Canning and Food Preservation

Food preservation practices are a great way to preserve the bounty of our harvest but can be disastrous if not done safely! Follow researched SAFE food preservation practices by attending Canning and Food Preservation workshops offered in the summer and early fall each year! For a schedule of upcoming classes call Sheila Borders.

Remember to get the gauge on your pressure canner tested each year to ensure your equipment is in tip top shape to safely preserve your goodies!

Contact Sheila Borders at: sborders@utk.edu to get your gauge tested today!

Water Bath Canning: Water bath canning is a method of preserving food at home by placing jars of food in boiling water to kill bacteria and create a seal that prevents spoilage. It’s a good option for beginners because it’s relatively inexpensive, doesn’t require special equipment, and is suitable for a variety of high-acid foods with a pH of 4.6 or less, such as fruits, jams, jellies, pickles, and some tomato products.

Pressure Canner Preservation: a safe method for preserving low-acid foods like vegetables, meats, fish and poultry. It uses pressurized steam to create temperatures of 240°F or higher, which destroys bacterial spores that can be harmful to humans. Pressure canning is the only way to destroy Clostridium botulinum, the bacterium that causes food poisoning.

Canning Foods publication

Canning Vocabulary

Freezing is a food preservation method that involves lowering the temperature of food to slow down the growth of microorganisms and chemical changes that cause spoilage. Frozen food is safe to eat indefinitely if it’s kept at 0°F (-18°C) or below, but the quality may decline over time.

Freezing Food

Dehydration is a food preservation method that removes water from food to prevent spoilage. It’s one of the oldest methods of food preservation and can be done using a variety of methods, including:

Microwave Oven, Electric Dehydrator, or Conventional oven to dehydrate food, but it’s not ideal. Most ovens don’t have low enough temperature settings for dehydrating, and they may burn food if the temperature is too high.

Dehydrating Foo d

Want to learn more?

If you are interested in taking a food preservation class please submit the form below and when a class is established you will be contacted. In your message please identify which food preservation method you wish to learn.

Canning and Food Preservation

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