Questions & Answers

Q: Why did my garlic turn blue?

A: Garlic contains anthocyanins, water-soluble pigments that can turn blue or
purple under acidic conditions. Immature garlic is more likely to turn blue.  Allow home grown garlic to mature it at room temperature for a couple of weeks before using it.

Source:   Garlic: Safe Methods to Store, Preserve, and Enjoy. Linda Harris.   University of California. Publication 7231 November 1997


Q: Can Splenda® (sucralose) be used in preserving food?

A: Granular Splenda® does not provide preservative
properties like sugar.  If one uses Splenda® instead of sugar, the texture and color preserving aspects of sugar syrup won't be there.  The result would be like canning in water except for the additional sweetness contributed by the Splenda®.

In other cases, where sugar is important, like some preserves or pickled fruits, it is not recommended that substitution of Splenda® be used for sugar if the product is to be canned for shelf stability. Splenda® cannot be used in traditional Southern preserves. Sugar is required for the preservation of these products.

You could use Splenda® as the optional sweetener in a jam or jelly made with a no-sugar needed pectin, such as Mrs. Wages™ Lite Home Jell® Fruit Pectin or Ball® No-Sugar Needed Pectin. With these low-methoxyl pectins, no sugar is required at all. Sugar substitutes can be added as desired simply for flavor. The package inserts with these pectins give instructions on when to add the sugar substitutes (usually after all the cooking, right before filling the jars).  The National Center for Food Preservation offers three recipes using Splenda® They are quick pickled sweet cucumber slices, pickled beets and pickled
cantaloupe. http://www.uga.edu/nchfp/publications/nchfp/factsheets.html.

Q: How can I preserve the color of fruits like apples and peaches in frozen unbaked pies?

A: Special treatment is needed to preserve the color and flavor of fruits, such as apples and peaches, in products like unbaked pies. Apples: Steam apple slices two minutes, cool, and drain; or dip raw apple slices into a solution of one-half teaspoon ascorbic acid to one cup water. Apples for four or five pies can be dipped into this amount of solution. Peaches: Peel peaches without scalding and slice. Mix peach slices with one tablespoon lemon juice or ascorbic acid solution by dissolving one-fourth teaspoon ascorbic acid in one tablespoon water.

Q: Why is a hot pack recommended for large fruits, like
apples, peaches and pears?

A: Bringing fruits to boiling in a pan before packing them into jars drives air out of the plant tissue. As a result, There will be fewer problems with fruits floating to the top of the jar. Raw packed fruits often float because they contain air. There will be less liquid lost from the jars. With raw packed fruits air is driven out of the plant tissue during processing. As air escapes from the jars, liquid is carried with it. There will be fewer problems with fruits turning brown near the top of the jar. More food will fit in the jars, since heating shrinks plant tissue. However, hot food should be packed fairly loosely.

 

July 2006 Articles:
Pick Your Peaches for a Peck of Summer Flavor
Freeze Garlic for Later Use