Camping is one of the most beloved and sought after summer events.  People love camping for a variety of reasons, but no matter who you are you must eat while you are out in the wild and untamed wilderness. Camping food is often one of the main reasons people go camping, and I am not talking about he hot dogs and sm’ores.  Some campers are A#1 great chefs.

Just take Rhett, for instance, whenever he takes those scouts on a camping trip and they are all supposed to pack their own food the boys end up with Chex Mix and a can of soup, whereas Rhett creates tin foil dinners, dutch oven cobbler, fried eggs and potatoes, beef jerky and all other goodies, not forgetting the smores.

The boys wonder how he does it, and now a few of them have even caught on enough to ask Rhett to help them plan their menus and prepare their own food.  But no matter if it is Rhett or one of the youth we always make sure we teach them how to properly store the food to make sure it does not go bad.  If they are not willing to do this then we tell them to break out that Chex Mix and canned soup because if not, they will be SICK!

Taking food int he hot summer fun takes some preparation.  here are some helpful hints:

1. You number one most important item is the cooler.  If you are camping by driving your vehicle then this is easier than backpacking with the scouts.  Using a cooler do the following:
   • Freeze drinks before leaving so that they stay cold longer.
   • Separate the drinks that you frequently get in and out of the cooler for from your food items. It will keep the food cold longer.
   • Use block ice instead of crushed and cubed ice.  It stays cold longer.
     • To save money on block ice freeze water in old (cleaned out) milk jugs.  They will stay frozen a long time and the water, once melted is mostly contained (except for condensation) so it will not get all over your food.
2. If you are hiking and cannot carry a huge cooler you need to make sure your food is precooked and then use insulated individual containers with baggies of ice. Try eating this food first and then resort to Chex Mix and Canned Soup for the duration of the event.
3. Separate your food as much as possible, using individual sealable baggies and small airtight storage containers.

Lastly, make sure that you get rid of your garbage on a regular basis if not it will attract animals and rodents.

Have a great time and keep that food safe!

Emmaline

How can I ensure that my food is safely prepared?

Botulism (from the Botulinum Spore), is a deadly form of food poisoning that is caused by growth of bacteria on food.  Botulism exists as spores or cells; the spores can survive for many years in soil and be harmless, however when the proper conditions exist those spores reproduce into cells which multiply very quickly.  All of those cells combined create a deadly toxin.

This environment is most common in a moist, low acidic food at a temperature of 40° to 120°F and that has an oxygen level of less than 2%.

Botulinum spores are found on most fresh food, but because they can not grow with oxygen or high acidic levels they are harmless.  These spores, in addition to other bacterias, molds and yeasts are very hard to remove from food surfaces.  You get rid of very few of these spores by washing your food alone.  If a product is grown underground then you can reduce a great number of them by peeling and/or blanching, but that still does not get rid of all of them.  The only way to ensure that you are safe from them is to make sure that you follow the proper directions and processing times of all food types.  The best resource for this is the USDA’s Complete Guide to Home Canning.

The processing times in this book ensure destruction of the largest expected number of heat-resistant microorganisms in home-canned foods. Properly sterilized canned food will be free of spoilage if lids seal and jars are stored below 95°F. Storing jars at 50° to 70°F enhances retention of quality.

Whether food should be processed in a pressure canner or boiling-water canner to control botulinum bacteria depends on the acidity of the food. Acidity may be natural, as in most fruits, or added, as in pickled food. Low-acid canned foods are not acidic enough to prevent the growth of these bacteria. Acid foods contain enough acid to block their growth, or destroy them more rapidly when heated. The term “pH” is a measure of acidity; the lower its value, the more acid the food. The acidity level in foods can be increased by adding lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar.

Low-acid foods have pH values higher than 4.6. They include red meats, seafood, poultry, milk, and all fresh vegetables except for most tomatoes. Most mixtures of low-acid and acid foods also have pH values above 4.6 unless their recipes include enough lemon juice, citric acid, or vinegar to make them acid foods. Acid foods have a pH of 4.6 or lower. They include fruits, pickles, sauerkraut, jams, jellies, marmalade’s, and fruit butters.

