ALABAMA A&M and AUBURN UNIVERSITIES

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EXTENSION SPECIALIST OFFERS FRUIT CANNING TIPS

AUBURN, July 24--This time of year, many Alabamians are busy canning vegetables and fruits for use later in the year.

If you are considering canning fruit, Dr. Evelyn Crayton, Extension foods and nutrition specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, offers the following suggestions.

  • Choose fruit that is fresh, firm and vine- or tree- ripened. For best results, sort fruit by size and ripeness before cooking.
  • Wash fruit thoroughly. It's best to wash small amounts of fruit under running water or through several changes of water. Lift fruit out of the water each time so dirt will not drain back over it. Dirt contains hard-to-kill bacteria. Don't let fruit soak in water; the fruit will lose flavor and food value.
  • Fruit can be canned with or without sugar. However, the shape, color and flavor of fruit are retained better if some sugar is added.
  • Syrups of varying densities may be used, depending on the fruit to be canned. Juicy fruits, such as berries and plums, should be canned in their own juices when sugar is omitted.
  • To prevent peeled, light-colored fruits such as apples, pears and peaches from darkening, sprinkle with a commercial preservative (these are available at most grocery stores) or immerse fruit in a syrup solution made from citric acid, vinegar-salt or ascorbic acid.

    Crayton says to follow these instructions for making canning syrup solutions:

  • Citric Syrup --Add 1 tablespoon citric acid to 1 quart of water.
  • Vinegar-Salt --Add 2 tablespoons salt and 2 tablespoons of clear distilled vinegar to 1 gallon of water.
  • Ascorbic Acid --Use 1 tablespoon of crystalline ascorbic acid (can be purchased from a pharmacy) per quart of water. Vitamin C tablets can also be used as ascorbic acid. Three thousand milligrams of vitamin C in tablet form equals 1 teaspoon of the crystalline ascorbic acid.

    If a vinegar-salt solution is used, leave the fruit in the solution no longer than 20 minutes and rinse it thoroughly afterward, says Crayton. This procedure will keep the fruit from absorbing the solution flavor.

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    SOURCE: DR. EVELYN CRAYTON, Extension foods and nutrition specialist, Alabama Cooperative Extension System (334) 844-2224.