Being occupied with food preservation for many years I have discovered that certain tricks of the trade can aid significantly in producing a quality product. When I first started out, I ran across many rumors which I ultimately found some to be false. An example of this is the ability to can potatoes in my foods. Everything I had read previously seemed to indicate that I should not add potatoes, noodles or flour to any recipes that I intended to can. I eventually discovered that there is no problem in canning potatoes either by themselves or as an ingredient.
The major problem associated with potatoes revolves around the type of potatoes being canned. You can attempt to can Russet or the baking varieties of potatoes and they will initially look very good however, within only a few short months they will quickly turn to mush and fall apart, finally settling unappetizingly to the bottom of the jar. On the other hand the Yukon Gold variety remains firm and appealing. What this reveals to me is that when canning potatoes one should use the more “waxy” kinds rather then those considered being of a starch composition such as found in the baking category of potatoes.
Therefore, potatoes can actually be canned either by themselves or as an addition to soups or stews without a problem. The point here is if you can potatoes singly there should be no reason that they could not be canned along with other foods as well.
Even so, I still never add potatoes to my soup that I make and can. What I do use is what I refer to as a “Soup Starter Base”. I will can the spices, meat, onions, and then add the fresh vegetables such as potatoes when I warm it up for serving at the table. Another advantage of this method is that it prevents those various vegetables in the ingredients list from tasting all the same, particularly after months of sitting on a storage shelf.
Noodles of any kind present a different picture here and still should not be canned. The USDA states that one should not can pasta, any kind of thickeners (except for Clear Gel, barley or rice) due to the associated viscosity issues which could result in uneven heat penetration. You may chance upon some people who claim to have safely used pasta or barley without any issues or problems. The choice will be up to you if you are willing to take the chance and you don’t mind mushy noodles.
To explain the viscosity issue a little further, you should understand that heat will travel through meats due to the fat and water content of the associated food item. The fat makes it much easier for the heat to penetrate the product. Mashed foods such as pumpkin, winter squash or potatoes do not possess these needed fats to help with the heat penetrate. These foods naturally have a thick-gluey consistency as a result of their starch content and tend to slow down the heat penetration. When canning these foods use only chunks and not mashed.
If canned as chunks the potatoes should work out fabulously. There are several bits of advice that should prove valuable in this respect. First, always use plain water and do not use the potato cooking water to top off your jars. To do so would yield an unappealing and super-starchy product. The second hint I would like to present to you is never use russet potatoes. While white potatoes are totally suited for canning, russets are not.
In relation to using the barley in soups, if you must you should use no more then 1 Tablespoon of dry barley to one quart and no more. The barley is likely to puff up a considerable amount but you still should have sufficient liquid in the soup jar to provide a safe fluid movement. The same applies to pasta. If you are going to use pasta in your soup use not only the tiniest types of pasta shapes, but also use only 1 Tablespoon to a quart jar.
Please keep in mind that this complete process is contradictory to the USDA ruling that you should not can with flour or flour related products. Usually as a substitute for canning flour one can make use of “Clear Jel” which is a modified type of cornstarch used as a thickener. Don’t misunderstand me for I fully support the USDA standards but we have to remember that they like to err on the side of safety more then anything else. As with anything in life one simply can not make one rule that will apply to all situations. It is easier to state absolutely no flour or no pasta rather then to rely upon everyone knowing exactly how much is enough in a recipe. Therefore the USDA leaves us with cautious and broad limitations.
Copyright @2010 Joseph Parish
By Joseph Parish
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