Although tomatoes usually are considered an acid food, some are now known to have pH values slightly above 4.6. Figs also have pH values slightly above 4.6. Therefore, if they are to be canned as acid foods, these products must be acidified to a pH of 4.6 or lower with lemon juice or citric acid. Properly acidified tomatoes and figs are acid foods and can be safely processed in a boiling-water canner.

Botulinum spores are very hard to destroy at boiling-water temperatures; the higher the canner temperature, the more easily they are destroyed. Therefore, all low-acid foods should be sterilized at temperatures of 240° to 250°F, attainable with pressure canners operated at 10 to 15 PSIG. PSIG means pounds per square inch of pressure as measured by gauge. The more familiar “PSI” designation is used hereafter in this publication (the Complete Guide to Home Canning). At temperatures of 240° to 250°F, the time needed to destroy bacteria in low-acid canned food ranges from 20 to 100 minutes.

The exact time depends on the kind of food being canned, the way it is packed into jars, and the size of jars. The time needed to safely process low-acid foods in a boiling-water canner ranges from 7 to 11 hours; the time needed to process acid foods in boiling water varies from 5 to 85 minutes.

Acidity of Foods
Process adjustments at high altitudes.

Boiling Point Of Water (Image from HFP)

Using the process time for canning food at sea level may result in spoilage if you live at altitudes of 1,000 feet or more. Water boils at lower temperatures as altitude increases. Lower boiling temperatures are less effective for killing bacteria. Increasing the process time or canner pressure compensates for lower boiling temperatures. Therefore, when you use the Complete Guide to Home Canning, select the proper processing time or canner pressure for the altitude where you live. If you do not know the altitude, contact your local county Extension agent. An alternative source of information would be the local district conservationist with the Soil Conservation Service.

Most people realize that canning is a lot like baking, you must adjust your canning time based on the altitude of where you live.

Fruits and vegetables can be safely canned in a boiling water bath or pressure cooker. However, because the temperature of boiling water is lower at higher elevations, you need to increase the processing time.  For example, water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit up to 1,000 feet elevation; at 203 degrees F at 5,000 feet; and 194 degrees F at 10,000 feet.

The lower boiling point temperatures that result at higher altitudes mean that foods might not be getting heated up enough to be safely stored when you attempt to preserve them at higher elevations. This is corrected by increasing the amount of time that the jars spend in the boiling water bath. When you use a pressure canner, you adjust for altitude by increasing the pressure and sometimes the time.

For altitudes of 1,000 feet or less use the base canning processing time listed on your recipe, however if you live at altitudes above 1,000 feet use the following chart to adjust your processing time.

Preserving Food Using Canning:

Most fresh foods are very perishable, they spoil and mold because they have a high percentage of water.  In addition, they will also lose their quality.

Microorganisms such as bacteria, mold and yeast live and multiply quickly on the surfaces of fresh food.  In addition, they live and multiply on the inside of bruised, insect-damaged, and diseased food. Oxygen and enzymes are present throughout fresh food tissues which reduce moisture in food and make it wilt and dry.

In order to be sure that you get the best prepared food be sure to follow these canning procedures:

• Carefully select fresh food that is not bruised or wilted.
• Wash the food in order to be sure that it is clean and ready to be canned.
• If the food has spores that has the potential to collect bacteria be sure to peel it.
• Hot packing foods as a general rule kills more bacteria than cold packing.
• Adding acids (lemon juice or vinegar) to some foods will keep them from browning and also increase the acidic value to preserve better.
• Be sure to use sterilized jars and self-sealing lids.
• Processing jars in a boiling waterbath or pressure canner for the correct period of time.

If you follow all of the proper canning practices and procedures will get you a better food for your family to enjoy.  These procedures will remove the excess oxygen, destroy harmful enzymes and prevent the growth and multiplication of bacteria, yeasts and molds.

