling) 212 ºF/100 ºC

Slow Boil 205 ºF/96 ºC Simmer

185 ºF to 200 ºF/85 ºC to 93.5 ºC

Poach 160 ºF to 180 ºF/71 ºC to 82 ºC

Hot Water 130 ºF to 135 ºF/54.5 ºC to 57 ºC

Warm Water 115 ºF to 120 ºF/46 ºC to 49 ºC

Tepid Water 85 ºF to 105 ºF/25.5 ºC to 40.5 ºC

Steam Pressure CannersFor common vegetables (excepttomatoes), use a steam pressure can-ner. Processing these low-acid foodssafely in a reasonable length of timetakes a temperature higher than aboiling water bath.

Before you use a steam pressurecanner, be sure to check all parts forsafe operation during canning. Be-fore and during the canning season,clean the “petcock” (small valve usedto lower pressure) and safety-valveopenings by drawing a string or nar-row strip of cloth through them.Also have the pressure gaugechecked for accuracy to be sure yourprocessing temperature is highenough to keep the food from spoil-ing. (If you don’t know how to checkyour pressure gauge, ask yourcounty Extension office.) If you havea weighted gauge on your pressurecanner, clean it thoroughly. Checkdial gauges for accuracy before use

each year and replace if they readhigh by more than one pound at 5,10, or 15 pounds of pressure. Lowreadings cause over-processing andmay indicate the gauge is inaccurate.

Make sure your canner is clean.Wash it if you have not used it forsome time, but don’t put the coverin water. Wipe the lid with a clean,damp cloth and dry it well.

Water Bath CannersWater bath canners for canningfruits and other high-acid contentfoods are available to buy. However,you can use any big, metal containeras long as it is deep enough for thewater to be from 2 inches to 4 inchesover the tops of jars and still boilfreely. The canner must have a tight-fitting cover and a wire or woodenrack. If the rack has dividers, the jarswill not touch each other or fallagainst the sides of the canner dur-ing processing.

Be sure all glass canning jars andclosures are in perfect condition.Discard those with cracks, chips,dents, or rust; such defects preventairtight seals. When you’re buyinglids, be sure to buy the ones that fityour jars – wide-mouth or regular.Wash the glass jars, lids, and bandsin hot, soapy water and rinse well.Newly purchased metal lids withsealing compound on them mayneed boiling or dipping in boilingwater for a few minutes.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONSThe golden rule of home canning is:

“ T he quality of the foodspreserved will be only as good

as the quality of the foods when they were fresh.”You should use only fresh, firm

fruits and young, tender vegetablesfor preserving. Can them as soon as

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possible after harvest to retain theirfreshness. If you must hold them,keep them in a cool, airy place. Ifyou buy fruits and vegetables to can,try to get them from a nearby gardenor orchard.

Sort all fruits and vegetables forsize and ripeness so they will cookevenly. Wash produce thoroughly,even if it is to be peeled. Dirt con-tains some of the hardest bacteria tokill. Wash small lots at a time underrunning water. Lift the food out ofthe water each time so dirt that hasbeen washed off won’t get back onthe food. Rinse the pan thoroughlybetween washings. Don’t let fruitsor vegetables soak; they may losetheir flavor and food value. Handlethem gently to avoid bruising.Raw Pack. For raw-pack canning,

pack cold raw fruits or vegetablestightly into the container and coverthem with boiling water, hot syrup,or juice. Tight packing is necessarybecause the foods shrink during pro-cessing. A few foods, like corn, limabeans, and peas, should be packedloosely because they expand.Hot Pack. Pack hot food fairly

loosely. It should be at or near boil-ing temperature when you pack it.To use any hot pack method, preheatthe food in syrup, water, extractedjuice, or steam before packing. Pre-heat tomatoes without added liquidand pack in the juice that cooks out.After packing, cover other foodswith one of the liquids mentioned.The “cooking liquid” is recom-mended for packing most vegetablesbecause it may contain minerals andvitamins dissolved out of the food.Boiling water is recommended whenthe cooking liquid is dark, gritty,strong-flavored, or not enough.

There should be enough syrup,water, or juice to fill in around thesolid food in the container and tocover it. Food at the top of the con-tainer tends to darken if not coveredwith liquid. It takes from ½ to 1 ½cups of liquid for a glass quart jar.

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With only a few exceptions, leavesome space between the packed foodand the closure. The amount ofspace to allow at the top of the jarvaries with the food being preserved.

The common self-sealing lid con-sists of a flat metal lid held in placeby a metal screw band during pro-cessing. Gaskets in unused lids workwell for at least 5 years from date ofmanufacture. If unused lids areolder than 5 years, they may notseal. Wipe the jar rim clean after thefood is packed. Put on the lid withthe sealing compound next to theglass.

When the water in the cannercomes to a rolling boil, start to countprocessing time. Boil gently andsteadily for time recommended forthe food you are canning. Add boil-ing water during processing ifneeded to keep the jars covered. Re-move jars from the canner immedi-ately when the processing time is up.Pressure Canner. For processing

vegetables in a steam pressure can-ner, follow the manufacturer’s direc-tions for the canner you are using.However, there are some generalrules for using any steam-pressurecanner:

• Put from 2 inches to 3 inches of boiling water in the bottom of the canner, depending on the size and shape of canner.

• Set filled glass jars in a rack in the canner so that steam can flow around each one. If you stack two layers of jars, staggerthe second layer and use a rack between the layers.

• Fasten the canner cover securely so that no steam can escape except through the vent(petcock or weighted gauge opening).

• Watch until steam pours steadily through the vent. Let it escape for 10 minutes or more to drive all air from the canner. Then close the petcock or put on the weighted gauge.

• Let the pressure rise to 10 pounds (240 ºF). The moment this pressure is reached, start counting processing time. Keep pressure constant by regulating heat under the canner. Do not lower the pressure by opening the petcock. Keep drafts from blowing on the canner.

• When processing time is up, remove the canner from the heat immediately.

• Let the canner stand until the pressure is zero. Never try to rush the cooling by pouring cold water over the canner.

Screw the metal band downtightly by hand. When the band istight, the lid has enough “give” tolet air escape during processing. Donot tighten it again when you takethe jar from the canner.

You may reuse screw bands thatare in good condition, but metal lidswith sealing compound are for one-time use. Remove bands as soon asthe jars are cool.Water Bath. To process fruits,

tomatoes, and pickled vegetables in aboiling water bath, put the filledglass jars into the canner containinghot or boiling water. For raw pack inglass jars, have the water in the can-ner hot but not boiling. For hot pack,have the water boiling.Add boiling water if needed to bringthe water an inch or two over thetops of the jars. Don’t pour boilingwater directly on glass jars. Put thecover on the canner.

Metal screw band

Metal lid with sealing compound

Seals here

• When pressure registers zero, wait a minute or two, then slowly open the petcock or take off the weighted gauge.

• Unfasten the cover and tilt the far side up so steam escapes away from you.

• Take jars from the canner.As you take jars from the canner, donot tighten the metal screw band onjars with a flat metal lid and screwband after these jars are processed. Ifliquid boiled out during processing,do not open the jar to add more.

Cool jars top side up withouttouching each other. Set the hot jarson a rack or on a folded cloth, neveron a cold surface. Keep hot jars awayfrom drafts, but don’t slow coolingby covering them.

The day after canning is the timeto check the seals of your jars andprepare them for storage. This isyour only chance to salvage any foodthat failed to seal. Once it is stored, abad seal means you must destroy thefood. There are two ways to test a jarthat has a flat, metal lid. Press thecenter of the lid. If it is down andwill not move, the jar is sealed. Sec-ond, tap the center of the lid with aspoon. A clear, ringing sound meansa good seal, although a dull notedoes not always mean a poor seal.

If a jar fails to seal, remove the lidand check the jar-sealing surface fortiny nicks. If necessary, change thejar, add a new, properly prepared lid,and reprocess within 24 hours usingthe same processing time. You canadjust headspace in unsealed jars to1 ½ inches and freeze them insteadof reprocessing. Foods in single un-sealed jars can be stored in the refrig-erator and consumed within severaldays.

When the jars are thoroughlycool, take off the screw bands care-fully. If a band sticks, cover it for amoment with a hot, damp cloth tohelp loosen it.

Before storing canned food, wipethe jars clean. Label them with thecontents, date, and lot number – ifyou canned more than one batch in aday. Wash the bands and store themin a dry place.

Properly canned food stored in acool, dry place will retain quality forat least a year. Canned food stored ina warm place near hot pipes, a range,a furnace, or in direct sunlight maylose some eating quality in a fewweeks or months, depending on thetemperature. Dampness may corrodecans or metal lids and cause leakage.Freezing does not cause foodspoilage unless it damages the sealor breaks the jar. However, cannedfood that has been frozen may not beas tasty. In an unheated storageplace, protect canned food by wrap-ping the jars in paper or coveringthem with a blanket.

Always be alert for any signs ofspoilage. Never use any food that isquestionable. Look closely at eachcontainer before using it. Bulginglids or rings or a leak may mean theseal has broken and the food hasspoiled. When you open a container,look for other signs – spurting liq-uid, off-odor, or mold.

It’s possible for canned vegetablesto contain botulism – a serious foodpoisoning – without showing signsof spoilage. To avoid any risk of bot-ulism, it is essential that the pres-sure canner be in perfect order andthat you follow every canning rec-ommendation exactly.

Boil home-canned vegetables before tasting. Bring vegetables to arolling boil, then cover and boil forat least 10 minutes. Boil spinachand corn for 20 minutes. If foodlooks spoiled, foams, or has an off-color or odor during heating, destroyit. Burn spoiled vegetables or dis-pose of the food so that it will not beeaten by humans or animals.

Sterilization of Empty JarsJars that are to be processed longerthan 10 minutes, either in a boilingwater bath or a pressure canner, donot need to be sterilized. However,all jars that are to be processed 10minutes or less should be sterilized.To sterilize empty jars, put themright side up on the rack in a boilingwater canner. Fill the canner andjars with hot (not boiling) water to 1 inch above the tops of the jars.Boil 10 minutes. Remove and drainhot, sterilized jars one at a time.Save the hot water for processingfilled jars. Fill jars with food, addlids, and tighten screw bands.

Equipment and Methods NOT RecommendedOpen-kettle canning and canning inconventional ovens, microwaveovens, and dishwashers are not rec-ommended. Steam canners are notrecommended because processingtimes for use with current modelshave not been adequately re-searched. Steam canners may notheat foods in the same manner asboiling water canners, so their usewith boiling water process timesmay result in spoilage. It is not rec-ommended that pressure processesin excess of 15 pounds be appliedwhen using new pressure canningequipment. So-called canning pow-ders are useless as preservatives anddo not replace the need for properheat processing. Jars with wire bailsand glass caps make attractive an-tiques or storage containers for dryfood ingredients but are not recom-mended for use in canning. One-piece, zinc, porcelain-lined caps arealso not recommended. Both glassand zinc caps use flat, rubber ringsfor sealing jars but too often fail toseal properly.

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SWEETENED ORUNSWEETENED?Canning your fruit sweetened orunsweetened depends on your pref-erence. Generally you get a higher

quality product when you use sugaror sugar syrup. Sugar helps cannedfruit hold its shape, color, and flavor.Directions for canning most fruitscall for sweetening to be added in theform of sugar syrup. For very juicy

fruit packed hot, use sugar withoutadded liquid. The chart will help youdetermine which type of sweetener,if any, you want to add to yourcanned fruit.

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Type of Pack Directions

With Sugar Syrup To make sugar syrup, mix the sugar with water or with juice extracted from some of the fruit. Use thin, medium, or heavy syrup to suit the sweetness of the fruit and your taste. To make the syrup, combine 4 cups of water or juice with:2 cups sugar for 5 cups thin syrup3 cups sugar for 5 ½ cups medium syrup4 ¾ cups sugar for 6 ½ cups heavy syrupHeat the sugar and liquid together until the sugar is dissolved. Skim the syrup if necessary.To extract juice: Crush thoroughly ripe, sound, juicy fruit. Heat fruit to simmering (185 °F to 210 °F) over low heat. Strain the mixture through a jelly bag or other cloth.

Without Added Liquid To add dry sugar directly to juicy fruit to be packed hot: Add about ½ cup of sugar to each quart of raw prepared fruit. Heat the mixture to simmering (185 °F to 210 °F.) over low heat. Pack the fruit in the juice that cooks out.

With Sweeteners Other You can use light corn syrup or mild-flavored honey toThan Sugar replace as much as half the sugar called for in canning

fruit. Do not use brown sugar, sorghum, or other strong-flavored syrups; their flavor overpowers the fruit flavor, and they may darken the fruit.

With No Sweetening You may choose to can fruit without sweetening – in itsAgents Added own juice, in extracted juice, or in water. Sugar is not

needed to prevent spoilage. If you choose not to use any sweeteners, the processing time for unsweetened fruit is the same as for sweetened fruit.

TO FIGURE YIELD OF CANNED FRUITS AND VEGETABLESThe amount of canned food you can get from a given quantity of produce depends on the quality, maturity, variety, and sizeof the fruit or vegetable, whether it is whole, in halves, or in slices, or whether it is packed raw or hot. The following chartshows you the approximate yield of canned foods from the given quantities of fruits and vegetables.

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FruitsFood Fresh CannedApples 1 bu. (48 lbs.) 16 - 20 qts.

2 ½ - 3 lbs. 1 qt.

Berries, 24-qt. crate 12 - 18 qts.except strawberries 1 ¼ - 3 lbs. 1 qt.

Peaches 1 bu. (48 lbs.) 18 - 24 qts.2 - 3 lbs. 1 qt.

Pears 1 bu. (48 lbs.) 18 - 24 qts.2 - 3 lbs. 1 qt.

Plums 1 bu. (56 lbs.) 24 - 30 qts.1 ½ - 2 ½ lbs. 1 qt.

Tomatoes 1 bu. (53 lbs.) 15 - 20 qts.1 ½ - 3 ½ lbs. 1 qt.

