Canning & Food Preservation

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Canning and preserving food. Includes dehydrating, freeze-drying, etc.

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non-standard recipes (midwest.social)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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So I'm interested in grinding up some fruits (strawberries or whatever) and just throwing them in a jar and preserving them. Basically I want to make a jam without pectin or sugar. How terrible of an idea is this?

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[–] PlaidBaron 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

You would have to pressure can this. Water bath canning would not kill the real nasties like botulism. The sugar or vinegar in jams and pickles respectively prevent those germs from growing out of control which is critical. There is virtually no realistic way to ensure all your equipment is sterile enough to guarantee you will not end up with contamination. It would be a huge risk.

Only pressure canning would actually kill them because the temp gets high enough. Water bath canning is not sufficient.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I think water bath can be enough if the pH is below 4.6.

Below this pH the botulism cannot survive.

According to this chart pH values of common foods and ingredients the fruits you are talking about have a pH well below 4.6 so in theory it could work in a water bath.

However you need to be very careful about what you are doing, unlike fermentation or preserving in sugar, canning can kill you if not done properly. It's generally not advised to can food without strictly following an approved recipe.

[–] PlaidBaron 1 points 1 year ago

Yes but what OP is asking woudlnt reach those pH values.