PRESERVATION: Local farmers and home garden-growers are starting to reap the benefits after caring for their fruit and vegetable plants all spring and summer.
And preserving extra produce means being able to enjoy homegrown treats all year.
However, Penn State Extension reminds people preserving food at home to follow modern food preservation instructions to prevent illness.
According to Sharon McDonald, Penn State Extension senior educator and food safety specialist, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention statistics show the most common cause of botulism outbreaks in the U.S. is home-canned vegetables.
In fact, of the 210 outbreaks of foodborne botulism reported to the CDC between 1996 and 2014, 43 were from home-canned vegetables.
“The CDC reports that these outbreaks often occurred because home canners did not follow canning instructions, did not use pressure canners, ignored signs of food spoilage, or did not know they could get botulism from improperly preserved vegetables,” Penn State stated in a press release on the subject.
As cozy as inherited family recipes are, Sharon warns that old-fashioned recipes were written without modern food knowledge.
She said the three primary methods for home preservation are freezing, drying and canning.
Freezing is the easiest and safest, according to Sharon. Freeze food as quickly as possible, use packaging specifically made for freezing and label packages with the content and date frozen.
To dry food, some food drying can be done in an oven, but many people purchase a food dehydrator.
Canning is the most labor-intensive method of food preservation. Sharon suggests taking a canning workshop in person or online before tackling the task.
Learn more about
• food freezing at extension.psu.edu/lets-preserve-freezing-vegetables
• drying at extension.psu.edu/lets-preserve-drying-fruits-and-vegetables
• canning at extension.psu.edu/lets-preserve-basics-of-home-canning
Make sure to wash food thoroughly, no matter you plan to preserve it, Penn State advises.
