Russian Roulette

It's great to see so many new folks learning how to preserve food. In these tough economic times, we're definitely seeing an increase in the number of people who want to feed their family for less. Freezing, canning, pickling, drying, and root cellaring can help you achieve this.

Caveat emptor

However, as with any new venture, there are some rules and regs to follow. Why, you ask? Well, when you're dealing with your family's health and safety, it's important to do things right. Sometimes you can do things wrong and nothing bad happens. Other times, you might not be so lucky. It just doesn't pay to take chances. Do the job right every time and you'll be fine.

Fun with Math

On Friday I gave you sort of a math problem. If you loved word problems as a kid, you probably went right to work, ferreting out clues. If you hated word problems, you're my kind of person. I found them intriguing, sort of like ancient Egyptian curses on pharaohs' tombs. So, without further discussion, here's the scenario again and the explanation.


The Scenario: "I created and canned my own salsa recipe. I used onions and peppers and squash. I added tomatoes and fresh lemon juice and even some vinegar. I used the open kettle method to finish it up. I poured it into jars and put on the lids.

The Problem

This salsa sounds delightful. It's an interesting mix of good foods and would be delicious freshly made and served. Leftovers should be refrigerated and used within a reasonable amount of time. However, if you've made enough to feed the 101st Airborne Division, freeze the rest. This is a safe and easy way to ensure it's going to remain healthful. Because......

The Solution

The operative word here that should have set your danger antennae up and alert is canned.

Vegetables are low-acid foods. This means they must be processed in a pressure canner or have enough acid added to them to ensure they will not grow some nasty, nasty organisms when the food is sealed in canning jars. What's the danger here?

We don't have any way of knowing the amounts of anything that's gone into this recipe. It's a hit or miss affair and while it may taste wonderful fresh out of the cooking pot, there's a definite danger waiting in the wings. How acid is it? We don't know. Is this salsa safe to eat? Maybe. Maybe not. Want to take a chance? You're flirting with....

BOTULISM

When you heat food and then put it into jars and seal those jars, you have created an anaerobic environment. This means an environment without air. Botulism finds this homey and comfortable and sets to work making itself to home.

The problem with botulism toxin is that it's colorless, odorless, and tasteless. However, it can kill you.

Insurance Policy

Follow tested and approved recipes when you're planning on canning. You can get the Extension Service Bulletin "Salsa Recipes for Canning" by calling your local office. The number is in the phone book.

Experiment to your heart's content when you're serving fresh foods. Follow the recipes to the letter of the law when you're canning. Sterilize your jars and measure ingredients exactly. I've been told some people have played Russian Roulette many times. True, but others only play it once.

On Wednesday, more on open kettle canning and why you shouldn't do this.

Check out the Fact of the Week in the right hand column for an additional safety measure.

Food Safety -Finale

Last week we covered important aspects of preventable foodborne illness, specifically botulism, which is caused by a toxin produced in food by the bacteria, Clostridium botulinum. Using approved recipes and approved procedures makes botulism nothing more than an interesting topic. This week we finish up. For those of you who think botulism only results from improperly home-canned food and have therefore decided to avoid Aunt Mabel’s green beans forever, read on! Her properly home-canned food might be the safest food around.

Botulism has occasionally been caused by foods that were not vacuum-sealed by caning. Smoked fish can develop anaerobic conditions under the skin and in the visceral cavity. Baked potatoes wrapped in foil and meat pies have also been the cause of botulism. A large pot of sautéed onions left in a warm place resulted in botulism cases from persons eating the onions. Garlic in oil also caused multiple cases of botulism at a Canadian restaurant. Pickled eggs left at room temperature developed botulism in the yolk, which had been pricked with a toothpick, before the acid pickling solution was able to equilibrate throughout the egg.

Each of the above instances was preventable. Repeat the mantra: “Wash, scrub, refrigerate or freeze.” To prevent botulism toxin from forming in non-canned foods, low-acid foods must be refrigerated after they are cooked. Long-term storage of smoked fish should be in the freezer. This is because type E Clostridium botulinum, which is found in fish, can produce toxin at refrigerator temperatures. Smoked fish can be safely stored in the fridge for up to two weeks.

For low acid foods that are pickled, vinegar must be added in sufficient quantity to lower the pH to below 4.6. The vinegar in pickling recipes must be at least 5 per cent acidity. Approved pickling recipes are provided by Extension offices or the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning.

Botulism symptoms include difficulty in swallowing, speech, and respiration and double vision. Respiratory failure may cause death. Before 1950, fatality rates from botulism were about 50 per cent, but with availability of antitoxin and modern respiratory support systems, the death rate has decreased to about 10 per cent. Still, if you are in that unlucky percentile, your death is 100 per cent guaranteed, and that is not good.

If you cannot get enough of this fascinating topic, additional information can be found in The Bad Bug Book, www.cfsan.fda.gov/~now/intro.html

Food Safety Issues

Reading about the recalls of packaged salad mix and packaged spinach got me thinking about toxins that can cause illness, specifically E. coli and Clostridium botulinum, commonly referred to as botulism. We live in strange times, indeed, when women have botox injections to smooth out wrinkles. Yessir, nothing like pumping your face full of deadly poison to get that baby-smooth complexion.

What is botulism? Glad you asked.
Botulism is caused by a toxin that is produced in food by the bacteria, Clostridium botulinum, which is found in soil all over the world. The soil in the western United States is high in type A Clostridium botulinum, which is the most dangerous type to humans. Alaska and Washington have the highest rates of botulism occurring in soils.

This bacteria forms spores, which are very resistant to heat, chemicals, and physical stress. When the spores grow, they produce the deadly neurotoxin that causes botulism.
The frequency of botulism cases is rare, but each year several outbreaks occur. Often these are caused by improperly home-canned foods. Fish, green beans, corn, beets, spinach, asparagus, and chili peppers are the most common foods implicated in botulism cases. Recently a case involved home-prepared “pickled” eggs.

Several conditions are necessary for a botulism outbreak. First, the botulinum organism must be in the food. Second, the acidity level must be low. The organism cannot grow when the acid level is high. A pH level of 4.6 or less means conditions are not right for the growth of Clostridium botulinum. Most types of this organism grow best at warm temperatures; however, growth has been observed at temps as low as 38 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The organisms cannot grow if air or free oxygen is available. Oxygen-free (anaerobic) conditions occur when food is canned.

Home food preservers understand the necessity for pressure canning foods that are low acid. That means processing these foods at higher temperatures than just boiling, if we are to destroy the extremely heat-resistant botulism spores. Just because your jar has sealed, doesn’t mean you have a safe product. Processing foods under pressure raises the temperature inside the canner to a level that does destroy these nasty spores. That temperature is 240 degrees Fahrenheit and can only be achieved by pressure canning, which can be thought of as simply “higher-temperature” canning. Properly home-canned food is safe. For an extra guarantee of safety, home-canned veggies, meat, and fish may be boiled for ten minutes at 1,000 feet altitude before eating. Boiling destroys the botulism toxin. Remember to add an additional minute boiling time for each additional 1,000 feet of elevation.

Next week we’ll finish up this delightful topic. A parting thought: mistakes most often occur at two times in our lives. The first time is when we are learning a skill, and the second is when we get sloppy, careless, and take shortcuts, because we have been doing something for a very long time. It’s good practice to review the rules and instructions before we begin anything. Better safe than sorry, to use an old and very true aphorism.