For centuries, homeowners and farmers have used airtight glass jars with lids to preserve foods. This natural method of preserving food is called CANNING. Empty jam jars were particularly handy alternatives. And that method remains popular to this day.
Several wide-mouthed glass jars with lids - otherwise called canning jars - now exist. You can cheaply buy these quality glass storage containers in various sizes, colours, and shapes. They include types such as the Preserving and Storage jars, which are highly recommended for canning foods. You can easily stack them away, wash them, and reuse them.
Additionally, they are rust-resistant and can withstand a fairly broad range of temperatures (from hot to cold).
Advantages of Canning
It is always best to consume your vegetables and fruits fresh when they are in season. Most vegetables and fruits blossom and produce in summer. However, you need to eat them as fresh as possible all year round. To make them available during off-season periods, you can seal them away in airtight glass jars with lids.
Furthermore, canning vegetables in glass jars with lids can preserve their natural taste, nutritional content, and aroma. Thus, you keep them fresh without adding any chemicals or unnatural additives.
Canning also prevents wastage, contamination, and/or spoilage of your vegetables (when properly done). You can further shield your vegetables from fruits that produce ethylene gas by canning them.
Vegetables That Can be Canned in Glass Jars with Lids
Peppers and tomatoes are so widely consumed. Thus, they are naturally the first candidates for canning. You can preserve several vegetables (including the ones listed below) in raw or cooked form, using your favorite glass jars with lids. But ensure they are well sealed.
- Tomatoes can be canned fresh or turned into either juice, ketchup, sauce, or salsa before canning them.
- Peppers should be blanched to remove their skins before canning. Cut large peppers into two, but leave small peppers whole.
- Cut or remove the kernels from the cob, without scraping the cob
- Wash the pods and trim their ends before canning them. Store them whole, or have them cut into 1-inch pieces.
- Wash and peel them; or slice/dice them up ready for canning.
- Wash and trim the asparagus. Then store them in spears (or pieces).
- You can pickle your cucumbers in jam jars or orcio jars (and get a nice taste).
- Trim off the tops, stems and roots. Then boil and remove the skins. If they are small enough, you may preserve them whole. For large pieces, cut them in halves and quarters for easy canning.
- Green beans. Snip the ends before storing them. You may cut them into 1-inch pieces if necessary.
Procedures for Safe Canning
➢ Shield your Vegetables from Ethylene Gas
To keep them fresh, you can use airtight glass jars with lids to effectively protect your vegetables from fruits that exude ethylene gas (the ripening hormone). Vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, greens, and cucumbers are ethylene-sensitive and must be separated in this way.
Popular fruits that produce ethylene include apples, mangoes, avocados, peaches, plums, apricots, watermelons, bananas, blueberries, and grapes.
➢ Get Details About Each Canning Method
Again, you should get enough details about different canning methods - including recommended temperatures, timing, and proper sealing. You will definitely need a food thermometer. Doing so will help you prevent food poisoning and/or botulism (the result of contamination by harmful bacteria, viruses, or moulds).
Top 4 Methods of Canning Vegetables Using Glass Jars with Lids
❖ Water Bath Canning
You can pickle your vegetables in well-sealed jam jars or mason jars by covering them in a solution of organic bottled lemon juice or vinegar. It is a common method of preserving tomatoes. It will increase the acidity, and preserve the veggies for longer. They often turn out more tasty and nutritious, and are equally good for garnishing salads. Powdered citric acid can give you the same results (if you want to avoid the excess liquid).
❖ Canning by Pickling
You can seal vegetables in mason or jam jars filled with salt brine (you may add some vinegar). The brine should cover them well. But start by layering the bottom with 2 cloves of garlic. This is called pickling - probably the oldest known method of preserving vegetables.
However, table salt may contain minerals like iodine, which can affect the taste and colour of canned veggies. You can avoid this by using a mineral-free pickling salt - like Morton's Canning & Pickling Salt.
❖ Pressure Canning
To achieve long-term storage of your vegetables without a refrigerator, have them securely stored in glass jars, and boil them in a pressure canner. The pressure canner heats your canned vegetables to a temperature above that of boiling water, which effectively kills all microbes. Sturdy jam jars are equally suitable for this method. But note that pressure canning works well only on acidic foods.
❖ Canning by Fermenting
You can ferment vegetables by sprinkling/rubbing them with dry salt, and sealing them in airtight jam jars or glass containers. There is no need to add acidic liquid or heat. The food ultimately produces organic acids similar to pickled food. Fermented vegetables have the advantage of improving gut health as well.
Conclusion
Glass jars with lids can offer you a fairly long-term and sustainable method of preserving vegetables all year round. In addition, they can safely preserve your vegetables for longer.
It is also advisable to find out about different canning methods, and the foods they are suitable for. Adhering to safety procedures will further help prevent food contamination.