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Show If Mg to to a Me rflblboini canaimiDiig sie&sop . By Nan Chalat For those of us who have become religious label-readers, label-readers, who still harbor suspicions about the edibility of sodium benzoate (to preserve freshness), ferrous gluconate (to stabilize color) and ammonium sulphate (for who knows what) home canning is a joyous act of rebellion. For our parents and grandparents, filling and labeling mason jars is an autumn tradition, born in times of necessity and carried on today just for the tastiness of the end result. And for those of us who love to eat. canning is an extravaganza of fresh fruits and vegetables. I am never quite so content and happy as when I am surrounded by crates of fresh apples and peaches and when there is a huge pot of salsa simmering on the stove. Have vou ever tried to buv :y i-:-:iiii: , . li:iy:i:i"i-::iy w . i-'-v.' ...v.v..-.vv s V"- , , kkmwwww. sVv.- ' ' v " , "T. -.-A ' mtv .,j.n iiiii'-" I The onset of fresh strawberries marks the beginning of the home canning season. Cherries, rasber-ries, rasber-ries, black berries and apricots come on in late July and up until the first week of August. Cooler weather brings on peaches, pears, apples, plums which are usually available until the first frost. The creme of the crop gets a blue ribbon at the fair. Summer '79: 2 bushels y Haven peaches ($11 in Orem);21 qt. peaches, 1 1 pt. peach butter. 1 bushel tomatoes (off-size,; $5 in Orem); 26 pts. salsa, 5 qts. tomato puree. 1 bushel Bartlett pears ($8.95 in Orem); 11 pts. pears, 7 qts. pears (minted). The cards will help us to gauge how much to buy this year. The next stages require helping hands and lots of endurance. The pitting and peeling seems to go on forever. Good background music helps. The actual canning process, is determined deter-mined by the type of produce, the size of the jars and the altitude at which the jars are processed. Three publications in particular offer clear instructions and concise charts. They are: ' 'Canning, freezing, Storing Stor-ing Garden Produce" USD A Agriculture Information Bui- . letin, 410. Available by , writing The Superintendent of DocumentsU.S. Govern- ment Printing Office Washington, Was-hington, D.C. 20402. "The Ball Blue Book'. Available from The Ball CorporationMuncie, Indiana In-diana 47302 ($1). "Putting Food By" by Herzberg, Vaughan and . Greene. Bantam Books, 1976 ($2.50). After the last batch is -processed and set out on the cooling racks, I like to listen to the lids snap signifying a good seal. Then, like' King Midas wit!, his gold, I count and recount my treasure. a can of peas for a friend on a saltless diet, or a can of peaches without sugar? It isn't easy and often once you find it. over on the shelf with v special diet foods, it is more expensive. A major reason people can their own produce is that they know exactly what is in it. Besides, have you ever found an apple butter that tasted like grandma's? - Canning at first may seem mysterious, that bubbling cauldron working its magic v to seal those special lids. It is ,. not. However it is not to be taken lightly. Any food when preserved either commercial commer-cial or at home has . the potential for harboring dangerous dan-gerous bacteria. When canned can-ned or frozen properly, however, many . foods will ' keep indefinitely. - One of the most exciting stages of the canning process is the "fruit expedition". No ordinary grocery store will do. It is time to head for the fruit belt, out to the country where there are outdoor stands and pick-your-own orchards. Take along a few of your own boxes, it may save you the expense of a basket . and it is a courtesy to the farmers who claim to save boxes all year long "and still we never have enough . " The fruit stands is often a revelation apples are not just red or green, there are sometimes as many as 15 varieties to choose from. I will only venture far enough to say that cling peaches (the fruit is firmly attached to the pit) are a pain to can but as far as suggesting a particular freestone peach well that's up to you. Taste a few. Soon, as your tastebuds sharpen, the subtly different peach tastes will become apparent. It must take years of taste testing to settle on a favorite. I have just scratched scra-tched the surface. It helps to keep a canning journal from year to year listing the year, type of produce (ie the kind of peach), the. amount and the price paid, and the number of pints or quarts you came out with. One of our index cards reads: $; (? '?'''-" r - , i , .'' u i-i it : . J '';:.vf , i - - VI If V ; ' v -W " ,',:iV";'.-i.i.;-";':; ' ''"'-,."(-,; ' V',-- . ; i- .'. .V :. : ' --' -' .. , . W ' - . wsx-- wipw? ;vws.'aw.x ; : ': : ' ; ;i t'-'iSMlW: . V 'i ' . " ii;,;. ' J . i . '' .' :. . 1; ; v ;- lii- ;;;(:ll:.ft';! i: ' ' i . i .,'-" i f;:;;;ivp; i"iw;; isii- L , : ! ' ."J ; ''':'''"'"''. y l;.i' 1' " ' ViiV'-li' 'Siil'ii i-:lii WHisAU RETAIL tzS-nH fT" ' BJM FRESH FRBIT: ( 1 F1 ' VERHAL UIMTAK BASIN f LOCAL CORK : V Id, i i a PEACHES j I,.- " sj-jJv., 1 "'J .'" J t yftii yii i l I. ,ii.J,i.ifc.. pod A 1 In i ' ""Ji f-Js L ifr These early peaches(Red Haven) are impossible to resist. The Red Havens are cling peaches, not suitable for canning but great J e&tlfEl m t m m , 4 m . ... . . . . - ..I . .r. I . I.,, .. u hi ii !: ' Tfcl:. ::':.. .i " You can tell'en to bring their own boxes," says Lucille Richardson who has been in the business for 30 years, but they never do." The Richardson Farms have a reputation for fine produce and according to Lucille this will be a particularly good harvest. |