Воскресный мастер-класс по безопасной консервации: как преодолеть страх перед автоклавом

The most frequent request from my gardening classes each spring is to add a class on food preservation, specifically canning. There appears to be a resurgence of interest in home canning and preserving foods from your own garden. Last Saturday I held a trial class for two ladies who had taken the entire series of gardening classes this past spring. We covered two canning methods: pressure canning and hot water bath canning. I’ve found that a lot of people are apprehensive about pressure canning, mostly from stories told by parents, grandparents and sometimes even great grandparents. There are a lot of stories of very bad incidents involving pressure cookers. And they all raise valid concerns … from a past era of canners. Years ago Linda’s mother had an old pressure cooker explode as she was moving it, covering her with pressurized boiling water and producing burns that required hospitalization. Pressurized water boils at a higher temperature than an open pot of water. The newer equipment is much safer and accidents are rare as long as the canner follows some simple safety precautions. A good share of the class was teaching safety and how to safely handle the equipment. Both ladies were given a safety talk before we even touched the equipment. Each component was explained and guidance was given on the proper/safe use and care of each. Then we started canning garlic cloves using the pressure canner. Low acid foods must be canned using a pressure canner because of the high potential for botulism toxics to form. Examples of low acid foods are onions, garlic, tomatoes, squash, fruits and all meats. There are more and you need to research each food you want to can to learn how it should be done. I already had the cloves peeled so all that was needed was to put them in the jars and pour boiling water over the top of them, leaving the required one inch of space below the top (headspace). That space allows the air in the jar to expand without exploding. Both students felt confident in their ability when we were finished. One student, Kathy S., said that the advice she would give anyone who considers pressure canning would be, “Don’t be afraid to try.”