Presto Pressure Canner and Cooker Pressure Canning Meat, Altitude Adjustment, Potatoes-Sweet

POTATOES—SWEET

Wash sweet potatoes. Boil or steam just until partially soft (15 to 20 minutes). Remove skins and cut into pieces. CAUTION: Do not mash or puree potatoes. Pack hot sweet potatoes in clean, hot Mason jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Cover with boiling water, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids.

Process at 10 pounds pressure – Pints 65 minutes and Quarts 90 minutes.

POTATOES—WHITE

Wash, scrape, and rinse new potatoes 1 to 2½ inches in diameter. If desired, cut into ½-inch cubes. Place in ascorbic acid solution (1 teaspoon ascorbic acid to 1 gallon water) to prevent darkening. Drain. Cover potatoes with hot water; bring to a boil and boil whole potatoes for 10 minutes, cubes for 2 minutes. Pack hot potatoes in clean, hot Mason jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Cover with boiling water, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids.

Process at 10 pounds pressure – Pints 35 minutes and Quarts 40 minutes.

PUMPKIN AND WINTER SQUASH

Wash and remove seeds. Cut into 1-inch slices and peel. Cut flesh into 1-inch cubes. Boil 2 minutes in water. CAUTION: Do not mash or puree. Pack hot squash cubes loosely in clean, hot Mason jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Cover with boiling water, leaving 1-inch headspace. Adjust jar lids.

Process at 10 pounds pressure – Pints 55 and Quarts 90 minutes.

PRESSURE CANNING MEAT

Pressure canning is the only safe method for canning meat.

All meat should be handled carefully to avoid contamination from the time of slaughtering until the products are canned. Animals should be correctly slaughtered, canned promptly or kept under refrigeration until processed. If you slaughter your own meat, contact your local county agricultural agent for complete information on slaughtering, chilling, and aging the meat.

Keep meat as cool as possible during preparation for canning, handle rapidly and process meat as soon as it is packed. Most meats need only be wiped with a damp cloth. Use lean meat for canning; remove most of the fat. Cut off gristle and remove large bones. Cut into pieces convenient for canning.

To prepare broth, place bony pieces in saucepan and cover with cold water. Simmer until meat is tender. Discard fat. Add boiling broth to jars packed with precooked meat and poultry.

Meat should not be browned with flour nor should flour be used in the broth to make gravy for pouring over the packed meat. Pack hot meat loosely, leaving 1-inch headspace in Mason jars.

Meats may be processed with or without salt. If salt is desired, use only canning salt. Table salt contains a filler which may cause cloudiness in bottom of jar. Use ½ teaspoon salt to each pint, 1 teaspoon to each quart. More or less salt may be added to suit individual taste.

Follow step-by-step directions beginning on page 6 for canning procedure. Process meats according to the following recipes.

When pressure canning at altitudes of 2,000 feet or below, process according to specific recipe. When canning at higher altitudes, process according to the following charts.

Altitude Adjustment

The processing times given in the specific meat, poultry, fish, and soup recipes are for altitudes of 1,000 feet or less. When pres- sure canning above 1,000 feet, process at 15 pounds of pressure. Processing time is the same at all altitudes.

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