Information from United States Department of Agriculture: Complete Guide to Home Canning

Information from United States Department of Agriculture: Complete Guide to Home Canning

Excalibur Dehydrator #3900

Excalibur Dehydrator – #3900

One of the best parts about the summer is the fruits and vegetables growing fresh around the area.  I love to go to the farmers market, to the local fruit-stands and just out to my backyard to get the best and freshest foods for my family to eat and snack on.

The health benefits of fresh foods are many fold and the summer months that I have them around I feel so great.  I have tons of energy, and feel at peak performance.  But what about the winter months when the trees are in hibernation, the garden is dead and I have no desire to run to the grocery store and pay the exorbitant prices?

Well that is when I am glad that I canned and dehydrated the foods during the summer, thus allowing me to enjoy them all year round.  This year I did all of my drying using the Excalibur 3900 Dehydrator.

The Excalibur 3900 is an ideal dehydrator for large families and those people with gardens that produce a lot.  The reason why it is best is because the Excalibur 3900 Dehydrator has 9 trays that provide 15 square feet of tray area.  One of my favorite features about the Excalibur 3900 is the fact that the fan is at the back of the dehydrator and not the bottom.  This provides for a more even dehydrating.  It also has an easily removable door that is made of the same dark materials as the dehydrator, aiding in the nutrient preservation piece of drying foods.  Be careful with the door though… my little boys are always so excited when I make fruit leather that it is hard to keep them away.  Little boys who stretch and reach hard enough can just reach to the top of the counter and grab the edge of the door.  Uh ohhh… mine learned really fast that mommy made you wait even longer for a piece if you touched things you were not supposed to.

The Excalibur 3900 Dehydrator has a built-in on/off switch and adjustable thermostat for it’s 600 watt fan.

This year we started out dehydrating fruit leather.  My kids love fruit leather and it is so easy that I began with 9 full trays of it.  I think the fruit leather may have lasted 3 days… tops…  Anyone with some hiding ideas I would be most obliged.  A nice thing with Excalibur is that you can also get accessories for your dehydrator.  One of the best accessories is the ParaFlexx sheets.  These sheets are laid over the trays thus making it possible to make fruit leather without the liquid dripping through the trays.  They are easy to clean up after and they even have disposable sheets that you can use one time only or just place them in the bottom of the dehydrator to catch spills and drips from the foods.

My family also likes beef jerky.  Excalibur has some stainless steel trays that fit all of their dehydrators.  The reason these trays are nice for meats is because they are sturdier and can take a hard scrubbing and heated temperatures that it requires to sterilize after working with meat products.

When I was drying foods I checked the foods at the halfway point to make sure everything was going alright… and I just couldn’t help myself.  I took this opportunity to rotate the trays so that the edge that was closest to the fan was moved to the outside by the door of all the trays.  This I think was a good move because it made the fruit and vegetable all dry evenly.  This was especially important when I made the fruit leather because if not the one edge would have been drier and the other edge may have been too soft.  By turning the trays half way thorough my dried foods were PERFECT!

Another item I dried in the Excalibur 3900 Dehydrator was Yogurt.  I again laid the plastic wrap or ParaFlexx sheet and loaded a blob of Yogurt in the middle.  then I used a spatula to spread it evenly on the tray making sure my edges were just a little thicker than the middle.  I put it in the dehydrator on the fruit setting and when it was done I cut the yogurt leather into pieces and then dried the pieces another hour.  This dried the ends of all the cut pieces so that they do not stick together in my storage containers.  If you want a healthy treat I truly recommend that you make yogurt leather.  This very healthy snack tastes like taffy not to mention the bright and vibrant color that you get from it.

Some of the other things that I dried were Banana Chips, Pear slices, Avocado slices, Tomato slices (yumm, every bit as good as sun-dried tomatoes).  I left a few of the tomatoes just a little under dried and then made a salad for dinner and sprinkled on the tomato chunks. They were a little chewy and absolutely fabulous.

Guess what else I did, I raised a loaf of bread in the dehydrator.  There are directions of how to do this in the Dehydration Guide that comes with the Excalibur Dehydrator.