VegetablesFood Fresh CannedAsparagus 1 bu. (45 lbs.) 11 qts.

2 ½ - 4 ½ lbs. 1 qt.

Beans, lima in pods 1 bu. (30 lbs.) 6 - 8 qts.3 - 5 lbs. 1 qt.

Beans, snap 1 bu. (30 lbs.) 15 - 20 qts.1 ½ - 2 ½ lbs. 1 qt.

Beets, without tops 1 bu. (52 lbs.) 17 - 20 qts.2 - 3 ½ lbs. 1 qt.

Carrots, without tops 1 bu. (50 lbs.) 16 - 20 qts.2 - 3 lbs. 1 qt.

Corn, sweet, in husks 1 bu. (35 lbs.) 8 - 9 qts.6 - 16 ears (3 - 6 lbs.) 1 qt.

Okra 1 bu. (26 lbs.) 16 qts.1 - 1 ½ lbs. 1 qt.

Peas, green, in pods 1 bu. (30 lbs.) 6 - 7 qts.3 - 6 lbs. 1 qt.

Spinach 1 bu. (18 lbs.) 6 - 9 qts.2 - 6 lbs. 1 qt.

Squash, summer 1 bu. (40 lbs.) 16 - 20 qts.2 - 4 lbs. 1 qt.

Sweetpotatoes 1 bu. (55 lbs.) 18 - 22 qts.2 - 3 lbs. 1 qt.

MAKING PICKLES & RELISHESPickle Products Have Four ClassesPickle products are classified on thebasis of ingredients and method ofpreparation. There are four generalclasses.

Brined pickles, also called fer-mented pickles, go through a curingprocess of about 3 weeks. Dilled cu-cumbers and sauerkraut belong inthis group. Other vegetables, such asgreen tomatoes, may also be cured inthe same way as cucumbers.

Curing changes cucumber colorfrom a bright green to an olive oryellow-green. The white interior ofthe fresh cucumber becomes uni-formly translucent. A desirable fla-vor is developed during curingwithout being excessively sour,salty, or spicy. Cucumber dills maybe flavored with garlic, if desired.

The skin of the pickle is tenderand firm but not hard, rubbery, orshriveled. The inside is tender andfirm, not soft or mushy.

Good sauerkraut (brined cabbage)has a pleasant tart, tangy flavor andis free from any off-flavors or off-odors. It is crisp and creamy-white.The texture is firm, and it has abright appearance. The shreds areuniformly cut (about the thinness ofa dime) and are free of large, coarsepieces of leaves or core.

Fresh-pack or quick-process pick-les, such as crosscut cucumber slicesand whole cucumber dills, sweetgherkins, and dilled green beans, arebrined for several hours orovernight, then drained and com-bined with boiling hot vinegar,spices, and other seasonings. Theseare quick and easy to prepare. Theyhave a tart, pungent flavor. Season-ings can be selected to suit your pref-erence. Fresh-pack whole cucumbersare olive green, crisp, tender, andfirm.

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Fruit pickles are usually preparedfrom whole fruits and simmered inspicy, sweet-sour syrup. They shouldbe bright in color, of uniform size,and tender and firm without beingwatery. Pears, peaches, and water-melon rind are prepared this way.

Relishes are prepared from fruitsand vegetables that are chopped, sea-soned, and then cooked to desired consistency. Clear, brightcolor and uniformity in size ofpieces make an attractive product.Relishes include piccalilli, pepper-onion, tomato-apple chutney,tomato-pear chutney, horseradish,and corn relish.

Quality Ingredients Make Good PicklesYou will get satisfactory pickle products only when you use good-quality ingredients and followproper procedures. Correct propor-tions of fruit or vegetable, sugar,salt, vinegar, and spices are essen-tial. Alum and lime are not neededto make pickles crisp and firm if youuse good-quality ingredients and up-to-date procedures.

Use tested recipes. Read the com-plete recipe before starting prepara-tion. Make sure you have thenecessary ingredients. Measure orweigh all ingredients carefully andaccurately.

Fruits and vegetables should beselected carefully. Select tender veg-etables and firm fruit. Pears andpeaches may be slightly underripefor pickling. Use unwaxed cucum-bers for pickling whole. The brinecannot penetrate waxed cucumbers.Sort for uniform size and select thesize best suited for the recipe you areusing.

Use fruits and vegetables as soonas possible after gathering from theorchard or garden or after purchas-ing from the market. If the fruitsand vegetables cannot be used imme-diately, refrigerate them, or spreadthem where they will be well venti-

lated and cool. This is particularlyimportant for cucumbers becausethey deteriorate rapidly, especially atroom temperatures.

Do not use fruits or vegetablesthat show even slight evidence ofmold. Proper processing kills poten-tial spoilage organisms but does notdestroy the off-flavor that may beproduced by mold growth in the tissue.

Wash fruits and vegetables thor-oughly in cold water, whether theyare to be pared or left unpeeled. Usea brush and wash only a few at atime. Wash under running water orthrough several changes of water.Clinging soil may contain bacteriathat are hard to destroy. Lift thefruits or vegetables out of the watereach time so soil that has beenwashed off will not be drained backover them. Rinse pan thoroughly between washings. Handle gently to avoid bruising.

Be sure to remove all blossomsfrom cucumbers because they maybe a source of the enzymes responsi-ble for softening of the cucumbersduring fermentation.

Salt is an important ingredient inmaking pickles. Use pure, granu-lated salt if available. Non-iodizedtable salt can be used, but the mate-rials added to the salt to prevent caking may make the brine cloudy.Do not use iodized table salt; it maydarken pickles.

Vinegar should be a high-gradecider or white distilled type of 4-percent to 6-percent acidity (from40-grain to 60-grain). Do not usevinegars of unknown acidity. Cidervinegar, with its mellow acid taste,gives a nice blending of flavors butmay darken white or light-coloredfruits and vegetables. White distilledvinegar has a sharp, pungent, aceticacid taste and is desirable when lightcolor is important, as with pickledpears, onions, and cauliflower.

Do not dilute the vinegar unlessthe recipe so specifies. To get a less-

sour product, add sugar rather thandecrease vinegar.

Fresh spices are essential for bestflavor in pickles. Spices deteriorateand quickly lose their pungency inheat and humidity. If you cannot usethem immediately, store in an air-tight container in a cool place.

Sugar may be either white granu-lated or brown sugar. White sugargives a product with a lighter color,but you may prefer brown sugar forcolor.

Proper Equipment Saves Time, EnergyEquipment of the right kind, size,and amount saves time and energy.Read the complete recipe before youstart preparation and make sure youhave utensils and tools ready whenyou need them.

Use utensils of non-chippedenamelware, stainless steel, alu-minum, or glass for heating picklingliquids. Do not use copper, brass,galvanized, or iron utensils. Thesemetals may react with acids or saltsand cause undesirable color changesin the pickles or form undesirablecompounds.

Use a crock or stone jar, non-chipped enamel-lined pan, or largeglass jar, bowl, or casserole for fer-menting or brining. Use a heavyplate or large, glass lid that fits in-side the container to cover vegeta-bles in the brine. Place a weight ontop to hold the cover down and keepvegetables below the surface of thebrine. A glass jar filled with watermakes a good weight.

Small utensils that add ease andconvenience to home pickling in-clude measuring spoons, large woodor stainless-steel spoons, measuringcups, sharp knives, large trays,tongs, vegetable peelers, ladle withlip for pouring, slotted spoon, footedcolander or wire basket, large-mouthed funnel, food chopper orgrinder, and wooden cutting board.You will need household scales if the

recipes specify ingredients byweight. Scales are necessary in making sauerkraut to insure correct proportions of salt and shredded cabbage.

For information on glass jars,lids, and the water bath canner, see Equipment section in this publication.

Fill Jars Firmly; Leave Head SpaceFill jars firmly and uniformly withthe pickle product. Avoid packing sotightly that the brine or syrup is pre-vented from filling around and overthe product. Be sure to leave headspace at the top of the jar, as recom-mended in the recipe.

Wipe the rim and threads of thejar with a clean, hot cloth to removeany particles of food, seeds, orspices. Even a small particle mayprevent an airtight seal.

To use the two-piece metal lids,place the lid on the jar with the sealing compound next to the glass.When band is screwed tight, the lidhas enough “give” to let air escapeduring processing. Do not tightenthe screw band further after processing.

If liquid has boiled out of a jarduring processing, do not open it toadd more liquid because spoilage or-ganisms may enter.

Pickles Need Heat To Prevent SpoilingPickle products require heat treat-ment to destroy organisms thatcause spoilage and to kill enzymesthat may affect flavor, color, and tex-ture. Adequate heating is bestachieved by processing the filled jarsin a boiling water bath.

Heat processing is recommendedfor all pickle products. There is al-ways danger of spoilage organismsentering the food when it is trans-ferred from the kettle to jar. This istrue even when you are careful andis the reason open-kettle canning isnot recommended.

Pack pickle products into glassjars according to recipe directions.Adjust lids. Immerse the jars intoactively boiling water in canner. Besure the water reaches from 1 inchto 2 inches above the jar tops. Addboiling water if necessary, but do notpour it directly on the jars. Coverthe container with a close-fitting lidand bring the water back to boilingas quickly as possible. Start to countprocessing time when water returnsto boiling, and continue to boil gen-tly and steadily for the time recom-mended for the food being canned.Remove jars immediately. Set jarsupright, several inches apart, on awire rack to cool.

Processing procedures for fer-mented cucumbers and fresh-packdills are slightly different from theusual water bath procedures. Forthese products, start to count theprocessing time as soon as you putthe filled jars in the actively boilingwater. Taking this step prevents development of a cooked flavor and a loss of crispness.

Cool Jars, Check, Seal, and StoreCool the jars top side up on a wirerack, several inches apart to allowfor free circulation of air. Keep thejars out of a draft. Do not cover. Coolfor 12 to 24 hours; remove metalscrew bands carefully and check jarsfor an airtight seal. If the center ofthe lid of the two-piece metal caphas a slight dip or stays down whenpressed, the jar is sealed. Anothertest is to tap the center of the lidwith a spoon. A clear, ringing soundmeans a good seal. A dull note, how-ever, does not always mean a poorseal. Check for airtight seal by turn-ing jar partly over. If there is no leak-age, the jar may be stored.

If a jar shows signs of leakage or apoor seal, use the product right awayor re-can it. To re-can, empty the jar,repack in another clean jar, and re-process the product as before.

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You can use metal screw bandsfrom the two-piece metal caps again.Remove them from the jars as soonas jars are cool. You can loosen stick-ing bands by covering with a hot,damp cloth for a short time.

The metal lids from the two-piecemetal caps may be used only onetime.

Wipe the jars with a clean, damp,cloth and label with name of product and date.

Store the canned pickles in a dark,dry, cool place where there is no dan-ger of freezing. Freezing may crackthe jars or break the seals that allowin bacteria to cause spoilage. Protectfrom light to prevent bleaching andpossible deterioration of flavor.

Always be on the alert for signs ofspoilage. Before opening a jar, examine it closely. A bulging lid orleakage may mean that the contentsare spoiled.

When you open a jar, look forother signs of spoilage, such asspurting liquid, mold, disagreeableodor, change in color, or an unusualsoftness, mushiness, or slipperinessof the pickle product. If there is eventhe slightest indication of spoilage,do not eat or taste the contents. Dis-pose of the contents so humans oranimals cannot eat them.

After emptying the jar of spoiledfood, wash the jar in hot, soapywater and rinse. Boil in clean water15 minutes.

Remember: To insure acceptablequality and bacteriological safety ofthe finished product, you must fol-low recommended procedures. Youmay waste ingredients, time, andmoney if you use outdated or care-less canning procedures.

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HOW TO MAKE BRINED DILL PICKLES

Wash cucumbers thoroughly witha brush. Use several changes ofcold water. Take care to remove allblossoms.

Place half of the spices and alayer of dill on the bottom of a 5-gallon jar or crock. Fill the con-tainer with the cucumbers from 3inches to 4 inches from the top.

Cover with remaining dill andadd the rest of the spices. Mix salt,vinegar, and water, and pour overcucumbers.

Use a heavy plate or glass lidthat fits inside the container tocover cucumbers. Use a weight tohold the cover down and keep thecucumbers under the brine. Aglass jar filled with water makes agood weight.

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3 Bubbles and the formation ofscum indicate active fermenta-tion. Remove scum daily.

After 3 weeks of fermentationthe dills are ready for processing.Cloudiness of the brine resultsfrom yeast development duringfermentation. Strain the brine be-fore using.

Pack pickles firmly into clean,hot quart jars. Do not wedgetightly. Add several pieces of thedill to each jar. Cover with boilingbrine to ½ inch from the top ofthe jar; adjust lids. Place jars inboiling water and process for 15minutes. Start to count processingtime as soon as the jars are placedinto the still-boiling water.

4 Remove jars from the canner andcomplete seals if necessary. Setjars upright, several inches apart,on a wire rack to cool. Cloudinessof brine is typical when the origi-nal fermentation brine is used forthe covering liquid.

RECIPES

Brined Dill PicklesYield: 9 to 10 quartsCucumbers, 3 to 6 inches

in length ...................................... 20 pounds (about ½ bushel)Whole mixed pickling spice..............................................¾ cupDill plant, fresh or dried ..................................... 2 to 3 bunchesVinegar....................................................................... 2 ½ cupsSalt, pure granulated....................................................1 ¾ cupsWater...................................................................... 2 ½ gallons

Cover cucumbers with cold water. Wash thoroughly, using a veg-etable brush. Handle gently to avoid bruising. Take care to re-move any blossoms. Drain on rack or wipe dry.

Place half the pickle spices and a layer of dill in a 5-galloncrock or jar. Fill the crock with cucumbers within 3 inches to 4inches of the top. Place a layer of dill and remaining spices overthe top of cucumbers. (Garlic may be added, if desired.) Thor-oughly mix the vinegar, salt, and water and pour over the cu-cumbers.

Cover with a heavy china or glass plate or lid that fits insidethe crock.

