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is crucial in the proper canning techniques, a lot of old recipes that folks use to use to can their vegetables are outdated and simply put will kill you.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..

Canning Principles let's talk about bacteria

Bacteria are very hard to destroy. Certain bacteria actually live at temperatures that destroy molds and yeast. Salmonella is killed at temperatures of 140F. Staph is killed if food is kept above 140F. Staph is very nasty it also produces a toxin that must be killed by heating the product to 240F for a time that has been tested by a canning recipe.
  Botulism is basically food poisoning caused by a bacterium, this bacteria can be killed by boiling; but, the toxin produces spores that cannot be destroyed by boiling which is 212F. This bacteria also thrives on low acid in the absence of air in moist environments- exactly the conditions inside of a jar of canned vegetables, meats or other low acid foods.
  Because of this low acid foods must be processed at 240F which is a lot hotter than the boiling point so with these items you must use a steam pressure canner..
                                                       o
          240F--------------------240
  
     Processing temp for                         Temperature that bacterial
low acid foods in a steam                        spores are destroyed in
pressure canner                                       low acid foods
                                                        o
            212F--------------------212

       Water boils and processing temperature for high-acid foods
          in a boiling water container.
                                                         o
             180F--------------------212

        Temperature at which molds, yeast and some bacteria
          are destroyed in foods
                                                         o
              50f-----------------------70

         Best storage temperature for processed canned foods

  So remember wash everything, maintain proper temperatures for what you are making and remember..What " Can " you do..

Why you should Share..

My food business journey started years ago, with visiting my grandma Cora or Momma Cora as she liked to be called. Let me give you a little background history on momma Cora.
  Momma Cora was raised in a convent by nuns, as soon as she turned thirteen which was a woman's passage and being that she was alone with her father, she was placed in the home to apprentice as a cook. I remember her telling me how they had two pair of stockings and one pair of shoes for the entire year, and taking care of things was part of the strict regime. She found a passion in cooking and it led her thru a wonderful life.
  Momma Cora was raised in the town of Sanford and later moved to Forest city, working at a restaurant in downtown Orlando. As time went by she gained employment with a gentleman named Mr. Fosgate, who came to Florida from Boston to revitalize a packing house for fruit that had gone into bankrupcy during the big freeze.
  Hi- Acres was the orange packing house and with over two thousand employees, a lunch house was needed. Momma Cora started cooking and my grandfather would pass out the blue plate specials to everyone at lunch time. Times were good, packing fruit was in full force, then another huge freeze hit. Everyone showed up to work thru the night picking oranges, packing fruit and getting the trucks loaded, but it was not enough, they ran out of crates, folks got frostbite on their toes including my other grandma, Nana, who was the fastest packer in the plant.
  Momma Cora was in the kitchen cooking her blue plate specials and asked if she could use a few of the oranges to make a Marmalade to serve at lunch. The nun's ways were still in her cooking soul and waste was not a thing that was taken kindly. As she prepared the Marmalade, Mr. Fosgate came in as he always did to eat lunch, he was taken with delight as he ate the orange marmalade, the following day he made the announcement.
  Hi- Acres will start to use any oranges that we cannot pack to make Marmalade, it turned out to be a multi million dollar idea, as time went by Mr. Fosgate sold the company to Deep South which is a subsidiary of Winn-Dixie. Grandma Cora went on during retirement to Mr. Fosgate's estate to cook and help them raise their children, living a quiet life, never receiving monetary compensation.
  As the years went on and the children grew up she quietly retired to Conway and grew plants and had a spectacular plant nursery, forever loving the interaction of folks coming to her place and walking the grounds and admiring and purchasing her plants. We visited often and later moved her to our property in Plymouth were i spent many a day cooking with her and talking about recipes.
  Well time flies and when she passed away i received her cookbook, the gift of gab, and the greatest of all the act of sharing..which is what i want to do now as i continue to write about canning, making Marmalades and pickling..always remember..What " Can " you do..

Home Canning Principles

Understanding how to prevent food spoilage and deterioration is the trick or key to canning safety and success. All around us are tiny microorganisms, like mold,yeasts and bacteria. Don't get me wrong many of these are beneficial to us, while others can be very harmful under certain conditions. These " bad micro's" live and multiply on the surface of lots of types of foods.Foods that have bad spots, bruises and disease tend to have more of these ' bad micros". Enzymes are responsible for changing the color, flavor and texture of food, and are found throughout the tissue of each food type. Loss of Quality means in simple terms do not use. If you cannot use the food that you are going to can at it's peak, then don't.
  There are a few ways to reduce the conditions which encourage the growth of " bad micro's".Washing, Peeling and blanching greatly reduces the conditions of enzyme activity. Washing is important to the whole process of canning for not only the foods, your equipment, yourself and any tools or equipment that you may use.
  Canning sort of interrupts the normal spoilage cycle of food by heating the food in a jar that has been closed with a sealing cap. When heat is applied for the correct amount of time and temperature not only is the " bad micro's destroyed, at the same time air is allowed to escape from the jars. Upon cooling the jars lids "pop" and seal. The vacumn that has formed prevents other things from entering the jar and contaminating the food.

  As i share canning techniques please excuse any misspelled words or grammar mistakes along the way, I'm not a rocket scientist, just a woman with a passion for trying to preserve traditional recipes and trying to make the science aspect of canning simply available, until next time....remember...What "Can" you do..