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Ask Gwen

February 2008

Squash

Canning Potatoes

Question: Squash

I have a recipe that asks for frozen squash as one of the ingredients. I am wondering if you know where it can be purchased?

Answer:

Thanks for your question. I located Omstead frozen butternut squash at Sobeys here in Regina and expect it is available across Canada at their stores. Bird’s Eye is one the brand names available in the US.

See puréed and other squash recipes at: Recipes.Orange_Food_Energy.Butternut_Squash.htm. Puréed squash is easy to make, can be frozen, and used for recipes that call for frozen squash.

Question: Canning Potatoes

At the end of the season, I have lots of little potatoes left over and wonder if they can be canned and how to do it?

Answer:

I went to the University of Minnesota’s website and found the following information.

Canning potatoes in a hot boiling water bath canner (outdated recipe). Why is this risky? Pressure canning is the only safe method of canning low-acid foods like vegetables, meats, poultry and seafood. Clostridium botulinum bacteria are the main reason why these low-acid foods must be pressure canned to be safe. The spores of Clostridium botulinum can only be killed at temperatures of 240 degrees F (120 degrees Celsius). This temperature can only be reached in a pressure canner.

Current Recommendations: Place potatoes in a pan of hot water, bring to a boil and boil whole potatoes for 10 minutes; cubes for 2 minutes. Drain. Pack hot potatoes in hot jars and fill jars to one-inch (2.5 cm) from the top with fresh boiling water. Process in a Dial Gauge Pressure Canner at 11 pounds pressure or in a weighted gauge pressure canner at 15 pounds. Process pints for 35 minutes and quarts for 40 minutes. (*I have converted the measurement and temperatures to Celsius.)

Source: http://www.extension.umn.edu/foodsafety/components/columns/Oct17.htm

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