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Show Iuii llmird September 7, 1995 TTOm Section B Page Bl Join us for a recap of Miner's Day activities . See Street Beat, B5 ' ' A 1" f 1 111 1 I . L t I J I Ml I I W I I 1 I I l I 1 II II I Enjoy the fry its of summer all year long by LISA ANTONUCCI Record staff writer 7jome canning has fallen on hard . J: times. It used to be that nearly everyone who had a garden "put something some-thing up " for the cold months. But today, many homes have large freezers, fresh produce is available year-round and the variety of canned goods found in the grocery store has increased so much that fewer people are canning. Canning seems outdated as well. It conjures up visions of grandma spending endless hot hours over a stove stocking up for winter. Today, glass jars and metal lids, boiling kettles, hot pads and cooking racks seem more than a little primitive even frightening. Canning just simply isn't as easy as dropping a bag of vegetables in the freezer. But this is no obituary. obit-uary. In an age where American society especially an active community like Park City is so health-conscious and environmentally oriented, it seems logical that canning would fit into this mindset. By preserving your own fruits and vegetables, you know exactly what goes into that can or jar. Not to mention, canning reduces the need to purchase off-season items that are transported many miles, using fuel for travel and storage. Also, home-canned foods require no refrigeration and don't involve the wasteful packaging used for store-bought items. It's been nearly 200 years since the idea of canning was first introduced. intro-duced. The year 1795 was not a good one for France, as Napolean's battles bat-tles had drained the country's manpower. A revolution was in progress and provisioning the armed forces became a serious problem soldiers living on stale bread and spoiled meat did not make for great fighters. So the five-man Directory, France's governing board, offered 12,000 francs to anyone who could invent a successful method of long-term food storage. stor-age. The winner wais Francois Appert, a confectioner with no technical training or experience, but a close observer. In his cooking he noticed that food that had been heated and sealed in airtight containers tended not to spoil. However, he had no idea why this was as Louis Pasteur's discoveries discover-ies were still some 50 years away. Progress was slow as Appert could only learn by trial and error, but by 1804, he had succeeded in preserving a wide variety of foods. In 1810, he published his method of food preservation which he modestly called "Appertizing." The book set forth four basic steps which are still (with minor refinements) current canning procedures: 1) enclosing in bottles the substance to be preserved; 2) corking the bottles carefully, "for it is chiefly on the corking that the success of the process depends;" 3) immersing the bottles in a boiling water bath; and 4) withdrawing the bottles bot-tles from the bath at the end of the prescribed period. There's no special magic to canning. A few general rules will make one's efforts more rewarding. Perhaps the most important thing is to be aware of nature for when the fruit is at its very zenith of ripeness, it is in its most attractive state, with its best flavor and best capacity to nourish. nour-ish. The moment that fruit or ear of corn is picked, its vitamin content (among other things) starts to diminish. If you commence preserving as soon after gathering as you can, you will preserve the optimum yield of vitamins and minerals in that food. The high heat used during canning kills any dangerous organisms that could cause food to spoil in the jar. It also causes the contents of the jar to expand, driving out any air left inside. When the jar cools, the vacuum created inside pulls the lid down to the mouth of the jar for a tight seal. Unless the seal is broken, or unless the food wasn't handled properly in the canning process, no organisms that cause food to spoil can enter. Nearly everyone has heard of botulism, a normally benign organism found in water and soil throughout the environment. However, once inside an airless canning jar, the spores divide and produce toxin. Despite the danger, one has little to worry about if the directions are followed carefully. The organisms cannot survive in the acid environment provided naturally natu-rally by fresh, fully-ripened fruits, pickles and high-acid tomato varieties. They can, however, thrive in jars of other vegetables, meats, poultry or fish. That is why these foods must always be canned in a steam pressure canner to supply enough sustained heat 240 degrees F to kill any harmful bacteria. The supplies needed for canning are modest in cost. Canning requires jars, lids, ring bands and a few shelves in the pantry or garage for storage. Canning jars, made with tempered glass that can withstand high temperatures, tempera-tures, are a must. Canning rings canned be used over and over if in good condition, but the lids must be replaced each time because the sealing composition is no longer effective after one use. A canning kettle is necessary for canning fruits, tomatoes and most pickles. It has to be deep enough so that the tops of the jars are covered by at least one inch of boiling water. A steam pressure canner is the only device suitable for canning vegetables, meats and fish because it can apply enough heat for the time needed to ensure the safe canning of these items. This device is a heavy kettle with a cover that locks down to become steamtight (do not confuse this with the everyday "pressure cooker"). cook-er"). An easy beginning is to start with fruit, canned using the boiling water method (the canning kettle is used here). Thoroughly clean jars and lids either by boiling them or running them in the dishwasher. Keep them hot ( si- t j i until time to use. Pick a fruit known to be good for canning, such as peaches. Keep the fruit from darkening by cutting it directly into a solution of 2 Tbls. each of salt and vinegar and one gallon water. Fruit should be ripened to full flavor. Place the rack in the kettle and fill it about half full with hot water. Place the kettle, covered, on the stove to heat. In another pan, heat additional addi-tional water to add later. Make the syrup of your choice, either with sugar, honey (clover is a popular choice), fruit juice or water, and keep it hot. You can either pack the fruit cold or hot. To pack fruits cold, fill jars with raw fruit, then ladle hot syrup into jars, filling within one-half inch of the rim. Run a narrow spatula down between the food and the side of the jar to release any air bubbles. With a clean, damp cloth, carefully wipe the jar rim because food on the rim may prevent sealing. Place a hot lid on the jar, then screw the ring band on by hand as tightly as possible. As each jar is filled, set in the kettle filled with hot water. When all jars are in the kettle, submerge them at least one inch under the surface. Bring the water to a hard simmer, then uncover and start counting the time required for processing. For clingstone peaches packed raw in pints, processing time is about 25 minutes. Note: For altitudes above 3,000 feet, add two minutes processing time for each additional 1,000 feet. Remove jars and place on a cloth or board to cool completely, but do not cover. Test for a good seal by pressing the jar lid with your finger. If it stays down when pressed, the jar is sealed. Do not turn upside down because liquid could seep between the seal and break it. Label jars and keep them in a cool, dry place. Take a chance this fall and stock up on some of summer's treats. A taste of summer may be just what you need when we're piled high in snow not so long from now. Another great way to preserve some of this summer's delicacies is to make some fruit syrups especially for those lazy winter mornings where the pancakes keep arriving from the griddle. Martha Stewart suggests tart berries or ripe orchard fruits as a "perfect counterpart to maple's mellow sweetness." To flavor the syrup, use just one kind of fruit or berry, or a combination of favorites. 2 cups berries or diced fruit, such as pears, , peaches or plums 1 cup maple syrup 1 vanilla bean (optional) 1. Combine fruit and syrup in a small bowl. If using berries, press them with the back of a spoon until they just start to break apart. For a smoother syrup, press through a sieve. 2. Split vanilla bean, and scrape seeds into mixture. Add the bean to the bowl. 3. Transfer mixture to a bottle or another container, cover, and refrigerate. Before serving, the syrup can be wanned in a small saucepan over low heat to desired temperature. (or Photographer David Mother Nature laughed and. p-" " v . CRied this weekend. Find . ' out who she SUB filled) upon to town just for its l, 9U 0221 t5 C3 Mounain wind3 down " ' r.'ary Chapin w "or ; V , -' Maybe he ju;;t. i . ' New Hc,.v.;::!.' isn't runnir : : u |