Under Pressure
The Nitty Gritty of Pressure Canning
The preservation of food at home has never been as important as it is now for maybe 70-100 years.
We are used to freezing, jam and preserve making, water bath canning - even dehydrating. Not everyone does these things but most have heard of them. There is a relative newcomer on the scene in the UK and that newcomer is Pressure Canning. This is a mature process in US but until the last few years we have stopped short at the water bath canning or bottling stage.
Whether you want an alternative to freezing for you own home-grown produce, or you love to shop for bargains at the store, to forage for food or to make your own-cooked meals as a convenience for when you don’t have time to cook, then pressure canning can prove to be invaluable.
What is the difference between them though? Well, water bath or bottling involves the same kind of jars - those with a two-part seal usually, or a glass lid with a rubber seal that clips down tightly, but this process isn’t suitable for low acid foods including meat based and/or vegetable preserves.
Pressure Canning, as it’s name suggests, involves increasing the temperature of the contents of the canner above that achievable by bottling in a water bath. Increasing the temperature by the use of pressure ensures that bacteria are killed, along with the yeasts and molds that will spoil your food. The main bacteria to be aware of is Clostridium botulinum or Botulism. At best, this is extremely unpleasant, but for many it would prove fatal.
When food is properly pressure canned it is perfectly safe to eat straight from the jar, if necessary, so if you have impatient teens or forgetful adults who do not reheat the food thoroughly there are not going to be any nasty shocks. It may be that you will want to use the contents of the jars cold - chicken for instance - in a Summer dish such as chicken ceasar salad and it would be enormously inconvenient to have to reheat for 10 minutes and then allow to cool again before assembling your lunch. There are many advocats for the European method of water-bathing low-acid foods for 2-3 hours but it is this drawback of the food not being safe unless reheated that prevents me from even trying this method.
When we are considering food stores for survival - extreme weather conditions for instance, then pressure canning is the only viable method for low acid foods. There be power outages so no cooking facilities - it wouldn’t be safe to eat water-bathed food straight from the jar. The food will keep, safe and secure in its jar for many years and be just the same as when it was preserved once it is opened. To me, that is a minor food miracle and one too readily brushed aside.
So rules must be followed and care taken.
I bought my first pressure canner around 20 years ago, direct from Presto in the US. I had to do the transaction through Amazon who handled their online sales at the time. Back in the day it was around $80 - approximately £60 - quite a difference to today. In due course a large, brown cardboard box arrived and I put it in the corner of the room and left it there, while I worked up the courage to open it! Fast forward 3 months - I know, I know - and I gingerly opened the box and extracted the canner in its own branded box. It was quite a few more weeks before I plucked up courage to actually use it! I am only detailing this as I often answer the phone to fearful people terrified of ordering, receiving, unpacking and using their very own pressure canner. I do understand - maybe I should include a therapy session in my list of Workshops!
Having built up this wall of terror I was amazed at how simple the pressure canner is, there is very little to cause a problem, especially if the care instructions are followed. I have found - and strongly advise - that it is best to not try to memorise the processing times and recipes as they can vary. It is best to work from a reliable book or on-line resource every time as then there can be no mistakes. The process is the same everytime - a bit like driving a car - and, like driving, if you learn the right way and then just keep repeating it there is very little room for error. It is when you start to vary the ingredients too wildly, and making shortcuts which may seem perfectly reasonable, then things can start to unravel.
I could write pages and pages on this subject - Oh, I already have! I am just going to refer you though to some of my online resources which I strongly advise you to read before you click the “BUY” button and also check the online course I have of 22 workshops which you can cook-along with, in real time. These start from the unboxing(!) of the canner and going through what all of the pieces are for, and then the workshops cover pretty much all of the food groups you will encounter. Once you have made your jars for the storecupboard you may need some ideas of what to use the contents for. Each workshop has ideas for quick and easy meals making use of one or more jars and some fresh ingredients. Your very own convenience store.
My book, Rosie Let’s Off Steam, specifically covers these recipes and more and there are so many mix and match ideas you don’t need to be eating the same thing twice within the same month. I am always on the end of my phone, Live Chat, email, zoom, or Whatsapp if you get stuck or have further questions. Let this be the year that you finally get a grip of the fear and do it anyway!
Resources
pressurecanning.co.uk - for straightforward advice on the decisions you need to make before buying
lovejars.co.uk - for everything you need - canners, jars, seals, spares all in one place
Cook-along Workshops - 22 workshops filmed in real time covering most food groups
Rosie Let's Off Steam - recipes for what to make with what you have canned
I’m relatively new at pressure canning and I love it. It enables us to have food ready to go as well as another way of preserving what I grow. We have a plant based diet and having a range of canned beans is fantastic. We also tend to can the ingredients separately rather than as prepared meals.