Recipes For Canning & Preserving Fruit (2024)

FAQs

What is the best fruit for canning? ›

Some favorite fruits to can are peaches, apples, apricots, berries, pears, and grapes. It is best to can the fruits soon after picking to preserve nutritional content. If possible, pick fruits early in the morning when they are top quality. Do no use overly ripe fruits or fruits.

Freezing fruits is a simple and quick method of preservation. Freezing costs more than canning or drying because it requires purchasing a freezer and maintaining operating costs, but if done properly, it preserves more nutrients and fresh flavor.

Boiling-Water Canning, Hot Pack: Add fruit to hot syrup; bring to boiling. Fill the jars with your fruit (placing the cut sides down) and syrup, leaving a ½-inch headspace. Process pints for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes. Freezing: Use a syrup, sugar, or water pack.

Citric acid is used to preserve the color of fresh cut fruit or as a pre-treatment for frozen and dried fruit. It can be used either alone or mixed with other substances, such as ascorbic acid, erythorbic acid, N-acetylcysteine, glutathione, and EDTA.

The USDA recommends that for highest quality, use high-acid canned fruits within two years. From my experience with home-canned fruits, they keep their quality for two, maybe three years. They begin losing flavor and the color dims or darkens and, although still safe to eat, they are less appetizing.

Freezing is one of the easiest ways to preserve fresh fruit. Simply wash the fresh fruit and let it air dry thoroughly before packing it up to freeze. If the fruit has water droplets on it, this could impact the process. Pack the fruit in a freezable storage container or in special freezer bags.

Just mix 1 part white vinegar with 3 parts water, dip your fruits and vegetables, and then wash them gently but thoroughly. Vinegar not only prevents mold buildup and rotting, but also helps get rid of pesticides on conventionally grown produce and fruit, and kills bacteria that could be clinging on your vegetables.

Foods canned at home are safe to eat for several years—says Nancy Urbanec, a nutrition and health expert with the Nebraska Extension in Douglas and Sarpy counties—so long as the food was properly canned in the appropriate type of jars (glass mason jars and metal bands can be reused) with new lids (fresh seals), and ...

What foods are not safe for canning? ›

Low-acid foods are the most common sources of botulism linked to home canning. These foods have a pH level greater than 4.6. Low-acid foods include most vegetables (including asparagus, green beans, beets, corn, and potatoes), some fruits (including some tomatoes and figs), milk, all meats, fish, and other seafood.

Blueberries, blackberries, and cherries can be canned whole. You may want to halve or slice strawberries, apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, and apricots. Choose and prepare a liquid for canning – syrup, water, or juice. See syrup recipes below.

Pack grapes into jars and cover with boiling water, syrup or juice; leave one inch of headspace. Wash and peel fruit; remove white tissue to prevent a bitter taste. Fill jars with sections and cover with hot syrup, citrus juice or boiling water; leave one-half inch headspace. Wash fruit.

Can linings might discolor or corrode when metal reacts with high-acid foods such as tomatoes or pineapple. As long as the can is in good shape, the contents should be safe to eat, although the taste, texture and nutritional value of the food can diminish over time. Home canned foods should be used within 1 year.

But don't forget about canned peaches, pears, pineapples and more! You may not know that many canned fruits like peaches are picked at peak ripeness and go from field to can in a matter of hours. This means they ripen to their full nutrition and flavor on the plant before making it to your grocery store.

Tips for Including Canned Fruit in a Healthy Eating Pattern

Choose Fruit in Water or Natural Juice: Opt for canned fruits in water or their own juice rather than sweetened syrups to avoid added sugars.

For us, this is usually strawberries, cucumbers, and peppers. Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and cherry tomatoes go into the jars whole. Store everything in your airtight containers with a good lid and that's it! You should have fresh fruit and/or veggies for days to come.

bananas, mashed bananas, avocadoes, coconut milk. WHY: Too thick / dense for the heat to penetrate during processing. SAFE ALTERNATIVE: Freeze these fruits instead.