Use a weight to hold the plate down and keep the cucumbersunder the brine. A glass jar filled with water makes a goodweight. Cover loosely with clean cloth. Keep pickles at roomtemperature and remove scum daily when formed. Scum maystart forming in 3 to 5 days. Do not stir pickles, but be sure theyare completely covered with brine. If necessary, make additionalbrine, using original proportions specified in recipe.

In about 3 weeks the cucumbers will be an olive-green colorand should have a desirable flavor. Any white spots inside thefermented cucumbers will disappear in processing.

The original brine is usually cloudy as a result of yeast devel-opment during the fermentation period. If this cloudiness is ob-jectionable, fresh brine may be used to cover the pickles whenpacking them into jars. For fresh brine, use ½ cup salt and 4cups vinegar to 1 gallon of water. The fermentation brine is gen-erally preferred for its added flavor and should be strained be-fore heating to boiling.

Pack the pickles, along with some of the dill, into clean, hotquart jars; add garlic, if desired. Avoid too tight a pack. Coverwith boiling brine to ½ inch of the top of the jar. Adjust jar lids.

Process in boiling water for 15 minutes. Start to count the processing time as soon as hot jars are placed into the actively boiling water.

Remove jars. Set jars upright, several inches apart, on a wirerack to cool.

Crosscut Pickle SlicesYield: 7 pintsCucumbers, medium sized (about 6 lbs.), sliced.............4 quartsOnions (12 to 15 small white, about 1 lb.), sliced ......................................................1 ½ cups

Garlic cloves....................................................................2 largeSalt................................................................................1/3 cupIce, crushed or cubes........................................2 quarts (2 trays)

Sugar ...........................................................................4 ½ cupsTurmeric .............................................................1 ½ teaspoonsCelery seed ..........................................................1 ½ teaspoonsMustard seed ........................................................2 tablespoonsVinegar, white .................................................................3 cups

Wash cucumbers thoroughly, using a vegetable brush; drain onrack. Slice unpeeled cucumbers into either 1/8-inch or ¼-inchslices; discard ends. Add onions and garlic.

Add salt and mix thoroughly; cover with crushed ice or icecubes; let stand 3 hours. Drain thoroughly; remove garliccloves.

Combine sugar, spices, and vinegar; heat just to boiling. Adddrained cucumber and onion slices; heat 5 minutes.

Pack hot pickles loosely into clean, hot pint jars to ½ inch ofthe top. Adjust jar lids.

Process in boiling water for 10 minutes (start to count pro-cessing time as soon as water in canner returns to boiling). Re-move jars. Set jars upright to cool.NOTE: Sugar may be reduced to 4 cups, if a less-sweet pickle

is desired.

Fresh-Packed Dill PicklesYield: 7 quartsCucumbers, 3 to 5 inches in length,packed 7 to 10 per quart jar........................... 17 to 18 pounds

5-percent brine (¾ cup pure granulated salt per gallon of water).................................... about 2 gallons

Vinegar........................................................ 6 cups (1 ½ quarts)Salt, pure granulated........................................................ ¾ cupSugar............................................................................... ¼ cupWater .......................................................... 9 cups (2 ¼ quarts)Whole mixed pickling spice ................................. 2 tablespoonsWhole mustard seed............................ 2 teaspoons per quart jarGarlic, if desired .................................... 1-2 cloves per quart jarDill plant, fresh or dried ............................ 3 heads per quart jar

OR Dill seed ............................................ 1 tablespoon per quart jar

Wash cucumbers thoroughly. Scrub with vegetable brush; drain.Cover with the 5-percent brine (¾ cup salt per gallon of water).Let sit overnight; drain.

Combine vinegar, salt, sugar, water, and mixed picklingspices that are tied in a clean, thin, white cloth; heat to boiling.Pack cucumbers into clean, hot quart jars. Add mustard seed,dill plant or seed, and garlic to each jar; cover with boiling liq-uid to within ½ inch of the top of the jar. Adjust jar lids.

Process pints in boiling water 10 minutes. Process quarts for20 minutes (start to count processing time as soon as the waterin the canner returns to boiling).

Remove jars. Set jars upright, several inches apart, on a wire rack to cool.

PiccalilliYield: 4 pintsGreen tomatoes (about 16 medium), chopped .................1 quartSweet red peppers (2 to 3 medium), chopped......................1 cup

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Green peppers (2 to 3 medium), chopped ...........................1 cupOnions (2 to 3 large), chopped......................................1 ½ cupsCabbage (about 2 pounds), chopped ..............5 cups (1 ¼ quarts)Salt ................................................................................... 1⁄3 cupVinegar............................................................................3 cupsBrown sugar ............................................. 2 cups, firmly packedWhole mixed pickling spice ................................. 2 tablespoons

Combine vegetables, mix with salt, let stand overnight. Drainand press in a clean, thin, white cloth to remove all liquid possible.

Combine vinegar and sugar. Place spices loosely in a cleancloth; tie with a string. Add to vinegar mixture. Bring to a boil.

Add vegetables, bring to a boil, and simmer about 30 min-utes, or until there is just enough liquid to moisten vegetables.Remove spice bag. Pack hot relish into clean, hot pint jars. Filljars to ½ inch of the top. Adjust lids.

Process in boiling water for 5 minutes. Start to count pro-cessing time as soon as water in canner returns to boiling.

Remove jars. Set jars upright on a wire rack to cool.

Pickled PearsYield: 7 to 8 pintsSugar ........................................................................... 2 quartsVinegar, white ............................................................... 1 quartWater .............................................................................. 1 pintStick cinnamon........................................... Eight 2-inch piecesCloves, whole ...................................................... 2 tablespoonsAllspice, whole.................................................... 2 tablespoonsSeckel pears ......................................... 8 pounds (4 or 5 quarts)

Combine sugar, vinegar, water, and stick cinnamon; add clovesand allspice that are tied in a clean, thin white cloth. Bring to aboil and simmer, covered, about 30 minutes.

Wash pears, remove skins, and all of blossom end; the stemsmay be left on if desired. To prevent peeled pears from darkeningduring preparation, immediately put them into cold water con-taining 2 tablespoons each of salt and vinegar per gallon. Drainjust before using.

Add pears to the boiling syrup and continue simmering for20 to 25 minutes. Pack hot pears into clean, hot pint jars; addone 2-inch piece cinnamon per jar and cover with boiling syrupto ½ inch of the top of the jar. Adjust jar lids.

Process in boiling water for 20 minutes. Start to count pro-cessing time as soon as water in canner returns to boiling. Re-move jars. Set jars upright, several inches apart, on a wire rackto cool.

Kieffer pears are also frequently used for making fruit pickles.

To pickle Kieffer pears: Use 12 pounds Kieffer pears and re-duce vinegar to 3 cups in recipe above. Wash the pears, peel, cutin halves or quarter, remove hard centers and cores. Boil pearsfor 10 minutes in water to cover. Use 1 pint of this liquid inplace of the pint of water in recipe above. Finish in the sameway as the recipe for Seckel pears. Makes about 8 pints.

Watermelon PicklesYield: 4 to 5 pintsWatermelon rind (about 6 pounds,

unpared, or ½ large melon) ......................................... 3 quartsSalt.................................................................................. ¾ cupWater ........................................................................... 3 quartsIce cubes ......................................................... 2 quarts (2 trays)Sugar........................................................... 9 cups (2 ¼ quarts)Vinegar, white................................................................. 3 cupsWater .............................................................................. 3 cupsWhole cloves ........................................ 1 tablespoon (about 48)Stick cinnamon ............................................... Six 1-inch piecesLemon, thinly sliced, with seeds removed................................ 1

Pare rind and all pink edges from the watermelon. Cut into 1-inch squares or fancy shapes as desired. Cover with brine madeby mixing the salt with 3 quarts cold water. Add ice cubes. Letstand 5 or 6 hours.

Drain; rinse in cold water. Cover with cold water and cookuntil fork tender, about 10 minutes (do not overcook). Drain.

Combine sugar, vinegar, water, and spices (tied in a clean,thin white cloth). Boil 5 minutes and pour over the watermelonwith spices; add lemon slices. Let stand overnight.

Heat watermelon in syrup to boiling and cook until water-melon is translucent (about 10 minutes). Pack hot picklesloosely into clean, hot pint jars. To each jar add 1 piece of stickcinnamon from spice bag; cover with boiling syrup to ½ inch ofthe top of the jar. Adjust jar lids.

Process in boiling water for 10 minutes. Start to count pro-cessing time when water in canner returns to boiling. Removejars. Set jars upright, several inches apart, on a wire rack to cool.The sugar may be reduced to 8 cups, if a less-sweet pickle is de-sired.NOTE: Keep watermelon rind in plastic bags in refrigerator

until you have enough rinds for one recipe.

Dilled Green BeansYield: 7 pintsGreen beans, whole ............................4 pounds (about 4 quarts)Hot red pepper, crushed ..........................¼ teaspoon per pint jarWhole mustard seed ...............................½ teaspoon per pint jarDill seed .................................................½ teaspoon per pint jarGarlic ...........................................................1 clove per pint jarVinegar ........................................................5 cups (1 ¼ quarts)Water ..........................................................5 cups ( 1 ¼ quarts)Salt ..................................................................................½ cup

Wash beans thoroughly; drain and cut into lengths to fill pintjars. Pack beans into clean, hot jars; add pepper, mustard seed,dill seed, and garlic.

Combine vinegar, water, and salt; heat to boiling. Pour boil-ing liquid over beans, filling to ½ inch of the top of the jar. Ad-just jar lids.


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Corn RelishYield: 7 pintsCorn, whole kernel....................................................... 2 quartsUse fresh (16 to 20 medium-sized ears) orfrozen (whole kernel, six 10-ounce packages)

Sweet red peppers (4 to 5 medium), diced .........................1 pintGreen peppers (4 to 5 medium), diced ...............................1 pintCelery (1 large bunch), chopped ......................................1 quartOnions (8 to 10 small, ¾ pound) chopped or sliced............1 cupSugar ...........................................................................1 ½ cupsVinegar ..........................................................................1 quartSalt ......................................................................2 tablespoonsCelery seed ..............................................................2 teaspoonsMustard, powdered dry.........................................2 tablespoonsTumeric ....................................................................1 teaspoon

Fresh corn. Remove husks and silks. Cook ears of corn in boil-ing water for 5 minutes; remove and plunge into cold water.Drain; cut corn from cob. Do not scrape cob.Frozen corn.Defrost overnight in refrigerator, or for 2 or 3hours at room temperature. Place containers in front of a fan tohasten defrosting.

Combine peppers, celery, onions, sugar, vinegar, salt, and cel-ery seed. Cover pan until mixture starts to boil, then boil uncov-ered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix dry mustard andturmeric, and blend with liquid from boiling mixture; add, withcorn, to boiling mixture. Return to boiling and cook for 5 min-utes, stirring occasionally.

This relish may be thickened by adding ¼ cup flour blendedwith ¼ cup water at the time the corn is added for cooking. Frequent stirring will be necessary to prevent sticking andscorching.

Pack loosely, while boiling hot, into clean, hot pint jars, fill-ing to ½ inch of the jar top. Adjust jar lids.


Soft or slippery pickles generally result from microbial ac-tion that causes spoilage. Once a pickle becomes soft it cannotbe made firm. Microbial activity may be caused by too little saltor acid, cucumbers not covered with brine during fermentation,and scum scattered throughout the brine during fermentation.Other causes are insufficient heat treatment, a seal that is notairtight, and moldy garlic or spices. Blossoms, if not entirely re-moved from the cucumbers before fermentation, may containfungi or yeasts responsible for enzymatic softening of pickles.It is not recommended that most canned foods be kept morethan a year or two because of possible deterioration of texture,flavor, and nutritive value.

Do not eat any home canned food that has mold on it. Dis-card the food and do not taste it.

SauerkrautYield: 16 to 18 quartsCabbage ..........................................................About 50 poundsSalt, pure granulated ....................................1 pound (1 ½ cups)

Remove the outer leaves and any undesirable portions fromfirm, mature heads of cabbage; wash and drain. Cut into halvesor quarters; remove the core. Use a shredder or sharp knife tocut the cabbage into thin shreds about the thickness of a dime.

In a large container, thoroughly mix 3 tablespoons salt with5 pounds shredded cabbage. Let the salted cabbage stand for sev-eral minutes to wilt slightly; this technique allows packingwithout excessive breaking or bruising of the shreds.

Pack the salted cabbage firmly and evenly into a large cleancrock or jar. Using a wooden spoon or a hand tamper (com-paction tool), press down firmly until the juice comes to the sur-face. Repeat the shredding, salting, and packing of cabbage untilthe crock is filled to within 3 inches to 4 inches of the top.

Cover cabbage with a clean, thin, white cloth (for example,muslin) and tuck the edges down against the inside of the con-tainer. Cover with a plate or round paraffin-coated board thatjust fits inside the container so that the cabbage is not exposedto the air. Put a weight on top of the cover so the brine comes tothe cover but not over it. A glass jar filled with water makes agood weight.

A newer method of covering cabbage during fermentationconsists of placing a plastic bag filled with water on top of thefermenting cabbage. The water-filled bag seals the surface fromexposure to air and prevents the growth of film yeast or mold. Italso serves as a weight. For extra protection the bag with thewater in it can be placed inside another plastic bag.

Any bag used should be of heavyweight, watertight plasticand intended for use with foods.

The amount of water in the plastic bag can be adjusted togive just enough pressure to keep the fermenting cabbage cov-ered with brine.

Formation of gas bubbles indicates fermentation is takingplace. A room temperature of 68 °F to 72 °F is best for ferment-ing cabbage. Fermentation is usually completed in 5 to 6 weeks.

Fully fermented kraut may be kept tightly covered in the re-frigerator for several months, or it may be canned as follows:Hot pack. Bring kraut and liquid slowly to a boil in a large ket-tle, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and fill jars ratherfirmly with kraut and juices, leaving ½-inch headspace.Raw pack. Fill jars firmly with kraut, and cover with juices,leaving ½-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids and process.Hot pack: Pint jars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 minutes

Quart jars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 minutes

Raw pack: Pint jars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 minutesQuart jars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 minutes

Keeping canned foods in a cool, dry place and limiting the timethey are in storage are essential factors in conserving the nutri-ents in canned food. In general, the longer the storage periodand the higher the storage temperature, the greater the loss ofnutrients.