When you purchase an Excalibur Dehydrator you get a great dehydration guide with it.  I thought this was a very invaluable booklet.  Not only did the guide give me the care instructions for my new dehydrator, but it also provided recipes and my favorite part, the food drying guide.

The drying guide listed out in table format 5 pages of food type, preparation methods, how to test if the product was dry enough and the time that you can anticipate that it takes to dry that food item.  This was my favorite part.  In fact I copied these pages and then taped them to the inside of my canning closet for easier access.

The last part in the dehydration guide that I really liked was the year-round dehydration tips.  This area of the booklet provides  tips of which items are best to obtain and dehydrate year round so that your dehydrator does not get all its use in the summer and then get neglected during the colder months.

I though the cleanup on the Excalibur 3900 Dehydrator was so simple…  My first round with the dehydrator was fruit leather so I primarily had a barrier on the trays so all I did was simply soaked the trays and mesh covers in sink-full of soapy water and they wiped right down.  The second go round though I dehydrated apple slices that had first been coated with cinnamon and sugar.  As I am sure you can imaging this made more of a sticky mess and required more attention for cleanup… I stuck the trays in the dishwasher.  Yep you read that right, the trays are dishwasher safe.  Yippee!  I am sure we all love that feature.    Just make sure you lay them on the top rack.    Then I took the mesh covers and soaked them in soapy water again for about 10 minutes and the dried on sugar and cinnamon came right off.    I just rinsed them and then laid them on a dry towel to air dry.  It was all very simple and easy.

After using the Excalibur 3900 Dehydrator I am spoiled forever from dehydrating using a tray on the back porch in the sun, on the top of the car or even in the oven.

Come back soon for a video of the Excalibur being used and all of the fruits and vegetables that we made…  Sorry it is not here today, we ate the food so fast I had not taken any pictures and now it is all-gone.  I am getting ready to make some beef jerky and definitely more banannas.

If you have any questions about the Excalibur feel free to ask me or visit Excalibur and ask them directly.  They have some great people there that love what they do and are passionate about drying food.

Excalibur Dehydrators

Canning Salsa and Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

• Tomatoes
• Tomatilos (mexican tomatoes)
• Onion
• Celery
• Green Pepers
• Jalapeno Peppers
• Garlic
• Cilantro
• Salt
• Lemon Juice

If you want your salsa flavored have your other ingredient ready.  We will use Mango, however you can add blueberries, papaya, pomegranate, star fruit, kiwi or anything else you desire.

Directions:

1. Wash and prepare all of your vegetables (and fruit if you are making flavored salsa).


Food Chopper and Salsa Maker that we use. $14.09 at Amazon (click the image)

2. Use a chopper or food processor to finely chop all of your ingredients.  (we use the Progressive International Manual Food Chopper and Salsa Maker)
3. As you chop the ingredients place them into a large bowl or cookpot.
4. Taste as you go to make sure you do not have too much of one item and not enough of another.
5. Salt to taste.
6. Add a splash of lemon juice.
7. Stir to make sure all of your ingredients are well mixed.

If you want to hot pack your salsa you would put the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil for 5 to 10 minutes.  This causes the items and flavors to blend a little better and will make it so that the salsa does not separate during processing, however I like to cold-pack salsa.

1. Fill your jars leaving 1/2 inch head space.
2. Sterilize your lids by boiling them for 5 minutes.
3. Place a lid on your jar and put on a ring.  Do not tork the ring on but put it to wrist tightness.
4. Put your water-bath on the stove and bring it to a boil.
5. Once boiling begin your processing time (30 minutes pints, 40 minutes quarts).
6. When processing time ends remove your jars from the water-bath and place them on a clean dry towel to cool and seal.
7. Let the jars sit overnight , then label and store in a cool dry place.
8. If any jars did not seal place them in the fridge and use them first.

Eat with chips or any other way that you love to eat your salsa.

Getting potatoes on the farm.

