Write name of product and date canned on a gummed label or the lid of
each jar with a felt tip pen. Keep a record of food canned, date, number
of quarts or pints, and a place for you to check them off as you use
them. This can be your guide for next year's preservation plan. Use food
preserved for the current year, readying a storage place for next
season's garden produce.
Canned foods stored in a dry, dark, cool temperature (70° F or below)
will retain good eating quality for a year. Home canned foods stored in
a warm place near direct sunlight, hot pipes, above a range or
refrigerator, or in kitchen cabinets may lose some eating quality within
a few weeks. Dampness may corrode lids and cause leakage so that the
food spoils.
The main cause of spoilage in canned foods is improper processing.
Bulging jar lids, or a leak, may mean gas is present and the food
spoiled.
Before opening home canned foods, wash jars and lids and carefully
inspect the jars. Bacteria, yeasts and molds should have been destroyed
if the food was properly processed.
When you open the container, look for such danger signs as spurting,
cloudy or frothy liquid, an "off" odor, deterioration, or slimy texture.
A foamy or murky appearance and patches of mold are visible signs of
spoilage. That ordinary looking mold on home-canned food may indicate
the presence of a much more deadly problem: botulism.
[Illustration: ALWAYS _label home-canned foods_.]
Destroy food if any of these signs are obvious; discard out of reach of
humans and animals.
The odor in good jars of food should be pleasant and characteristic of
the product. Do not use food which looks or smells bad, or if there is
any doubt as to its safety.
All low-acid, home-canned food should be boiled 10 to 20 minutes to
insure destruction of botulism-causing toxin for added safety. Heating
denatures the toxin so that it does not react with the body. Never taste
home canned food before cooking it.
Successful results largely depend upon the accuracy with which
up-to-date directions are followed.
Safety is best assured when you exercise special care as you prepare and
pack food into canning jars, fitting jars with properly pretreated lids,
and heating jars of food to a high enough temperature for a sufficient
length of time to kill micro-organisms that cause spoilage.