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MAKING JELLIES, JAMS, PRESERVES, CONSERVES, &MARMALADESJelly, jam, conserves, marmalade,and preserves add zest to meals.They also provide a good way to usefruit not at its best for canning orfreezing – the largest or smallestfruits and berries and those that areirregularly shaped.

Basically these products are muchalike. All of them are fruit-preservedby using sugar, and usually all arejellied to some extent. Their individ-ual characteristics depend on thekind of fruit you use and the wayyou prepare it, the proportions ofdifferent ingredients in the mixture,and the method of cooking.

Jelly is made from fruit juice. Theproduct is clear and firm enough tohold its shape when turned out ofthe container. Jam, which is madefrom crushed or ground fruit, tendsto hold its shape but generally is lessfirm than jelly. Conserves are jamsmade from a mixture of fruits, in-cluding citrus fruit. Raisins andnuts are often added. Marmalade is atender jelly with small pieces offruit distributed evenly throughout.It commonly contains citrus fruit.Preserves are whole fruits or largepieces of fruit in thick syrup, oftenslightly jellied.

Not all fruits have the propertiesneeded for making satisfactory jellied products, but with the com-mercial pectins now on the market,you need not depend on the jellyingquality of the fruit for successful results.

Four Ingredients for Jellied FruitsProper amounts of fruit, pectin,acid, and sugar are needed to make ajellied fruit product.

FruitFruit gives each product its charac-teristic flavor and furnishes at leastpart of the pectin and acid requiredfor successful gels.

Flavorful varieties of fruits arebest for jellied products because thelarge proportion of sugar necessaryfor proper consistency and “keep-ing” quality dilutes the fruit flavor.

PectinSome types of fruit have enough nat-ural pectin to make high-qualityproducts. Others require addedpectin, particularly when you usethem in jellies, which should be firmenough to hold their shape. Allfruits have more pectin when theyare underripe.

Commercial fruit pectins, whichare made from apples or citrusfruits, are on the market in twoforms – liquid and powdered. Eitherform is satisfactory when you usethem in a recipe developed especiallyfor that form.

You can use these pectins withany fruit. Many homemakers preferthe added-pectin method for makingjellied fruit products because fullyripe fruit can be used. Additionally,cooking time is shorter and stan-dardized so that there is no questionwhen the product is done, and theyield from a given amount of fruit isgreater.

Store fruit pectins in a cool, dryplace so they will keep their gelstrength. Do not keep them from oneyear to the next.

AcidAcid is needed for flavor and for gelformation. The acid content variesin different fruits and is higher inunderripe fruits.

With fruits that are low in acid,lemon juice or citric acid is com-monly added in making jellied prod-ucts. Also, commercial fruit pectinscontain some acid.

In the recipes in this publication,lemon juice is included to supply ad-

ditional acid when necessary. If youwish, you can substitute 1/8 tea-spoon of crystalline citric acid foreach tablespoon of lemon juice.

SugarSugar helps in gel formation, servesas a preserving agent, and con-tributes to the flavor of the jelliedproduct. It also has a firming effecton fruit, a property that is useful inmaking preserves.

Proper Equipment for Best JelliesA large kettle is essential. To bringmixture to a full boil without boil-ing over, use an appropriate-sizedkettle with a broad, flat bottom.A jelly bag or a fruit press may beused for extracting fruit juice for jel-lies. The bag may be made of severalthicknesses of closely woven cheese-cloth, firm unbleached muslin, orCanton flannel with napped side in.Use a jelly bag or cheesecloth tostrain pressed juice. A special standor colander will hold the jelly bag.A jelly, candy, or deep-fat thermome-ter is an aid in making fruit productswithout added pectin.Other kitchen equipment that maybe useful includes a quart measurer,measuring cup and spoons, paringand utility knives, food chopper,masher, reamer, grater, bowls, wirebasket, colander, long-handledspoon, ladle, clock with secondhand, and household scale.

ContainersFor jams, jellies, preserves, con-serves, and marmalades, use canningjars with lids that can be tightlysealed and processed. Paraffin is notrecommended for these products.

Get jars ready before you start tomake the jelly. Wash containers inwarm, soapy water and rinse withhot water. Sterilize jelly containersin boiling water for 15 minutes.Keep all containers hot – either in aslow oven or in hot water – untilthey are used. This will prevent con-

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tainers from breaking when filledwith hot jelly or jam.

Wash and rinse all lids and bands.Metal lids with sealing compoundmay need boiling or holding in boil-ing water for a few minutes – followthe manufacturer’s directions. Usenew lids; bands and jars may bereused.

Preventing SpoilageEven though sugar helps preservejellies and jams, mold can grow onthe surface of these products. Re-search now indicates that the moldusually scraped off the surface of jel-lies may not be as harmless as itseems. Mycotoxins have been foundin some jars of jelly having surfacemold growth. Mycotoxins are knownto cause cancer in animals; their ef-fects on humans are still being re-searched.

Because of possible mold contam-ination, paraffin or wax seals are nolonger recommended for any sweetspread, including jellies. To preventgrowth of mold and loss of good fla-vor or color, fill products hot in ster-ile half-pint jars, leaving ¼-inchheadspace. Seal with self-sealinglids, and process 5 minutes in a boil-ing water canner. If unsterile jars areused, the jars should be processed10 minutes. Use of sterile jars is pre-ferred, especially when fruits arelow in pectin because the added 5-minute process may result in weakgels. To sterilize empty jars, see thesection on Sterilization of EmptyJars under General Instructions inthis publication.

Adjust Recipes for Best JelliesTo have jellied fruit products at theirbest, make up only the quantity thatyou will use within a few monthsbecause they will lose flavor in storage.

If you use fruit with average jelly-ing properties, the jellied productsyou make according to directions in

this section should be medium firmfor their type. However, because var-ious lots of fruit differ in composi-tion, it is not possible to developformulas that will always give ex-actly the same results.

If the first batch from a particularlot of fruit is too soft or too firm, ad-just the proportions of fruit or thecooking time for the next batch.

In products made with addedpectin:

• For a softer product, use ¼ to ½ cup more fruit or juice.

• For a firmer product, use ¼ to ½ cup less fruit or juice.

In products made without addedpectin:

• For a softer product, shorten the cooking time.

• For a firmer product, lengthen the cooking time.

Any fresh fruit may be canned orfrozen as fruit or juice and used injellied products later. Both fruit andjuice should be canned or frozenunsweetened. If it is sweetened, notethe amount of sugar and subtract itfrom the amount of sugar in thejelly or jam recipe. Fruit should becanned in its own juice or with onlya small amount of water. If you planto use canned or frozen fruit with-out added pectin, it is best to usepart underripe fruit, especially forjelly.

Unsweetened and commerciallycanned or frozen fruit or juice canalso be used in jellied products. Con-centrated frozen juices make flavor-ful jellies. Commercially canned orfrozen products are made from fullyripe fruit and require added pectin ifused for jelly.

Dried fruit may be cooked inwater until tender and used to makejams and conserves, with or withoutadded pectin as required.

Fill and Seal ContainersPrepare canning jars and lids or jellyglasses as directed in the section onProper Equipment for Best Jellies.

To seal with lids, use only stan-dard home canning jars. For jarswith two-piece lids, use new lids.Bands may be reused. Fill hot jars to¼ inch of the top with hot jelly orfruit mixture. Wipe jar rim clean,place hot, metal lid on jar with seal-ing compound next to glass, andscrew metal band down firmly.Process in a boiling water bath for 5minutes. Start to count the process-ing time as soon as water canner re-turns to boiling. Remove jars. Standjar upright to cool.

Work quickly when packing andsealing jars. To keep fruit from float-ing to the top, gently shake jars ofjam occasionally as they cool.

Processing Jams, Conserves,Marmalades, and PreservesProcessing jams, conserves, mar-malades, and preserves is recom-mended in Mississippi because ofthe warm, humid climate. You canbuy inexpensive enamelware can-ners at most hardware or varietystores. However, you can use anylarge metal container if it:

• is deep enough to allow for 1 inch to 2 inches of water abovethe tops of the jars, plus a littleextra space for boiling.

• has a close-fitting cover.

• has a wire or wood rack with partitions to keep jars from touching each other or the bottom or sides of the container.

Put filled home canning jars into thewater bath. Add hot water if neededto bring water from 1 inch to 2inches over tops of jars. Bring waterto a rolling boil and boil gently for 5minutes.

Remove jars from canner afterprocessing. Cool away from draftsbefore storing.

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Storing Jellied Fruit ProductsLet products stand undisturbedovernight to avoid breaking gel.Label with name, date, and lot num-ber if you make more than one lot aday. Store in a cool, dry place. Theshorter the storage time, the betterthe eating quality of the product.Let products stand undisturbedovernight to avoid breaking the gel.Label with name, date, and lot num-ber if you make more than one batcha day. Store in a cool, dry place. Theshorter the storage time, the betterthe eating quality of the product.Uncooked jams may be held up to 3weeks in a refrigerator. For longerstorage they should be placed in afreezer.

Prepare Small Lots When Making JelliesJelly is clear and bright with the nat-ural color and flavor of the fruitfrom which it is made. It is tenderyet firm enough to hold its shapewhen cut.

When making jelly with or with-out added pectin, it is best to preparesmall cooking lots, as indicated inthe recipes in this publication. In-creasing the quantities given is notrecommended.

To Prepare FruitApproximate amounts of fruitsneeded to yield the amount of juicenecessary are given in each recipe.However, the exact amount will varywith juiciness of the particular lot offruit used.

Wash all fruits in cold, runningwater or wash them in severalchanges of cold water, lifting themout of the water each time. Do notlet fruit stand in water.

Prepare fruit for juice extractionas directed in the recipe. The methoddiffers with different kinds of fruit.You can crush juicy berries and pressout the juice without heating. Forfirm fruits, heating is needed to helpstart the flow of juice. Usually, youwill need to add some water whenthe fruit is heated.

To Extract JuicePut the prepared fruit in a dampjelly bag, fruit press, or a doublelayer of damp cheesecloth to extractthe juice. The clearest jelly comesfrom juice that has dripped througha jelly bag without pressing. But youcan get a greater yield of juice bytwisting the bag of fruit tightly andsqueezing or pressing or by using afruit press. Pressed juice should berestrained through a double thick-ness of damp cheesecloth or a dampjelly bag. Do not squeeze the clothor bag.

To Make JellySome of the recipes here have beendeveloped with powdered pectin,others with liquid pectin. Because ofdifferences between the two forms,each should be used only in recipesworked out for that form.

The order in which the ingredi-ents are combined depends on theform of pectin. Powdered pectin ismixed with the unheated fruit juice.Liquid pectin is added to the boilingjuice and sugar mixture.

Boiling time is the same with ei-ther form of pectin; a 1-minute boil-ing period is recommended.

Accurate timing is important.Time should not be counted untilthe mixture has reached a fullrolling boil – one that cannot bestirred down.

For best flavor, use fully ripe fruitwhen making jelly with addedpectin.

Jellies made without added pectinrequire less sugar per cup of fruitjuice than do those with addedpectin, and longer boiling is neces-sary to bring the mixture to theproper sugar concentration. As a re-sult, the yield of jelly per cup ofjuice is less.

It is usually best to have part ofthe fruit underripe when no pectinis added because underripe fruit hashigher pectin content. Using a pro-portion of one-fourth underripe tothree-fourths fully ripe fruit is gen-erally recommended to assure suffi-cient pectin for jelly.

To Test for Pectin in Fruit JuiceYou can get a rough estimate of theamount of pectin in fruit juice byusing denatured alcohol or a Jelmeter.

To make the alcohol test, add 1 ta-blespoon denatured alcohol. Stirslightly to mix. Juices rich in pectinwill form a solid jelly-like mass.Juices low in pectin will form smallparticles of jelly-like material.NOTE: Denatured alcohol is poi-

sonous. Do not taste the tested juice.Wash all utensils used in this testthoroughly.

A Jelmeter is a graduated glasstube with an opening at each end.The rate of flow of fruit juicethrough this tube gives a rough esti-mate of the amount of pectin in thejuice.

If a test indicates that the juice islow in pectin, use a recipe calling forthe addition of powdered or liquidpectin.

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To Test for DonenessThe biggest problem in making jellywithout added pectin is determiningwhen it is done. It is particularly im-portant to remove the mixture fromthe heat before it is overcooked. Al-though an undercooked jelly cansometimes be recooked to make asatisfactory product, there is littlethat can be done to improve an over-cooked mixture. Signs of overcook-ing are a change in color of mixtureand a taste or odor of caramelizedsugar.

Three methods that may be usedfor testing doneness of jelly made athome are described below. Of these,the temperature test generally is themost dependable and is recom-mended.

For the temperature test, use ajelly, candy, or deep-fat thermometer.Before cooking the jelly, take thetemperature of boiling water withthe thermometer. Cook the jellymixture to a temperature 8 ºF higherthan the boiling point of water. Atthat point the concentration of sugarwill be adequate for the mixture toform a satisfactory gel.

It is necessary to find out at whattemperature water boils in your lo-cality because the boiling point dif-fers at different altitudes. Becausethe boiling point at a given altitudemay change with different atmos-pheric conditions, the temperatureof boiling water should be checkedshortly before the jelly is to bemade.

For an accurate thermometerreading, have the thermometer in avertical position and read it at eyelevel. The bulb of the thermometermust be completely covered with thejelly mixture but must not touch thebottom of the kettle.

For the spoon or sheet test, dip acool, metal spoon in the boiling jellymixture. Then raise it at least a footabove the kettle, out of the steam,and turn the spoon so the syrup runsoff the side. If the syrup forms twodrops that flow together and fall offthe spoon as one sheet, the jellyshould be done. This test has beenwidely used; however, it is not en-tirely dependable.

