As the summer gardening season winds down, most of us are enjoying this year’s harvest – for some, a surplus harvest. Don’t know what to do with all your beans, peas, okra, tomatoes, eggplants, cucumbers, peppers, pears and muscadine grapes from your garden? Have you considered preserving them?
Everything you need to know about canning and food preservation is available in the
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, 2009. This resource is for people who are canning for the first time or for experienced canners wanting to improve their canning practices. The information is based on research conducted by the National Center for Home Food Preservation in cooperation with the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
This guide contains many new research-based recommendations for canning safer and better quality food at home. The
USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning explains the scientific principles on which canning techniques are based, discusses canning equipment and describes the proper use of jars and lids. It describes basic canning ingredients and procedures and how to use them to achieve safe, high-quality canned products. Also included is a series of canning guides for specific foods and recipes.
The free, 196-page publication can be
downloaded from the National Center for Home Food Preservation website. The publication is also available in a spiral, bound book format from Purdue University. Single copies are available for $18 each. Orders can be placed via phone (toll-free: 1-888-398-4636) or
online at Purdue’s The Education Store.
