Canning and Food Allergies

Last week I talked about the "why should I can" and also why you should try it again if you had a bad experience. You can find that here.

Today I've been thinking about another really important reason to can....food allergies.

Do you have food allergies? Do you know someone that does?

Did you know that:

• Food allergy is a growing public health concern in the US

• More than 12 million Americans have food allergies. That’s one in 25, or 4% of the population.
• The incidence of food allergy is highest in young children - one in 17 in children under 3
• About 3 million children in the US have food allergies
• The CDC reported that food allergies result in over 300,000 ambulatory-care visits a year among children
• Eight foods account for 90% of food allergic reactions in the US: milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy, fish and shellfish
• There is no cure for food allergies
• Food allergies are life-altering for everyone involved and require constant vigilance

Now how do you know what you are eating and if it contains something you are allergic to? The easiest is to read labels and federal laws require that companies clearly identify the eight main allergens on their labels. Ok, but what about the other 10% of food allergies? Do you know how to find out if what you're eating contains those?

For example...my nephews are allergic to a whole host of things. Most of which I have a hard time remembering so I clear anything and everything I feed them with my sister first. Most of the time I joke that the only things I can feed them are mac&cheese and hot dogs because they are the only things I know they can eat.

These little guys aren't allergic to normal things. They can have milk and eggs and wheat, but are allergic to strawberries, nuts and cinnamon.

Seriously...one of them is allergic to cinnamon! That is one ingredient that you WILL NOT find on a label. It's hidden in the "spices" listing. The only way to know for sure is to call the company that makes it and even then they aren't always sure. Recently we discovered that Lawry's Seasoning Salt has cinnamon. Would you have guessed that??

So how can you guarantee that these foods aren't coming near them? Home canning.

When you can your own food, you know for sure what's in it. I can make applesauce that has only apples and sugar or soup that only has real veggies, beans and farm raised meat. How about spaghetti sauce that is only tomatoes from your own garden, basil, oregano, onions and garlic? Doesn't that sound heavenly?

With these home canned foods I know exactly what has gone into their making and can feel comfortable feeding them to people with food allergies. You can do the same.

No more reading labels all the time. With home canned foods you can have a pantry filled with choices that you know are guaranteed to work with your allergy restrictions.

Not Your Momma's Canning

I recently read a blog post where the writer was berating all things home canned and felt that home canning was vomit worthy because her mother canned and she thought it tasted gross. It got me thinking. I know this reaction is pretty common, but let me say that the canning of today is not your momma's canning.

There are few things that I suppose would make home-canned food less than appetizing. The first being that our society is way too dependent on processed foods. These are full of salt, preservatives, and things that even a highly educated person can't pronounce. If you can't say it why eat it! If this is what you are used to eating than yes, that home canned food is not going to taste right.

Did you know that most of the food grown in the US these days has been genetically modified or hybridized to grow bigger and more perfect with longer shelf lives so that industry can get more bang for it's buck? While they've accomplished their goals, they left out one important thing. Along the way they modified the nutrients right out of the plant. Have you ever compared those hot house tomatoes in the store with an heirloom tomato straight from your backyard? You'll taste the difference right away.

Canning has found a resurgence in population these last few years and because of it there are many, many new and updated recipes to can. We are no longer just canning stewed tomatoes or cut green beans. We are canning soups, chilies, salsa, kiwi jelly, syrups and even caramel sauce! Wouldn't you love to know EXACTLY what you are eating and where it came from?

A lot of you express fear of pressure canners, but these are not your mother's pressure canners. These are updated with more safety features and safe fails. Trust me...the way mine locks down there is no way that lid is coming off. It'll blow the pressure release valve first. You have to take some precautions, but it's not scary.

Now there are a few things you can do to insure that your home canned foods taste great.

1. Use the freshest produce possible! I can not stress this enough. If you put in mediocre food that's a week old, it's going to taste like mediocre week old food when you eat it. That is not appetizing to anyone.
2. Follow a published canning recipe. These recipes have been developed to specifically work for canning. Remember that these foods will sit and blend on your shelf. What may not taste exceptional when going in could taste phenomenal coming out. My spaghetti sauce is a perfect example. On the day it's made I could eat for dinner, but it usually tastes like it needs more salt or seasoning. It's a little bland, but after a couple weeks on the shelf the flavors have all blended and I think it would be worthy of the pickiest Italian housewife. :o)
3. Follow the processing instructions. When it says 10lbs. of pressure for 20 minutes don't assume 20 lbs. for 10 minutes would work faster. This will make your canned foods, well, just not good.

I'm pretty picky about what I feed my family. We raise a lot of our own meat, have a huge garden and preserve these things to eat when they can't be had fresh. The things we can't make on our own I buy from sources I can trust preferably local when I can. That's not to say that we don't eat the occasional box of mac & cheese or hot dogs, but these things are treats not the norm. In fact, when given the choice my kids will almost always pick fresh fruit or veggies over chips and ice cream. They understand the healthy eating and find joy in munching on food that they've had a help with.

Anyway, my point is, if you'd like to have that garden fresh taste all year long or to know for sure what you are eating try canning....again if necessary. Here are some of my fave books.

Now I'm on my way to make some of that spaghetti sauce and if I have time left today I'll also be making up some Praline syrup and canning that. Yum!

Oh and for those of you keeping track....these are the new summer preserving totals:

• 12 dill pickles
• 13 Bread & Butter pickles
• 14 Sweet pickles
• 5 peas
  
• 41 corn
• 47 green beans
• 25 pizza sauce
• 5 gallon bags of frozen corn (not sure how many quarts or such that might be)

That's 157 plus the frozen corn. Wow! Those shelves are filling fast. The kids are already begging for the pickles, but I told them they need just another week or 2 to taste really yummy.

