Food preservation has become the new trend for reducing our food budget and making our food dollars stretch. Preserving our left over produce will cut down on the use of canned foods that are high in sodium, which can lead to health issues in the future. Food preservation can be freezing, canning or even drying. With everyone trying to come up with new ways to save, canning can be a great way if you are taking the necessary food safety precautions to keep your family safe.

When canning, food safety is critical to reduce food borne illnesses. For example, a common food borne illness linked to canning is botulism. According to the Centers for Disease and Control’s website there were 210 botulism foodborne outbreaks reported from 1996 to 2014. Out of the 210 botulism outbreaks, 145 of them came from prepared canned foods made at home. To reduce this possible deadly foodborne illness washing, sanitizing and temperature is very important.

There are many resources available to make sure you are properly canning your produce to the correct temperature. Always start with clean, sanitized jars before adding your produce. Washing your produce with a fruit and vegetable scrubber will help minimize the spread of germs. When washing fruits and vegetables do not to use any form of solution such to clean your produce. Cross contamination can happen without you even realizing it. After cleaning your jars put them up until you are ready in a clean space away from food or dirty items.

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