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----- Original Message -----
From: Laurie
To: phaedrus
Sent: Tuesday, August 17, 2004 8:34 PM
Subject: canning green beans
> My daughter in law told me that the new cooking techniques indicate you
> CAN home can green beans in a hot water bath. She stated that you only
> need to hot water bath them for 35 minutes. I may be from the "old school"
> but I was under the understanding that they MUST be pressure canned because
> of food borne botulism. I can't find anything on the web about the dangers
> of not pressure canning. Please help before she feeds these to my grandkids!
>
> Thank you
> Laurie
>
Hi Laurie,
I checked dozens of state extension service sites, which is the best place
to look for the latest canning information. ALL of them say that green beans
MUST BE PRESSURE CANNED. Your daughter is courting disaster. Have her call
your local state extension service and ask them what they think about 35
minutes boiling water bath for green beans. Or, tell me what state your
daughter lives in and I'll find your state's extension service canning
information.
Below are some excerpts and a post that I found on a message board. If you
want to really scare her a bit, have her read this:
Oregon State
It's about beets, but the same thing applies. Both beets and beans are
low-acid vegetables and must be pressure canned for safety.
Excerpts from canning sites:
"This is the only safe method, since a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure
gives a temperature of 240 degrees Fahrenheit, which is much higher than the
212 degrees Fahrenheit of boiling water," she says. "This high temperature
is necessary to destroy the spores of the dangerous bacteria that can cause
botulism."
Food safety tip: The level of acid in green beans is very low. Keep in mind
when canning greenbeans, a pressure canner is a must. A boiling water bath
for processing does not get hot enough to kill bacteria. By not heating the
beans enough, you create an atmosphere that is just right for botulism.
Sources: Ohio State University Extension
Green beans and other vegetables are low-acid foods. They do not contain
enough acid to be safely canned in a boiling-water bath. Green beans must be
pressure-canned for a specific period of time to avoid the possibility of
the food-borne illness botulism. Botulism is caused by heat-resistant spores
of the bacteria Clostridium botulinum. The spores are not destroyed by the
212°F temperatures of boiling-water bath canning. Canning at 10 pounds of
pressure raises the temperature to 240°F, which is high enough to destroy
the spores if the pressure is maintained for the recommended time
Kansas State University
"There's been plenty (most, in fact) of people who ate boiling water bathed
canned green beans and never become ill from them. Heck, *I've* eaten them
and never become sick.
At one and the same time though most people who play the lottery will never
hit the big jackpot either and for the same reason. The odds that you'll
either hit the jackpot or be poisoned by botulism are very, very low. Should
wild chance act in your favor in the lottery you'll be rich. Should it do
the same for the green beans you'll be lucky if all you are is dead. If
you're unlucky you'll spend months in the Intensive Care Unit and more
months or years in physical therapy trying to regain what you lost before
your fateful date with a jar of poisoned beans.
A three hour boiling water bath and a good jar seal will kill anything in
the beans BUT the heat resistant spores of the Clostridium botulinum
bacteria. Now with any given jar of beans processed in the above manner
there may not be any such spores in it, or if there are something may
prevent them from breaking open and producing live botulinum bacteria. On
the other hand there just might be viable spores in that jar and if the seal
is *good* (meaning air tight) then the beans inside will now be in an
anaerobic (meaning very low oxygen) atmosphere which those botulinum spores
need to produce live bacteria. In that case within a few hours to days
they'll break open, produce live bacteria and the bacteria will begin to
produce lethal poison.
Fortunately both the live botulinum bacteria (not the spores) and the poison
are susceptible to heat and will die or break down when boiled for ten to
fifteen minutes. The reason the USDA and the extension services recommend
boiling even your pressure canned beans is because people make mistakes and
the boiling before serving suggestion is just another way to lower the risk
even further. "
Phaed
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brenda"
To: phaedrus
Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 2:24 PM
Subject: Capers
Hi there! Can you tell me what "capers" are? I see this term often in
recipes. Thank you for your help.
Brenda
Hi Brenda,
Capers are the pickled flower buds of a bush native to the Mediterranean and
some parts of Asia, "Capparis spinosa". The fruits of the plant are also
pickled and used in Spain and other places. The buds develop quickly, and
some become ripe every day. The ripe ones must be picked off daily, which
makes capers rather expensive. The ripe buds are then sun-dried and pickled
in a vinegar brine. Fresh capers are not used. Capers only develop their
unique flavor when pickled. This flavor is due to the formation of capric
acid during the pickling process. Roquevaire in Provence in France is known
as the "caper capital".
