Putting Food By - Janet Greene [72]
• Adjustment for my altitude_________________.
Potatoes, Sweet (and Yams)
Updated research says that these, too, must be canned with some liquid added, to let heat penetrate safely. For glazing: remove pieces whole from the container, pat off moisture, and finish drying them on foil in a low oven for a few minutes, turning once; then glaze.
GENERAL HANDLING
Pressure Canning only. Hot pack only; Wet pack only; in wide-mouth jars.
Sort for size, wash; boil or steam until only half cooked, and the skins come off easily—20 minutes or so. Dunk in cold water so they can be handled, slip off skins, cut away blemishes. Cut large potatoes in pieces lengthwise.
HOT PACK, WET ONLY
In jars. Pack loosely; upright if you’ll glaze them later. Leave 1 inch of headroom in both pints and quarts. (Optional: add ½ teaspoon salt to pints, 1 teaspoon salt to quarts.) Add boiling water or Medium Syrup (see Liquids for Canning Fruits in Chapter 7), leaving 1 inch of headroom; adjust lids. Pressure-process at 10 pounds (240 F/116 C)—pints 65 minutes, quarts 90 minutes. Remove jars; complete seals if using bailed jars.
• Adjustment for my altitude_________________.
Potatoes, White
These potatoes don’t home-freeze at all well (unless they’re partially precooked in a combination dish)—so cold-store them (see “Root-Cellaring,” Chapter 22). But it’s possible for them to be too immature to store without spoiling—so you can them. Delicate tiny, new potatoes can well, and are good served hot with parsley butter or creamed.
GENERAL HANDLING
Pressure Canning only. Use Hot pack. Use jars or plain cans. If around 1 to 1½ inches in diameter, they may be canned whole; dice the larger ones.
Wash and scrape just-dug new potatoes, removing all blemishes. (If you’re dicing them, prevent darkening during preparation by dropping the dice in a solution of 1 teaspoon salt for each 1 quart of cold water.) Drain before packing by either method.
HOT PACK ONLY
Cover clean, scraped whole potatoes with boiling water, boil 10 minutes; drain. Drain anti-discoloration solution off diced potatoes; cover them with boiling fresh water, boil 2 minutes; drain.
In jars. With whole or diced potatoes, leave ½ inch of headroom. (Optional: add ½ teaspoon salt to pints, 1 teaspoon salt to quarts.) Add boiling water, leaving ½ inch of headroom; adjust lids. Pressure-process at 10 pounds (240 F/116 C)—whole, pints for 30 minutes, quarts for 40 minutes; diced, pints for 35 minutes, quarts for 40 minutes. Remove jars; complete seals if using bailed jars.
• Adjustment for my altitude_________________.
In plain cans. Fill with whole or diced potatoes, leaving only ¼ inch of headroom. (Optional: add ½ teaspoon salt to No. 303 cans, 1 teaspoon salt to No. 401.) Fill to top with boiling water. Exhaust to 170 F/77 C (approx. 10 minutes); seal. Pressure-process at 10 pounds (240 F/116 C)—whole or diced—No. 303 cans for 30 minutes, No. 401 for 50 minutes. Remove cans; cool quickly.
• Adjustment for my altitude_________________.
Pumpkin (and Winter Squash)
Pressure Canning only. Hot pack only. Use jars or R-enamel or white enamel cans. Cube it only: heat transfer fails in strained foods of this type.
Dry-fleshed pumpkin (or winter squash) is best for canning: test it with your thumbnail—it’s dry enough if your nail won’t cut the surface skin easily.
HOT PACK, CUBED
Wash, cut in manageable hunks, pare, and remove seeds; cut in 1-inch cubes. Cover with water and boil 2 minutes. Drain, reserving hot liquid, and pack Hot.
In jars. Fill with hot cubes, leaving ½ inch of headroom. (Optional: add ½ teaspoon salt to pints, 1 teaspoon salt to quarts.) Add boiling cooking water, leaving ½ inch of headroom; adjust lids. Pressure-process at 10 pounds