Canning Season has Officially Begun!

As I'm writing this, I'm waiting for the last batch of Bread & Butter pickles in the canner to come to a boil. Waiting for water to boil....ugh!

I love this time of year when the garden starts producing all these colorful veggies. Of course I wish it wasn't so disgustingly hot in the summer, but, hey...I guess the garden wouldn't grow so well if it was cold.

No matter how many fans are going in the kitchen it's always so hot when canning, but I wouldn't trade it for anything. In fact, I have a hard time even letting people eat the veggies in the garden because I want to can them! I love seeing those colorful jars of food put up for the winter and always feel like there's not enough.

I spent an afternoon reorganizing the jars in the basement. I have a shelf at the bottom of the stairs that is generally reserved for previous years and the occasional jars that didn't fit on the other shelves. This is the shelf with last years leftovers so they can get eaten first.


I'm just starting with pickles as the cucumbers are coming in really well. I've done some Dill and Sweet pickles already. Don't they look lonely? I think they need some friends!


Tomorrow I think I'll be canning green beans because I saw a bunch out there this morning. I just didn't pick them because I knew I wouldn't get them done today.

Do you guys can anything?

Planting Season

Have you ever seen the movie For Richer For Poorer with Tim Allen? It's one of my favorite movies.

If you haven't, it's basically a story about a couple that hiding out from the law (they're innocent) and end up on an Amish farm posing as cousins from Missouri. The movie lets you think that they fooled this Amish family into believing they are the cousins until the end when the couple comes back to visit and make amends for the trouble they caused. The Amish couple reveals that they knew all along that they were "English" and just choose not to say anything. When Tim Allen's character asks why, they reply "Planting season". They needed the help so they let them stay.

All week I've been walking around thinking about that and how when it's planting time I wish there was more help. I'd love to get all the planting done in one day instead of several, but I also know that I'm just picky enough that no one would ever do it as good or how I want it.

I know this is a major fault of mine, but knowing this I try not to complain about the work too much. It keeps everyone happier that way.

We finally finished planting last night. There was a big push to get it done as it was supposed to rain today. And guess what....it finally is. When I woke up to sunny skies I was slightly annoyed. I thought the weatherman was wrong again.

We now have nearly 5000 sq. ft. of yummy veggie goodness waiting to grow and become dinner. I can almost taste them just looking at the rows and rows of potential awaiting us.

I did manage to plant a few flowers, too. Not too many though because for whatever reason flowers and I don't get along so well. I planted one barrel of annuals and hopefully I can keep them alive. Poor things.

I think I'm now going to go grab my book and watch the rain fall. I believe I deserve one afternoon off, don't you?

To the Greenhouse We Go

It's Spring, at least according to the calendar, so it means it's time for the annual trip to the Greenhouse. Most things we plant from seed, but tomatoes and peppers are bought at the local greenhouse. I decided awhile ago that it wasn't worth it to try and grow these from seed.

We had a great time looking at all the pretty flowers and yummy veggie plants and the people here are always so nice.


Now if only he weather would cooperate. It's 40* and WINDY here. Brrr. For now my little plants will have to hang out on the kitchen table.

How does your garden grow?

Well, I don't know about yours, but ours grows big, tall and yummy with...drum roll please......paca-poo!!

That's right, paca-poo is an amazing substance, commonly called "black gold" and it's locally grown, too. I've got 32 alpacas in my backyard making all of it I could ever want. Alpacas have a marvelously efficient digestive system. Alpaca manure is lower in organic matter content than the manure from most other livestock such as cows, horses, goats and sheep, but it still has enough to improve soil texture and water holding capacity. Paca poo does not have to be "aged or cured", it doesn't "burn" the plants it comes in contact with, and can be applied rather carelessly without fussing. That means NO composting necessary. You could mulch Alpaca manure to your garden area anytime between fall and shortly before planting to have great soil. You could even just put it on top of the soil and flower beds and the rain will break down the manure and it will naturally mix into the soil. The nitrogen and potassium content is comparatively high (which indicates good fertilizer value). Phosphorus is relatively low (as are most livestock manure). The calcium and Magnesium content is about average. Alpaca manure is said to be one of the richest organic fertilizers available and (can't say it enough) it doesn't have to be composted before putting on your plants.

Man, do I sound too much like a commercial?? Sorry, I just love my paca-poo.

Now, the one problem with paca-poo is it is a continuously renewing resource. Alpacas make about 1 gallon or 4 lbs. of beans (poo) a day. Times that by 34 (32 pacas and 2 llamas). That's 136 lbs. a day if my math is right. It doesn't look like that all spread out, but my back feels every pound.

OUCH!!! That's my dear hubby kicking me (figuratively) because he's reminding me that he actually does most of the scooping. :) Love you!

Well, we've gotten a little behind here at Tomorrow Farm in the scooping department. We've had a lot of rain the last couple weeks and no one wants to rake and scoop in wet, cold, muddy pastures so......

Here comes the tractor!

The tractor is good for scooping and moving and today we're giving it a workout. I'm going to solve 2 problems though at the same time. The paca-poo gets cleaned up and the garden gets a new layer of poo to compost in for spring.

So back and forth I go on the tractor. First to the pastures for Jim to fill the bucket and then off to the garden to spread it around. This takes a couple hours, but by the end the pastures are poo free and the barn has a new layer of manure-less sand.

At least until Tomorrow.