Table Of ContentBook 1:
Ultimate Canning & Preserving Food Guide for
Beginners
By Claire Daniels
&
Book 2:
Cooking for One
Cookbook for Beginners
By Claire Daniels
&
Book 3:
The Best Prepared Mason Jar Meals
By Claire Daniels
Book 1:
Ultimate Canning & Preserving Food
Guide for Beginners
By Claire Daniels
Learn the Best Easy and Successful Ways
to Can and Preserve Your Food!
Copyright 2014 by Claire Daniels - All rights reserved.
In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this
document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this
publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed
unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Canning and Preserving
Chapter 2: Methods of Food Preservation
Chapter 3: Rules to Follow in Food Preservation
Chapter 4: Canning and Preserving Necessities
Conclusion
Preview of ‘The Ultimate Bread Baking Guide for Beginners’
Check Out My Other Books
Introduction
I want to thank you and congratulate you for downloading the book, “ Ultimate
Canning & Preserving Food Guide for Beginners: Learn the Best Easy and
Successful Ways to Can and Preserve Your Food! ”
As we all know, our everyday foods have their respective “life spans.” While
some may last a little bit longer than others, there are also some that can’t last
for more than a week or even for a couple of days. More often than not, we are
also not able to consume the food within its given shelf life. So, we just wish we
are can prolong its freshness.
If you face the same problem, here is good news for you: you no longer have to
worry about wasting food because you can always can and preserve them! Food
canning and preservation is the way that will help us prolong the shelf life of our
food.
If you are one of those people who have always been planning to do canning and
preserving yet still haven’t started because they do not know anything about this,
then it is about time that you learn the basic how-to’s of canning and preserving.
Don’t worry; this book will definitely be your best guide when it comes to
canning and preserving.
This book contains proven steps and strategies on how to can and preserve your
food so that you will be able to prolong shelf life. Specifically, you will find the
following topics in this book:
The basics of canning and preserving, as well as their benefits
The six basic methods of food preservation
The rules to follow when preserving food
The ingredients and equipment that you will need for canning and
preserving food
Thanks again for downloading this book, I hope you enjoy it!
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Canning and Preserving
Here’s very first fact about food that you should always keep in mind: once you
bring home your food, it is already making its way toward spoilage. Although
you are not able to see the process of decay with your naked eye, as times passes
your food will come to the point of spoilage.
Fresh food, most of the time, is prone to spoilage due to several reasons. Most
food contains high levels of water, which is the reason for an increase in the
growth of unwanted microorganisms. These microorganisms in turn cause the
spoilage of the food. Moreover, there is also the tendency for an increase in the
activity of food enzymes or reactions with the oxygen, which result to food
spoilage as well.
However, this does not mean that we should just let food spoil like that. Of
course, we do not want to waste anything truly important. That’s why it’s crucial
that we are able to keep our food fresh even for how many days, which in turn is
why we should practice the method of canning and preserving.
Essentially, when you preserve food, you prolong its shelf life and make it fresh
for as long as possible. You stop the process of decay and you maintain the
freshness of the food until you are already about to cook and eat it. Basically, as
much as possible, you prevent the food from spoiling so that you will still be
able to use or consume it later.
Benefits of canning and preserving food
Aside from keeping your food fresh for as long as possible, food canning and
preservation offers a whole lot more perks, which will surely convince you to
practice this method. Here are some of the benefits that canning and preserving
can give you:
1. You will be able to keep food stores full of fresh and homegrown food.
Since you have already preserved your food, you no longer have to worry
whether they will spoil once you store them for a relatively longer period
of time. Spoilage is already out of the equation; you can store your food
even beyond its supposed shelf life.
2. You no longer have to pick only selected food to store in your pantry. As
mentioned in Number 1, there is no reason for you to worry if your food is
going to spoil fast. Sometimes, we have the tendency to leave food out of
the grocery list just because it spoils easily. However, if you know how to
preserve food, you will not have a problem regarding this. You can buy
practically any food that you want without—again—stressing over the
fact that it easily spoils.
3. You will be able to save money. First off, you will not have to throw your
food eventually, just because it has spoiled already. Moreover, you will be
able to buy in bulk rather than in retail, which in turn will help you save
money. As the authors of Canning and Preserving for Dummies had said,
“Abundant food generally means lower cost.”