The refrigerator test is made bypouring a small amount of boilingjelly on a cold plate and placing it inthe freezing compartment of a re-frigerator for a few minutes. If themixture gels, it should be done. Dur-ing this test, the jelly mixtureshould be removed from the heat.

Rich Flavor, Thick ConsistencySometimes you can improve soft jellies by recooking according to thedirections given. It is best to recookfrom 4 cups to 6 cups of jelly at onetime.

To Remake with Powdered PectinMeasure the jelly to be recooked. Foreach quart of jelly, measure ¼ cupsugar, ¼ cup water, and 4 teaspoonspowdered pectin. Mix the pectin andwater and bring to boiling, stirring

constantly to prevent scorching. Addthe jelly and sugar. Stir thoroughly.Bring to a full rolling boil over highheat, stirring constantly. Boil mix-ture hard for ½ minute. Removejelly from the heat, skim, pour intohot containers, seal, and process 5minutes in a water bath canner.

To Remake with Liquid PectinMeasure the jelly to be recooked. Foreach quart of jelly, measure ¾ cupsugar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice,and 2 tablespoons liquid pectin.Bring jelly to boiling over high heat.Quickly add the sugar, lemon juice,and pectin and bring to a full rollingboil. Stir constantly. Boil mixturehard for 1 minute. Remove jellyfrom the heat, skim, pour into hotcontainers, seal, and process 5 min-utes in a water bath canner.

To Remake without Added PectinHeat the jelly to boiling and boil fora few minutes. Use one of the testsdescribed in the section on To Testfor Doneness to determine just howlong to cook it. Remove jelly fromthe heat, skim, pour into hot con-tainers, seal, and process 5 minutesin a water bath canner.

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JAMSJam is smooth, thick, and has thenatural color and flavor of the fruitfrom which it is made. It has a softerconsistency than jelly.

Because it contains fruit pulp orpieces of fruit, jam tends to stick tothe kettle during cooking and re-quires constant stirring to preventscorching.

To help prevent fruit from float-ing in jam, remove cooked mixturefrom heat and stir gently at frequentintervals for 5 minutes.

With Added PectinFor jams, as for jellies, the method ofcombining ingredients varies withform of pectin used. Powderedpectin is mixed with the unheatedcrushed fruit. Liquid pectin is addedto the cooked fruit and sugar mix-ture immediately after it is removedfrom the heat.

Cooking time is the same for allthe products – 1 minute at a fullboil. The full boil stage is reachedwhen bubbles form over the entiresurface of the mixture.

With added pectin you can makejams without cooking from somefresh or frozen fruits.

Without Added PectinJams made without added pectin re-quire longer cooking than thosewith added pectin. The most reliableway to judge doneness is to use athermometer. Before making theproduct, take the temperature ofboiling water. Cook the mixture to atemperature 9 °F higher than theboiling point of water. It is impor-tant to stir the mixture thoroughlyjust before taking the temperature,to place the thermometer verticallyat the center of the kettle, and tohave the bulb covered with fruitmixture but not touching the bot-tom of the kettle. Read the ther-mometer at eye level.

If you have no thermometer, cookproducts made without added pectinuntil they have thickened some-what. In judging thickness, allow forthe additional thickening of the mix-ture as it cools. You may use the re-frigerator test suggested for jelly inthe section on Test for Doneness.

CONSERVESConserves are jam-like mixtures oftwo or more fruits plus nuts orraisins or both. They are rich in fla-vor and have a thick but not stickyor gummy consistency.

MARMALADESMarmalade is a mixture of fruits,usually including citrus, suspendedin a clean, translucent jelly. The fruitis cut in small pieces or slices.

PRESERVESPreserves contain large or wholepieces of fruit saturated by clearsyrup of medium to thick consis-tency. The tender fruit retains itsoriginal size, shape, flavor, andcolor.

Because these products containfruit pulp or pieces of fruit, theytend to stick to the kettleduring cooking and requireconstant stirring to preventscorching.

With Added PectinWhen you use powderedpectin in making conservesand marmalades, combinepowdered pectin with un-heated, crushed fruit. Mixwell. Bring to a full boilwith bubbles over the entiresurface. Add sugar and boilhard for 1 minute.

Without Added PectinConserves, marmalades, and pre-serves made without added pectinrequire longer cooking than thosewith added pectin. The most reliableway to judge doneness is to use athermometer. Before making theproduct, take the temperature ofboiling water. Cook the mixture to atemperature 9 ºF higher than theboiling point of water. It is impor-tant to stir the mixture thoroughlyjust before taking the temperature,to place the thermometer verticallyat the center of the kettle, and tohave the bulb covered with fruitmixture but not touching the bot-tom of the kettle. Read the ther-mometer at eye level.

If you have no thermometer, cookproducts made without pectin untilthey have thickened somewhat. Injudging thickness, allow for addi-tional thickening of the mixture as itcools. The refrigerator test suggestedfor jelly may be used as described inthe section on Test for Doneness.

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HOW TO MAKE JELLY WITH LIQUID PECTINStrawberry Jelly

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1 Select fully ripe, sound straw-berries. You need about 3quart boxes for each batch ofjelly. Sort the berries. Washabout 1 quart at a time by plac-ing berries in a wire basket andmoving the basket up anddown several times in coldwater. Drain the berries.

Remove caps and crush theberries. Place crushed berries,a small amount at a time, in adamp jelly bag or double thick-ness of cheesecloth held in acolander over a bowl.

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Bring the edges of the cloth to-gether and twist tightly. Pressor squeeze to extract the juice.Strain the juice again throughtwo thicknesses of dampcheesecloth without squeezing.

Measure 4 cups of juice into alarge kettle. Add 7 ½ cups ofsugar to the juice; stir to dis-solve the sugar. Place the ket-tle over high heat and, stirringconstantly, bring the mixturequickly to a full, rolling boilthat cannot be stirred down.

Add one bottle of liquidpectin. Again, bring to a full,rolling boil and boil hard for 1minute. Remove from heat andskim off foam quickly. If al-lowed to stand, the jelly maystart to “set” in the kettle.

Pour jelly immediately into hotsterile jars to ¼ inch of the top.Cover with clean, hot metallids, with sealing compoundplaced next to the jar. Screwmetal band down tight. Process5 minutes in a boiling waterbath canner. Cool jars on ametal rack or folded cloth. Labeland store in a cool, dry place.

HOW TO MAKE JELLY WITHOUT LIQUID PECTINApple Jelly

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Use firm, tart apples. It takes about 3 pounds for abatch of jelly; about one-fourth of them should beunderripe. Sort and wash the apples. Removestems. Remove blossom ends and cut apples intosmall pieces.

Do not pare or core. Put apples into a kettle.Add 1 cup water per pound of apples. Cover; bringto boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmer untilapples are tender, about 20 to 25 minutes, depend-ing on the firmness or ripeness of the fruit.

Put cooked apples into a jelly bag and allow to drip,or press to remove juice. Strain pressed juicethrough two thicknesses of damp cheesecloth with-out squeezing.

Measure 4 cups of the apple juice into a large kettle. Add 3 cups of sugar and 2 tablespoons oflemon juice, if desired. Stir to dissolve the sugar.Place on high heat and boil rapidly to 8 ºF abovethe boiling point of water, or until jelly mixturesheets from a spoon. Remove from heat. Skim offfoam.

Pour jelly immediately into hot containers. Fillsterile canning jars to ¼ inch from the top; wiperims of jars. Cover with clean, hot metal lid, withsealing compound next to glass. Screw metalband down tight. Process 5 minutes in a boilingwater bath canner. Cool jars on a metal rack orfolded cloth. Label and store in a cool, dry place.

HOW TO MAKE JAM WITH POWDERED PECTINPeach Jam

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1 Sort and wash fully ripe peaches. Removestems, skins, and pits.

Crush or chop the peaches. A stainless steelpotato masher is useful for this purpose.

2 Measure 3 ¾ cups of crushed peaches into alarge kettle.

Add one package of powdered pectin and ¼cup of lemon juice. Stir well to dissolve thepectin. Place on high heat and, stirring con-stantly, bring quickly to a full boil with bubblesover the entire surface.

Stir in 5 cups of sugar, continue stirring, andheat again to a full, bubbling boil. Boil hard for1 minute, stirring constantly to prevent stick-ing. Remove jam from heat and skim and stir alternately for 5 minutes to help prevent fruitfrom floating.

Pour the jam into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼inch from top. Place clean, hot metal lid on thejar, with sealing compound next to glass. Screwmetal band down tight. Process 5 minutes inboiling water bath. Cool jars on a metal rack orfolded cloth, then label and store in a cool, dryplace.

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JAM, JELLY, PRESERVES, CONSERVES, & MARMALADES:RECIPES

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Apple Jelly without Added Pectin4 cups apple juice (about 3 pounds apples and 3 cups water)2 tablespoons strained lemon juice, if desired3 cups sugar

To prepare juice.Use a proportion of one-fourth underripe apples to three-fourths fully ripe tart fruit. Sort,wash and remove stem and blos-som ends; do not pare or core.Cut apples into small pieces.Add water, cover, and bring toboil on high heat. Reduce heatand simmer for 20 to 25 minutesor until apples are soft. Extract juice.To make jelly.Measure apple juice into

a kettle. Add lemon juice and sugar and stir well. Boil overhigh heat to 8 ºF above the boiling point of water, or untiljelly mixture falls in a sheet from a spoon.

Remove from heat; skim off foam quickly. Pour jelly im-mediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inch from top.Seal and process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Makes 4 to 5 half-pint jars.

Apple Conserve with Powdered Pectin4 ½ cups finely chopped red apples (about 3 pounds apples)½ cup water¼ cup lemon juice½ cup raisins1 package powdered pectin5 ½ cups sugar½ cup chopped nuts

To prepare fruit. Select tart apples. Sort and wash apples.Remove stem and blossom ends and core; do not pare. Chopapples fine.To make conserve. Combine apples, water, lemon juice,

and raisins in a kettle. Add pectin and stir well. Place on highheat and, stirring constantly, bring quickly to a full boil withbubbles over the entire surface.

Add sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a full, bub-bling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Addnuts.

Remove from heat. If desired, add from 3 drops to 4 dropsof red food coloring. Skim.

Pour immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inchfrom the top. Seal. Process 5 minutes in boiling water bath.

Makes 6 or 7 half-pint jars.

Apple Marmalade without Added Pectin8 cups thinly sliced apples (about 3 pounds)1 orange1 ½ cups water5 cups sugar2 tablespoons lemon juice

To prepare fruit. Select tart apples. Wash, pare, quarter, andcore the apples. Slice thin. Quarter the orange, remove anyseeds, and slice very thin.To make marmalade. Heat water and sugar until sugar isdissolved. Add the lemon juice and fruit. Boil rapidly, stir-ring constantly, to 9 °F above the boiling point of water, oruntil the mixture thickens. Remove from heat; skim.

Pour immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ½ inchfrom the top. Seal. Process 5 minutes in boiling water bath. Makes 6 or 7 half-pint jars.

Blackberry Jelly without Added Pectin8 cups blackberry juice (about 5 quart boxes and 1 ½ cupswater)6 cups sugar

To prepare juice. Select a proportion of one-fourth under-ripe berries to three-fourths ripe fruit. Sort and wash; removeany stems or caps. Crush berries, add water, cover, and bringto boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.Extract juice.To make jelly.Measure juice into a kettle. Add sugar and

stir well. Boil over high heat to 8 °F above the boiling pointof water or until jelly mixture falls in a sheet from a spoon.Remove from heat; skim off foam quickly. Pour jelly immedi-ately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inch from top. Seal,and process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.


Blackberry Jelly with Powdered Pectin3 ½ cups blackberry juice (about 3 quarts boxes berries)1 package powdered pectin4 ½ cups sugar

To prepare juice. Sort and wash fully ripe berries; removeany stems or caps. Crush berries and extract juice.To make jelly.Measure juice into kettle. Add pectin and stirwell. Place on high heat and stir constantly. Bring quickly toa full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.

Add sugar, continue stirring, and heatagain to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for1 minute.

Remove from heat; skim off foamquickly. Pour jelly immediately intohot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inchfrom the top. Seal, and process 5 min-utes in a boiling water bath.


Blackberry Jelly with Liquid Pectin4 cups blackberry juice (about 3 quart boxes berries)7 ½ cups sugar1 bottle liquid pectin

To prepare juice. Sort and wash fully ripe berries; removeany stems or caps. Crush berries and extract juice.To make jelly.Measure juice into a kettle. Stir in sugar.

Place on high heat and stir constantly. Bring quickly to a fullrolling boil that cannot be stirred down.

Add pectin and heat again to a full, rolling boil. Boil hardfor 1 minute.

Remove from heat; skim off foam quickly. Pour jelly immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inch fromtop. Seal, and process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.


Blackberry Jam with Liquid PectinFollow directions for strawberry jam with liquid pectin. Putvery seedy blackberries through a sieve or food mill.

Blackberry Jam with Powdered Pectin6 cups crushed blackberries (about 3 quart boxes berries)1 package powdered pectin8 ½ cups sugar

To prepare fruit. Sort and wash fully ripe berries; removeany stems or caps. Crush berries. If they are very seedy, putpart or all of them through a sieve or food mill.To make jam.Measure crushed berries into a kettle.

Add pectin and stir well. Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bring quickly to a full boil with bubbles over theentire surface.

Add sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a full bubbling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; skim.

Pour immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inchfrom the top. Seal and process 5 minutes in boiling water bath.


Cherry Jelly with Powdered Pectin3 ½ cups cherry juice (about 3 pounds or 2 quart boxes sourcherries and ½ cup water)1 package powdered pectin4 ½ cups sugar

To prepare juice. Select fully ripe cherries. Sort, wash, andremove stems; do not pit. Crush cherries, add water, cover,bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10minutes. Extract juice.To make jelly.Measure juice into a kettle. Add pectin and

stir well. Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bringquickly to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.

Add sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a fullrolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute.

