Instructions: With local strawberries in season, can cucumbers, corn, beans and peaches be far behind? If you plan to make pickles, can vegetables or make jam, its time to take stock of canning supplies and update your preserving information.

Home canning is not complicated. Its a simple procedure of applying heat to food in a closed jar to interrupt the natural decaying that would otherwise take place. Unless youre making freezer jam, this requires heat processing.

Before you get started, check out your canning information. If it predates 1988, the year the U.S. Department of Agriculture updated its home-canning guidelines based on safety and quality, its likely outdated.

Current information:
Call or visit your countys State University Extension Service for canning, freezing and pickling bulletins, which are available for a small fee.

The 32nd edition of Ball Blue Book Guide to Home Canning, Freezing and Dehydration has the latest USDA recommendations. Its available at selected stores or at Bi-Mart, or you can order online at www.homecanning.com. You can through Friday. Cost is $5.95, which includes shipping and handling.

Supplies: If you have pectin left over from last year, check the expiration date. If its past the date, your jams or jellies may not set up.

Inspect the jars you have on hand. They should have no cracks or nicks in the rims, which can cause food to spoil because the jars wont seal properly. Also, be sure you have enough jars for the task, and enough screw bands that are rust-free. Screw bands can be reused, but the flat lids cannot. If you have leftover lids, dont use them if they are stuck together because some of the sealing compound may have come off. Before every use, check the rack, weights, vents and gasket on the canner. Make sure the vents are clear and the gasket is in place.

Dial gauge testing: The USDA recommends testing dial gauges on pressure canners before each years use. They should be replaced if they read high by more than 1 pound at 5, 10 or 15 pounds of pressure. Low readings cause over-processing and may indicate that the accuracy of the gauge is unpredictable.

Check with your county extension service for places to have your gauge checked.

[] Spike notes: It has come to my attention that many of our fruits have been hybridized so much that they no longer have the acid content that they used to have. That acid content is needed in canning with boiling water bath, and for making jams, jellies, and preserves. I buy lemons (not Meyer lemons, which have little acid) and put lemon juice into almost everything. Lemon juice that is
sufficiently acidic can be purchased at the supermarket, and it does not require
the juicing effort. A tablespoonful to a quart is enough. I use it when canning
tomatoes and applesauce, as well. []

Preserving questions: Hours of operation are listed in Pacific Daylight Time; phone lines are open Monday through Friday unless otherwise noted.

www.kraftfoods.com liquid and powdered pectin (Kraft Foods)

www.homecanning.com lids and jars, fruit pectin, pickle-making products, salsa mix and Fruit Fresh.

Again, the county extension service of your State University will have advice available.

Tuesday and Wednesday

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