Hello.
I'm Kathy Riggs, Utah State University Extension
Professor for Family and Consumer Sciences.
Today I'm reviewing four common minor canning
mistakes made by those who participate in home food
preservation.
By minor, I mean mistakes that, they may cause economic loss
or reduce the overall quality of the food,
but they are not life threatening.
Before identifying those common mistakes for you,
let me first lead in, or set the stage,
so to speak, by sharing some of the frequent questions fielded
by County Extension faculty and educators.
Why did so many of my jars break during processing?
Why didn't my jars seal?
I turned the stove off and went to bed
before I took the jars out of the canner.
Is the food safe to eat?
And finally, we're cleaning out my mom's food storage.
How can I tell if the food is still good to eat?
Some answers are easy to provide consumers,
while others require a bit more investigation by the Extension
professional.
But let's take a look at those mistakes leading up
to these questions.
Mistake number one, use of mayonnaise
or other commercial jars.
The thinner walls of glass may break, especially
if used in a pressure canner.
And it may be more difficult to obtain a good seal.
However, if the jar does seal, it is safe to use.
Mistake number two, use of paraffin
wax on jams and jellies.
Small air holes in the paraffin may allow mold to grow.
Also, paraffin wax can catch on fire
if it's overheated during preparation.
If preserves do have mold growth,
the recommendation is not to eat the product, but discard it.
Mistake number three is cooling too slowly
after removing the jars from the canner.
An example is stacking the jars close together as they cool.
There's a group of harmless organisms called thermophiles
or "therma-feels," that can survive canning.
If bottles are held hot for long periods,
they can produce acid, which is a form of fermentation.
This results in the defect known as "flat sour."
This is harmless, but produces an undesirable flavor.
Mistake number four, storing food longer than recommended.
Keeping foods longer than recommended
or storing them at temperatures above 70 degrees
Fahrenheit for an extended period of time
will decrease the quality and the value of some nutrients.
But the product will be safe to eat.
A darkening of fruits and a change in the texture
is often a result, as well.
The general guidelines for safe food preservation
are not difficult to follow.
Just make certain to always use an up to date, scientifically
tested recipe, follow it exactly, and make the altitude
adjustments for time and temperature.
If you have specific questions, contact your local USU
Extension office.
If you cannot find your local office listed in the phone
directory under USU, look under the county government listings
or go to extension.usu.edu.
Click on Directory, then Locations,
and search for your county.
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