Just got done making giant batch of caponata, Rachel Ray's recipe. I
get hungry for the stuff. Wanted to cut down on freezer fillers. So
the question - has anybody canned caponata? Did a google search & also
Small Batch Preserving, found two *similar* recipes and will email the
Univ of Ga for their input. I tested my batch with scientific grade pH
test strips. Unblendered was 4.0 and blendered (!?) was 3.0. This
seems to be on the safe side for high acid foods safe for BWB. But this
food is small chunks with olives (with red wine, lots of salt), celery &
raisins & eggplant, so some of the stuff is very low acid. Thoughts?
Add spoonful of lemonjuice to each jar like tomate sauce? Break out &
buy a decent pressure canner?
Edrena

"The Joneses" > wrote in message
...
> Just got done making giant batch of caponata, Rachel Ray's recipe. I
> get hungry for the stuff. Wanted to cut down on freezer fillers. So
> the question - has anybody canned caponata? Did a google search & also
> Small Batch Preserving, found two *similar* recipes and will email the
> Univ of Ga for their input. I tested my batch with scientific grade pH
> test strips. Unblendered was 4.0 and blendered (!?) was 3.0. This
> seems to be on the safe side for high acid foods safe for BWB. But this
> food is small chunks with olives (with red wine, lots of salt), celery &
> raisins & eggplant, so some of the stuff is very low acid. Thoughts?
> Add spoonful of lemonjuice to each jar like tomate sauce? Break out &
> buy a decent pressure canner?
> Edrena
>
>

I've canned caponata successfully for years. I use 8oz. jelly jars, and
process in a BWB 15 minutes.

"The Joneses" > wrote in message
...
> Just got done making giant batch of caponata, Rachel Ray's recipe. I
> get hungry for the stuff. Wanted to cut down on freezer fillers. So
> the question - has anybody canned caponata? Did a google search & also
> Small Batch Preserving, found two *similar* recipes and will email the
> Univ of Ga for their input. I tested my batch with scientific grade pH
> test strips. Unblendered was 4.0 and blendered (!?) was 3.0. This
> seems to be on the safe side for high acid foods safe for BWB. But this
> food is small chunks with olives (with red wine, lots of salt), celery &
> raisins & eggplant, so some of the stuff is very low acid. Thoughts?
> Add spoonful of lemonjuice to each jar like tomate sauce? Break out &
> buy a decent pressure canner?
> Edrena
>
>

I've canned caponata successfully for years. I use 8oz. jelly jars, and
process in a BWB 15 minutes.

SJWoodin wrote:

> "The Joneses" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Just got done making giant batch of caponata, Rachel Ray's recipe. I
> > get hungry for the stuff. Wanted to cut down on freezer fillers. So
> > the question - has anybody canned caponata? Did a google search & also
> > Small Batch Preserving, found two *similar* recipes and will email the
> > Univ of Ga for their input. I tested my batch with scientific grade pH
> > test strips. Unblendered was 4.0 and blendered (!?) was 3.0. This
> > seems to be on the safe side for high acid foods safe for BWB. But this
> > food is small chunks with olives (with red wine, lots of salt), celery &
> > raisins & eggplant, so some of the stuff is very low acid. Thoughts?
> > Add spoonful of lemonjuice to each jar like tomate sauce? Break out &
> > buy a decent pressure canner?
> >
> I've canned caponata successfully for years. I use 8oz. jelly jars, and
> process in a BWB 15 minutes.

Well after all that testing I added 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (6%) to a double
batch then BWB'd pints for 40 min at 4,000' altitude. I feel pretty safe for
home eating, but until I hear back from the UnivGA folks, I won't give any
away. I have a feeling they are going to want to pressure can this stuff,
what with the olives, raisins & eggplant and all. Glad to hear from you tho.
What recipe do you use?
Edrena

SJWoodin wrote:
> "The Joneses" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Just got done making giant batch of caponata, Rachel Ray's recipe. I
>>get hungry for the stuff. Wanted to cut down on freezer fillers. So
>>the question - has anybody canned caponata? Did a google search & also
>>Small Batch Preserving, found two *similar* recipes and will email the
>>Univ of Ga for their input. I tested my batch with scientific grade pH
>>test strips. Unblendered was 4.0 and blendered (!?) was 3.0. This
>>seems to be on the safe side for high acid foods safe for BWB. But this
>>food is small chunks with olives (with red wine, lots of salt), celery &
>>raisins & eggplant, so some of the stuff is very low acid. Thoughts?
>>Add spoonful of lemonjuice to each jar like tomate sauce? Break out &
>>buy a decent pressure canner?
>>Edrena
>>
>>
>
>
> I've canned caponata successfully for years. I use 8oz. jelly jars, and
> process in a BWB 15 minutes.
>
>
And that fact does not mean that canning caponata in a BWB is safe, just
that no one has died yet from eating yours. Answer a couple of
questions: is your caponata sufficiently acidic to be safe to can in a
BWB? Do you use an approved (by some decent authority) recipe that
ensures the safety?

The main thing about most of the regulars on this newsgroup is that we
don't try to recommend what are considered unsafe canning methods.
Unsafe to most of us means USDA recommended or approved by one of the
universities that experiments and tests foods.

I'm not picking on you, just pointing out the norm for most experienced
canners on this group.

George

il Fri, 21 Jan 2005 14:11:33 -0800, Brian Mailman ha scritto:

> George Shirley wrote:
>
> > Unsafe to most of us means USDA recommended or approved by one of the
> > universities that experiments and tests foods.
>
> Uhhhh... George...
>
> B/

LOL ! I missed that one < VBG>
--
Cheers,
Loki [ Brevity is the soul of wit. W.Shakespeare ]

The Joneses wrote:

> Just got done making giant batch of caponata, Rachel Ray's recipe. ... -
> has anybody canned caponata?

Well the Univ of Ga assistant wrote back to reserve comment, boss out of
town, etc. recommended pressure canning. His own site and our FAQ also say
the cutoff is pH 4.6, my dice for this is small, and the pH range 3.0 to
4.0. I feel it's pretty safe. Being the only cook in the house, tho and
with Mama and Ol' Whiskerface the DH to take care of, I'm not willing to
risk my life for salsa. I'm off to the military hospital path lab with some
bribes of other canned stuff to get it tested for botulism & staph.
Everything else is pretty well covered. The local ag agent's office won't
answer and the local labs do environmental soil testing only. Wish me luck.
Doña Edrena, tilting at windmeals [sic]