I know you all know this, but if you're doing food preserving, follow recipes from a reputable source.
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@dillyd Just out of curiosity—do you preserve vegetables by fermenting them? I recommend fermented Roma tomatoes with apples.
@morton that sounds like an interesting combo.
I don't do any preserving. I don't have the equipment or the energy. This batch of freezer jam was a first for me. -
@dillyd in a similar vein, if the recipe says to add lemon juice, I am begging everyone to please add the stated quantity of lemon juice. Especially if you’re properly processing your cans and plan on storing them for more than a few months. (My canning books say up to a year in cool dark storage.)
@mirijb2
When I see lemon juice in canning recipes, it always says fresh. Is that just for flavor, or does it also make a difference for safety? -
@morton that sounds like an interesting combo.
I don't do any preserving. I don't have the equipment or the energy. This batch of freezer jam was a first for me.@dillyd Fermenting them requires nothing but time. You need firm Roma tomatoes and a firm apple. Boil water with plenty of salt. Place the tomatoes, apple, garlic (a clove), horseradish, and dill into a large jar. Once the water has cooled slightly, pour it over the ingredients. Screw the lid on—not too tightly—and set the jar aside at room temperature. They’ll be ready in a week.
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@dillyd completely unrelated to making jam, but I had the same problem this weekend searching online for advice on landscaping drainage and the use of sand specifically. It’s becoming all but impossible to get correct info online. All 6 of the top searches I found were slop on closer inspection. In the end I asked my dad lol.
@johncormier yeah, truly, search results are such garbage now. Everything is a structured essay that starts with "but first, what is x?" And the last paragraph is "in conclusion,..."
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Another said she doesn't bother with the final heat processing stage for preserves. Because there are only x deaths per year from botulinum poisoning, out of a population of y million people, so it isn't really an issue. But she encourages the reader to "do your own research."
@dillyd If they would only end up poisoning themselves!
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I know you all know this, but if you're doing food preserving, follow recipes from a reputable source. I made freezer jam today, so it wasn't really important, but I saw some real doozies when looking for a recipe.
One said "remove as many stones as you desire", as if there's a smooth vs crunchy debate re plum pits in your jam.
#food@dillyd Stuart's mother never took the stones out for plum pies. I guess it works if its what you are used to
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I know you all know this, but if you're doing food preserving, follow recipes from a reputable source. I made freezer jam today, so it wasn't really important, but I saw some real doozies when looking for a recipe.
One said "remove as many stones as you desire", as if there's a smooth vs crunchy debate re plum pits in your jam.
#foodFor those getting started, the USDA (pre-2025) would be one of the reputable sources.
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I know you all know this, but if you're doing food preserving, follow recipes from a reputable source. I made freezer jam today, so it wasn't really important, but I saw some real doozies when looking for a recipe.
One said "remove as many stones as you desire", as if there's a smooth vs crunchy debate re plum pits in your jam.
#food@dillyd I saw an apricot recipe that left some whole stones in, but I assumed it was some bitter flavor extraction.
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Another said she doesn't bother with the final heat processing stage for preserves. Because there are only x deaths per year from botulinum poisoning, out of a population of y million people, so it isn't really an issue. But she encourages the reader to "do your own research."
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@mirijb2
When I see lemon juice in canning recipes, it always says fresh. Is that just for flavor, or does it also make a difference for safety?@dillyd @mirijb2 In canning recipes, the lemon juice is usually for acidity. Some fruits/tomatoes aren't acid enough on their own. If you don't like the lemon flavour, you need to find a more pleasant or neutral flavoured acid (like vinegar, or citric acid powder).
That said, the exact amount of added acid you need will vary depending on how tart your fruits are. The recipes that are vetted by safety experts will err on the side of adding more, assuming your fruit is ripe & a modern low-acid variety bred for table eating.
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@dillyd Stuart's mother never took the stones out for plum pies. I guess it works if its what you are used to
@Florapis do you just spit them out while eating?!
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@Florapis do you just spit them out while eating?!
@dillyd I believe they did
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@johncormier yeah, truly, search results are such garbage now. Everything is a structured essay that starts with "but first, what is x?" And the last paragraph is "in conclusion,..."
@dillyd @johncormier I have one browser set to eliminate AI answers...but even that is only semi-successful.
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@dillyd @mirijb2 In canning recipes, the lemon juice is usually for acidity. Some fruits/tomatoes aren't acid enough on their own. If you don't like the lemon flavour, you need to find a more pleasant or neutral flavoured acid (like vinegar, or citric acid powder).
That said, the exact amount of added acid you need will vary depending on how tart your fruits are. The recipes that are vetted by safety experts will err on the side of adding more, assuming your fruit is ripe & a modern low-acid variety bred for table eating.
@dillyd as far as I know, the bottled stuff is just as good. @AmeliasBrain explains why. I always stick with lemon where it’s called for, and I prefer the taste of fresh, but ymmv.
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@dillyd as far as I know, the bottled stuff is just as good. @AmeliasBrain explains why. I always stick with lemon where it’s called for, and I prefer the taste of fresh, but ymmv.
@mirijb2
Cool, thanks. I buy bottled lime juice by the case. I like fresh too, but they're expensive in small quantities, and too much to get through when I buy the Costco bags.
@AmeliasBrain -
I know you all know this, but if you're doing food preserving, follow recipes from a reputable source. I made freezer jam today, so it wasn't really important, but I saw some real doozies when looking for a recipe.
One said "remove as many stones as you desire", as if there's a smooth vs crunchy debate re plum pits in your jam.
#food@dillyd I trust my 1982 edition of the Ball Blue Book Guide to Home Canning and Freezing. They don’t mess around. (photo of cover attached)
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I know you all know this, but if you're doing food preserving, follow recipes from a reputable source. I made freezer jam today, so it wasn't really important, but I saw some real doozies when looking for a recipe.
One said "remove as many stones as you desire", as if there's a smooth vs crunchy debate re plum pits in your jam.
#food@dillyd I attended two meetings of a fermenting club in my town, but that was enough to convince me they were dangerously foolish.
Q: “how do you know if something you preserved or fermented is safe to eat?”
A: “if it doesn’t have gray mold on it, it’s probably fine.”
I asked if they’d heard of the county extension program, which has lots of recipes and instructions for preserving, etc.
No! why would they need recipes? more fun to “experiment.”
I never went back.
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@dillyd I trust my 1982 edition of the Ball Blue Book Guide to Home Canning and Freezing. They don’t mess around. (photo of cover attached)
@nancylwayne @dillyd Wow. That is a memory! I grew up with that on my mother's bookshelf.
She used to be an avid canner, usually tomatoes, but also jams. They were always superior to anything bought in metal cans.
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@dillyd I attended two meetings of a fermenting club in my town, but that was enough to convince me they were dangerously foolish.
Q: “how do you know if something you preserved or fermented is safe to eat?”
A: “if it doesn’t have gray mold on it, it’s probably fine.”
I asked if they’d heard of the county extension program, which has lots of recipes and instructions for preserving, etc.
No! why would they need recipes? more fun to “experiment.”
I never went back.
@grammasaurus yikes! I wouldn't eat dinner at their house.
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@dillyd I trust my 1982 edition of the Ball Blue Book Guide to Home Canning and Freezing. They don’t mess around. (photo of cover attached)
@nancylwayne @dillyd I just heard the "POP!" of the sealed jars, lol.
