Idiot's guides : canning and preserving

Enjoying locally grown fruits and vegetables year-round has never been easier! Enjoying locally grown fruits and vegetables year round is a pleasure that appeals to a large and growing audience worldwide. Many people, however, are intimidated by the idea of getting started with this traditional skill. Using full-color photos of techniques and tools, and step-by-step instructions, Idiot's Guides®: Canning and Preserving helps readers learn quickly and easily how to store fruits and vegetables for later using various methods. Dozens of basic canning recipes, with variations to make truly unique flavors, are also included. Additional coverage:- Freezing, which is easier and works well for many kinds of foods- The water-bath canning method for jams, pickles, salsas, and other high-acid foods- Pressure-cooking for low-acid foods such as green beans, corn, and potatoes- Picking for cucumbers and a variety of other vegetables- Root-cellaring for apples, carrots, potatoes, and more Contents iii 5 Part 1 Freezing and Storing Food 1 11 Tools and Equipment for Freezing Food 2 12 Freezing Basics 6 16 Steps for Freezing Food 10 20 Freezing Fruits 14 24 Freezing Vegetables 18 28 Freezing Herbs 22 32 Freezing Prepared Foods 24 34 Cellaring Foods in Cold Storage 26 36 Part 2 Drying Food 29 39 Tools and Equipment for Drying Food 30 30 Alternative Dehydrating Methods 32 42 Drying Whole and Sliced Fruits34 44 Drying Berries 36 46 Making Fruit Leathers 38 48 Drying Vegetables 40 50 Sun-Dried Tomatoes 44 54 Drying Chiles 46 56 Drying Corn 48 58 Drying Beans and Peas 50 60 Air-Drying Herbs 52 62 Drying Herbs in a Dehydrator 54 64 Drying Seeds 56 66 Drying Nuts 58 68 Part 3 Canning Food Basics 63 73 Tools and Equipment for Canning Food 64 74 The Science Behind Canning 73 83 Food Safety and Safe Food Handling 74 84 Kitchen Sanitation 76 86 Foods Recommended for Boiling-Water Canning 78 88 Foods Recommended for Pressure Canning 79 89 Preparing the Jars and Equipment 80 90 Preparing the Food 82 92 Processing the Food and Jars84 94 Boiling-Water Canning Processing Times 88 98 Troubleshooting the Canning Process 90 100 Identifying and Disposing of Spoiled Food 94 104 Part 4 Canning Fruits and Pie Fillings 97 107 Canning Whole and Sliced Fruits 98 108 Choosing and Making Canning Liquids 100 110 Preparing Fruits for Canning 102 112 Processing Times for Fruits106 116 Canned Peaches 108 118 Apricot Nectar 109 119 Canned Sweet or Sour Cherries 110 120 Canned Blueberries 111 121 Cinnamon Applesauce 112 122 Canned Pear Halves 113 123 Canned Whole Plums 114 124 Canned Orange and Grapefruit Sections 115 125 Making Pie Fillings 116 126 Tips for Successful Pie Fillings 125 135 Blueberry Pie Filling 124 134 Apple Pie Filling 123 133 Cherry Pie Filling 122 132 Apricot Pie Filling 121 131 Peach Pie Filling 120 130 Part 5 Jams, Jellies, and Preserves 127 137 All About Jams, Jellies, and Preserves 128 138 All About Pectin 130 140 Making Traditional Jam, Preserves, Conserves, and Marmalade 136 146 Testing Gel Stages 134 144 Traditional Strawberry Jam 140 150 Traditional Apricot Jam 141 151 No-Cook Peach Freezer Jam 142 152 Blueberry Freezer Jam 143 153 Pineapple Jam (with Pectin) 144 154 Pear Butter 161 171 Apple Butter 160 170 Making Fruit Butter 156 166 Tart Cherry-Apple Jelly (with Pectin) 155 165 Valencia Orange–Ginger Marmalade 147 157 Cranberry Conserve 148 158 Preparing Jellies 150 160 Concord Grape Jelly (No Pectin) 154 164 Mixed-Berry Jam (with Pectin) 145 155 Part 6 Canning Tomatoes and Tomato Products 163 173 Tomato Canning Basics 164 174 Troubleshooting Canned Tomatoes 166 176 Canning Whole Tomatoes168 178 Tomato Juice 173 183 Tomato Sauce 174 184 Making Salsa 176 186 Plum Tomato Salsa 179 189 Canned Whole Tomatillos 180 190 Hot Salsa Verde 181 191 Ketchup 183 193 Barbecue Sauce 184 194 Tomato Jam 186 196 Green Tomato Marmalade 187 197 Part 7 Pickling 189 199 Tools and Equipment for Pickling 190 200 Pickling Basics 192 202 Making Quick-Pack (Fresh-Pack) Pickles 196 206 Quick-Pack Dill Pickles 200 210 Sweet and Spicy Pickles 201 211 Pickled Green Beans 202 212 Marinated Pickled Peppers 203 213 Pickled Asparagus 204 214 Watermelon Rind Pickles 205 215 Peach Pickles 206 216 Pear Pickles 207 217 Making Fermented Foods 208 206 Kosher Half-Sour Pickles 212 222 Kimchi 214 224 Sauerkraut 215 225 Preparing Relishes and Chutneys 216 226 Cranberry-Apple Chutney 220 230 Mango Chutney 221 231 Hot Dog Relish 222 232 Sweet Onion Relish 223 233 Corn Relish 224 234 Sweet Pepper Relish 225 235 Mixed Vegetable Relish226 266 Spicy Pickled Brussels Sprouts 227 277 Part 8 Pressure Canning 229 239 Pressure Canning Basics 230 240 Pressure Canner Components and Maintenance 234 244 Using a Pressure Canner Safely 236 246 Steps for Pressure Canning 240 250 Pressure Canning Troubleshooting 246 256 Canned Green Beans 250 260 Italian-Style Green Beans with Tomatoes 251 261 Asparagus 252 262 Carrots 253 263 Dried Beans or Field Peas 254 264 Beans with Tomato-Molasses Sauce 255 265 Spaghetti Sauce 267 277 Stewed Tomatoes 266 276 Greens 265 275 Peppers 264 274 Sweet Potatoes 263 273 Potatoes 262 272 Succotash 261 271 Lima Beans 260 270 Mushrooms: Whole or Sliced 259 269 Peas: Green or English 258 268 Cream-Style Corn 257 267 Whole-Kernel Corn 256 266 Appendix A Glossary 268 278 Appendix B References and Further Reading 272 282 Index 274 284 Enjoying locally grown fruits and vegetables year-round has never been easier! Idiots Guides: Canning and Preserving focuses on step-by-step instructions with full-color photos to help readers of all levels quickly and easily store food using various methods. Dozens of basic canning recipes, with variations to make truly unique flavors, are included. In addition, readers will find easy-to-understand instructions on freezing, water-bath canning, pressure cooking, root-cellaring, and more. If You Have Plentiful Produce From Your Garden Or Your Local Farmers' Market, You Need To Use It Up, Or Better Yet, Put It Up So You Can Enjoy It All Winter! This Guide Is Packed With Easy-to-follow Steps For All Kinds Of Food Preservation Techniques, To Help You Make The Most Of Your Bounty.