It happened again. Will people never learn?
I just received a comment on an older blog post about canning mushrooms.
I'm sure you can guess what it was about. To quote: "While looking up recipes to water bath can mushrooms, your above comment came up in the search. My Grandmother, my mother, my mother-in-law and myself, have only ever water bathed veggies. I'm surprised it's not the norm anymore."
It's "not the norm anymore" BECAUSE IT'S DANGEROUS. I'm honestly at a loss why someone would come onto this blog and condescendingly lecture me about their unsafe canning methods, but there you go. As my readers know by now, low-acid foods MUST be pressure canned to kill botulism spores.
The last time I posted about this frustration, a reader noted, "Maybe telling others what [botulism] actually is and how it can affect someone instead of just saying it is dangerous might help?" and helpfully supplied the following information (source unknown):
Botulism: a paralyzing nerve toxin, considered to be one of the most potent and lethal substances in the world. It's produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum and sometimes by strains of Clostridium butyricum and Clostridium baratii. The rod-shaped bacteria are commonly found in soil and sediments from lakes, rivers and oceans. The bacteria thrive in low-oxygen conditions, such as canned foods, deep wounds & the intestinal tract, but when threatened form protective spores with a hard coating that allows the bacteria to survive for years.
The danger is not from the spores themselves but what they produce while germinating. As the C. botulinum bacteria grow, they create eight types of neurotoxins that are so deadly, even microscopic amounts can kill.
Because botulism toxin paralyzes muscles, early and classic signs of the illness are drooping eyelids and blurred or double vision, dry mouth, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing. If left untreated, greater paralysis of muscles of the arms, legs and trunk of the body will occur, affecting the ability to breathe.
Babies infected w/botulism will be poor feeders & seem lethargic, w/weak cry & poor muscle tone, can also be constipated.
Botulism does not cause fever; those affected are usually alert and aware of their surroundings. Once botulism is confirmed, it can be treated with an antitoxin and, in some cases, antibiotics. If the antitoxin is given before paralysis is complete, helps shorten recovery, which requires regrowth of motor nerve endings. Patient can be hospitalized for supportive treatment/ventilator, for weeks or months until paralysis improves. In some cases, muscle weakness & shortness of breath can last years.
But I know I'm talking to a brick wall with some people. Whee, let's gleefully flirt with death! This person is going to water-bath can her mushrooms and other veggies, and someday will be shocked – shocked! – when a family member is hospitalized with this deadly toxin. You can lead a horse to water......
We usually eat mushrooms fresh, what's left over are dehydrated, not all species ! do some homework !
ReplyDeleteHow do home canned mushrooms compare with the commercial B&B stuff? I dislike them--they seem slimy to me (unfortunately I'm very sensitive to food textures. it stinks). But I love shrooms in general.
ReplyDeleteThey're definitely different than fresh mushrooms, but fabulous when sautéed with butter and garlic, or added to stir fries.
Delete- Patrice
Thanks much for your community service announcement! It is truly regrettable that some people would rather play Russian roulette with their lives and the lives of others than make some simple and do-able changes in their methods of doing things. And truly incomprehensible!
ReplyDeleteI'm also amazed at what people fixate on. A sample size of one family doesn't inspire much confidence. The people who say this probably have never pressure canned; they don't own a pressure canner; and they're apprehensive about the whole concept, much like approaching a high dive for the first time. I was a little uncertain until I actually got a pressure canner and did my first batch--but before then, I stuck to jams and pickled vegetables.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, if not fresh I prefer dried .mushrooms over canned. They rehydrate easily and cook up with a texture closer to fresh. Plus they take up a lot less space. I would vacuum seal whatever they're stored in.
ReplyDeleteWhen rehydrating things I also like to use different liquids than water. For example, apple juice to rehydrate apples amplfies the flavor.
To rehydrate many things going into a wet dish I just up the liquids somewhat and toss in the dried item. For mushrooms I have made beef in a wine sauce and tossed in the dried mushrooms. They soak up the sauce.
If you really want something to stay true to its flavor, go ahead an rehydrate in water.
Canning is great, but dehydrated foods rock in many ways. Vitamins and enzymes destroyed by canning remain with dehydration, which is one reason dehydration is often used for fruits and veggies.
Perhaps if some people prefer not to can properly they can choose this alternative option to food storage. I do both and prefer dehydrated over canned in many instances.
I agree, Patrice. There seems to be a popular trend with "Rebel Canning". I hear a lot of "my kitchen, my rules" if I question water bath canning low acid foods in these groups. I'm sorry but "your rules" don't change proven science. Why take such unnecessary risks? Now I will can things without an FDA approved recipe, but I will follow the process for low or high acid foods every time. KinCa
ReplyDeleteWhy can mushrooms in the first place, when they are so easy to dehydrate, and have no such nutrients that would vanish during that process?
ReplyDeleteWe pick quite a lot of mushrooms, and they do not even need dehydrating machine. Just cut them small and put loosely in a shadowy, warm place. Why BOTHER canning something you don't need to? Less storage space, longer "self life" (dried mushrooms stay good forever).
I know someone who puts trays of stuff to dehydrate in her vehicle, in the sun, with a cracked window so moisture can escape.
DeleteI haven't tried it, but would think a thermometer would be a good idea inside that vehicle. My dehydrator has different temps listed for different foods.
Meat is supposed to go on the highest setting which is 160-165 degrees. I do dehydrate meats, but not raw though that's what the recipes for jerky call for.
I like to marinade the meat first sliced up, then dry it, cook it, then dehydrate. This adds back into dishes well. I cook it first to the appropriate temp for kind of meat just to be safe. The dehydrator doesn't heat to called for temps which makes me nervous, right or not.
Another thing about meat is it may ooze a little fat so I like to blot that several times if needed before it's finished drying.
Great post to share the reason behind the rules. I'm a self-taught canner still relying on my tattered 1989 USDA Bulletin #539. Hand-me-down canning lessons can kill if not updated by science. Hmm, time to take my own advice and get the 2015 update. FYI I'm new to blogging. Found this from your mention on Lehman's podcast. I I'm already a fan!!
ReplyDeleteYou might be interested in this blog post:
Deletehttp://www.rural-revolution.com/2022/09/my-new-canning-bible.html
It reviews a new USDA canning guide I can highly recommend.
- Patrice
Patrice, I don't recall if you've covered this in the past or not. Is it possible to dehydrate mushrooms? I get a box of veggies from one of our local farmers each week, and right now we have an abundance of portabella mushrooms. Right now, we're getting more than we can eat (but not enough to justify firing up the canner.) I'd really like to preserve these somehow!
ReplyDeleteHave you dehydrated mushrooms before?
Thanks for your advice!
I've never dehydrated mushrooms for the simple reason that I'm a canning fanatic; but yes, dehydrating mushrooms is a popular option.
DeleteThe mushrooms should be fresh; in other words, don't dry a batch in an attempt to "save" them before going bad.
According to my canning guide, stems and caps should be dried separately (stems are denser, and require more time to dry). Clean and pat dry. Slice everything to 1/8" to 1/4" thickness (consistent thickness across the batch will mean everything will dry at the same rate). If you don't want the mushrooms to darken, treat with ascorbic acid.
Layer the mushrooms on the dehydrating trays, making sure the pieces don't overlap. Dehydrate between 135F and 155F for 6 to 8 hours.
Hope this helps!
- Patrice