Sunday, October 12, 2014

Mushrooms

Mushrooms
Canned mushrooms have a bad track record as carriers of C. botulinum toxin, so use only fresh edible mushrooms—preferably those grown in presterilized soil, as most commercial mushrooms are.

GENERAL HANDLING
Pressure Canning only. Use Hot pack only. Use ½-pint or pint jars, plain No. 303 cans.
Soak them in cold water for 10 minutes to loosen dirt, then wash well. Trim blemishes from caps and stems. Leave small buttons whole; cut larger ones in button-size pieces. In a covered saucepan simmer them gently for 15 minutes.

HOT PACK ONLY
In jars. Fill with hot mushrooms, leaving ½ inch of headroom. (Optional: add ¼ teaspoon salt to ½ pints, ½ teaspoon salt to pints.) To prevent color change, add ¼ teaspoon of crystalline ascorbic acid to ½-pint jars, ½ teaspoon to pints. Add boiling water, leaving ½ inch of headroom; adjust lids. Pressure-process at 10 pounds (240 F/116 C)—45 minutes for either ½-pints or pints. Remove jars; complete seals if using bailed jars.



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