August 22, 2002

Prairie Fare: Preserving the Season

By Julie Garden-Robinson, Food and Nutrition Specialist
NDSU Extension Service

I was really hoping for a bumper crop of tomatoes and peppers this year. My kids and I planted tomato seeds in tiny starter pots in early spring. Our plants grew sturdy and tall.

When summer arrived, we planted them outside in a nice sunny spot. We watered them and weeded around them. The rabbits even left them alone. I was hopeful.

The tomato plants didn't grow. The plants didn't die either. They just stood there like dormant house plants. Maybe I'll consult a friendly horticulturist next time. For the time being, there's always the local farmers' market.

Whether you grow your own produce or buy it, preserving food has many advantages. You have control over the quality of your starting ingredients, and there's a sense of pride that comes with preserving your garden's bounty. And maybe we're preserving some family traditions, too.

Creativity is often the mark of a good cook, but creativity has no role in home canning. Home canning is a science. The good news is that USDA research-tested recipes are readily available.

The bad news is that Great Grandma's pickled beet recipe isn't necessarily considered safe by today's standards, even if you ate it all your life without getting sick. Maybe you've been lucky. Botulism, a potentially deadly form of foodborne illness, can result from improperly home-canned foods.

Remember some basic rules when canning. Make sure your equipment is functional and, if processing vegetables or meats, be sure your pressure gauge has been tested for accuracy within the past year. Obtain research-tested recipes and follow them closely.

Acidic foods such as pickles, jellies, jams, fruits and tomatoes should be processed in a boiling water bath for the recommended amount of time. Tomatoes should be acidified with lemon juice or citric acid. Low-acid food like vegetables, meat and most mixtures of foods should be processed in a pressure canner following current recommendations.

Salsa is one of the most popular home-canned foods. If your garden produced salsa ingredients like tomatoes, peppers and onions in abundance, consider these salsa-making tips.

• Follow the formulation exactly and measure/weigh ingredients carefully. Use bottled lemon or lime juice or vinegar as indicated.
• Handle hot peppers carefully: wear plastic gloves and wash your hands before touching your face.
• In canning recipes calling for spices, you may safely decrease the amount of spice, but do not increase the spice amounts.
• To alter the heat in salsa, you can safely substitute one type of pepper for another, but keep the total amount of pepper the same.
• Do not thicken salsas with cornstarch or other thickeners before canning. After opening the jars, if the salsa appears thin, it can be heated and thickened later, or the excess juice may be strained.

Here's a recipe that was a big hit with a salsa class I taught. It's so tasty it might be eaten before it gets into the canning jars. For more information about food preservation, visit the NDSU Extension Service Website: www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/food

Tomato Paste Salsa

3 qt. tomatoes, peeled and chopped
4 c. green peppers, chopped (about 2 large bell peppers)
12-oz jar jalapeno peppers (in vinegar, drained)
1 c. long green chilies, seeded and chopped (about 3 chilies)
3 c. onions, chopped (about 3 medium)
3 c. celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 12-oz. cans tomato paste
2 c. bottled lemon juice
1 Tbsp. salt
1 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. ground cumin

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue boiling for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot salsa into hot pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims. Cap with properly pretreated lids. Adjust lids and process in a boiling water canner for 20 minutes.

Makes about 16 pints. Each 2 Tablespoon serving contains about 15 calories, no fat and 3 grams carbohydrates.

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Source: Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor: Gary Moran, (701) 231-7865, gmoran@ndsuext.nodak.edu