Anishinabek AgricultureThere are many different ways to preserve food and with the pandemic, it is even more important to have preserved food on hand, to lessen the need to visit the grocery store. Some common food preservation methods may include canning, freezing, fermentation, dehydrating, salt and sugar curing, pickling, olive oil immersion, alcohol immersion, root cellars and smoking. There are three reasons why food preservation is important; firstly, to minimize pathogenic bacteria, secondly, to keep food at its best quality, and thirdly, to save money. If you purchase or obtain more food than you can use, the various preservation methods can help you keep foods for longer.
Canning
There are two methods of canning at home; the boiling water method and the pressure canning method. Jars are heated as they cool, and an airtight seal is created that preserves the food. Pressure canning is for low acid foods such as vegetables and meats. These need to be heated to higher temperatures using a pressure cooker to kill bacteria. Canning preserves food by removing oxygen and containing food in an acidic, sugary or salty environment where bacteria cannot thrive.
Freezing
Freezing preserves food by rendering bacteria and other microbes inactive. Foods that freeze well include fruit, blanched vegetables, raw and cooked meat, butter and cookies. When freezing food, the key is to remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn. Freezing can be done utilizing food storage containers, freezer bags and plastic wrap. Food can also be frozen in Mason jars.
Fermentation
Fermentation leads to a chemical change in food using an anaerobic environment.
Dehydration
Dehydration removes the moisture from foods prolonging the length of time they can be stored. A commercial dehydrator can be used to dry foods. A dehydrator is a wonderful kitchen gadget containing a fan and trays. It removes 95% of the moisture from food. Some foods will turn brown during the dehydration process. Apples and bananas should have lemon juice applied to minimize the browning. Foods must be thinly sliced to dehydrate properly. Dried food requires less storage space than fresh, frozen or canned food.
Salt and sugar curing
Salt curing draws the water out of food to stop bacterial growth. In dry curing, you apply salt to food and leave it to draw out the water. In wet curing you mix salt with water and add food to the liquid to preserve it. You need to use salt specifically designed for pickling. Excessive salt consumption can harm your health so you should follow recipes found on line or from published sources.
Pickling
Pickling is a process of extending the shelf life of food by anaerobic fermentation in brine or immersion in vinegar. The pickling process affects the foods texture and flavour.
Olive Oil Immersion
Immersing food in olive oil works by preventing contact between food and air.
Alcohol immersion
Alcohol draws water out of food, inhibiting microbial growth. By submersing food in alcohol yeast transforms the natural sugars found in a fruit or grain to alcohol.
Root Cellars
A root cellar is any storage location that uses the natural cooling, insulating and humidifying properties of the earth. A root cellar is commonly used to store root vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, beets, parsnips, and turnips. A root cellar should be between 32 and 20 degrees F and should have a humidity of 85 to 95 %. (More on root cellars to be added soon)
Smoking
Smoking involves hanging meat in a chimney or drying it in an oven. Smoking does not use enough heat to cook the food, just enough to dry it.