Preserve it! Series: Prevent Browning by Pre-Treating Fruit before Canning
Keep your canned fruit looking light and fresh.
Many light-colored fruits, as well as the stem-ends of cherries and grapes, can discolor and darken when exposed to oxygen. To retain good color and flavor when canning fruit, use high-quality fruit at the proper maturity, and place prepared (peeled, halved, sliced, etc.) fruit in an ascorbic acid (Vitamin C) solution.
Ascorbic acid is available in three forms: pure powdered form; Vitamin C tablets (which must be first crushed or ground to a fine powder); and in commercial mixtures. To use ascorbic acid as a pre-treatment for canning fruit, make a solution as follows:
- Pure ascorbic acid powder: 1 tsp per gallon of water
- Vitamin C tablets: 6 crushed 500-milligram tablets dissolved in 1 gallon of water
- Commercial products: follow the manufacturer’s instructions
Lemon juice may also be used as a pre-treatment, however it’s not as effective as ascorbic acid (1 tsp ascorbic acid powder = 6 tsp lemon juice).
For further information on preserving, visit the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) at https://nchfp.uga.edu/ or contact your local Cooperative Extension office
Brought to you by the UC Master Food Preservers of El Dorado County
Last updated October 2025