My sister is married to a wonderful potato farmer who shares his bounty each and every year.  This year he allowed us to come over and get a truckload of potatoes which we were able to take our fill for the year and share with many of our friends at church.  He truly blessed many peoples lives this harvest.

Each year we store the potatoes in a cool dry place and they keep clear through spring, however we have a potato-less summer and hungrily anticipate the day that my sister says harvest begins and we are again allowed to beg the best potatoes in Washington.  (note:  I am not simply bragging about my brother-in-laws potatoes, but he has won several awards for the best grown potatoes in Washington.  I am accurate when I say the potatoes come from the best).

This year my husband and I discussed what to do about our potato situation and our remedy was to can the potatoes so that when the end of spring comes and our potatoes are sprouting and getting too soft and rotten that we will still have some more until the next harvest in late September.

We simply refuse to purchase potatoes at the grocery store because they are no where close to being as good as our family’s.

Luckily for us potatoes are one of the simplest vegetables to can at home.  Watch this video to learn how and scroll to the bottom for directions.

Directions for Canning Potatoes:

• Cut and Peel Potatoes
• Place potatoes in canning jar
• Add 1 teaspoon for quarts and 1/2 teaspoon for pints of canning and pickling salt (do not use iodized salt)
• Put lids and rings on
• Process in pressure cooker for 40 minutes after it reaches 10 pounds of pressure.
• When canner is done let it sit on the on the counter to cool and de-pressurize before opening the canner and removing the jars.
• Remove the jars and set them on a clean dry towel overnight to cool and seal if they did not already.  Generally all of your jars will seal in the pressure canner.
• Label and store once cooled.

Pressure Canning/Cooking

Pressure cooking is a method of cooking that uses a tightly sealed vessel. The sealed vessel does not permit air or liquids to escape below a preset pressure. The boiling point of water increases as pressure increases, therefore pressure is built up inside the cooker which allows the liquid in the pot to rise to a higher temperature before boiling.

Pressure Cooker

All pressure cookers/canners come with directions. Be sure to reference them whenever you are using your pressure cooker. The following directions should serve as a guide however will never replace the manufacturer’s directions.

The first item of business when using a pressure cooker is setting it up for use. Each year I take my pressure gauge to the university extension office to their health and safety area and have my gauge tested. This generally costs me $2 but saves me so much more in stress free canning. I now know that my foods will reach the pressures that they need to in order to kill the bacteria that would harm my family. If you do not know where the university or county extension office is call your health department or the county information line. If you want help locating it try this site http://www.pickyourown.org/countyextensionagentoffices.htm they seem to have a lot of the offices… though they do not have them all so if yours is not on there do not give up keep trying to locate it. Mine is not on their list, but it is only 4 miles from my house.

I had to purchase a new gauge this year and they are hard to find around town, but I got mine on Amazon and it is perfect. Click here to be taken to Pressure Cooker Gauges at amazon. I bought the Presto 82087 pressure cooker and canner gauge. and it works great.

Once you know your canner is in working order, cleaned and put back together it is time to prepare your jars, including filling them with food. Refer to our post on how to prepare your jars for canning and any number of our recipes that will provide the proper recipes for canning.

Next, your canner should be centered on your stove burner and not overlapping my more than one inch. Some glass -top stoves say that you should not can on them, so check your owners manual before doing so. I have found that I can can on mine as long as all of my canning pans do not have concaved bottoms. They need to be flat bottomed. Remember this when you are purchasing your canning supplies.

The amount of water to put in the canner depends upon the canner, so always refer to the directions that came with your canner. I begin by first placing my canning rack inside my pressure cooker. If you do not use the canning rack jars have the risk of breaking because of the contact with the bottom of the canner. Next, add jars of filled food (make sure you have lids and rings properly in place) and add water until it is about 1/3 of the way up the jars. Another way of gauging the amount of water is to know how many quart jars your canner holds. My canner holds 6 quarts therefore I add 12 cups of water to the bottom of my pressure cooker. Double the liquid for number of jars. In general, you should have about 3 inches of water in the bottom of the canner.

