Health Tips For Fall Canning Projects

By Jan Howard

The importance of good nutrition, hints on food safety, and canning tips were the subject of the October 19 Lunch and Learn program, sponsored by Ashlar of Newtown at Lockwood Lodge.

Lunch and Learn is a series of free seminars for mature adults on topics of living and aging well.

Thirty area residents participated in the free seminar by Mary Ann Novaco of Newtown and registered dietitian Muriel Schmitt of Ashlar.

Ms Novaco demonstrated the art of canning by preparing Calico Corn Relish. While it was being prepared, Ms Schmitt presented proper techniques of canning, as well as advice on how to customize recipes to suit nutritional needs.

Home canning is almost considered a lost art, Ms Schmitt said, because canned foods in stores now offer all kinds of choices. Plus, she said, canning is a lot of work.

“Mary Ann thinks it’s a creative thing,” she said. However, one of the original reasons for canning was to preserve food that would not be available otherwise.

Ms Schmitt said canning jars should be checked for cracks or nicks and washed in hot soapy water. They should then be sterilized for more than 15 minutes.

 The relish recipe was cooked while the jars were being sterilized, then the jars were filled with the hot mixture, leaving a one-quarter inch headspace at the top. Covers that provide the seal were applied, and the caps adjusted.

“Make sure there is nothing around the center of the jar,” that would prevent a seal, she said.

The filled jars were then processed for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Ms Schmitt said the water should completely cover the jars to destroy any microorganisms and to ensure the jars are sealed.

Ms Schmitt noted some food safety mistakes almost everyone makes, such as thawing frozen food outside the refrigerator, leaving food out, using unclean cutting boards that can cause cross contamination between foods, stirring and tasting with the same spoon, and undercooking high risk foods.

All fruits and vegetables should be washed, and chicken and shrimp should be rinsed in cold water.

 Steam and microwave vegetables to keep the nutrients in them, Ms Schmitt said. For pan cooking, use a small amount of water, she noted, because vitamins can be lost in the water.

 Cooking in a covered pot makes cooking time faster as some vitamins, such as B and C, are destroyed easily by heat.

Though Ms Novaco said she has never had any canned goods go bad, when a new batch is canned, any left over from the prior year should be thrown out.

Ms Schmitt said older adults are not always nutritionally healthy. One of the problems of the elderly is weight loss.

For good health, a person should eat foods from all food groups every day. Also, eat different foods from each food group every day because some foods are better sources of a nutrient than others. Eating several foods from each food group ensures the chance of getting all the nutrients needed.

The five food groups are milk products for calcium, 2-4 servings; meat for iron, 2-3 servings; vegetables for vitamin A, 3-5 servings; fruit group for vitamin C, 2-4 servings; and grains for fiber, 6 to 11 servings.

 The milk group includes 1 cup milk, 1 cup yogurt, 1-1/2 to 2 ounces cheese, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, and 1/2 cup of ice cream, ice milk or frozen yogurt.

The meat group includes 2 to 3 ounces of cooked, lean meat, 2 to 3 ounces of cooked, lean poultry or fish, one egg, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, and 1/2 cup of cooked, dried peas or dried beans.

The vegetable group includes 3/4 cup juice, 1/2 cup raw vegetable, 1cup raw leafy vegetable, 1/2 cup cooked vegetable, and one medium potato.

The fruit group includes 3/4 cup juice, 1/2 cup raw, canned, or cooked fruit, 1 medium apple, banana, orange, or pear, 1/2 grapefruit and 1/4 cantaloupe.

The grain group includes 1 slice bread, 1/2 English muffin, hamburger bun, one ounce ready-to-eat cereal, 1/2 cup pasta, rice, grits, or cooked cereal, and 1 tortilla, roll, or muffin.

Recipe For Calico Corn

1 quart whole kernel corn (about three 12-ounce cans)

1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)

1/2 cup diced sweet green pepper (about 1/2 medium)

1/2 cup diced sweet red pepper, (about 1/2 medium)

2 cups vinegar

1-1/2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon salt

1-1/2 teaspoons celery seed

1-1/2 teaspoons mustard seed

1 tablespoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot. Bring to a boil; simmer 20 minutes. Pour hot into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust caps. Process 15 minutes in boiling water bath. Yield: about 6 half-pints.