Some tips for safe home canning

Food canning allows us to enjoy summer flavours all year long. The practice, which was neglected for the last few decades, has experienced a comeback thanks to the renewed popularity of home gardening and people’s growing desire to eat locally grown foods.

However, if home-canned foods are not prepared or bottled properly, they can cause botulism – a dangerous or even fatal type of food poisoning.

Here are some safety tips to keep in mind when home canning:<br />

• Take the time to review the latest canning techniques, rather than simply doing what you learned from your relatives (see the link below).
• Make sure you have the necessary equipment for the type of food you’re preparing, and that the equipment is in good shape. For example, don’t use a chipped jar, and don’t reuse lids, even if they look intact.
• Wash your hands thoroughly before handling food or canning equipment.
• Always follow the proper cooking time and temperature guidelines.
• Label each jar with the canning date. Store in a cool, dry place. 

Consuming canned foods:

• Eat canned foods within a year of their canning date.
• Discard any jar whose lid has leaked or bulged, or that squirts when you open it (due to a gas buildup).
• Throw out any food that doesn’t smell good or that appears moldy or discoloured when you open the jar. 
• Don’t taste a sample of the canned food to determine if it’s “good” or safe. If toxins have formed, even small amounts can be enough to cause food poisoning. 
• Refrigerate canned products after opening.

Another option is freezing - a simple alternative for those who would like to preserve their foods for the winter but who don’t have the proper equipment or knowledge for safe canning.

http://canadiensensante.gc.ca/eating-nutrition/safety-salubrite/food-canning-conserve-aliment-fra.php