Canning veggies for winter....a few questions

[GardenRN]

I'd like to can a bunch of my green beans, peppers, peas, and so on for use later in the year. But I don't want to pickle them, I just want them to be like a can of veggies you'd buy from the grocery store. Can this be done without a pressure canner? I have the water bath canning setup already and I'm hoping that's enough. From what I have read it seems like you need to use vinegar and/or lemon juice to add enough acid to kill bacteria (which confuses me because I thought that's what boiling the stuff was for). But If I add vinegar, isn't that gonna make the veggies taste different when they are reopened?
I have only canned tomato sauce and salsa in the past with the understanding that tomatoes already have enough acid in them, so there is no need to worry about adding any. Any info?

[Marlingardener]

I find that green and wax beans, peppers, and peas are better frozen than canned. If you can manage to stash all those cartons/bags of veggies in the freezer, I think you will be better pleased with the taste than if you canned them. Green beans and peas have to be water-bathed so long that they turn to mush. A pressure canner is really necessary for those.
There is a great Ball Blue Book on home preservation of food. You may want to see if you can get your hands on a copy and see what method or methods suit you best.

[applestar]

I unearthed a quart bag of fresh-frozen beans from the back of my freezer. It was dated 2009, but it had no freezer burn and looked and tasted great. I didn't blanch/parboil these. So far, whether due to my technique or not, my frozen beans come out of the freezer better when simply washed, de-stringed/stem ends removed, and packed as tightly as they can fit in quart size heavy duty zip-type freezer bags within hours of picking them.

Oh these were tri-color vary-type beans -- green bush, yellow roma type pole, and purple roma-type pole beans.

[GardenRN]

Well that's an idea.....I hadn't thought of freezing them, I don't know why. I even have a foodsaver vacuum sealer thing that I could use to suck all the air out before I freeze them. Good call and thanks!

Marlingardener, I do have the ball blue book, but I see that was calling for a pressure canner. I understand about the dangers of eating foods that have gone bad. But sometimes they are waaaaaay over cautious. And, although I may be being silly. I think I'll know very quickly when I open it if it has gone bad. I mean even botulism spores would create a gas to pop that top or at least offer an odor correct?

[cynthia_h]

Not always, no. That's what's dangerous about botulism: it can be invisible and non-odorous. Best to follow what the Ball Blue Book and the USDA (or your county/state agricultural commission) recommend for canning.

Non-acid foods require pressure canning. This includes most vegetables and all meats. They may, of course, be directly frozen.

Use tested recipes; the acid levels in the recipes are there to ensure food safety.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[jessiesue]

I don't like freezer beans, but corn is as good as out of the garden. All I do with mine is shuck, silk clean it and put it in the bag. Then I was it when I pull it from the freezer. For off the cob I cut it off put it in a large kettle throw in some butter and get it good and hot,you may need to add a little water to prevent scorthing. Cool it down, put it in your container.---------YUMYUM

[jal_ut]

'd like to can a bunch of my green beans, peppers, peas, and so on for use later in the year. But I don't want to pickle them, I just want them to be like a can of veggies you'd buy from the grocery store. Can this be done without a pressure canner?

In a word NO!

Non acid foods must be pressure canned.

Acid foods may be canned using a boiling water bath.

I recommend the Ball Blue Book for learning procedure and recipes.

I also recommend always using only tested and approved recipes. Botulism is no joke, it is a death sentence, not a belly ache.

Where do you get tested and approved recipes? The Ball Blue Book, The USDA, Your county extension. For sure not from an internet chat room.

[jal_ut]

The heat from boiling kills bacteria, yeast, and molds just fine, but it will not kill the spores of botulism. Botulism spores will not grow and produce toxins in a sufficiently acid environment. This is why we can hot water bath fruits and pickles, because they have enough acid. Tomatoes are borderline and it is usually advised to add a bit of lemon juice to increase the acid.

Botulism only produces toxins if it grows without oxygen, which is the condition in a sealed jar. The cooking process vents the air out of the jars. That what seems to be air space in the top of sealed jars is not air, it is a vacuum. It is this vacuum that keeps the lid on.

If botulism grows in a sealed jar it doesn't pop the lid. The toxins are also tasteless and odorless. No way to tell if it is bad. The only way we can be sure our non acid canned food is safe is to adhere strictly to the tested and approved recipes that guarantee that all botulism spores will be killed in the cooking process. Pressure canners operate at a temperature of 240 degrees and when food is processed for the given time in an approved recipe, you can be sure it will be safe.

[jal_ut]

Download and print this document for your information.

[cynthia_h]

Download and print this document for your information.

Excellent link, jal-ut; thank you very much.

Canning safely at home is easy when you follow the *tested* recipes and the correct *safety* procedures.

Otherwise, don't do it. Don't even start.

Cynthia

[Marlingardener]

Jal-ut, you may have saved lives today!
A friend didn't want to go to the "expense" of buying a pressure canner. I asked her how much a funeral ran these days.

[Heron's Nest Farm]

I concur. Freezing is the way to go.

You must prep the food correctly though so you don't get sick. It's soo worth it.

Great info and links folks. Thanks!

[tinlizzy]

Pressure canners are great and they get the canning done quickly but there is an alternative other than freezing. It is called cold packing. Green beans can be canned using 1/2 tsp salt and fill with water, seal jar and process in cold packer for 3 hours. Pressure canners have been around for years but cold packers were first. Get a book at the library and it will tell you how to process food safely. My ancestors use to can on an open fire cooking beans in a big tub to get them hot then canning and boiling in a tub of water for the time needed.