By Cat Holmes
University of Georgia
Can fruits and vegetables be canned without heating if aspirin
is used? Why did the liquid in my dill pickles turn pink? How
can you prevent corn-on-the-cob from tasting “cobby”?
Since the National Center for Home Food Preservation Web site
(
was unveiled a year ago, food scientists from the University of
Georgia College of Family and Consumer Sciences have fielded all
kinds of questions from home canners, freezers and picklers all
over the country.
Pink pickles may not seem a serious problem. But many queries
point to life-threatening or at least illness-causing
situations, said Elizabeth Andress, a UGA Extension Service
food safety specialist.
“The most common and serious mistake home canners make is using
boiling water to process vegetables,” Andress said. “It takes
temperatures above 212 degrees to destroy harmful organisms,
and this requires pressure canning for a known period of time.
Boiling doesn’t take enough time to destroy the bacteria that
cause botulism.”
Don’t think that because some people inject Botox (botulinum
toxin A) into their foreheads and frown lines to prevent
wrinkles that botulism isn’t serious, Andress said.
Botulism is still food poisoning. And it’s fatal 30 percent to
40 percent of the time. The same neurotoxin that paralyzes
muscles, erasing frown lines, can paralyze the respiratory
muscles when it’s eaten, making it impossible to breathe.
All it takes is a jar of improperly processed or pickled okra
or string beans.
Why would people take a chance? Because their mother did it
that way and their grandmother before that, and they’ve gotten
away with it, Andress said.
Another factor is fear: Pressure cookers still scare many home
canners. Visions of boiling-hot green beans or tomato sauce
spattering the walls and ceiling, with third degree burns
thrown in, keep folks away from pressure canners.
But that’s all in the past, Andress said.
“Pressure canners have advanced significantly in the past 20
years,” she said. “Locking mechanisms will not allow you to
open it if the pressure is too high, so the days of food flying
everywhere are over. And if the steam builds up too much, a
valve will open up to release pressure.”
Along with techniques, the NCHFP Web site features a number of
recipes, including spiced crab apples, watermelon rind
preserves and golden pepper jelly.
“The trend in home food preservation today is toward specialty
items,” Andress said. “People aren’t doing the huge quantities
they did in the past. They’re making pickles and relishes and
jams, and often these are for gifts.”
And in case you’re curious, overmature dill or yeast growth can
cause pink pickles. The former is harmless, and the latter is
not. So, if you see yeast growth (cloudy or slimy pickles),
discard the pickles.
No, don’t use aspirin in canning. It can’t be relied on to
prevent spoilage or to give satisfactory products. Adequate
heat treatment is the only safe procedure.
And finally, to prevent “cobby” corn, after blanching the ears
for the recommended time, chill them immediately with ice water
until the cobs are completely cold. Partially thaw the ears of
corn before you cook them.
(Cat Holmes is a science writer for the University of
Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)