Remove from heat; skim off foam quickly. Pour jelly im-mediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inch from thetop. Seal, and process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Makes about six 8-ounce jars.

Cherry Jam with Powdered Pectin4 cups ground or finely chopped pitted cherries (about 3pounds or 2 quart boxes sour cherries)1 package powdered pectin5 cups sugar

To prepare fruit. Sort and washfully ripe cherries; removestems and pits. Grind cherriesor chop fine.To make jam.Measure pre-

pared cherries into a kettle. Addpectin and stir well. Place on highheat and, stirring constantly, bringquickly to a full boil with bubbles over the entire surface.

Add sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a full bub-bling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Re-move from heat; skim.

Pour immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inchfrom the top. Seal and process 5 minutes in boiling waterbath.

Makes 6 half-pint jars.

Cherry Jam with Liquid Pectin4 ½ cups ground or finely chopped pitted cherries (about 3 pounds or 2 quart boxes sour cher-ries)7 cups sugar1 bottle liquid pectin

To prepare fruit. Sort and wash fully ripe cherries; removestems and pits. Grind cherries or chop fine.

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To make jam.Measure prepared cherries into a kettle.Add sugar and stir well. Place on high heat and, stirring con-stantly, bring quickly to a full boil with bubbles over the en-tire surface. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in the pectin. Skim off foamquickly.


Makes about 8 half-pint jars.

Fig Jam with Liquid Pectin4 cups crushed figs (about 3 pounds figs)½ cup lemon juice7 ½ cups sugar ½ bottle liquid pectin

To prepare fruit. Sort and wash fullyripe figs; remove stem ends. Crush orgrind fruit.To make jam. Place crushed figs

and lemon juice into a kettle. Add sugarand stir well. Place on high heat and, stir-ring constantly, bring quickly to a full boilwith bubbles over the entire surface. Boil hard for 1 minute,stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Stir in pectin. Skim off foam quickly.Pour immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inch

from the top. Seal and process 5 minutes in boiling waterbath.


Grape Jelly with Powdered Pectin5 cups grape juice (about 3 ½ pounds Concord grapes and 1cup water)1 package powdered pectin7 cups sugar

To prepare juice. Sort, wash, and remove stems fromfully ripe grapes. Crush grapes, add water, cover, andbring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmerfor 10 minutes. Extract juice. To prevent formationof tartrate crystals in the jelly, let juice stand in acool place overnight, then strain through two thick-nesses of damp cheesecloth to remove crystals thathave formed.To make jelly. Measure juice into a kettle. Add pectin

and stir well. Place on high heat and, stirring constantly,bring quickly to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirreddown.

Add sugar, continue stirring, and bring again to a fullrolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute.

Remove from heat; skim off foam quickly. Pour jelly im-mediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inch from thetop. Seal and process 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.


Grape Jelly with Liquid Pectin4 cups grape juice (about 3 ½ pounds Concord grapes and ½cup water)7 cups sugar½ bottle liquid pectin

To prepare juice. Sort, wash, and remove stems from fullyripe grapes. Crush grapes, add water, cover, and bring to boilon high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Extract juice.

To prevent formation of tartrate crystals in the jelly, letjuice stand in a cool place overnight, then strain through twothicknesses of damp cheesecloth to remove crystals.To make jelly.Measure juice into a kettle. Stir in sugar.

Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bring quickly to afull rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.

Add pectin and heat again to a full rolling boil. Boil hardfor 1 minute.



Grape Jelly with Liquid Pectin4 cups grape juice (about 3 ½ pounds Concord grapes and ½cup water)7 cups sugar½ bottle liquid pectinTo prepare juice. Sort, wash, and remove stems from fullyripe grapes. Crush grapes, add water, cover, and bring to boilon high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Extract juice.

To prevent formation of tartrate crystals in the jelly, letjuice stand in a cool place overnight, then strain through twothicknesses of damp cheesecloth to remove crystals.To make jelly.Measure juice into a kettle. Stir in sugar.

Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bringquickly to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred

down. Add pectin and heat again to a full rollingboil. Boil hard for 1 minute.

Remove from heat; skim off foam quickly.Pour jelly immediately into hot, sterile can-ning jars to ¼ inch from the top. Seal andprocess 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.


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Grape Jelly Made from Frozen Concentrated Juice6 ½ cups sugar2 ½ cups water1 bottle liquid pectin3 six-ounce (2 ¼ cups) frozen concentrated grape juice

Stir sugar into water. Place on high heat and, stirring con-stantly, bring quickly to a full, rolling boil that cannot bestirred down. Boil hard for 1 minute.

Remove from heat. Stir in pectin. Add thawed, concen-trated grape juice and mix well. Pour jelly immediately intohot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inch from the top. Seal andprocess 5 minutes in a boiling water bath.


Grape Conserves without Added Pectin4 ½ cups grapes with skins removed (about 4 pounds Concord grapes)1 orange4 cups sugar1 cup seedless raisins½ teaspoon saltSkins from grapes1 cup nuts, chopped fine

To prepare fruit. Sort and wash grapes; remove from stems.Slip skins from grapes; save skins. Measure skinned grapesinto a kettle and boil, stirring constantly, for about 10 min-utes or until seeds show. Press through a sieve to removeseeds.

Chop orange fine without peeling it.To make conserve. Add orange, sugar, raisins, and salt to

sieved grapes. Boil rapidly, stirring constantly, until the mix-ture begins to thicken (about 10 minutes).

Add grape skins and boil, stirring constantly, to 9 ºF abovethe boiling point of water (about 10 minutes). Do not over-cook; the mixture will thicken more on cooling. Add nutsand stir well. Remove from heat; skim.



Too much pectin (fruit was not ripe enough or added too much pectin) and

overcooking can cause jelly to be too stiff.

Too little sugar or improper sealing can cause fermentation of jelly.

Mint Jelly with Liquid Pectin1 cup chopped mint leaves and tender stems1 cup water½ cup cider vinegar3 ½ cups sugar5 drops green food coloring½ bottle liquid pectin

To prepare mint. Wash and chop mint. Pack solidly in acup.To make jelly. Measure mint into a kettle. Add vinegar,

water, and sugar; stir well. Place on high heat and, stirringconstantly, bring quickly to a full, rolling boil that cannot bestirred down.

Add food coloring and pectin; heat again to a full, rollingboil. Boil hard for ½ minute.

Remove from heat. Skim. Strain through two thicknessesof damp cheesecloth. Pour jelly immediately into hot, sterilecanning jars to ¼ inch from the top. Seal and process 5 min-utes in a boiling water bath.

Makes three or four 8-ounce jars.

Mint-Pineapple Jam with Liquid PectinOne 20-oz. can crushed pineapple¾ cup water¼ cup lemon juice7 ½ cups sugar1 bottle liquid pectin½ teaspoon mint extractFew drops green coloring

Place crushed pineapple in a ket-tle. Add water, lemon juice, andsugar. Stir well. Place on high heat and,stirring constantly, bring quickly to a full boil with bubblesover the entire surface. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring con-stantly. Remove from heat; add pectin, flavor extract, and col-oring. Skim.


Makes 9 or 10 half-pint jars.Variation. Use 10 drops oil of spearmint instead of mint

extract.

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Mixed Fruit Jelly with Liquid Pectin2 cups cranberry juice (about 1 pound cranberries and 2 cupswater)2 cups quince juice (about 2 pounds quince and 4 cupswater)1 cup apple juice (about ¾ pound apples and ¾ cup water)7 ½ cups sugar½ bottle liquid pectin

To prepare fruit. Sort and wash fully ripe cranberries. Addwater, cover, and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heatand simmer for 20 minutes. Extract juice.

Sort and wash quince. Remove stem and blossom ends; donot pare or core. Slice very thin or cut into small pieces. Addwater, cover, and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heatand simmer for 25 minutes. Extract juice.

Sort and wash apples. Remove stem and blossom ends; donot pare or core. Cut into small pieces. Add water, cover, andbring to a boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmer 20minutes. Extract juice.NOTE:These juices may be prepared when the fruits are

in season and then frozen or canned until the jelly is made.To make jelly.Measure juices into a kettle. Stir in sugar.

Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bring quickly to afull, rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.

Add pectin and return to a full, rolling boil. Boil hard for1 minute.


Makes nine or ten 8-ounce jars.

Orange Jelly Made from Frozen Concentrated Juice3 ¼ cups sugar1 cup water3 tablespoons lemon juice½ bottle liquid pectinOne 6-ounce can (¾ cup) frozenconcentrated orange juice

Stir the sugar into the water. Place onhigh heat and, stirring constantly, bringquickly to a full, rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.Add lemon juice. Boil hard for 1 minute.

Remove from heat. Stir in pectin. Add thawed concen-trated orange juice and mix well.

Pour jelly immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼inch from the top. Seal and process 5 minutes in a boilingwater bath.


Spiced Orange Jelly with Powdered Pectin2 cups orange juice (about 5 medium oranges)1/3 cup lemon juice (about 2 medium lemons)2/3 cup water 1 package powdered pectin2 tablespoons orange peel, finely chopped1 teaspoon whole allspice½ teaspoon whole cloves4 sticks cinnamon, 2 inches long3 ½ cups sugar

Mix orange juice, lemon juice, and water in a large saucepan.Stir in pectin.

Place orange peel, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon sticksloosely in a clean white cloth, tie with a string, and add fruitmixture.

Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bring quicklyto a full, rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.

Add sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a full,rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute.

Remove from heat. Remove spice bag and skim off foamquickly. Pour jelly immediately into hot, sterile canning jarsto ¼ inch from top. Seal, and process 5 minutes in a boilingwater bath.

Makes 4 half-pint jars.

Orange Marmalade without Added Pectin¾ cup grapefruit peel (½ grapefruit)¾ cup orange peel (1 orange)1⁄3 cup lemon peel (1 lemon)1 quart cold waterPulp of 1 grapefruitPulp of 4 medium-sized oranges1⁄3 cup lemon juice2 cups boiling water3 cups sugar

To prepare fruit.Wash and peel fruit. Cut peel into thinstrips. Add cold water and simmer in a covered pan until ten-der (about 30 minutes). Drain.

Remove seeds and membrane from peeled fruit. Cut fruitinto small pieces.To make marmalade.Add boiling water to peel and fruit.

Add sugar and boil rapidly to 9 °F above the boiling point ofwater (about 20 minutes), stirring frequently. Remove fromheat; skim.



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Apricot-Orange Conserve without Added Pectin3 ½ cups chopped drained apricots(about two 20-ounce cans of unpeeledapricots or 1 pound dried apricots)1 ½ cups orange juice (3 or 4 medium-sized oranges)Peel of ½ orange, finely shredded2 tablespoons lemon juice3 ¼ cups sugar½ cup chopped nuts

To prepare dried apricots. Cook apricots uncovered in 3cups water until tender (about 20 minutes); drain and chop.To make conserve. Combine all ingredients except nuts.

Cook to 9 °F above the boiling point of water or until thick,stirring constantly. Add nuts; stir well. Remove from heat;skim.

Pour immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inchfrom the top. Seal, and process 5 minutes in boiling waterbath.


Thiamine in canned fruits and vegetables is well retainedwhen stored for 1 year at 65 °F. When stored at 80 °F for 1

year, losses of this nutrient may increase to 15 percent incanned fruits and to 25 percent in canned vegetables.

Peach Jam with Powdered Pectin3 ¾ cups crushed peaches (about 3 poundspeaches)½ cup lemon juice1 package powdered pectin5 cups sugar

To prepare fruit. Sort and wash fully ripepeaches. Remove stems, skins, and pits. Crushpeaches.To make jam. Measure crushed peaches into a kettle. Add

lemon juice and pectin; stir well. Place on high heat and, stir-ring constantly, bring quickly to a full boil with bubbles overthe entire surface.

Add sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a full, bubbling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; skim.

Pour immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inchfrom the top. Seal, and process 5 minutes in boiling water bath.


Spiced Blueberry-Peach Jam without Added Pectin4 cups chopped or ground peaches (about 4 pounds peaches)4 cups blueberries (about 1 quart fresh blueberries or two10-ounce packages of unsweetened frozen blueberries)2 tablespoons lemon juice½ cup water5 ½ cups sugar½ teaspoon salt1 stick cinnamon½ teaspoon whole cloves¼ teaspoon whole allspice

To prepare fruit. Sort and wash fully ripe peaches; peel andremove pits. Chop or grind peaches.

Sort, wash, and remove any stems from fresh blueberries.Thaw frozen berries.To make jam. Measure fruits into a kettle; add lemon

juice and water. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add sugar and salt; stir well. Add spices tied in cheese-cloth. Boil rapidly, stirring constantly, to 9 °F above the boil-ing point of water, or until the mixture thickens.

Pour immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inchfrom the top. Seal, and process 5 minutes in boiling water bath.


Peach-Orange Marmalade without Added Pectin5 cups finely chopped or ground peaches (about 4 poundspeaches)1 cup finely chopped or ground oranges (about 2 medium-sized oranges)Peel of 1 orange, finely shredded2 tablespoons lemon juice6 cups sugar

To prepare fruit. Sort and wash fully ripe peaches. Finelychop or grind the peaches.

Remove peel, white portion, and seeds from oranges.Finely chop or grind the pulp.To make marmalade.Measure the prepared fruit into a

kettle. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Boil rapidly,stirring constantly to 9 °F above the boiling point of water,or until the mixture thickens. Remove from heat; skim.



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Pineapple Jam with Liquid PectinOne 20-ounce can crushed pineapple 3 tablespoons lemon juice 3 ¼ cups sugar ½ bottle liquid pectin

Combine pineapple and lemonjuice in a kettle. Add sugar and stirwell. Place on high heat and, stir-ring constantly, bring quickly to afull boil with bubbles over the entiresurface. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat; stir in pectin. Skim.Let stand for 5 minutes.Pour immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inch

from the top. Seal, and process 5 minutes in boiling waterbath.