Too much water is unlikely to cause harm, but too little could boil dry and that would be a major problem. Another tip is that if your emergency valve completely quits steaming you have ran your canner out of water and you need to remove it from the heat, add more water and begin the process all over. Resetting your time back to the full amount.

To prevent water stains on jars, add 2 tablespoons white vinegar to water in canner. Always use the canning rack that came with the canner. Jars may break if set directly on bottom of canner.

Put the cover on your canner and make sure that it is tightened to the manufacturer’s directions. On some canners this means that you need to line up certain parts of the canner, you may need to tighten your handles or in my case I need to place the sealing belt on.

Start the canner/pressure cooker by turning on the burner. Make sure that you vent (exhaust) air from the canner and jars by adjusting the burner’s heat to a pretty high setting to create a steady flow of steam from the vent pipe. This will start the pressure gauge to rise. When the pressure gauge has risen tot he desired pressure you can adjust your burner to maintain the pressure and a moderate steam flow.

The processing time begins when the pressure gauge reaches the pressure that your recipe calls for. Once the pressure is reached you will need to adjust the burner heat to maintain the correct pressure on the dial gauge. It may take you a few adjustments to get it right but you will eventually learn what is needed and it will become natural to you.

Once your processing has completed then remove your pressure cooker from the stove and set it on a cooling rack. Let the pressure canner cool naturally until all of the pressure is gone AND the little pressure valve drops on it’s own. This will usually be done when the pot is cool enough to touch with your bare hand. Some people can stand a lot of heat though so I gauge that by when I would not hear my 2 year old say it’s hot. This is generally a little cooler than what an adult can tough. Once it has cooled and the pressure has all been released it is time to open the cooker and remove your jars, setting them on a dry towel spaced so that they do not touch one another.

Remember when you open the canner bring the lid towards you and the steam away from you, that way if there is any residual steam you will not be burnt.

Allow the jars to cool 24 hours and then check your seals, label and store your jars in a cool dark location. If you want, you can remove the rings from the jars. Some people prefer to do this because the jar rings may rust and make it difficult to open the jars, it is entirely a matter of choice.

*** You must remember that if there is a loss of pressure at any time throughout the process that the food may become unsafe to consume. It is best to start your processing time over.

***If the lid sticks it means there is still some pressure inside. Continue to let the canner sit longer until the lid easily comes off.

Home Canned Apple Slices in Red Hot Syrup

Lemon Juice Soak:

• 1 Gallon Water
• 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice

Peel, core and slice approximately 20 pounds of apples. Place them into a large bowl of lemon juice soak and ensure they are fully submersed.  This Lemon Juice Soak will keep the apples from turning brown.

Red Hot Syrup:

Cinnamon Red Hots

• 20 Cups Water
• 8 – 10 Cups Sugar
• 1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
• 1/3 Cup Red Hots

Mix the four above ingredients into a large pot and bring to a boil, dissolving the red hots and sugar into a syrup.

Drain the lemon juice soak from the apple slices and add them to the boiling syrup mixture.  Boil the apples in the syrup for 10 minutes.  This is called hot packing the apples.

Fill your jars with the apples and syrup, making sure there is enough syrup in the jar to cover the apples.  Then add a sterilized lid (see below) and lightly  place a ring on the jar.

Put the jars into the canning rack and set it inside the water-bath canner.  Make sure water covers all of the jars by at least 1 to 2 inches.  Turn the canner on high and bring it to a boil.  Once the water-bath begins to boil start your processing time.

Pints need to process for 20 minutes and quarts for 30 minutes.

When the jars are done processing they should be removed from the water-bath and spaced 1 inch apart on a clean dry towel on the counter.  Let the jars cool for 24 hours.  During this time they will seal.  After jars have cooled, test for seal.To test to ensure that the jars sealed press down on the center of the lid. The lid should be con-caved and not move when pressed. Another method is to tap the lid with the bottom of a teaspoon.

When completely cool, the screw bands should be tightened. Be sure to label canned jars with contents and processing date. Store jars in a cool dark, dry place.