Canning, as a gift

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wish you'd be upfront about your phobias so I can avoid gifting to you.

Chances are, a gift is completely unnecessary among adults.

Odd. All the adults I know love gifts-- giving and receiving.

[Anonymous]

haha. this is silly, OP. I can veggies occasionally when I have a good garden crop. I receive canned food gifts all the time. I've never gotten sick from home-canned food. I have of course gotten sick from food from grocery stores and restaurants a few times in my life. Home-canned food is just not particularly risky. Surely, people need to know what they're doing. But that's also true if you let people cook eggs or pork for you. Canning is not particularly hard to do correctly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of people being "sketched" out by canning. Canning is an amazing, historical way to preserve food. I receive a ton of requests for my jams and pickled veggies.

Except when it's done incorrectly and it makes people horribly, horribly sick.

Ok, I admit I know nothing about this topic, but if someone opened a jar of jam that had spoiled, wouldn't it be obvious in the first bite, if not even by smell?

Botulism has no taste or smell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of people being "sketched" out by canning. Canning is an amazing, historical way to preserve food. I receive a ton of requests for my jams and pickled veggies.

Except when it's done incorrectly and it makes people horribly, horribly sick.

Ok, I admit I know nothing about this topic, but if someone opened a jar of jam that had spoiled, wouldn't it be obvious in the first bite, if not even by smell?

Botulism has no taste or smell.

You aren't going to get botulism from jam and pickles. Those are the two things you can safely eat from pretty much any kitchen, and there is no way you are getting sick. Jam is at least half sugar, and the sugar impedes bacterial growth. The pickles are brined in vinegar, which does an even better job. You can't make jam without boiling the liquid, so the spores are dead.

Its possible to get botulism from home-canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, but very very rare. I must admit I had a hard time getting myself to eat my own home canned tomatoes, so I stopped canning them and started roasting them with olive oil and garlic and then freezing them instead. So good...

[Anonymous]

I throw away all homemade gifts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I throw away all homemade gifts.

And odds are most people say thank you and they love it then toss it

[Anonymous]

Canning acid based foods is pretty easy and safe as long as the vacuum seal is not loose. My blueberry jam is in high demand. Please don't accept it if you're going to throw it out.

[Anonymous]

For all who are fans of canning, I've recently discovered Pomona calcium-based pectin, which is wonderful and doesn't require nearly as much sugar as sure-Jell. I've never had it fail to gel. By the way, Pectin is acid, so stop worrying. Jams, fruits and tomatoes will show mold and taste awful if they are spoiled.
Stay away from home-canned meats, eggs and dairy unless you're sure of the source.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of people being "sketched" out by canning. Canning is an amazing, historical way to preserve food. I receive a ton of requests for my jams and pickled veggies.

Except when it's done incorrectly and it makes people horribly, horribly sick.

Ok, I admit I know nothing about this topic, but if someone opened a jar of jam that had spoiled, wouldn't it be obvious in the first bite, if not even by smell?

Botulism has no taste or smell.

You aren't going to get botulism from jam and pickles. Those are the two things you can safely eat from pretty much any kitchen, and there is no way you are getting sick. Jam is at least half sugar, and the sugar impedes bacterial growth. The pickles are brined in vinegar, which does an even better job. You can't make jam without boiling the liquid, so the spores are dead.

Its possible to get botulism from home-canned tomatoes or tomato sauce, but very very rare. I must admit I had a hard time getting myself to eat my own home canned tomatoes, so I stopped canning them and started roasting them with olive oil and garlic and then freezing them instead. So good...

I didn't say it was typical; I was just giving an example of one food that can very much have gone off and you mightn't know it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I throw away all homemade gifts.

And I bet you forget to write a thank you note, too. What a sweetheart you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've pickled some things and even I won't eat the stuff I make myself. I always think I will, but then I just can't do it.

Dude. I had a garden one year and thought it was the best! idea! ever! I was going to save so much on produce and be healthy af, but when the items started getting ripe and it was time to eat them, they tasted... off. The lettuce tasted like soil to me and the tomatoes had too many bug bites and the cucumbers didn't feel firm enough and, and, and... disaster. There was just something in my brain preventing me from enjoying the fruits of my labor. I liken it to the same phenomenon that prevents my dad from eating dairy because he grew up working on his aunt's hog farm and much of the slop came from spoiled items from the local dairy. My uncle (dad's brother) had the unfortunate job of working on their aunt's farm one slaughter time and gets physically ill if he smells raw meat even to this day. He'll eat meat if someone else touches it and cooks it.

Ha. Not quite the same, but my mom and her sisters refuse to eat beef because their dad was a butcher and apparently they ate beef for practically every meal growing up. Or so they claim. We almost never ate it when I was growing up, and I love beef!

[Anonymous]

I don't have safety phobias but I often don't care for the particular flavors people use in home canning-can't stand sweet pickles, weird chutneys, and sweet/savory combos for preserved.

I have an older friend whose dad was a lobsterman. When times were tough she had to take a lobster sandwich to school everyday-as an adult she hated lobster.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't have safety phobias but I often don't care for the particular flavors people use in home canning-can't stand sweet pickles, weird chutneys, and sweet/savory combos for preserved.

I have an older friend whose dad was a lobsterman. When times were tough she had to take a lobster sandwich to school everyday-as an adult she hated lobster.

I like sweet pickles, but this is me, too. Weirdly flavored chutneys, preserves, all odd stuff that's not easy to make a pairing with...

Bring on your homemade jams and jellies, though. That's a thank you note I write with gusto!

[Anonymous]

OP here. As I said in my original post, I was once given canned salsa that was not very old when I received a call telling me to throw it out because it made them all sick. I don't know exactly what happened, so it's possible it wasn't the Saldo, but she seemed quite sure. Also, to those that said not to accept such gifts, wouldn't that be rude? If they asked, I could probably say no and then give a reason, but it is never asked and I don't want to be rude.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. As I said in my original post, I was once given canned salsa that was not very old when I received a call telling me to throw it out because it made them all sick. I don't know exactly what happened, so it's possible it wasn't the Saldo, but she seemed quite sure. Also, to those that said not to accept such gifts, wouldn't that be rude? If they asked, I could probably say no and then give a reason, but it is never asked and I don't want to be rude.

I'd rather you make up a food allergy rather than throw my canned items away.