Learners have a positive attitude about learning about food preservation | daily city gate

Each was given a piece of paper with canning terminology on it and asked to find this item on the table filled with equipment.

It turned out to be an easy challenge, with a 100% success rate.

Last Tuesday at the Fort Madison Public Library, Sara Sprouse, Human Services Specialist of ISU Nutrition and Wellness Outreach and Outreach, kicked off the group with safety tips and the basics.

“It’s important to have the right equipment,” she says. “For the lids, try to buy only enough for this season. This would be best practice. This will ensure that the sealing compound around the edge is of the best quality and it will reduce the risk of failure.

The lids, Sprouse said, should only be used once for canning. The strips, which must be removed after treatment, are reusable.

Sprouse said to check the instructions on the box for how to prepare the lids.

“For the most part, the lids now, when you’re preparing them to use, you don’t have to boil them,” she said. “Just wash them in warm soapy water and they’re good to go now.”

When using a boiling water bath to preserve goods, support is required.

“We need a rack to keep the jars off the floor of the cannery,” she said. “If all else fails, get out your bread ties and tie your strips together to make a support for the bottom of your can.”

The ISU extension, Sprouse said, can test canned gauges to make sure they’re accurate. They should be tested annually. Weighted gauges do not need to be tested, but owners should inspect their seals.

The ideal range for canning, Sprouse said, is a gas range with burners.

“Because when you adjust the heat, it’s immediate,” she said. “And we want to make sure that we’re maintaining a constant boil to maintain that constant pressure during processing and in the hot water bath, to maintain a constant boil the whole time they’re in it. So gas is the best in regarding the possibility of settling this.

Electric ranges with burners are “good,” Sprouse said, but are hard to find. Ceramic or glass flat top pans are not recommended, as the heavy pot can damage or even break the top of the pan. In addition, the new models have an automatic shutdown.

When it comes to packing jars, an important step, Sprouse said, is making sure there’s proper headspace.

“Headspace is important because if you have too much of it, there’s too much air in the jar and you can’t process it enough to squeeze enough air out of it to create that vacuum seal,” a- she declared. “If there is too little free space, you run the risk that the food, during the processing time, bubbles up and comes out of the jar and then causes the seal to fail again, so you don’t have of sealed jar.”

Sprouse also explained how to treat cans, what to do after treatment, and other best practices from ISU Extension and Outreach.

An upcoming workshop in August is “The Science of Parenting: Positive Discipline.” From 1 to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, August 2, at Fort Madison Baptist Church, 415 Ave. L, participants will learn the difference between discipline and punishment and how to strengthen parent-child relationships.

No registration or payment is necessary for the course. Call Dawn Dunnegan at 319-385-8126 if you have any questions.

Also on Tuesday, August 2, 6-7 p.m., at the United Congregational Church of Christ Denmark, 401 Academy Avenue, Denmark, is “Healthy and Homemade.” Attendees will learn about meal planning, cooking for one or two, healthy and economical choices, slow cooker meals and vegetarian options. Registration is required and there is a $10 fee. Call Whitney at 319-835-5116.