Tag: Canning safety

In older pickling recipes, pickling lime was widely used for achieving an extra-crispy texture in vegetables. Its use has since become a subject of great debate among home canners, raising an important question: is pickling lime good for you, or does it pose serious risks?

According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, low-acid foods pose a risk of botulism if not processed correctly. Knowing what fruits cannot be canned safely is crucial for home preservers to prevent foodborne illness and ensure a high-quality product.

Did you know that an estimated 50% of an apple's Vitamin C can be lost during the canning process without proper technique? An ascorbic acid solution is a key tool for home canners, used to prevent the unsightly browning of fruits and vegetables caused by oxidation, thereby locking in their fresh appearance and flavor.

According to food preservation experts, ascorbic acid is a safe and effective additive for home canning, primarily used to prevent oxidation and maintain the natural color of fruits. It is essential for home canners to understand its specific function to ensure both a high-quality finished product and food safety.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, home-canned foods are the most common cause of botulism outbreaks in the United States. This critical fact underscores the importance of understanding which bacteria is often linked to improperly canned foods and the serious, often deadly, risks involved.

According to the CDC, you cannot see, smell, or taste the neurotoxin that causes botulism, and ingesting even a small amount can be deadly. Knowing how to tell if food is contaminated with botulism is crucial for preventing this severe and often fatal form of food poisoning.

According to the University of Illinois Extension, canned foods are already cooked during the canning process, making them safe and convenient for immediate consumption. So, is canned fruit considered cooked? The short answer is yes, but the process is more complex than simple home cooking and involves high-temperature sterilization to ensure safety and longevity.

Most fruits are naturally high in acid, with a pH typically below 4.6, and the canning process is specifically designed around this characteristic to ensure food safety. So, is canned fruit acidic? Yes, by design.

While seawater contains about 35 grams of dissolved salt per kilogram of water, the correct amount to add to one gallon of water for home use varies dramatically depending on the application. Whether you are a home cook, a health enthusiast, or an aquarist, knowing how much salt to add to 1 gallon of water is crucial for achieving the desired outcome and preventing mistakes.

Despite the popular belief that yellow tomatoes are significantly less acidic, scientific studies show most tomato varieties, regardless of color, share a similar pH range. To truly understand what is the acidity of yellow tomatoes, one must look beyond taste and into the science of pH levels and sugar content.