Just Jammin'
For many county residents, the term jam session has nothing to do with music. It usually is the prelude to the time-consuming and labor-intensive ritual of canning and preserving foods.
Strawberries are usually the first major crop in Butler County, hitting in early June — and the dance begins.
For Vera Pagano of Cranberry Township, making strawberry jam and preserving local harvests is a family tradition.
"When we were kids, we got to eat the foam off the top of the boiled strawberry jam and enjoyed sour cherry tarts in the middle of winter," she reminisced.
"Growing up, we had a decent size vegetable garden, and my mom would also buy local fruits and vegetables as well as take the surplus off of her friends. When we were old enough, my two brothers and I would be 'enlisted' to shell peas, snip beans and pit cherries — which was always a wonderful mess," she said.
The tradition continues for Pagano, who enjoyed her own jam session last week.
Pagano began her solo endeavors about 12 years ago shortly after getting married. "I used to can tomato sauce and plan to start doing it again this year. I make freezer jam," she said, listing strawberry, raspberry-peach, sour cherry and blueberry among the flavors.
"And I freeze fresh strawberries, raspberries and blueberries," Pagano said. She also makes and freezes apple sauce for the whole year, which is her biggest endeavor.
Each year is different depending on the family's needs, and her process seems to evolve.
"This year, I would also like to make some pickled cucumbers and maybe some sauerkraut. In the future, I would like to build a solar food dryer to dry herbs and berries," she said.
In addition to the fresh produce and containers, distraction-free time seems to be a key ingredient in the process.
Canning was no exception, especially during big productions like making apple sauce or tomato sauce that would take all weekend.
"But after burning my apples and the tomato sauce because I wasn't back in the kitchen in time to stir the pots on the stove, I have learned my lesson and now focus on just the processing when I make a large batch of food that the family will enjoy all year long," she said.
Though Jenn Walker of Penn Township didn't grow up with this tradition, she married into a family that taught her all she knows.
"The first time my mother-in-law canned with me, we processed tomatoes. It was messy, really messy. It truly wasn't until the winter when there were no garden fresh tomatoes to be found, and we had jars of delicious tomatoes to use in sauces or soups, that I gained appreciation for the work we did," Walker said.
Her reasons for canning and preserving include cost and time savings and health."It definitely has health benefits. When peppers were recalled last summer because of salmonella, we didn't worry because we knew ours were safe," Walker said."It saves trips to the store all year to buy cans of veggies that have less nutritional value," she added.Walker also likes the fact they are supporting their neighboring farmers when her family buys vegetables locally.For the Walker family, it is a family project and a life lesson. Walker's children Heather 10, Adam 8, and Jack, 6, are involved in reaping the benefits."It helps our kids learn the value of delayed gratification. It takes some work to put up all of these veggies, fruits, sauces and jams, but they really appreciate the fresh tastes all year long," she added.The time-saving benefits kick in for the Walkers when they take their canned goods along on family outings so they can spend less time cooking and more time enjoying their adventures.She has also used canning and preserving as a social activity."Some of my friends and I got together and made a few batches of strawberry jam. After we were done, we all went home with a dozen half-pint jars of strawberry jam and some great memories," Walker said.Leanne Zilka of Forward Township inherited the passion and techniques from her mother and has been canning for her own family since 1995."I remember picking rows of green and yellow beans. We would have to take the ends off and cut them into smaller sections. Finally, mom would blanch them," said Zilka, who now has her own garden and children to help."We would pack them into small freezer bags. It was a long day, but everyone in the family participated," she added.
Zilka preserves by both canning and freezing methods. She questions whether the process actually saves money, in fact she suspects it might actually cost more."I enjoy planting a garden, and the taste of fresh veggies is great. It is nice to have the vegetables in the winter. They taste so much better than store-bought frozen," she said.Her biggest home preservation disaster was leaving the skins on. "The first time I made grape jelly the recipe said to include the skins from the grapes, so I did — but it was not very good with chunks of grape skin. So now I only use the skins for the purple color then throw them away," she said.When Lisa Sentell moved into her new home six years ago, she took a crash course on freezing and canning to preserve the pears and apples on the property.The health factor is huge for Sentell."(I like) knowing where my food comes from and what is in it — no preservatives or fillers. I like to be able to go shopping in my own basement. There's something therapeutic about gardening," she said.Some of her trial-and-error experiences include burning apples due to cooking too many at once and being rushed and the time she forgot to check the seals on the jars and had several close to bursting.Yes, you can!Bursting is but one potential danger when canning food. But if done property, food preserved in jars can be stored for a year or more on a pantry shelf.Acidic foods like pickles, tomatoes and fruits can be canned at normal atmospheric pressure by immersing the covered jar in boiling water for a specific time and sealing it. This is called water bath canning.But nonacidic foods like meat and vegetables require an added pressure to elevate the water's boiling point to kill bacteria that isn't present in the acidic foods. This method is called pressure cooker canning.
Because foods that are improperly canned can be deadly if they contain botulism bacteria, no home canning should be done without consulting authoritative guidelines. The Department of Agriculture and Department of Health have information on the specific food being canned and the type of container being used. Canning is a science, and mistakes can be harmful.Mary Alice Gettings, the nutrition and health educator at the Penn State Cooperative Extension Office is quick to advise would-be preservers to educate themselves before embarking upon a project."There are a number of books out there and information on our website that can answer questions and educate the consumer about undertaking this process," Gettings said.The Web address is foodsafety.psu.edu.The Penn State Extension website has tutorials, videos, pamphlets and DVDs that can guide the novice through the world of home preservation.A session on free testing for pressure canners will be held from 2 to 6 p.m. July 15 at the Penn State Cooperative Extension Office, 101 Motor Pool Way. For more information, call 724-287-4761.For more information on food preservation, go to www.canning-food-recipes.com, www.pickyourown.org, www.canningandpreserving.net or http://foodsafety.psu.edu/.
Although weather plays a role each year in when gardencrops reach their peak, these guidelines can beused as a starting point in trying to schedule the harvest:<B>REAPING THE HARVEST</B>• May and June — Strawberries• June and July — Cherries, blueberries, black raspberries• July — Blackberries, early apples for applesauce• July through September — Peppers, tomatoes, beets, green and yellow beans, corn and cucumbers• August and September — Cabbage for sauerkraut• September — Apples for cider<I>SOURCE: Frankferd Farms</I>
