Canning
With Less Sugar
How do you'can fruits with less
sugar?
Will fruit spoil if sugar is not
used in the canning process?
These are a few of the questions
that many of our readers ask when
they want to cut down on their
sugar intake.
The answers to these questions
.and many more ate answered in
today's column. Thanks to AUetta
Schadler, Lebanon County Exten
sion home economist, and Phyllis
Wright, Warren County Extension
home economist, who compiled
this information.
If you have more questions
about canningor freezing with less
sugar, contact your county Penn
State Extension office, which
keeps up-to-date on safe preserv
ing methods and on the many, new
products marketed as sugar
substitutes.
Sugar performs several func
tions in canning and freezing. It
adds sweetness, of course (and
also calories), but the sugar also
helps firm die texture of fruits
such as peaches and pears. Colors
of fruits are also brighter when the
syrup or liquid contains sugar. The
fruits keep color and texture for a
longer period of time and are not
as susceptible to fading from light
exposure. Sugar is not necessary
to prevent fruit from spoiling.
Proper food handling and adequ
ate processing in a boiling water
bath earner will allow you to suc
cessfully preserve fruits with little
or no added sugar.
You may want to reduce the
sugar you use for a variety of rea
sons flavor, calories or for spe
cial dietary restrictions. You can
substitute water pack or diluted
juice for sugar syrups when can
ning. You can freeze some fruits
dry without any added sugar or
syrup. Others may work better
with a water or juice syrup
substitute.
Canning Fruit
Use the hot-pack method of fill
ing jars that is heat the fruit in
boiling juice or water or syrup
before filling into jars. This will
prevent shrinkage of fruit during
the water bath processing, prevent
floating fruit and minimize the
darkening of fruit during storage.
Headspace in jars should be
adjusted to 'A inch. A larger
amount of headspace will increase
discoloration of fruit at the top of
the jar.
All foods must be processed in
Recipe Topics
If you have recipes for the topics listed below, please share
them with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that you
include accurate measurements, a complete list of ingre
dients and clear instructions with each recipe you submit.
Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming, P.O.
Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522. Recipes should reach our office
one week before publishing date.
August
14- Zucchini
21- Tomatoes
28- Apples
September
4- National Chicken Month
Bone On The Bud
a boiling water bath canner or
pressure canner following Ailing
into jars. Open kettle canning is
not recommended for any food.
Select ripe but firm fruit for
sugarless canning. Add SOO mg.
ascorbic acid to each quart of fruit
canned to help reduce color
change. Add it directly to each
quart jar after crushing the tablet.
Note that fruits canned with
water, juice or very light syrups
ate best stored in cool dark places
to prevent color fading.
Fruit Juice Packs
Select a compatible flavor fruit
juice for the canning syrup. Fro
zen unsweetened juices can be
used. Bottled unsweetened juices
can also be used. Frozen apple
juice concentrate works very well.
You may want to dilute the apple
juice with extra water to cut the
apple flavor and reduce calories
further. Instead of diluting each
can of concentrate with 3 cans of
water, try adding S cans of water.
Record your proportions and label
jars so you will know the concent
ration your family prefers. Here
are some flavor suggestions:
• Frozen Apple Juice- with
peaches, pears, apricots, plums,
red or white.
• Frozen Unsweetened Blush
Grape Juice- sweet cherries.
• Frozen Pineapple Juice
with pears or peaches. This is a
cloudy looking pack but is very
tasty. Frozen pineapple juice has
fresher flavor.
• Bottled Sweetened White
Grape Juice- with pears, peaches,
apricots. Dilute this bottled juice.
You might want to mix it with
another juice. Red grape juice
might be used with plums or red
cherries.
(Note to diabetics: The juice of
fruit canned this way must be con
sidered as fruit juice in your diet
plan.)
Some families find fruits
canned this year too bland and tart
especially if you’ve been
accustomed to heavy sugar syr
ups. You could make a fruit juice/
light syrup usingT cup of sugar to
6 cups of juice or water for a trial
to see if your family will accept
the change. There is no point in
canning a large amount of food in
a way your family refuses to eat!
Test flavor combinations in small
quantities.
...A Word About Honey- Hon
ey is a liquid concentrated
Health concerns encourage many people to pireaarve food with less sugar. This
requires new recipes and new methods.
sweetener and should be avoided
by diabetics and others needing to
reduce calories. It has more calo
ries per tablespoon and it does
taste sweeter than an equal
amount of sugar so a little goes a
long way. It can be used in can
ning syrups if you select a mild
flavored variety.
...Fructose is a sweet tasting
sugar found naturally in fruit,
juices and honey. While it tastes
twice as sweet as sugar and so you
need use less, it must be consid
ered as a sugar by diabetes.
...And Artificial Sweeteners*
Artificial sweeteners should be
added to canned or frozen fruit
just before serving. Dq not use in
canning syrups. The heat of pro
cessing many cause some
sweeteners to lose sweetening
power and others may cause an
unpleasant after taste or flavor
change.
See chart at the end of this pap
er for syrup ratios.
Freezing Fruit
The freezing process always
causes changes in the texture of
fruits because of the fragile cell
structures and high water content
of the food itself. When ice crys
tals form, the cell walls are
damaged by sharp edges so that
when the food is thawed, the
juices leak out and the food is
“myshy” or soft The higher the
water content, the greater the
chance of texture change. For
example, strawberries get mushier
after freezing than cherries.
The speed of freezing.gnd.
temperature of the freezer will vor better. Consult your county
also affect the final texture Of the Extension office for variety sug
fruit Faster and odder is best gestions. Talk- to your grower.
Zero degrees storage is preferred. Keep records so you know what
Good moisture/vapor- proof works best
packaging will help prevent mois- Sugar syrups or dry sugar added
hire loss and color fading. to fruit will help fix the color, and
Some varieties of fruits freeze, firm texture, too. If you do all the
better than others because they other things right select solid
stay firmer and keep color and fla- (Turn to Pag* BS)
Featured Recipe
Grilled vegetables make easy, delicious accompaniments for grilled
beef. Grilling enhances the. natural flavor of many vegetables while
imparting a light smoky flavor.
idost vegetables need no preparation for grilling other than clean
ing, and a light brushing with vegetable or olive oil.
This vegetable grilling guide is from the Pennsylvania Beef Coun
cil. Look for stories on beef representative and recipes for beef in this
section of the paper.
Bell peppers: Cut peppers in half lengthwise; remove seeds. Brush
lightly with oil, if desired. Grill over medium coals, turning occasion
ally, until tender, 12 to IS minutes.
Corn: Pull back husks from corn leaving husks attached to base.
Remove com silk. Fold husks back around com; tie at the end of each
ear with string or strip of one of husks. Soak com in cold water 1 to 2
hours. Remove from water. Grill over medium coals, turning frequent
ly. until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.
Eggplant: Cut small (about'3 to 4 ounces each) Japanese-type egg
plants in half lengthwise. Brush lightly with oil. Grill over medium
coals, turning.occasionally, until tender. 10 to 12 minutes.
Zucchini or Yellow Squash: Cut small (about 3 to 4 ounces each)
squash in half lengthwise. Brush lightly with oil. Grill <pver medium
coals, tunyng occasionally, until tender, IS to 20 minutes.
Onions: Slice onions 14 -inch thick. Brush lightly with oil. Grill
over medium coals, turning occasionally, until tender, IS to 20
minutes.
Tomatoes: Slice tomatoes 'A -V* -inch thick. Brush lightly with oil.
Grill over medium coals, turning once, until heated through, 3 to 5
minutes. -