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Wartime Farm - Canning Fruit

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  • 14-09-2012 2:51pm
    #1
    Jellybaby1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,108 ✭✭✭


    I've watched a few of these series and am fascinated at how people fed a family in the different eras. This particular series explains about the food rations and how people used the little they had during the war. This week they showed ladies canning fruit. They used an American canning machine from the WWII period. I have done a quick search here but nothing turns up. Just wondering if anyone in Ireland cans fruit at home these days and if so, how does it compare to jam-making or bottling?


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    #2
    rubadub
    Registered Users Posts: 32,382 ✭✭✭✭rubadub


    It is not really popular here or in europe, still popular in the US. American "canners" are basically large pressure cookers. You put the food in and heat if for X minutes and it sterilizes the food. As the food is in jars its sealed so no airbourne contaminants can get in. It can last indefinitely if done right.

    How long you have to heat/sterilize depends on the food and other factors like moistness and how much is in the jar. Stuff like jam is sort of self preserving as it is so full of sugar bacteria cannot thrive on it. Same with overly acidic food. However stuff like moist rife is the perfect breeding ground for contamination. I have successfully sterilized rice before. Some grains have heat resistant "endospore" bacteria which can take far longer to sterilize. Some batches of grain will have more than others too.

    On discovery it showed Heinz sterilizing/canning beans. It said it took 3-5mins to sterilize once at 121C. A pressure cooker at 15psi is at 121C. However if you have a large tin of beans it will take a very long time for the heat to reach the centre of the can. So instead of 5mins you should be pressure cooking for maybe 90mins at home to allow for this time.


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    #3
    Jellybaby1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7,108 ✭✭✭Jellybaby1


    Wow, that's a lot of detail there rubadub. Many thanks for taking the time. I hadn't seen it done before and was just curious if anyone here had ever done it. The WI had been prominent in distributing the food production information during the war. Thanks again.


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    #4
    hdowney
    Registered Users Posts: 12,921 ✭✭✭✭hdowney


    I watch these too. I love them.

    It's hilarious to think that back then they canned the foods, put the can on a shelf or wherever and it was used when it was used. These days every single can has a use by date on it, some not too far off of when you bought the can!


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    #5
    CJhaughey
    Registered Users Posts: 14,907 ✭✭✭✭CJhaughey


    I have home bottled Tuna.
    Pressure cooker for 100 minutes @ 10psi
    Raw packed with a tsp of salt per 1000ml jar.
    I used the Le Parfait 'Wiss' Jars with the steel lids they worked very well.
    The pressure cooker is a Prestige Hi-dome which allows the taller jars to be used.
    I'd like a proper big pressure canner but they have to be got in the US.


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