UC Master Food Preservers of Inyo & Mono Counties
Our program is led by volunteers from our community. You can join us!
On this site you will find information on canning and home food preservation, along with tips and resources to help residents of the Eastern Sierra deal with our altitude and local conditions.
Canning is not a process that you should be creative with! There is a lot of testing using laboratory equipment that needs to be done to ensure safety. If you have a special something that you want to preserve, but there is no tested recipe, in most cases we recommend freezing it instead.
There is an abundance of incorrect information on the internet. This page has a list of reputable sources that you can use to compare with what you find online.
Featured Recipe
You're probably harvesting apples now. Here's a interesting use that you may not have thought about. This works well with tart, late apple varieties.
Apple Rings-Spiced
- 12 lbs firm tart apples (maximum diameter 2-1/2 inches)
- 12 cups sugar
- 6 cups water
- 1-1/4 cups white vinegar (5%)
- 3 tbsp whole cloves
- 3/4 cup red hot cinnamon candies or 8 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp red food coloring (optional)
Yield: About 8 to 9 pints
Procedure: Wash apples. To prevent discoloration, peel and slice one apple at a time. Immediately cut crosswise into 1/2-inch slices, remove core area with a melon baller and immerse in ascorbic acid solution. To make flavored syrup, combine sugar water, vinegar, cloves, cinnamon candies, or cinnamon sticks and food coloring in a 6-qt saucepan. Stir, heat to boil, and simmer 3 minutes. Drain apples, add to hot syrup, and cook 5 minutes. Fill jars (preferably wide-mouth) with apple rings and hot flavored syrup, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust lids and process according to the recommendations in the table below.
| Recommended process time for Spiced Apple Rings in a boiling-water canner. | ||||
| Process Time at Elevations of | ||||
| Style of Pack | Jar Size | 0 - 1,000 ft | 1,001 - 6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
| Hot | Half-Pints or Pints | 10 min | 15 | 20 |
Source
https://nchfp.uga.edu/how/can/canning-fruits-and-fruit-products/apple-rings-spiced/
Gauge Testing
If you use a dial-gauge canner such as those manufactured by Presto, they should be checked annually to ensure they are accurate. Under-processing of low-acid foods can lead to botulism!
Residents of Inyo, Mono, Kern and our neighboring counties in Nevada can test your dial gauge here at our office free of charge. Please contact us at 760-873-7854 or send an email to Melissa at melyeager@ucanr.edu to set up an appointment or to arrange it by mail.
All-American Canner Owners: Although you have a dial gauge on your canner, your canner is operated like a weighted-gauge canner. Weighted gauge canners are very accurate. The dial steam gauge is there as a monitoring tool. We're glad to try to test your gauge, but sometimes we can't fit our tester on some models while attached to the lid.