METRO DETROIT — Canning is a scientific based food preservation method that’s been used throughout the centuries to keep foods from spoiling. It can provide a family with nutrients and save them money during hard times. 
When modern methods of food preservation did not yet exist, people preserved their food by canning, drying and curing. Today, it can save money and allow people to save the fruits and vegetables they can’t get through in their gardens. 

According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia, canning is a method of food preservation. The process heats up the jars to a temperature that kills any microorganisms in food that can cause a health risk to people. 

“Canning also inactivates enzymes that could cause the food to spoil,” the website states. “Air is driven from the jar or can during heating and as it cools a vacuum seal is formed. This vacuum seal prevents air from getting back into the product bringing with it microorganisms to recontaminate the food.”

It allows someone to keep food for a longer period of time rather than letting it spoil in their garden or in their refrigerator. 
Several methods to can food exist, including using a water bath, steam canning, pressure canning and dehydration. 
Irene Ney, of Clinton Township, said she first got into gardening, and then canning was a natural offshoot. One of her neighbors was a canner when she was a young girl.

“I talked to her and that’s how I got started,” Ney said. 
She’s tried canning many things including meats, tomatoes, pickles, stews and much more. This year, she started pressure canning low acid foods.
A hot water bath can be used for high acid foods, and pressure canning can be used for low acid foods. 
“Low acid foods have to be pressure canned,” Ney said. 
Low acid foods include meats, fish and certain vegetables. According to the Michigan State University Extension, low acid foods must be pressure canned and brought to a temperature of 240 degrees Fahrenheit, a little over 115 degrees Celsius, or higher to ensure all illness-causing microorganisms are killed. 
Water bath canning is used for high acid foods including jams, jellies, pickled products, salsa and much more. 
Sidonie Brooks, of St. Clair Shores, has been canning for around five years; she began canning when she found herself with an overabundance of tomatoes. 
“I had to figure out something to do with them, and canning just seemed like the logical answer,” Brooks said. 
Both women mentioned utilizing the MSU Extension to learn how to can. The website, www.canr.msu.edu, has a ton of useful information including the different methods of canning, what not to do to avoid bodily injury or illness, and much more. 
Brooks also said she took classes from the local health department. Ney uses canning books  approved and tested by the United States Department of Agriculture. It’s important to get a newer edition of the books as acidity in a food item can change over time. 
Ney uses citric acid if the acid level of the foods is unknown. 
“Old-fashioned tomatoes used to have a high acid aspect to them where it was safe to can. The pH of five and below is usually safe to can,” Ney said. “However, with all the new breeding of tomatoes, they’ve changed some of them and the acid quality of them is not known, so you add citric acid.” 
Items to start with include a large pot. The type of pot depends on what method a person would like to go with. 
Pressure canning uses a dial gauge or weighted gauge pressure canner. It most often is a silver pot with a matching lid that has two clamps on the side. Water bath canning uses a deep kettle with a rack to place the jars on. A lot of these kettles look like a speckled black pot with a matching lid. 
Brooks has canned jams, jellies, pickles, tomatoes and used a method called dry canning. The process sucks the air out and is used for seasonings.
“I want to learn spaghetti sauce,” Brooks said. “That’s my next thing.” 
Ney also dehydrates, ferments and freezes produce.
“I do a little bit of everything,” Ney said.
Brooks said following recipes that aren’t science-based creates a higher risk of making botulism. She brought up a resource called the “Ball Blue Book” that has scientist-tested recipes. 
“So you, like, follow this exact recipe versus a little bit of this, a little bit of that,” Brooks said. 
Using the proper equipment such as jars specifically made for canning can also help prevent foodborne illnesses. Common jar brands to look for are Ball, Kerr, Pure and Country Harvest. 
During the process, lids are vacuum sealed to the jars and simply tapping the top of it with your finger can tell you if it is properly sealed or not. A properly sealed jar has a different sound than an unsealed jar. 
According to the University of Georgia, remove the ring bands from the jars before storing them and make sure to wash the tops to get rid of any food residue. 
“Label and date the jars and store them in a clean, cool, dark, dry place,” the site said. “For best quality, store between 50 and 70 °F. Also for best quality, can no more food than you will use within a year unless directions for a specific food provide other advice.” 
The hardest part of learning how to can is the patience it takes. 
“You think it would be fast, but it takes forever to get that canner up to a rolling boil and just waiting for the lids to seal,” Brooks said. 
The whole process including cooking the foods has taken her around 10 hours before. She also advises first-time canners to practice patience. 
“It’s not something you can push, because it goes back to, if you rush it, you can make a mistake and even, like, the smallest mistakes can mess up your whole recipe,” Brooks said. 
The USDA can be found at usda.gov. The CDC can be found at cdc.gov. The National Center for Home Food Preservation University of Georgia can be found at nchfp.uga.edu. 
The Macomb County Health Department has food preservation and safety classes. The website can be found at macombgov.org.

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