Phaed
----- Original Message -----
From: connie
To: phaedrus
Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 8:53 AM
Subject: paprika dessert
> Hey Uncle Phaedrus,
> Would you be able to help me locate a dessert recipe where paprika is a
> main flavor? I've searched google to no such luck but found you, so it
> has been a fruitful search so far! I'm hoping that it would be a cream,
> pie or cake type of recipe. Candied nuts or fruits--that doesn't seem
> to be much of a challenge.
> Thanks Uncle!
> Connie
>
Hi Connie,
See below. Best I can find. Challenge? Is this a school assignment?
Phaed
Paprika Cake
1 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 teas. Lemon Extract
1/4 teas. Orange Extract
4 Eggs
3 Cups Flour
5 teas. Baking Powder
1/2 teas. Salt
3 teas. Paprika
1 Cup Milk
1 Cup Crushed Pineapple, drained
1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut
1 Cup Golden Raisins
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts
Cream butter, sugar and extracts. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well
after each addition. Add milk and beat for 2 min. Add the dry ingredients
and beat well. Fold in pineapple, coconut, raisins and walnuts. Pour into
greased 13x9" pan, and bake at 350F for 50-60 minutes. Cool and frost with
plain vanilla frosting of choice.
----- Original Message -----
From: "dee"
To: phaedrus
Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 7:53 AM
Subject: recipe for stubbed cabbage/holupki
please see if you can locate this Slovak recipe for me. Thank you for your
time
Hello Dee,
The below recipe came from a Slovak Grandmother.
Phaed
Holupki or Polena Kapusta or Cabbage Rolls
Sauerkraut, 1 lb. bag
1 - 2 heads of cabbage
1 lb ground beef
1 lb Grd pork
1 lb. bacon diced
2 c rice raw or instant
1 onion chopped
1/2 teasp salt
1/2 teasp pepper
1/2 teasp paprika
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 c. water
1c. Tomatoe Juice
1 teasp thyme
(optional)
Mix all above together the night before (exclude sauerkraut & cabbage)
Chill in frig overnight
Next day scald cabbage leaves till limp - use only the large ones
Drain
Take a handful of meat mixture place in cabbage roll up folding sides in to
hold meat in.
Place in large pan layered with the rest of cabbage (shredded) & sauerkraut
under & over each layer.
Add water and Tomatoe Juice over rolls
Cover & cook slowly 1 1/2 - 2 hours add more juice or water to keep moist if
needed
Serve with boiled potatoes & beets with onions & vinegar & crusty rye bread
----- Original Message -----
From: "Vonna"
To: phaedrus
Sent: Friday, August 20, 2004 9:02 AM
Subject: refridgerator pickles
looking for recipe for refridgerator or freezer pickles. Have surples of
pickles but not enough to make large batch of pickles. Vonna
Hello Vonna,
See below for 3 recipes.
Phaed
Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients :
1 gal. cucumbers, sliced, do not peel
3 onions, sliced
--Syrup:--
3 c. sugar
3 c. vinegar
1 tsp. mustard seed
1 tsp. dried mustard
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. celery seed
1/4 c. salt
Preparation :
Heat syrup ingredients. Bring to a boil. Pour over cucumbers and
onions in gallon jug. The longer you refrigerate the better they
are. Keep in the refrigerator.
----------------------------------
Bread And Butter Refrigerator Pickles
Ingredients :
6 c. sliced cucumbers
1 c. sliced onion
1 c. sliced peppers
2 tbsp. salt
2 c. sugar
1 c. vinegar
1 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. mustard seed
Preparation :
Put in a gallon jar. Mix together. Put in refrigerator. Stir
once for several days to dissolve sugar. Will keep for 1 year in
refrigerator.
----------------------------------
Refrigerator Dill Pickles
Ingredients :
2 tbsp. pickling salt
1 tbsp. sugar
Pinch of alum
1 clove garlic, cut in pieces
Preparation :
Per quart jar, put in 1-2 pieces of dill. Fill with cubes of
pickles. Add 1/2 cup vinegar. Fill with cold water. Put lid on.
Shake 1 or 2 times a day; leave on counter. Then refrigerate for 2
days.
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