Forager's Harvest

Saturday, January 28, 2012

Recipe for Picking Beets and Canning

Supplies for Canning Beets

3 quarts of beets (approximately 20 medium beets)
2 cups of sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1 tablespoon allspice
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 1/2 cups of vinegar
quart size canning jars, lids and rims

Preparing the Beets

When growing beets, they take two and a half months to three and a half months to be ready for harvest, depending on the variety. Beets are usually ready to be harvested in early June, before the hottest part of the summer season. When harvesting beets, push the dirt away from the tops and check the width of the beets. They are ready when the width reaches one to two inches. Don't leave beets in the ground too long or they become tough and woody.
It's best to prepare the beets for canning within a day of harvest. If the beets cannot be prepared and canned immediately, store them in the refrigerator, or in a cool dry place to prevent spoiling. Wash the beets well. Trim the roots and stems from the beets. Slice the beets using whatever method is desired. Beets are often quartered or sliced into 1/4 inch slices for canning.

Cooking the Beets for Canning

In a saucepan, boil the beets in salted water, until they become tender. Allow the beets to cool. Drain off one and a half cups of water. In a large stockpot, combine the water, sugar, cinnamon sticks, allspice, and vinegar. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, or low heat. Continue to simmer the liquid for 15 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks immediately.

Canning Beets

The jars, lids and rings should be sterilized either by boiling them in hot water, or by washing them in a high-temperature dishwasher. Pack the cooked beets into the sterile jars. Ladle in the hot liquid, leaving at least one quarter inch of space at the top of the jar to prevent leaking while the beets are in the water bath canner. Remove any air bubbles in the jars by sliding a sterile spatula down the side of the jar. Seal the jars by placing the lid and ring on the jar. Process the jars in the boiling water of a water bath canner for 30 mintues.
Remove the canned beets from the canner and allow them to rest undisturbed overnight. The jars will begin to seal as they cool. You can check to ensure the jars have sealed after at least 12 hours by pressing down on the lid of the jar. If the lid has no give and it is depressed, then the beets have sealed. Label the jars with the date and the contents before storing. The pickled beets will last a year in a cool dry pantry.

Credits and Further Reading

Photos:

Fresh Beets Photo courtesy of B.D.'s World - http://www.flickr.com/photos/bdsworld/2727788545
Pantry of Canned Food Photo courtesy of Wikimedia - Canned Food

Canning Pear Halves

The Bartlett and Kieffer varieties are the best pears for canning. After the pears have been harvested, store them in a cool area (60 to 65 degrees) until they are fully ripe and ready to be canned. Use only firm, ripe pears for canning. Pears that are bruised, or overly-ripe will not produce quality results.

Supplies

Pears - approximately 2 ½ pounds of pears will be needed to make each pint of canned pear halves.
Water
Sugar, fruit juice, splenda, or honey
Good quality paring knife
Jar grabber
Lid lifter
Jar funnel
Large stockpot
Water bath canner or very large stockpot
Large spoons and ladles
Canning jars

A large stockpot can be used to process, or boil, fruit for canning. However, water bath canners are usually sold with acccessories such as a jar grabber, lid lifter and a rack inside the canner that makes it much easier to move the cans in and out of the boiling water.

Step 1: Preparing the Canning Syrup

In a stockpot, place enough water or fruit juice to completely cover the pear halves you will be cutting. If you are using fruit juice, nothing else is needed. If you are using water add one of the following for every 5 cups of water:

2 cups of sugar
1/8 cup of splenda
1 cup of sugar PLUS 1 cup honey, maple syrup, or light corn syrup.

Pears canned at home do not require sugar to prevent spoilage. Sugar is used to sweeten the pears and help preserve the texture and color. Browning of the pears is called oxidation and occurs as soon as the pear is cut. Have the syrup, or juice, ready so the pear halves can be place in it as soon as they are cut. Often a syrup for canning pears is made from water, sugar, splenda or honey, but using sugar is not the only way to prevent oxidation. A more natural method of canning the pears in juice will also prevent oxidation.

Step 2: Cut the Pears

Wash and drain the pears. Using a sharp paring knife, stem, peel, and cut each pear in half. Cut the circular core and seeds from each pear half. Place the pears in the stockpot with the juice or sugar.

Step 3: Prepare the Water Bath Canner and Poaching the Pears

Fill the water bath canner with water and heat it over high heat until the water comes to a boil. While waiting on the water to boil, bring the pears and syrup to a slow boil over medium high heat. Boil for 20 minutes until the pears are poached. The original white color of the pear halves will become more translucent. When the water in the canner is boiling place each of the canning jars, lids, and rims in the boiling water to sterilize them.

Step 4: Fill the Jars

The canning jars and lids need only to remain in the boiling water for a few moments to sterilize them. Remove the jars and lids from the boiling water. The jar grabber and lid lifter that come with most canning kits make this job much easier. Place the jar funnel in the first jar to be filled with pears. The jar funnel prevents spills on the outer rim of the jars. The rim of the jar must be very clean to seal properly. Using a ladle or large spoon, put the pear halves into the jars. When the jars are filled with pears, ladle the syrup or juice into the jar, leaving ½ to ¼ inch of head space at the top of the jar. Place the sterile lid and rings on each jar.

Step 5: Process the Canned Pear Halves

Process the jars of canned pear halves by boiling them in a stockpot or water bath canner for 20 minutes. Using the jar grabber to lift them out, place them on the counter and leave the jars undisturbed overnight. The jars will usually begin to seal within 1 to 20 minutes, but check each jar to ensure it has sealed before putting them away in the pantry. The top of the jar should be sunken and have no give to it when it is depressed in the middle.
Canning pear halves is a great way to preserve the fruit for winter months and the jars make very attractive gifts for family, friends and co-workers. Some other common recipes for canning pears include pear sauce and pear preserves.