4. Canning and preserving food can also be one way of relaxation. Many
people do this as their hobby since it gives them the feeling of relaxation
as well as accomplishment. From choosing the ingredients for food
preservation up to the actual process itself, they get a sense of fulfillment.
Who says canning and preserving food is boring and can’t be fun?
5. It can help you earn money. You may opt to sell the food that you have
preserved and make a good profit out of it. The thing about food
preservation is that the things that you will need are not that costly, yet
you will still be able to earn enough.
6. You can ensure the freshness and even the cleanliness of your food.
Doing your own food preservation will help you ensure what is going to
be included in your food. If you do not want to consume food that has
ingredients you are not sure of, then it is about time that you prepare the
food yourself.
Chapter 2: Methods of Food Preservation
When it comes to food preservation, you can practice different methods of
preserving your food. Basically, there are six methods of preserving food: (1)
canning, (2) freezing, (3) drying, (4) smoking, salting and curing, (5) fermenting,
and (6) juicing.
Canning food
Canning is said to be the most popular method of preserving food. In canning,
you just have to apply heat to the food that has been secured inside a jar. While
all types of food have microorganisms, canning helps kill all these unwanted
microorganisms that cause the food to spoil.
Proper canning allows you to prevent the food from decaying by heating it
within a given time span until you have already destroyed the unwanted
microorganisms. Aside from the heating process, you also keep the food inside a
jar and seal it. Basically, doing so lets you remove the air from your jar and form
a vacuum inside as your jar starts to cool and seals. The vacuum that has been
formed protects your food against microorganisms that cause spoilage.
There are two methods of canning food (these are the only ones that the United
States Department of Agriculture approved): pressure canning and water-bath
canning.
Pressure canning
While pressure canning involves the use of a kettle for heating, the process is
still different from water-bath canning. Unlike the other one which uses the
kettle for the hot water, pressure canning uses the steam that comes from the
kettle instead. Basically, you just have to place the jar inside the kettle until it
o
reaches an inner temperature that is 240 F under a particular pressure, which is
indicated in pounds and measured with dial gauge on the cover of the pressure-
canner.
Water-bath canning
The water-bath canning method involves the use of boiling water for heating
food, which is why it is also called hot water canning. In water-bath canning,
you just “bathe” the can or the jar in the hot water and have it heated up to a
o
temperature of 212 F for a given time period.
Make use of this method when you are processing food with high acid content.
Some varieties of food that have high acid content include tomatoes (as well as
food made from tomatoes), and pickles (as well as pickled food).
Freezing food
Another method of food preservation is freezing. As the term itself implies, you
just have to freeze your food so that you can preserve its freshness. Freezing is
said to be the perfect method to use if you want to preserve food that can’t stand
heat and even the long process of canning.
First off, make sure that the food you are freezing is still fresh because in the
first place, you just preserve its freshness. You do not make the food fresh, per
se, so the food’s freshness is of primary importance. Moreover, you also have to
freeze the food as soon as you possibly can, and keep the food at freezing
temperatures so you can make sure that it is still fresh.
When freezing your food, you have to properly package it. Use the right freezer
containers or paper since these are the ones suitable for freezing. Proper
packaging helps in the prevention of any decline in the quality of your food,
therefore giving you the assurance that the food you are freezing is still fresh.
More so, keep in mind that when the food gets exposed to the dry air in your
freezer, there is always the tendency that your food will be damaged and its
quality will get worse. Freezer-damaged food will not exactly hurt you, though,
but it will most likely taste bad and will be less appetizing. Therefore, you still
have to ensure that you prevent your food from getting damaged in your freezer
and that you are doing the right thing.
So before anything else, check if your food is properly packaged. Make sure that
it is not exposed to air as much as possible. Wrap your food tightly. Moreover,
you also have to avoid temperature changes. As much as possible, your freezer
should be kept closed so that the temperature will remain constant. Lastly, do not
stuff your freezer with too many items for this will only reduce the circulation of
the air inside, which in turn will cause damage to your food.
Drying food
Drying food is said to be the very first method of food preservation. Basically,
when drying your food, you just have to expose it to a specific temperature that
is high enough so that all the moisture will be removed but still low enough so
that your food will not be cooked.
When drying your food, make sure that the air circulates properly because this
