Canning with Cooperative extension classes

Really looking forward to working with Cooperative extension on the upcoming canning classes. The dates are in April set for three different evenings and if anyone might be interested please contact Megan Ray @ 910-893-7535, but you better hurry as the class is filling up quickly. If there is a great response we will also offer future classes. Please support local and Remember... " What " can you do..

New MmmMarmalade recipes..Marmalade with MmmM..

I should of never looked at that boiling water canner sitting in my pantry. We have been snowed in and i either cook, or clean, well organizing the pantry is a whole day job. First off i have to get the floor picked up in order to place the ladder step stool into place as you see i am vertically challenged. And there it was..looking at me with those lovely gadgets inside awaiting to be picked up. Well, so much for cleaning the pantry..the boiling water canner is now on the stove.
  A short journey to the store and i was back into the kitchen with Marmalade on the brain. As i was writing the other day about Momma Cora it hit me..Sunshine.. on the face that is thru the window as i typed away at the computer.
  Reminiscing about growing up and always running thru the orange grove, down the beaten path, to her trailer house to see what she had cooked that day. I always picked oranges along the way and took her a few to share.

  Sunshine in a jar...
  Well I'm back in the kitchen now and making a little more Marmalade..until tomorrow..Remember..What " Can " you do..

Canning equipment needed

This is my favorite part, the equipment that you need. Please make sure you have all of your equipment ready and that it is very clean.
  Boiling Water Canner, Steam-Pressure Canner, Jar lifter, Jar funnel, Plastic Spatula, Lid Wand. Specialty equipment includes: Food scale, Food Mill, Food Grinder, Candy or Jelly Thermometer, cooking timer, adjustable slicer, refractometer, i hear ya..what is a lid wand, it's one of the coolest little gadgets, it is a small wand with a magnetic end that helps you easily remove lids from hot water.
  Jars of course are really important and they must be like mason jars or ball brand jars that have a two piece cap and ring system.
  All of this info that i'm sharing could easily be reviewed by purchasing a canning book, but, as time goes by my blog will start including more tips, photos and tried and true recipes. Best of all i will start sharing my stories and try to keep things simple.
  This time of year is perfect for buying your equipment and supplies because most of it is on sale and you can save a lot of money. I try to buy most of my canning supplies from local hardware stores and i stay away for big chain stores as i feel they are killing our country and have no respect for supporting local.
  As your garden progresses and your desire to experiment with various fruits grows, you may find it interesting to visit your local farmers market and share your desires. I will be doing the same and what is in season gives me the reason to can up a storm.
  Next blog i will share a little info on Preparing for canning, until then, remember, What " Can " you do...

Mrs. Picky Fanicky's foods How it Started

Only two years, has that been all. It is still very surprising to me that my small business has only been into operation for only two years. But, what a fantastic two years, you see it all started because of the need for a child. Jacob my youngest son was born with Cerebral Palsy due to doctor's that think they know it all.
  Jacob has given me insight to a lot of great things, how to observe and enjoy the gardening world is his favorite. We made trellises out of old bamboo that we drug home tied to the top of the van from Alabama. Searched catalogs and local seed outlets for the perfect cucumber seed, and tilled, planted and weeded a beautiful garden, the cucumbers were perfectly long and straight, just right for canning.
  Many a day we spent in the kitchen cooking and perfecting bread and butter pickles, and we would experiment with different Marmalades and Bell Pepper recipes. There is no better method in the world to teach a child math and telling time than in the kitchen. Singing out load with no critics and laughing at the funny shapes of some of the fruits, great times.
  We were ready to take our products to the State Fair as a lot of my folks did in the past as sort of a community gathering and sharing of traditional recipes. We were getting such nice reviews and everyone loved our products.
  Receiving the premium book from the State Fair is a very exciting day, looking up your categories, picking out the best jar, labeling requirements and sending in the form.It is still to this day a grand event that we love to take to the post office and hand over to the postmaster, winking and then waiting for the delivery day. Much anticipation and then the day arrives to take your products to the nice sign in ladies in front of those glorious white cabinets that showcase your products.
  Well the anticipation finally comes down to the day of us running and pushing the wheelchair thru the State Fair parking lot, around the bend and thru the big double doors of the building.
  I bet Folks can here us hollering all the way across North Carolina as we carefully search the cabinets for the beautiful ribbons tied to the jars, what a great celebration, great accomplishment and best of all great times spent together sharing and laughing, these moments make Jacob equal in the big world, not invisible...
  So, you ask how i received my business name, well during all of these times, my kids get a little tired of taste testing so many different products and one day while we were in the kitchen, they started chanting you are a picky, picky fanicky..and it stuck..Mrs. Picky Fanicky's Foods...after all i am Picky..

Proper processing methods for canning

Easily enough there are only two methods to properly can you products. As discussed earlier it depends upon the pH of the specific food being canned.
      Boiling Water Canner:
  High Acid foods are processed in a boiling water canner. The heat is transferred to the product by the boiling water which completely surrounds the jar and the two piece cap. As the temperature reaches 212 F not only does it kill the molds, yeasts and some bacteria it also inactivates enzymes.
  Very important that you do not use this process for low acid foods because it will produce botulism which could kill you.

Mrs. Picky Fanicky's canning and preserves classification of foods for pH

Classification of foods that you are canning falls into two categories. The importance of the pH, or acidity of foods, is that is determines the method of heat processing necessary for a safe canned product.
  All foods are divided into two classifications determined by the amount of natural acid present in the food or the acidification of the food to a specific pH level. The two classifications are:
  High Acid foods, these foods have a natural high level or a sufficient amount of acid added to them. Bottled lemon juice,citric acid or vinegar that is labeled 5 percent acidity are sometimes added to increase acidity. Foods in this category must have a pH of 4.6 or lower. the boiling water method of processing is adequate for high-acid foods. Most of the time all fruits and soft spreads fall into this category. Figs and tomatoes require the addition of an acid so they may be safely canned using the boiling water method
  Low acid foods have very little natural acid. Vegetables,meats,poultry and seafoods are in the low acid group. Soups, stews, meat sauces and other recipes that contain both high and low acid yet remain with a pH level higher than 4.6 must be processed as low acid.
  High Acid foods: Lemons, Pickles, Gooseberries, apricots, Plums, Apples, blackberries, Sour Cherries, Peaches, Sauerkraut, Pears, Tomatoes...Process at 212 F in a Boiling Water Canner.
  Low Acid foods: Okra, Carrots, Beets, Turnips, Green Beans, Spinach, Asparagus, Lima Beans, Peas, Corn....Process at 240 F in a Steam Pressure Cooker.
  All of this information is crucial in the proper canning techniques, a lot of old recipes that folks use to use to can their vegetables are outdated and simply put will kill you. Later i will make a new post on the proper processing methods until then remember..What " Can " you do..