Plum Jelly with Powdered Pectin5 cups plum juice (about 4 ½ pounds plums and 1 cup water)1 package powdered pectin7 cups sugar

To prepare juice. Sort and wash fully ripe plums and cut inpieces; do not peel or pit. Crush fruit, add water, cover, andbring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10minutes. Extract juice.To make jelly. Measure juice into a kettle. Add pectin and

stir well. Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bringquickly to a full, rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.

Add sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a full,rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute.



Plum Jelly with Liquid Pectin4 cups plum juice (about 4 ½ pounds plums and ½ cup water)7 ½ cups sugar ½ bottle liquid pectin

To prepare juice. Sort and wash fully ripe plums and cut inpieces; do not peel or pit. Crush fruit, add water, cover, andbring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 10minutes. Extract juice.To make jelly. Measure juice into a kettle. Stir in sugar.

Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bring quickly to afull, rolling boil that cannot be stirred down.

Add pectin; bring again to full, rolling boil. Boil hard 1minute.



Plum Jam with Powdered Pectin6 cups crushed plums (about 3 ½ pounds plums)1 package powdered pectin8 cups sugar

To prepare fruit. Sort fully ripe plums, wash, cut intopieces, and remove pits. If flesh clings tightly to pits, cookplums slowly in a small amount of water for a few minutesuntil they are softened, then remove pits. Crush fruit.To make jam. Measure crushed plums into a kettle. Add

pectin and stir well. Place on high heatand, stirring constantly, bring quicklyto a full boil with bubbles over the en-tire surface.

Add sugar, continue stirring, andheat again to a full, bubbling boil.Boil hard for 1 minute. Remove fromheat; skim.

Pour immediately into hot, sterile can-ning jars to ¼ inch from the top. Seal, andprocess 5 minutes in boiling water bath.


Quince Jelly without Added Pectin3 ¾ cups quince juice (about 3 ½ pounds quince and 7 cupswater)1/3 cup lemon juice3 cups sugar

To prepare juice. Select a proportion of about one-fourthunderripe quince and three-fourths fully ripe fruit. Sort,wash, and remove stems and blossom ends; do not pare orcore. Slice quince very thin or cut into small pieces. Addwater, cover, and bring to boil on high heat. Reduce heat andsimmer for 25 minutes. Extract juice.To make jelly.Measure quince juice into a kettle. Add

lemon juice and sugar. Stir well. Boil over high heat to 8 °Fabove the boiling point of water, or until jelly mixture formsa sheet from a spoon.


Makes about four 8-ounce jars.

Strawberry Jam with Powdered Pectin5 ½ cups crushed strawberries (about 3 quart boxes straw-berries)1 package powdered pectin8 cups sugar

To prepare fruit. Sort and wash fully ripe strawberries; re-move stems and caps. Crush berries.To make jam. Measure crushed strawberries into a kettle.

Add pectin and stir well. Place on high heat and, stirring con-stantly, bring quickly to a full boil with bubbles over the en-tire surface.

27

Add sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a full, bub-bling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Re-move from heat; skim.



Strawberry Jam with Liquid Pectin4 cups crushed strawberries (about 2 quart boxes strawber-ries)7 cups sugar½ bottle liquid pectin

To prepare fruit. Select large, firm, tart strawberries. Washand drain berries; remove caps.To make preserves. Combine prepared fruit and sugar in

alternate layers and let stand for 8 to 10 hours or overnightin the refrigerator or other cool place. Heat the fruit mixtureto boiling, stirring gently. Boil rapidly, stirring as needed to prevent sticking.

Cook to 9 °F above the boiling point of water,or until the syrup is somewhat thick(about 15 or 20 minutes).

Remove from heat and stir inpectin; skim. Pour immediately intohot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inchfrom the top. Seal, and process 5minutes in boiling water bath.


Strawberry Jelly with Liquid PectinFollow directions for blackberry jelly with liquid pectin.

Strawberry Jelly with Powdered PectinFollow directions for blackberry jelly with powdered pectin.

Rhubarb-Strawberry Jam with Liquid Pectin1 cup cooked red-stalked rhubarb (about 1 pound rhubarband ¼ cup water)2 ½ cups crushed strawberries (about 1 ½ quart boxes)6 ½ cups sugar½ bottle liquid pectin

To prepare fruit. Wash rhubarb and slice thin or chop; donot peel. Add water, cover, and simmer until rhubarb is ten-der (about 1 minute).

Sort and wash fully ripe strawberries; remove stems andcaps. Crush berries.To make jam.Measure prepared rhubarb and strawber-

ries into a kettle. Add sugar and stir well. Place on high heatand, stirring constantly, bring quickly to a full boil with bub-bles over the entire surface. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirringconstantly.

Remove from heat and stir in pectin. Skim.Pour immediately into hot, sterile canning jars to ¼ inch

from the top. Seal, and process 5 minutes in boiling waterbath.


Tutti-Frutti Jam with Powdered Pectin3 cups chopped or ground pears (about 2 pounds pears)1 large orange¾ cup drained crushed pineapple¼ cup chopped maraschino cherries (3-ounce bottle)¼ cup lemon juice1 package powdered pectin5 cups sugar

To prepare fruit. Sort and wash ripe pears; pare and core.Chop or grind the pears. Peel orange, remove seeds, and chopor grind pulp.To make jam.Measure chopped pears into a kettle. Add

orange, pineapple, cherries, and lemon juice. Stir in pectin.Place on high heat and, stirring constantly, bring quickly to afull boil with bubbles over the entire surface.

Add sugar, continue stirring, and heat again to a full bub-bling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Re-move from heat; skim.



28

DIRECTIONS FORVEGETABLES &FRUITSAsparagus

Raw pack. Wash aspara-gus; trim off scales

and tough ends, andwash again. Cutinto 1-inch pieces.In glass jars. Pack

asparagus as tightly aspossible without crush-

ing to 1 inch of top. Add ½ teaspoonsalt to pints; 1 teaspoon to quarts.Cover with boiling water, leaving 1-inch space at top of jar. Adjust jarlids.

Process in a dial gauge pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure:

Pint jars ....................30 minutesQuart jars..................40 minutes

Beans, Dried (with Tomatoor Molasses Sauce)Sort and wash dried beans (kidney,navy, or yellow eye). Cover with boil-ing water; boil 2 minutes, removefrom heat, and let soak 1 hour. Heatto boiling, drain, and save liquid formaking sauce.In glass jars. Fill jars three-

fourths full with hot beans. Add asmall piece of salt pork, ham, orbacon. Fill to 1 inch of the top withhot sauce (see recipes below). Adjustjar lids.

Process in a dial gauge pressurecanner at 11 pounds pressure or in aweighted gauge pressure canner at10 pounds pressure:


Tomato sauce. Either mix 1quart tomato juice, 3 tablespoonssugar, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 tablespoonchopped onion, and ¼ teaspoon eachof ground cloves, allspice, mace, andcayenne pepper; or mix 1 cup of

tomato ketchup with 3 cups of cooking liquid from beans. Heat toboiling.Molasses sauce.Mix 1 quart

water or soaking liquid from beans,3 tablespoons dark molasses, 1 ta-blespoon vinegar, 2 teaspoons salt,and ¾ teaspoon powdered dry mus-tard. Heat to boiling.

Beans, Baked (Dried)Soak and boil beans according to di-rections for beans with sauce.Place seven ¾-inch pieces of saltpork, ham, or bacon in earthenwarecrock or a pan.

Add beans. Add enough molassessauce to cover beans. Cover crockand bake 4 to 5 hours at 350 °F(moderate oven). Add water asneeded – about every hour.In glass jars. Pack hot beans to 1

inch of the top. Adjust jar lids.Process in a dial gauge pressure can-ner at 11 pounds pressure or in aweighted gauge pressure canner at10 pounds pressure:

Pint jars ....................65 minutesQuart jars .................75 minutes

Beans, Lima (Fresh)Can only beans that are young andtender.Raw pack. Shell and wash beans.In glass jars. Pack raw beans into

clean jars. For small-type beans, fillto 1 inch of the top of the jar forpints and 1 ½ inches for quarts; forlarge beans, fill to 1 inch of top forpints and 1 ½ inches for quarts.Beans should not be pressed orshaken down. Add ½ teaspoon saltto pints; 1 teaspoon to quarts. Filljar to 1 inch of the top with boilingwater. Adjust jar lids.

Process in dial gauge pressurecanner at 11 pounds pressure or in aweighted gauge pressure canner at10 pounds pressure:

Pint jars.....................40 minutesQuart jars..................50 minutes

Hot pack. Shell the beans, coverwith boiling water, and bring to boil.In glass jars. Pack hot beans

loosely to 1 inch of the top. Add ½teaspoon salt to pints; 1 teaspoon toquarts. Cover with boiling water,leaving 1-inch space at the top of thejar. Adjust jar lids.



Beans, SnapRaw pack.Wash beans. Trim ends;cut into 1-inch pieces.In glass jars. Pack raw beans

tightly to 1 inch of top. Add ½ tea-spoon salt to pints; 1 teaspoon toquarts. Cover with boiling water,leaving 1-inch space at top of jar. Ad-just jar lids.



BeetsSort beets for size. Cut

off tops, leaving aninch of stem. Alsoleave root. Washbeets. Cover with

boiling water andboil until skins slip

easily – 15 to 25 min-utes, depending on size. Skin andtrim. Leave baby beets whole. Cutmedium or large beets in ½-inchcubes or slice; halve or quarter verylarge slices.In glass jars. Pack hot beets to 1

inch of top. Add ½ teaspoon salt topints; 1 teaspoon to quarts. Coverwith boiling water, leaving 1 inch attop of jar. Adjust jar lids.

Process in a dial gauge pressurecanner at 11 pounds pressure or in aweighted gauge pressure canner at

29

10 pounds pressure:Pint jars ....................30 minutesQuart jars .................35 minutes

CarrotsRaw pack. Wash and

scrape carrots. Sliceor dice.In glass jars. Pack

raw carrots tightlyinto clean jars, to 1

inch of the top of thejar. Add ½ teaspoon salt to

pints; 1 teaspoon to quarts. Fill jarto 1 inch of top with boiling water.Adjust jar lids.



Hot pack. Wash and scrape car-rots. Slice or dice. Cover with boil-ing water, bring to boil, and simmer5 minutes.In glass jars. Pack hot carrots to

1 inch of top. Add ½ teaspoon salt topints; 1 teaspoon to quarts. Coverwith boiling-hot cooking liquid,leaving 1-inch space at top of jar. Ad-just jar lids.



Corn, Cream-StyleHot pack. Husk corn and removesilk. Wash. Blanch ears 4 minutes inboiling water. Cut corn from cob atabout center of kernel and scrapecob. To each quart of corn and scrap-ings add 1 pint boiling water. Heatto boiling.In glass jars.Use pint jars only.

Pack hot corn to 1 inch of top. Add½ teaspoon salt to each jar. Adjustjar lids.

Process in a dial gauge pressurecanner at 11 pounds pressure or in a

weighted gauge pressure canner at10 pounds pressure:

Pint jars ....................85 minutes

Corn, Whole-StyleRaw pack.Husk corn and remove

silk. Wash. Cutfrom cob at aboutthree-fourths thedepth of kernel.CAUTION: Donot scrape cob.

In glass jars. Packcorn to 1 inch of top; do not shake orpress down. Add ½ teaspoon salt topints; 1 teaspoon to quarts. Fill to 1inch of top with boiling water. Ad-just jar lids.


Pint jars.....................55 minutesQuart jars ..................85 minutes

Hot pack.Husk corn and removesilk. Wash. Cut from cob at aboutthree-fourths the depth of kernel.Caution: Do not scrape cob. To eachquart of corn add 1 cup boilingwater. Heat to boiling and simmer 5minutes.In glass jars. Pack hot corn to 1

inch of top and cover with boiling-hot cooking liquid, leaving 1-inchspace at top of jar. Or fill to 1 inch oftop with mixture of corn and liquid.Add ½ teaspoon salt to pints; 1 tea-spoon to quarts. Adjust jar lids.


Pint jars....................55 minutesQuart jars .................85 minutes

MushroomsTrim stems and discolored parts ofmushrooms. Soak mushrooms incold water for 10 minutes to removeadhering soil. Wash in clean water.Leave small mushrooms whole; cutlarger ones in halves or quarters.Steam 4 minutes or heat gently for

15 minutes without added liquid ina covered saucepan.In glass jars. Pack hot mush-

rooms to 1 inch of top. Add ¼ tea-spoon salt to half pints; ½ teaspoonto pints. For better color, add crys-talline ascorbic acid – 1/16 tea-spoon to half-pints; 1/8 teaspoon topints. Add boiling-hot cooking liq-uid or boiling water to cover mush-rooms, leaving 1-inch space at top ofjar. Adjust jar lids.


Half-pint jars.............45 minutesPint jars ....................45 minutes

OkraCan only the tender pods. Wash;trim. Cook for 2 minutes in boilingwater. Cut into 1-inch lengths orleave pods whole.In glass jars. Pack hot okra to 1

inch of top. Add ½ teaspoon salt topints; 1 teaspoon to quarts. Coverwith boiling water, leaving 1-inchspace at top of jar. Adjust jar lids.



Peas, Blackeyed, Crowder, or FieldRaw pack. Raw pack blackeyed peas

to 1 ½ inches fromthe top of pint

jars and 2inches fromthe top ofquart jars; do

not shake orpress peas down.

Add ½ teaspoon salt to pints; 1 tea-spoon to quarts. Cover with boilingwater, leaving 1-inch space at the topof jars. Adjust jar lids.

Process in a dial gauge pressurecanner at 11 pounds pressure or in aweighted gauge pressure canner at

30

10 pounds pressure:Pint jars ....................40 minutesQuart jars..................50 minutes

Hot pack. Shell and wash black-eyed peas, cover with boiling water,and bring to a rolling boil. Drain.In glass jars. Pack hot blackeyed

peas to 1 ½ inches of top of pint jarsand 1 ½ inches of top of quart jars;do not shake or press peas down.Add ½ teaspoon salt to pints; 1 tea-spoon to quarts. Cover with boilingwater, leaving 1-inch space at top ofjar. Adjust jar lids.



Peas, Green (Fresh)Raw pack. Shell and wash peas.In glass jars. Pack peas loosely to

1 inch of the top. Do not shake orpress down. Add ½ teaspoon salt topints; 1 teaspoon to quarts. Coverwith boiling water, leaving 1-inchspace at top of jar. Adjust jar lids.



Hot pack. Shell and wash peas.Cover with boiling water. Bring toboil.In glass jars. Pack hot peas

loosely to 1 inch of the top. Add ½teaspoon salt to pints; 1 teaspoon toquarts. Cover with boiling water,leaving 1 inch space at the top of thejar. Adjust jar lids.



Peppers, Hot or Sweet (including Chiles, Jalapeno,and Pimento)

Select your favorite pepper(s). CAUTION: If youchoose hot pepper,wear plastic gloveswhile handling them

or wash hands thor-oughly with soap and water be-fore touching your face. Smallpeppers may be left whole. Largepeppers may be quartered. Removecores and seeds. Slash two or fourslits in each pepper, and eitherblanch in boiling water or blisterusing one of the following methods:

• Oven or broiler method:Place pepper in a hot oven (400 °F) or broiler from 6 minutes to 8 minutes until skins blister.

• Range-top method: Cover hot burner, either gas or electric, with heavy wire mesh. Place peppers on burner for several minutes until skins blister.

Allow peppers to cool. Place in a panand cover with a damp cloth. Thiswill make peeling the peppers easier.After several minutes, peel each pep-per. Flatten whole peppers. Add ½teaspoon of salt to each pint jar, ifdesired. Fill jars loosely with pep-pers and add fresh boiling water,leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjustlids and process.


Half-pint jars.............35 minutesPint jars ....................35 minutes

Sweetpotatoes (Pieces or Whole)It is not recommended to dry packsweetpotatoes.

Choose small to medium-sizedpotatoes. They should be mature andnot too fibrous. Can within 1 to 2

months after harvest. Wash potatoesand boil or steam until partially soft(15 to 20 minutes). Remove skins.Cut medium potatoes, if needed, sothat pieces are uniform in size. CAUTION: Do not mash or

puree pieces.In glass jars. Pack hot potatoes

leaving 1-inch headspace. Add 1 tea-spoon salt per quart to the jar, if de-sired. Cover with your choice offresh boiling water or syrup, leaving1-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids.

Process in a dial gauge pressurecanner at 11 pounds pressure on ina weighted gauge pressure canner at10 pounds pressure:


Potatoes, White (Cubed or Whole)

Use potatoes from 1inch to 2 ½ inches

in diameter.Wash, pare, andcook in boiling

water for 10 minutes. Drain.In glass jars. Pack

hot potatoes to 1 inch of the top.Add ½ teaspoon salt to pints; 1 tea-spoon to quarts. Cover with boilingwater, leaving 1-inch space at top ofjar. Adjust jar lids.


Pint jars . . . . . . . . . . . 35 minutesQuart jars. . . . . . . . . . 40 minutes

Pumpkin and WinterSquash (Cubed)

Wash, remove seeds, cutinto 1-inch-wide

slices, and peel.Cut flesh into 1-inch cubes. Boil

2 minutes. CAUTION: Do not

mash or puree.

31

In glass jars. Fill jars with hotcubes and cooking liquid leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust lids andprocess.



Tomatoes (Whole or Halved)Packed raw without added liquid

Wash tomatoes. Dipin boiling water

for 30 to 60 sec-onds or untilskins split; then

dip in cold water.Slip off skins and re-

move cores. Leave whole or halve.Fill jars with raw tomatoes, leav-

ing ½-inch headspace. Press toma-toes in the jars until spaces betweenthem fill with juice. Leave ½-inchheadspace. Add 2 tablespoons bot-tled lemon juice or ½ teaspoon citricacid to each quart jar. For pints, use1 tablespoon bottled lemon juice or¼ teaspoon citric acid for each jar.Add 1 teaspoon of salt per quart or½ teaspoon of salt per pint to thejars, if desired. Adjust lids andprocess by one of the followingmethods:

Boiling water bath:Pint jars....................85 minutesQuart jars .................85 minutesProcess in a dial gauge pressure

canner at 6 pounds pressure or in aweighted gauge pressure canner at 5pounds pressure:


Process in a dial gauge pressure can-ner at 11 pounds pressure or in aweighted gauge pressure canner at10 pounds pressure:


Process in a weighted gauge pressurecanner at 15 pounds pressure:


Tomatoes (Whole or Halved)Packed in tomato juiceWash tomatoes. Dip in boiling waterfor 30 to 60 seconds or until skinssplit; then dip in cold water. Slip offskins and remove cores. Leave wholeor cut into halves.Raw pack. Heat tomato juice in a

saucepan. Fill jars with raw toma-toes, leaving ½-inch headspace.Cover tomatoes in the jars with hottomato juice, leaving ½-inch head-space. Add 2 tablespoons bottledlemon juice or ½ teaspoon citric acidto each quart jar. For pints, use 1 ta-blespoon bottled lemon juice or ¼teaspoon of salt per quart or ½ tea-spoon of salt per pint to the jars, ifdesired. Adjust lids and process byone of the following methods:Boiling water bath:


Process in a dial gauge pressurecanner at 6 pounds pressure or in aweighted gauge pressure canner at 5 pounds pressure:


Process in a dial gauge pressure can-ner at 11 pounds pressure on in aweighted gauge pressure canner at10 pounds pressure:


Process in a weighted gauge pressurecanner at 15 pounds pressure:Pint jars.........................15 minutesQuart jars ......................15 minutes

Hot pack. Put tomatoes in a largesaucepan and add enough tomatojuice to cover them completely. Boiltomatoes and juice gently for 5 min-

utes. Fill jars with hot tomatoes,leaving ½-inch headspace. Add hottomato juice to the jars to cover thetomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace.

Add 2 tablespoons bottled lemonjuice or ½ teaspoon citric acid toeach quart jar. For pints, use 1 table-spoon bottled lemon juice or ¼ tea-spoon citric acid for each jar. Add 1teaspoon of salt per quart or ½ tea-spoon of salt per pint to the jars, ifdesired. Adjust lids and process byone of the following methods:Boiling water bath:


Process in a dial gauge pressure can-ner at 6 pounds pressure or in aweighted gauge pressure canner at 5pounds pressure:




Process in a dial gauge pressure can-ner at 15 pounds pressure:


Tomatoes (Whole or Halved)Packed in waterWash tomatoes. Dip in boiling waterfor 30 to 60 seconds or until skinssplit; then dip in cold water. Slip offskins and remove cores. Leave wholeor cut into halves. For hot pack prod-ucts, put tomatoes in a largesaucepan and add enough water tocover the tomatoes. Boil them gentlyfor 5 minutes. Fill jars with hottomatoes or with raw peeled toma-toes. Add 2 tablespoons bottledlemon juice or ½ teaspoon citric acidto each quart jar. For pints, use 1 ta-blespoon bottled lemon juice or ¼

32

teaspoon citric acid for each jar. Add½ teaspoon of salt per pint or 1 tea-spoon of salt per quart to the jars, ifdesired. Add the hot cooking liquidto the hot pack, or hot water for rawpack to cover, leaving ½-inch head-space. Adjust lids and process by oneof the following methods:Boiling water bath (raw or hot pack):


Pressure canner (raw or hot pack):Process in a dial gauge pressure can-ner at 6 pounds pressure or in aweighted gauge pressure canner at 5pounds pressure:





Pint jars........................1 minuteQuart jars .....................1 minute

Tomatoes (Crushed)With no added liquidWash tomatoes. Dip in boiling waterfor 30 to 60 seconds or until skinssplit; then dip in cold water. Slip offskins, remove cores, and quarter.Heat one-sixth of the quartersquickly in a large pot, crushing themwith a wooden mallet or spoon asthey are added to the pot. This tech-nique will separate the juice fromthe pulp. Continue heating thetomatoes, stirring to prevent burn-ing. Once the tomatoes are boiling,gradually add remaining quarteredtomatoes, stirring constantly. Theseremaining tomatoes do not need tobe crushed. They will soften withheating and stirring. Continue untilall tomatoes are added. Then boilgently 5 minutes. Fill jars with hot

tomatoes, leaving ½-inch headspace.Add 2 tablespoons bottled lemonjuice or ½ teaspoon citric acid toeach quart jar. For pints, use 1 table-spoon bottled lemon juice to ¼ tea-spoon citric acid for each jar. Add 1teaspoon citric acid for each jar. Add1 teaspoon of salt per quart or ½ tea-spoon of salt per pint to the jars, ifdesired. Adjust lids and process byone of the following methods:Boiling water bath:








Tomato JuiceWash, remove stems, and trim offbruised or discolored portions. Toprevent juice form separating,quickly cut about 1 pound of toma-toes into quarters and put directlyinto saucepan. Heat immediately toboiling while crushing. Continue toadd and crush freshly-cut tomatoquarters slowly to the boiling mix-ture. Make sure the mixture boilsconstantly and vigorously whileadding the remaining tomatoes.Simmer 5 minutes after adding all pieces.

If you are not concerned aboutjuice separation, simply slice orquarter tomatoes into a large

saucepan. Crush, heat, and simmerfor 5 minutes before juicing.

Press both types of heated juicethrough a sieve or food mill to re-move skins and seeds. Add 2 table-spoons bottled lemon juice or ½teaspoon citric acid to each quart jar.For pints, add 1 tablespoon bottledlemon juice or ¼ teaspoon citric acidto each jar. Heat juice again to boil-ing. Add ½ teaspoon of salt per pintor 1 teaspoon of salt per quart to thejars, if desired. Fill jars with hottomato juice, leaving ½-inch head-space. Adjust lids and process by oneof the following methods:Boiling water bath:








Spinach and Other GreensCan only freshly picked, tenderspinach. Pick over and wash thor-oughly. Cut out tough stems andmidribs. Place about 1 pound ofspinach in a cheesecloth bag andsteam about 3 to 5 minutes or untilwell wilted.In glass jars. Pack hot spinach

loosely to 1 inch of top. Add ¼ tea-spoon salt to pints; ½ teaspoon toquarts. Cover with boiling water,leaving 1-inch space at top of jar. Adjust jar lids.

33



ApplesPare and core apples; cut in pieces.To keep fruit from darkening, droppieces into water containing 2 table-spoons each of salt and vinegar pergallon. Drain; then boil 5 minutes inthin syrup or water.In glass jars. Pack hot fruit to ½

inch of top. Cover with hot syrupwater, leaving ½-inch space at top ofjar. Adjust jar lids. Process in boil-ing water bath (212 °F):


Applesauce and Fruit PureesMake applesauce, sweetened orunsweetened. Heat to simmering(185 °F to 210 °F); stir to keep itfrom sticking.In glass jars. Pack hot apple-

sauce to ½ inch of the top. Adjustlids. Process in boiling water bath(212 °F):


Berries (except Strawberries)Raw pack. Wash berries; drain.In glass jars. Fill jars to ½ inch

of top. For a full pack, shake berriesdown while filling jars. Cover withboiling syrup, leaving ½-inch spaceat top. Adjust lids. Process in boilingwater bath (212 °F):


Hot pack (For Firm Berries).Wash berries and drain well. Add ½cup sugar to each quart fruit. Coverpan and bring to boil; shake pan tokeep berries from sticking.In glass jar. Pack hot berries and

juice to ½ inch of top. Adjust jarlids. Process in boiling water bath(212 °F):


Fruit JuicesWash; remove pits, if desired, andcrush fruit. Heat to simmering (185°F to 210 °F). Strain through clothbag. Add sugar, if desired – about 1 cup to 1 gallon juice. Reheat tosimmering.In glass jars. Fill jars to ¼ inch

of top with the juice. Adjust lids.Process in boiling water bath (212 ºF):

Pint jars.......................5 minutesQuart jars ....................5 minutes

PeachesWash peaches and remove skins.Dipping the fruit in boiling waterthen quickly in cold water makespeeling easier. Cut peaches in halves;remove pits. Slice if desired. To pre-vent fruit form darkening duringpreparation, drop it into water con-taining 2 tablespoons each of saltand vinegar per gallon. Drain justbefore heating or packing raw.

Raw pack. Prepare peaches as directed above.

In glass jars. Pack raw fruit to ½inch of top. Cover with boilingsyrup, leaving ½-inch space at top ofjar. Adjust jar lids. Process in boil-ing-water bath (212 °F):


PearsWash pears. Peel, cut in halves, andcore. Continue as with peaches, ei-ther raw pack or hot pack.

PlumsWash plums. To can whole, prickskins. Freestone varieties may behalved and pitted.Raw pack. Prepare plums as di-

rected above.In glass jars. Pack raw fruit to ½

inch of top. Cover with boilingsyrup, leaving ½-inch space at top ofjar. Adjust jar lids. Process in boil-ing water bath (212 °F):

Pint jars.....................20 minutesQuart jars ..................25 minutes

Hot pack. Prepare plums as di-rected above. Heat to boiling insyrup or juice. If fruit is very juicy,you may heat it with sugar, addingno liquid.In glass jars. Pack hot fruit to ½

inch of the top. Cover with boilingliquid, leaving ½-inch space at top ofjar. Adjust jar lids. Process in boil-ing water bath (212 °F):

Pint jars ...................20 minutesQuart jars.................25 minutes

ApricotsFollow method for peaches. Peelingmay be omitted.

34

Copyright 2016 by Mississippi State University. All rights reserved. This publication may be copied and distributed without al-teration for nonprofit educational purposes provided that credit is given to the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

Revised by Brent Fountain, PhD, RD, CSSD, LD, FAND, Human Nutrition Specialist, Associate Extension Professor, Food Sci-ence, Nutrition, and Health Promotion.

Produced by Agricultural Communications.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without re-gard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic pro-tected by law.

Publication 1152Extension Service of Mississippi State University, cooperating with U.S. Department of Agriculture. Published in furtheranceof Acts of Congress, May 8 and June 30, 1914. GARY B. JACKSON, Director (POD-06-16)

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